Geeks Gone Wild!: December 2011

Lessons, Tips, and Tricks

1. (Tent) Campsites can cost up to $35 a night! (*this is the highest we have seen)
2. As a family of 6, with 3 50lb dogs, we go through about 7 gallons of water per day. This does not include showers, and we are careful to conserve water as much as possible.
3. Bring a hatchet, ax, and saw to get firewood from downed trees, and a thin wedge to help split the wood.
4. Bring a pair of slip on shoes to wear around the campsite so you don't have to go through the trouble of taking on and off your hiking shoes while going in and out of the tent as often.
5. Bring airtight/water-tight containers to store the juices from cans of vegetables in. These juices can be used to cook foods that need to be boiled, like pastas, to conserve water.
6. Buy a food dehydrator. Plan for a stay of a night or two at a hotel, or with friends or family, once a week, or whenever possible, and make dried fruits and veggies, dried soups and sauces, jerky, fruit leather, and granola. These things are nutriious, quick and easy to eat, and wonderfully easy to pack and store.
7. Buy a propane camping grill! It is much faster and more convenient than a campfire.
8. Check and Re-check your supplies (and ORGANIZE them!)
9. Do a test run on your packing with ALL of your supplies at least a week in advance. (Trust us, it is worth the trouble to pack it ALL up, even if you have to unpack some or all of it before you actually leave)
10. Don't forget to check the forecast of the area where you will be camping.