Questions tagged [camping]
Questions discussing camping as an activity, equipment and skills that can make camping safer and more enjoyable, possible campsites and related legal and security issues for a specific region should use this tag.
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Where in Europe is wild camping permitted?
Is there any resource (website, book, etc) that lists all European countries, and the state of free camping?
Specifically, I want to see in which European countries I'm not fined when I place my tent ...
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Is it warmer to sleep naked in a sleeping bag?
When camping in cold weather, some people say it is actually warmer to sleep naked than to sleep with clothes on.
Is that true, or is it better to leave warm clothes on while in the bag?
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How to light a fire with wet firewood?
There is a wide variety of pre-cut firewood available when camping. In my experience, even wood that's been kept covered is often very wet and can be difficult to light.
What are some techniques for ...
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What are some proven methods of training for week long backpacking trips at high altitude?
I'm going to Colorado to visit a friend and we will be going on a week long trek across a couple of 14'ners. I'm looking for some ways to help prepare my body for trip.
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How are camping fuels named in different languages and geographies?
There exist a plethora of different camping fuels, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. Depending on your cooking equipment (mainly the used stove/burner) and the environmental conditions ...
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What's the difference between white gas, propane, kerosene, and gasoline?
How do I know what type I should use when I'm planning a camping trip?
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9
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How To Quickly Warm A Tent
Some background links to Aravona's question here. Basically I am her other half and over the course of the night the tent was opened many times. As people will know opening a tent in the wee hours of ...
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What is a good tarp setup for very high winds above the tree line?
Assuming it's very impractical to get down to reach the tree line; and that the wind is changing direction very often - so a setup with several sides closed would be preferred - what would be a good ...
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What are good knots to know for camping and backpacking?
I once tied a bear bag with a haphazard bundle of knots, and despite being seemingly impossible to untie, it came loose when lowering the bear bag and nearly smoked my friend standing under it. What ...
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Pitching a tent in the rain?
So I've had the complete and utter luck of never having had to pitch my tent in the rain.
However, with needing to pitch it this weekend and the high probability of rain and potential thunderstorms (...
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Camping with a dog for the first time
In a few months my fiance and I will be joining two friends camping. My friends chocolate labrador will be joining us for the weekend. My fiance and I, whilst both dog lovers, have no experience ...
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What to look for when purchasing a fixed blade knife
I'm planning on doing some back country canoe camping this summer. I would like to avoid bringing a hatchet if possible. I also find my folding knifes get full of gunk and I am a little bit afraid I ...
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What are the best methods to clean out a fire pits and dispose of the ash?
Are there any recommended methods for disposing of ash from fire pits while primitive camping? I have run into several fire pits in National and State forest camping areas where the fire pit or fire ...
- 1,172
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1
answer
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What is the best way to re-waterproof a nylon tarp?
I have a ProForce All Weather Shelter, which is listed as being "210T rip-stop nylon". On a recent outing, we had four hours of rain overnight and it leaked on me the entire time.
Upon closer ...
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How should we protect ourselves from a lightning strike?
We are in the great outdoors and a massive thunderstorm will be over us soon. What steps should we take to be safe from a lightning strike?
This question is not "am I safe in my tent" etc. You are ...
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Can I camp in the backcountry outside backcountry campsites in Jasper National Park?
In Jasper National Park, when I am hiking on trails, must I camp on designated backcountry campsites, or can I camp anywhere I want?
According to this forum post on tripadvisor:
Yes, random ...
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Which will keep my food colder longer, draining the melted ice water, or leaving it in the cooler?
Say you have a cooler of frozen food and ice to last for several days or weeks of river-trip / car camping. To keep things as a cold as possible for as long as possible, is it better to leave the cold ...
- 19k
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When back country camping, how do you avoid being attacked by a mountain lion in your sleep?
I'm looking to camp in SE Oregon. At minimum, my girlfriend and I will have sleeping bags. We're open to adding a tent, fire, and other stuff as recommended. Our goal is to be able to hike around ...
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How can I hike across the Grand Canyon if I don't have a backcountry permit?
I am going to try to hike across the Grand Canyon in May, from the South Rim to the North Rim, and back. Unfortunately, I have discovered that I am probably too late to secure a back-country permit ...
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Can I safely camp in deer tick country, and if so, how?
Most of my camping has been above timberline and ticks have never been a problem. However, a day in the garden at home in northern Virginia often results in a deer tick or two, despite long pants and ...
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First time camping, need advice
Me and my wife have never done camping before and always wanted to do it. This time we are planning to go for a small camping trip but have no idea how to prepare for it. We like to hike and are ...
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Activities at the campsite
Inspired by a comment by Kate Gregory I just have to ask this question:
What to do on your spare time while being at the campsite?
Being outdoors several days while having good friends around and ...
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Permanent Camping Cooler - No Ice Needed
Situation:
Forest
Clay Ground covered in pine needles
Pacific Northwest Climate
No River
No Electricity
Can provide purified water, and whatever building materials needed.
Goal:
Construct a cooler ...
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What can I do about those obnoxious biting flies?
In addition to Mosquitos, many of us northwoods campers have been made victim to the vast swarms of biting flies.
Despite slathering myself with DEET, they don't seem deterred, and they especially ...
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Are Rhododendron and Mountain Laurel truly toxic to burn in a campfire?
For a very long time now, I've believed and taught that burning Rhododendron or Mountain Laurel in a campfire will make you sick because of the toxins in these plants becoming airborne then inhaled ...
