In the following video, you’ll see some items no survival camper should be without.  These could literally save your life if push comes to shove and you find yourself lost or off the beaten path with no way to make it back to civilization in the immediate future.  You could possibly survive indefinitely with a head start with these tools recommended by the country’s survival camping experts.  Let us know your thoughts by leaving feedback!

Grilling is probably one of my most favorite ways to cook food.  Most people think of grilling as something you do for just hotdogs and hamburgers, but they are for way more than that.  Veggies, pizzas, fish, and more can be cooked and made on an outdoor grill.  Plus clean up is far easier than when you have to cook everything indoors.  

Grilling has been around for quite sometime.  The idea of cooking over an open flame is nothing new.  In fact, if you visit popular health websites like physiciancaredirect.com or thepaleodiet.com they will tell you that eating a high protein, low fat diet is important. Grilling is the perfect way to prepare flavorful veggies and meats to keep your diet interesting and delicious! I mean that is how people have cooked for centuries and centuries.  If you have had food cooked on an outdoor grill then you know just how great it really tastes.  It tastes unlike a meal fro man oven or stove top.

Let’s go back and check out the evolution of outdoor grilling, shall we?

The Michigan Association of Recreation Vehicles and Campgrounds has put together a lovely infographic with camping statistics for the state.  They might help you in planning your RV camping vacation in this beautiful and scenic state, giving you a look at the kinds of campers who gather for the natural beauty.  Click to make the picture large enough to read:

Moreover, what if God Himself had delivered Ten Commandments for Campers (in addition to the standard Ten) that people could refer to in order to be best prepared for anything they might encounter while on a stay in the woods?  Well, He didn’t, but some really campy folks over at Outdoor World Direct did, and if you follow them religiously, you’ll probably have a lot more fun on your nature outings.  While you’re thinking about it, also consider checking out more great survival info on your favorite satellite television channels.

Well, there are some very special consideration when one is tropical camping.  For one things, mosquitoes in tropical regions tend to be a bigger problem than and some inland areas of the country.  There can also be other kinds of wildlife that might pose a concern, such as black bears, alligators (and rarely, crocodiles), and poisonous snakes.  The kind of tent and equipment that would keep you protected from the trials of the great north woods might not be suitable here in the warmer, more humid climes.  There are some types of fabrics, for instance, that you would want to avoid for your sleeping bags in tropical weather.  Sleeping bags designed to keep you toasty and warm at sub-zero temperatures obviously would not be a most excellent choice for a good night’s sleep in the Florida everglades in July.

A good insect repellent is recommended, and the most safe and effective ones on the market today are those containing DEET.  DEET is useful for repelling biting pests like mosquitoes and ticks, and this includes the kinds of ticks that may carry Lyme disease. Each year, approximately one-third of the U.S. population will likely use DEET. Products on the market that contain DEET presently are available to consumers in a variety of liquids, lotions, sprays, and other wearable materials like wrist bands. Formulations approved for direct application to human skin contain between 4 and 100% DEET. With the exception of a few veterinary uses, DEET is registered and approved for use by consumers.

When sleeping in tents in tropical climates, keeping the tent zipped tightly at night is the most effective way to prevent the entry of snakes and biting insects into the sleeping area.  This practice may also help to deter small animals from seeking entry, although they are of lesser concern than snakes.  Many of the most poisonous species of snakes are extraordinarily small and can wriggle through even a small hole or gap in the tent material.  As cold blooded reptiles, they are attracted to warmth at night and will seek opportunities to get close to anything that generates heat.  This includes you and your camp-mates, so keeping yourself unavailable is the best bet.  The less chance you give snakes to reach you, the better off you will be.

Another important consideration in avoiding encounters with snakes during the night is to be sure you have done everything outside the tent that needs to be done before you zip it up for the night.  Many of the most poisonous tropical snakes are more active after sundown, and each time you exit the tent after going inside for the night exponentially increases the likelihood that you will run afoul of one of these creatures while trying to make your way across the campsite in the darkness, even when you are using a flashlight.  It is best to stay in the tent until morning whenever this is possible.

