(ARA) – When faced with financial challenges like those posed by the recent economic downturn, American families tend to react to their decreased discretionary dollars by getting “back to basics.” They pursue different leisure activities and ones that offer quality time that can bring them closer together.

While the jury is still out on exactly how many families will forgo their traditional, theme park destination vacation in lieu of a “staycation” — the more eco-friendly option that is closer to home — for those that do, they will find plenty of good news. Not only can staying closer to home be fun, but it’s relatively inexpensive, too. And unlike the typical blow-out summer vacation, staying close to home takes only a little bit of sensible planning, imagination and budget.

One of the best imaginable staycations for families is a return to the great American camping experience. For those who really enjoy roughing it, there are terrific products out there, but if you are among those who are shedding the conveniences of a hotel room for the first time and are seeking a more comfortable experience, consider these top tips for an incredible camping trip:

1. Pick the right campsite.
Backyard or backwoods? Chances are, your backyard is a wonderland that you’ve never truly experienced, and camping there allows you to do so without forfeiting your creature comforts. And it’s free, making this a great first option. But if you’re in the mood for a little more adventure and the idea of getting away inspires you, check out your local campgrounds and parks at koa.com or reserveamerica.com. Many campsites are available, including prime waterfront sites if the deep woods are not your thing, with basic fees of less than $20 per night.

2. Choose the right gear.
Borrow or buy? If you’re staycationing for the first time, borrowing camping gear from a friend is a great idea. It will allow you to try it out without risk and gain a better idea of what features you like when it does come time for you to buy. If you are ready to buy, remember that although purchasing gear is the most expensive part of camping, it is just a one-time expense and with care, your gear will last for years to come at little or no additional cost.

Whether you’re going to be staying at a local campground or in your own backyard, choosing a quality tent is key. Resist the temptation to buy an inexpensive one; with tents, you typically get what you pay for, and if your bargain tent ends up leaking during a sudden storm, you’ll regret the entire experience and be less likely to camp again. To be safe, avoid discount stores and choose a tent from a well-known manufacturer. When shopping, remember that size is very important, too; manufacturers typically list tent sizes according to how many sleeping bags or camp pads can fit inside, so if you need to store extra gear, you’re better off choosing a tent that sleeps more people than you need or that includes added storage space. Consider the Eureka! N!ergy tent — it incorporates a 12-volt wiring harness and when used with the E! Power Pak (sold separately); it powers 12-volt accessories like lights, fans, radios, and cell phone chargers inside. Available in three sizes, it sleeps anywhere from four to 10 people. Visit www.epowertent.com for more information.

Sleeping bags go a long way to bring added comfort and convenience to a camping trip. When purchasing, look for bags that are rated to the lowest temperature you’re likely to see and let the kids take part in the selection; there are several fun and colorful sleeping bags sized just for them on the market. To make the campsite more user-friendly and comfortable, consider adding camp pads beneath your sleeping bag and additional furniture such as tables, folding hammocks, cots and chairs. Visit www.eurekatents.com for more information.

3. Bring the right essentials and be creative.
With the destination set and the gear selected, the rest of the essentials can be quite simple for a brief weekend trip, and often they’re items you already have at home. So, be creative. For example, because camping makes even the most mundane chores fun, even the kids will want to help, so make cooking a family affair by bringing your own portable grill and easy camp recipes from the Web. Let the kids share in the cooking fun by toasting marshmallows and making s’mores for dessert. For personal care, most family campgrounds offer basic amenities, although sometimes they can be limited, so stick to bringing the basic toiletries but skip the extras, like blow dryers. Lastly, remember to bring these inexpensive items that become absolutely priceless in the outdoors: first aid kit, flashlight, pocket knife, charcoal and starter fuel, trash bags, dish soap and for the kids — cards, books, board games and ghost stories for having fun no matter what the weather brings.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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In popular backpacking locations, hike-in camps are available.  Sometimes a camp is no more than a clearing of level patches of ground.  Some are more, with free hiking huts available for backpackers.

Backpackers are always on the lookout for the lightest possible gear to carry.  If they don’t carry water, they will carry a filter or purifier to allow them to drink from lakes and streams.  If there is water to be found, there isn’t any need to carry several large containers of water.  Food is typically freeze-dried and can be reconstituted with hot water.  Popular products combine high-energy content wit low mass and volume. 

The backpacker’s version of the golden rule is:  To have beautiful and pristine places to enjoy, help make them.  At a minimum, don’t make them worse.  Leave only your footprints behind.

Five favorite U.S. backpacking destinations are easy to find and beautiful to explore.

The Grand Teton National Park. This beautiful national park is found in western Wyoming.  Set up as a national park in 1929, it boasts of nearly 200 miles of trails for hikers.  The rock formations that make up the Grand Teton area are roughly 2500 million years old and are made from sandstone, limestones, and various types of shale.  The rocks also contain volcanic deposits.  The vegetation includes beautiful trees that are able to survive the cold windy slopes, such as the Whitebark Pine, Sub-alpine Fir, and Engleman Spruce.  Evergreens are more often found on the valley floor and other species of trees, including, aspens, cottonwood, willows, and alders are found around the moist soil near rivers and lakes.

