"I always voted at my party's call, and I never thought of thinking for myself at all."William Gilbert
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5 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your BackCountry Gear
Time out of doors is a precious commodity to the outdoor enthusiast - but are we getting the most out of this time. One way to ensure maximum backcountry enjoyment is to get the most possible value from the gear you acquire and use. Here are 5 ways to ...
Landscape Painting Tips For Beginners
There is something quite magical about painting outdoors. I feel comfortably secluded with nature having an almost spiritual connection when I paint a landscape. Landscape painting is a passion of mine. I would like to share some tips and techniques that ...
Setting up Portraiture
Introduction Portraiture is the 'bread and butter' of any professional photographer. Getting it 'right' is essential. I once heard a professional artist - an oil painter - describe a successful portrait as one which told you something about the subject ...
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A good camping tent should keep you dry, comfortable, and provide protection.
Which camping tent... Dome, family, 4-season, backpacking or cabin is right for you? They don't repel rain, cold, snow, or biting bugs equally.
Camping tents are an important outdoor gear investment. This article will give you the information you need to make an informed decision about what kind is best for you.
First determine what type of camping you'll be doing? Do you only go out in the summer or are you into 4-season camping? Make sure to prepare yourself for the worst possible type of weather you'll encounter. Waking up to a foot of snow inside your summer camping tent because of a late fall blizzard isn't much fun. ;-)
After determining what seasons you'll need your tent for, estimate how many people you will usually camp with...
Sizing It Up
Camping tents are rated by the number of people they can accommodate. But these ratings are like getting twenty circus clowns into a Volkswagon Beetle...goofy. :-) When they say it's a 4-person tent, they mean 4 people and nothing else, no hiking gear, no room for boots, just 4 people that hopefully know each other pretty well. Seriously, if you're looking for backpacking tents or hiking tents and weight is a big concern, then get cozy and use the rating system, but otherwise I'd think bigger.
Consider going 1-2 sizes bigger than what you need for a smaller camping tent. Better yet divide the "person rating" by 2 so you'll have a decent amount of room if you have to stay inside due to nasty weather. If you thought cabin fever was bad wait until you're stuck in a downpour with 5 other people in a small tent for a few days.
My 4 man tent with 2
vestibules is perfect for 2 people and plenty of gear. Dry equipment is a good thing. This is still true with kids because the smaller they are the more room they take up with "kid stuff". Something else to keep in mind is that more room makes extended trips easier.
Consider the length and width of the camping tents you're looking at. If you're 6 feet tall you'll want at least 7 feet to stretch out length-wise and 2-3 feet of width depending on how much you move in your sleep.
Another thing to consider is to make sure you have enough space for an inflatable air mattress. While it's not mandatory I'll have to say it makes camping much more comfortable than lying on a cold pad. When I wake up I feel 300% better than when I slept on a pad on the floor getting stiff and cold. No it's not a king-size pillow-top, but hey this is camping. ;-)
Since we're on the subject of size, make sure that you'll have enough height to kneel, partially-stand, or...
If you would like to learn more about evaluating camp tents please visit www.hiking-gear-and-equipment-used-for-camping.com/camping-tents.html
Marc learned about quality gear just after his pup tent flooded forcing him to sleep in his tiny 2-seat Honda CRX. His hiking equipment & camping gear guides & reviews save you time & money. Subscribe to his camping & hiking newsletter at www.hiking-gear-and-equipment-used-for-camping.com/hiking-journal.html & get the most usable info. FREE! © Marc Wiltse. Reprint permission if author, copyright, hyperlinks & this notice are intact.
Copyright Marc Wiltse - http://www.hiking-gear-and-equipment-used-for-camping.com/
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Outdoors Report: Signs improve as rivers shape upSeattle Post Intelligencer - 12 hours agoBy GREG JOHNSTON The Cowlitz and Quinault, two of the major rivers where fair numbers of winter-run steelhead first began showing up, remain in poor fishing ... |
Outdoors ForecastThe Oregonian - OregonLive.com, OR - 7 hours agoWillamette Valley/Metro: The Columbia River Gorge fishery offers the best chance at a keeper sturgeon, from bank or boat. About one keeper for every three ... |
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