Outdoors and Camping

Here's where you can find out about different types of outdoors and camping equipment and how to make the best use of it.

This applies whether you're just planning a barbecue or party in the back yard, or a two-week camping trip for thirty people. You still have a need to think ahead a little, work out what you will need. Then, work out what you can "make-do" with, and separate that from the outdoors and camping gear you may have to borrow, rent or purchase.

A backyard get-together is nice and close to home for a start. And it is easy to prepare if you share responsibilities between you and your friends. One person buys the meat and the beverages, for example. Somebody else makes the salads or bakes the cake.

If you don't have enough garden furniture, you may be able to borrow some folding garden chairs and tables from a neighbor. And if you ask your neighbors to come along too, and you should, that means they can be having fun with you at your place... instead of maybe complaining about it afterwards.

A barbecue grill can be rented or borrowed if you don't own one yet. But if your barbecue party is a success, and it will be with a little thought an planning, it makes pretty good sense to buy and own your own BBQ equipment. And it doesn't have to cost you an arm and a leg.

Don't forget the little BBQ tools, such as tongs, long fork and a turning blade. A kitchen knife for cutting the steaks or sausages is an absolute must, as it a steel scraper or putty-knife, to clean all the burned bits off the hotplate and grill when you've finished. And don't forget to fill the propane bottle, and remember the matches. A lot of this is just like camp cooking.

You may have to rent or borrow a shelter if there is a chance of rain or if the sun is really scorching. A small tent can be set up in the garden quite easily by you and a friend or two, but a big party tent is a job for the professionals. Let the people you rent it from do that, usually one day before the shindig.

You need to consider the type of camping you will be doing, the expected weather and the number of people you will be catering for.

A two-night backpacking camp during pleasant summer weather will need minimal equipment, but a longer (or standing camp) of ten days or more, and in cold, wet or windy weather, will need a lot more planning and much more heavyweight equipment.

A cheap Walmart sleeping bag with synthetic filling will do fine for your teenager to sleep overnight in some trusted friend's home or camper. But sleeping out in colder temperatures will demand a higher-quality sleeping bag, or at least an extra woolen blanket. Good quality sleeping bags always cost more, but they are worth every cent.

And then, the minute you have to tote your own equipment in a backpack, for example, and when you hike or trek for several miles at a time... then you'll probably want a down sleeping bag because they are the smallest and lightest sleeping bags available.

There's more detail on camping gear here. I hope you enjoy these pages, just as I have enjoyed writing them. And I hope they help you have a great time in the outdoors and camping - just as I have had.