Yellowstone National Park. This Park is located just north of the Grand Teton National Park and is a rich source of trails for backpackers.  The park has many of the same species of vegetation and animals.  Yellowstone is part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and many animals travel between the two parks.  Some of the animals you will see while backpacking in either park are Moose, American Bison, Elk, Black Bears, Mountain Lion, and Wolf.  Some of you will be glad to know that although the park has four different species of reptiles, none are poisonous.

Yosemite National Park. Yosemite is located in California at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.  The park is largely made of granite rock and remnants of older rocks.  Ice slopes were created about a million years ago and the movement of the ice masses going down slope sculpted the U-shaped valley that attracts the most visitors.  Over three million people visit the park yearly and most are attracted to the giant Sequoia groves that are found there.  Many wonderful sites for backpackers to visit besides the Sequoia groves are O’Shaughnessy Dam, Yosemite Valley, Hetch Hetchy Valley, Half Dome, North Dome, Mariposa Grove, and Tenaya Lake.  Many beautiful waterfalls also can be seen and enjoyed by backpackers and hikers.  Yosemite’s black bears were once famous for stealing food by breaking into parked cars.  Once used as a tourist attraction, the park now discourages interaction between black bears and humans.  Backpacking is open between late spring and early fall.  If you are thinking of an overnight trip into the backcountry, a wilderness permit is needed.  Also required, bear resistant food storage.

Mesa Verde National Park. This Park is located in Southwestern Colorado, 35 miles west of Durango.  Mesa Verde is Spanish for green table.  The park is specifically known for the “cliff dwellings” which were built by communities of people from around 600-1300 A.D.  These cliff dwellings are some of the most preserved in the United States and offer a peek at the lives of the ancient Pueblo people.  Plan to spend a day or two to thoroughly explore the ancient sites and beautiful landscape.

Great Smoky Mountain National Park. This beautiful park is one of the most visited national parks.  Found in both Tennessee and North Carolina it has beautiful slopes and boasts of the quality of the remnants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture.  You rarely find snow in the parks low to mid elevations.  Typically snows of an inch or more only happen a few times each winter.  In the higher elevations, it snows more often and several park roads may be closed to traffic because of deep snowfalls.

 

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State parks are great for camping when they are less crowed during the weekdays, but on the weekends and in the warmer months, they become very busy. Most people seek out the more secluded areas to camp in for more privacy and so they are not bothered with rowdy nearby campers. Having a reasonable distance between campsites is more desirable to campers and this is considered when choosing a state park to purchase a pass from. Not many people choose over crowded state parks with campers elbow to elbow, they want their own space.

The best way to plan a camping trip to a state park is to first select which state park you want to camp at, check the availability of the camp sites and get the reservation information you need and then obtain a pass. Most of this information is available online with comparable charts to make it easier to choose a state park with all the amenities you’re looking for. Especially if you are a camping enthusiast that frequently goes camping at a particular state park, obtaining a pass can be a great benefit. Some passes can give you rights to a specific location and you can buy these passes each time you visit or by the season or the year.

Campers love these state park passes because it allows them easy access to a fantastic facilities used to make your camping experience more comfortable and more enjoyable. Some of the amenities state parks will offer are: clean restrooms, hot showers, convenience stores, tackle shop, boat rental, boat launches, marinas, weekend movies, playgrounds, small beach, hiking trails, fire pit, horse riding and other planned activities. Although the restrooms are public, they are often kept clean and sanitary. The stores are great for buying food and necessities, because no matter how carefully you plan, something will most likely be forgotten. Being able to rent a boat is great if you enjoy boating, but don’t actually own a boat and you won’t have to lug a boat to and from the camp site. The playgrounds, weekend movies and other planned activities are wonderful for keeping the kids busy so mom and dad can relax and enjoy themselves.

Many of these state parks also offer electric, water and garbage or dump stations for your convenience, but may charge a small fee in addition to your state park pass to use them extra amenities. All of these amenities are regularly offered to those RV campers and to those campers who use tents and sleep with nature. Many of these amenities may vary from state to state and park to park and are to be considered a privilege and used responsibly. Any irresponsible usage of the state parks amenities can revoke your rights to use them and any violation of rules can have you banned from the park.

For many of those outdoor enthusiasts, no summer is complete without spending quality time in the great outdoors. Camping is the best way for some people to get away from their everyday lives and to commune with nature and find the peace and relaxation their body needs. Camping is the perfect way of getting away from the television, computer, telephones, traffic and everything else that can distract a person from the ultimate relation the body needs.

It’s important to show respect for all amenities in the state park, camp responsibly, and clean up after yourself. If you make a mess, clean it up. If something breaks, tell the park rangers about it immediately, so it can be fixed or replaced in time for the next campers. Especially if this is a state park that you would like to return to, leave the camp site in the condition you have found it, or even better.

 

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