family camping

Changes to CampingBlogger

23editor — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 03:14:27 +0000

Frequent readers may have noticed fewer postings on CampingBlogger recently (which will change in the coming weeks, so don’t worry about rare posting in the future). CampingBlogger has a new editor, Eric Ridenour. After running this site for several years, Roy has decided to pass the site on. I hope to continue this site in his spirit, offering camping news, tips, reviews, and plenty of guest posts. I look forward to sharing my travels, tips and experiences with you.

I’m excited to take over this blog as I love the outdoors and camping. I’ve been all over the country and have enjoyed camping in the heat of the summer to the dead of winter, and have camped on beaches and in the mountains. Most of my travels have been tent camping, but I have a few outings in cabins and trailers.

During the transition, some emails may have been lost from people wanting to guest post or otherwise reach out to me. If you sent an email through our site in the past month or so, sorry but your email may have been among these. Also, the welcome mat is always out for guest bloggers. Either way, please check out our contact page to get in touch.

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Camping at El Capitan State Beach

Thomas Neton — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 21:38:51 +0000

This is a guest post by Thomas Neton. If you would like to guest post on CampingBlogger, please see the guest posting page for more information.

My son and I camp regularly. He’s a Boy Scout, so he’s a big help setting up our site and camping equipment . One of our favorite spots is El Capitan state beach, just north of Santa Barbara on the California coast.

If you’re coming from LA or farther south, try to leave during the middle of the day or on the weekend. Downtown LA’s famous rush hour traffic is pretty brutal and can add an hour to your trip. It take us about two hours to get up there from Long Beach with no traffic.

El Capitan State Beach (photo by Robert Garcia on Flickr)

The campground is up on a bluff with a fantastic beach below. At the far north end of the beach is a freshwater creek that runs into tidepools at the ocean’s edge. We’ve camped there in spring and summer, but in spring there are tadpoles in the creek – hours of kid fun! There are many forms of marine life for kids to see and experience. Bring your bikes because there are miles of roads and bike paths on the beach and in the campground that kids can enjoy.

The campground is very clean and well kept. The camp hosts are a married couple who keep a sharp eye on the campground while maintaining a friendly atmosphere. The majority of campers are families, and everybody has been very friendly every time we go.

One thing to watch for on the beach is naturally occurring tar that sometimes washes up on the shore. The occasional tarball can be cleaned up by the small wipes sold at the campground’s store. The store itself is very sparse, so make sure you bring all your supplies. The closest town is about 10 miles south of El Capitan, so a supply run can take over an hour roundtrip. They do have a small coffee shop in town, though.

Sunset at El Capitan State Beach (photo by frankenschulz on Flickr)

The sunsets are absolutely beautiful here. And here’s the insider tip: some sites offer nice views, but sites 82-84 offer ocean front views. Reservations are made through Reserve America 7 months in advance. If you time it right, you can get a prime site. Also, you can check back periodically during the current month- sometimes there are cancellations.

Thomas Neton is an avid camper and former Scout leader who runs Camptentonline.com, a retailer of tents, sleeping bags and camping gear.

New Self-Contained Coffee Maker

Roy Scribner — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:19:20 +0000

I remember when Brunton® introduced the BrewFire™ back in 2008 and thought it was a great concept, at the time. No fire to start, no jockeying for room on the camp stove – just light the internal burner and let it do it’s thing. Now Coleman® has launched their own self-contained coffee maker and it is a lot cheaper than Brunton’s (now Primus™).

Coleman propane coffee maker with stainless steel carafe

The Coleman looks like an effective unit, with a nice wrap-around windscreen in the back, and a stainless steel carafe. My current Coleman stop-top coffee maker has a glass carafe, that I have somehow not broken in three or four years, but a metal carafe makes a lot of sense. Coleman also offers a model with a glass carafe for $10 less.

As much as I am attracted to this self-contained concept, I am not sure I am willing to part with $80 or $90 just for that convenience. I have gotten a lot of use out of my $40 Coleman (I see they are now $50) and other than the glass carafe, there is really nothing on it that can wear-out or break.

It would be nice to free-up some space on the stove, but I am getting by with getting up a little earlier than everyone else (easy to do with my family ), brewing my coffee and pouring a few extra cups into a Thermos® to keep it hot.

What are you currently using for brewing coffee at the campsite? Does a self-contained unit interest you?

Putting the 52oz. bubba to the test

Roy Scribner — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 23:26:16 +0000

The ginormous bubba® 52-ounce insulated mug was a Father’s Day gag-gift from the family, but with our Independence Day weekend temperatures well into the triple-digits, I decided to breakout the “bubba” and see what this thing could do. Surprisingly, pretty darn good!

That's right, 107 degrees on July 2nd!