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What do you do if the fire does get "out of control"?
Let's say you are camping with a large group, and someone starts a camp fire. You're away for a bit and come back to find everyone panicking and the fire to be much larger than actually planned (ie, ...
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How do you flavour your water on camping trips?
Always drinking pure water can be boring and tasteless, especially when you have to filtrate it or use sterilizer/purification tabs which might cause the water to taste really bad.
What are easy (...
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Bear bags vs Bear canisters: which is better?
Most people I know and myself store food in bear bags. However, I have heard that some parks have banned bear bags and require canisters. I've also heard there is a bear in New York that has figured ...
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How to camp in wolf country?
How safe is sleeping in bear country?
I, too, like to sleep in a bivy sack under the stars. And while during the summer I am not too concerned about wolves (in spite of locals reporting attacked ...
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Sleeping in an inflatable boat
I am going to make a trip on a river in an inflatable rowing boat. The trip is going to be two days long: one day down the river and the next day - back.
The question is how I should spend night. I ...
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How can I locate the leak in a inflatable pad
I went camping last trip and my nice inflated pad... deflated. I always carry a patch kit but I discovered another issue: I couldn't find the leak. The leak was small. It took quite a while of me ...
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How much heat can a candle lantern provide while winter camping?
In answering this question I tossed out that a candle lantern can provide as much as 10 degrees (F) of temperature difference while winter camping. I've heard this tossed about before, but is it true? ...
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Advantages to hammock camping on multi-night trips
This question asks what the downsides are to hammock camping, but doesn't really address the reasons why you would want to sleep in a hammock to camp.
Let's say I'm backpacker new to the idea of ...
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How can I 'inflate' or plump up my my sleeping bag?
I have a very nice sleeping bag which has been kept stuffed as compressed as possible in a backpack for a couple of months. After reading about the negative effects of such actions, I was wondering if ...
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Do "R" values add proportionally?
For winter camping it is recommended to use a sleeping pad with an R value greater than 5.
Can you alternatively use two closed cell 2.5R pads one on top of each other?
If using an inflatable pad ...
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Wild camping in the Brecon Beacons
What is the legal and practical position on wild camping in England and Wales, specifically in the Brecon Beacons National Park. I think I am right in saying that technically you need to ask the ...
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Sleeping solutions when camping with dogs?
My dog enjoys hiking. I haven't taken her on any overnight trips yet, but would like to try some summer/fall backcountry camping with her (i.e., what I think Europeans call wild camping -- not car ...
user2169
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how high does a fence need to be to prevent European brown bear to climb it?
An entrepreneur is planning a campsite-hotel in Romania, with a full outdoor gourmet restaurant attached, with an outdoor kitchen. There will be no cabins or other living structures, only tents and ...
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Looking for secluded camping land in California, near the bay area
I'm looking for a camping spot that has the qualities:
Very secluded from other people. Ideally, well out of earshot.
A relatively short drive (ideally <3 hours) from the California bay area.
Has ...
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How to safely heat a enclosed tent with electricity
How should I heat that tent? Is heating It with a heater okay? Are there any safe devices designed for electric heating?
Is it safe to heat a tent 24 hours? Do you recommend heating while sleep, or ...
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Without rain/snow/wind would it be significantly warmer to sleep under a tarp?
If you are sleeping in a rainstorm it would be warmer to sleep under a tarp, since otherwise you are going to get wet.
It would be rather difficult to enclose a space with a tarp to the level that a ...
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What percentage of campground outlets are GFCI or RCD protected?
A recent answer said:
Any mains electric (100-240V) going to a tent needs to be GFCI-protected (Europe: RCD) since you will be mixing electricity and water in close quarters. Source
I know I have ...
- 30.3k
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How to deal with condensation in a tent?
I often camp in rainy or very humid weather, and I often have condensation forming inside my tent. What can I do to minimize this?
My tent has vents, but I’m not sure how to make the best use of ...
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Is it dangerous to sleep in a tent alone in a forest in -20°C?
Can I spend the night alone in a tent in a forest outside Stockholm in -20°C without risking my life?
The backstory
From the end of January, I'm starting my studies in a suburb of Stockholm. I've ...
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Is sleeping on the ground in cold weather better than on an air mattress?
My friend and I had an argument about this topic. He says that the cold air in the mattress will stay at the ambient temperature, so if it's -20 outside the air in the mattress will stay at -20 so I'...
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How to create campfire which will burn overnight?
I watched a documentary "Man vs Wild" which showed the TV presenter Bear Grylls collecting wood and starting a fire. He somehow always manages to keep his campfire burning until dawn. How does one ...
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Can/Should I cook in my tent?
When camping in bad weather I'm always asking myself if it is a good idea to cook in my tent with a gas cooker. Obviously there is the danger of fire. But how dangerous is this really? Can you easily ...
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What's the difference between a 2, 3, 4, and 5 season tent?
I'm looking to buy a new trekking tent, a good quality one, e.g. Hilleberg, Fjällräven, Vaude, etc. At Vaude they categorise tents in 2, 3, 4, or 5-season. What's the difference between a 4- and a 5-...
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What are some things to keep in mind when stealth camping?
Stealth Camping definition:
Stealth camping is the act of quietly finding a place away from people where you can camp for the night and then quickly slip away in the morning without being detected. ...
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Do bear-safe rules still apply in the winter?
I understand, and practice, bear-safe rules like hanging (or canister-ing) during summer months, but what about in the winter when bears are (theoretically) hibernating, and the shorter / colder days ...
- 19k