Those are some helpful tips on tropical camping!  Check back next week for more campground advice.

Wrapping foods in aluminum foil and cooking them directly on the fire can be a mess free way to get a decent hot meal.  Potatoes cook well using this method.  You can even cook a whole meal in a foil by combining ground beef, potatoes, onions, and carrot in a packet and cooking them over the fire or hot coals for about half an hour.  The one drawback with foil cooking is, you really have to watch the food and check it periodically.  It’s not something you can just leave and let cook, and since it takes a while to get done, you have to commit to being close by for as long as it takes.  Of course, when you’re camping, you’re not on anyone’s schedule but your own — so have at it, and have fun.

Another way of campfire cooking involves building a sort of grill over your fire pit, or even bringing along a small grill that can be powered by propane or coals.  This method allows you to cook virtually anything you would normally grill on the barbecue back home, so the sky’s the limit.  You could grill up some cold packed steaks, tender, flaky fish fillets, or lean chicken.  You could also do veggie and/or beef kebabs.

One of the best campfire meals I ever tasted was a bit pot of home made chicken noodle soup my friend whipped up during a camping trip about six years ago.  He’d brought along some uncooked chicken tenders, and proceeded to cut them into bite sized chunks.  He also had fresh celery, some baby carrots, a little thyme and ground sage, a package of nice flat egg noodles, and some chicken bouillon powder for seasoning.  This savory soup tasted better out in the woods than it would have anywhere else, I think.

And just because you’re out in the woods doesn’t mean you have to forget dessert, either.  Smores, the old campground classic, are still as fun to make as they ever were. Just bring a long some Hershey bars, marshmallows, and graham crackers — and boom!  Dessert.  But if you had something more gourmet in mind, try making this quick and easy campfire peach cobbler:

Campy Peach Cobbler

• 1 large can of peaches in heavy syrup
• some Bisquick

Drain the peaches,reserving 1/4 c. of the syrup. Mix the reserved syrup with Bisquick until it forms a nice, thick batter. Pour the batter back over sliced peaches in the can. Place the can’s lid over the mixture, then set it directly into the hot coals for cooking.  You’ll know it’s done when the batter has formed hard dumplings over the top of the peaches.  Yum!

So don’t go around hungry while you’re out camping it up.  Cooking outdoors can be a real hoot.  Learn some new recipes and try them out.  And most of all, enjoy.

Nature Preserves!

In most states, there are state parks and natural areas for hiking, camping, canoeing, mountain climbing, and wildlife viewing that don’t require a very long drive from the larger cities.  For a lot of these places, a day trip is the most excellent solution.  You can pack up your car with just a few goods needed for that one day — some bottled water, portable snacks for energy on the trail, a pair of spare shoes and socks to keep dry in the car, a jacket (even though it may be quite warm out) and some emergency flares just in case you do get lost.  But no worries, because that is kind of hard to do at a nature preserve.  Usually at the visitor centers, you can find a map of the entire place, with all the marked trails routed out for you.  This makes navigating your way around easier and less intimidating.

Make sure you tell family members and friends back home exactly where you will be going, and for approximately how long.  Many state parks have poor reception of cell coverage due to mountainous ground cover and altitude, or owing to their comparatively remote locations.  Someone will need to know to contact park rangers in case you have not returned within the time frame people expected you, so that if anything has gone wrong, someone can begin a search and rescue mission.

You should also have materials to build a fire in the event that night should fall before you get out of the park, and you need to keep warm and possibly fend off curious wild animals.  Some creatures, namely the cold blooded ones like snakes and spiders, may be attracted to camp fires, while others will instinctively stay away from them.  You will need to use your judgement based on research you hopefully conducted on your area prior to venturing out.  You should always make a point of knowing which kinds of wildlife you are most likely to encounter before you visit any destination in the wild.  That way, you can prepare for anything that may become problematic with the animals.

So, if you do really want to spend a day in the wilderness, state parks are the safest way to go by far.  Just know what you are getting into. Do your research on cableinternetbundles.com before making any decisions!