I wasn’t kidding about the temps, here, in south San Jose. Our sensor is on the south side of the house but, still, 107-degrees is hot! Normally, we would be up in the mountains on this holiday weekend. This year, however, Mrs. CampingBlogger’s work schedule is keeping us close to home – making this a great opportunity to put the “bubba” to the test.

That's not a mini-keg, it's the 52oz. bubba

The bubba is a hefty line of insulated beverage containers that come in various sizes. My 52oz. model sits squarely in the middle of a line that ranges from 18oz. travel mugs to 5-gallon beverage coolers.

The bubba works with hot or cold beverages, although I am not sure what I would do with 52oz. of coffee. There is a bottle opener integrated into the bottom of the handle, which is pretty slick. Unfortunately, the bubba is not dishwasher safe – but I guess that’s not a big deal for camping.

Getting a temp reading on the contents

I filled the bubba with 48oz. of my least-favorite beer (I wouldn’t want to waste good beer, if this thing doesn’t work!) and took a temperature reading, before letting it soak in the 107-degree sun for one hour.

An hour in the sun and the beer is still cold

And the results? The bubba worked surprisingly well! The beer was a bit flat, after sitting in the sun for an hour, but the temperature barely budged and it was still deliciously cold. There is no way my Igloo® MaxCold could have pulled that off, without a considerable amount of ice.

Does the bubba have any real camping utility? Probably not for me. I prefer my beer one bottle-at-a-time, not in 52oz. mini-kegs. The bubba worked so well, though, that I am now intrigued by there larger 3 and 5 gallon beverage coolers. Those could prove to be great solutions for cold water and juice, at the campsite.

7 Photography Tips for the Great Outdoors

Karen Ho Fatt — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 15:32:40 +0000

This is a guest post by Karen Ho Fatt, who publishes an outdoor fire pit review site. If you would like to guest post on CampingBlogger, please see the guest posting page for more information.

Most of us are planning to head out to the National Parks this spring season. You will probably be making the most of your trip there; hunting, cooking and fishing are probably on the trailblazing menu. But most of us usually incorporate some kind of photography to document their trips into the great outdoors. But how do you create a more meaningful representation of these spectacular creations of nature?

For those who don’t want to just settle for the run of the mill “snapshots” here are some tips to improving your skills while on holiday.

Frozen Lake Helen in Lassen NP

Capture the Big Scene. This is the trophy photo is what we all try to achieve as photographers, the one that makes a statement; the majestic mountains rising above the clouds with the river running through below. A wide angle lens from 15mmm to 24mm is best to help you achieve that panoramic view.

Get in Closer. Photograph scenes within scenes. Focus on smaller details such as animals in the landscape with the trees as a backdrop.

Carry multiple lenses. Use a 24- 70mm lens for more standard scenes (as it looks to the eye) and a zoom lens in the 70-200mm range will help you get those far away details closer to you. A macro lens will give you a 1:1 view of your subject and will capture intimate details such as bugs on a budding leaf.

Crater Lake NP, in Oregon

Capture the Mood of the place. Getting to your location at sunrise and sunset when the light is golden will impart a different mood to your subject. A side lit mountain is a sight to behold: you will see it alternately glowing in shades of pink, orange or yellow. These magic moments are fleeting so you will have to be quick with the shutter and set up early before the sun rises (before 10 am) or before it sets (after 3pm).

Storms, Rain, Mist and Fog are not your enemies but your friend. These elements are great mood creators and incorporating them will elevate the image to a different level. They will turn the mundane into the extraordinary. And remember to dress in layers for these extreme weather changes you may encounter in the wilderness that you will want to capture.

First signs of spring

Use a Monopod or Tripod. Nature’s fickle weather and the magic moments of sunrise and sunset are often bathed in low light so you will need these tools if you want your pictures looking their best. Otherwise steady yourself against a tree and don’t breathe if you don’t have any one on hand! In addition to the latter you will probably need to use very high ISO in these low light situations and alter these more grainy images with noise software later. The monopod’s added benefit is that it also can double as a walking stick!

Get a GPS. Sure handy if you get lost but you may want to come back to the same location at a different time of day to capture a different mood and look.

Last but not least, know your camera and its limitations. Read your manual and learn what all those buttons were meant to do. As stale and boring as it may be, you don’t want to be fumbling around and not capture that fleeting moment!

These basic principles apply if you have a DSLR camera with interchangeable lenses or a more simple point and shoot camera. Taking photos is a combination of both serendipity and some careful planning. But take note as you will see miles of improvement in your travels into the great outdoors!

Karen is an avid photographer and can often be often found photographing the great outdoors near her country hamlet. She publishes an outdoor fire pit review site and you can follow her on Twitter @FamilyFirePit

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