Things you need to bring Camping

When the weather is good, or days are getting longer and the nights are getting cooler, how amazing it would be to set up a tent below sky-high pine trees, sit around the fire while eating marshmallows, and fall asleep under the stars.

Most people go on camping trips because they’re tired of the city, needed to rest, or are ready for an adventure. Whether you enjoy biking, hunting, or any other outdoor activity, camping offers you a way to focus completely on yourself and strengthen relationships.

Perhaps you have never camped before, if you need more convincing, here are the reasons why you should consider packing up to the great outdoors or the local campground.

Improve health and more Exercise

Camping requires more physical exercise from gathering, preparing, and storing food, to getting around the campsite and managing your shelter effectively. Fishing, swimming, walking, or bike riding and exploring the surroundings will keep the heart rate up and will help you burn some calories.

Lessen Stress and Serenity

That’s right! Camping helps improve your mood, it reduces stress and replaces them with the calming effect of the sound of the birds, the splashing of the waves, and the wind rustling the leaves on the trees. So leave your gadgets behind, all you need is one charged phone for emergencies. Sit back and relax with a good book in hand, draw, or write a journal.

Improve relationships

Nothing beats face-to-face communication. Sharing stories or just being quiet together cement and deepen relationships. Good moments made are a lifetime of treasured memories.

Develop Life Skills

Camping will require you to rely on yourself and your companions to meet your basic needs. It will help you become more confident, responsible, and resilient to find productive ways to overcome the challenges of living outside of your comfort zone.

Here are 10 essentials you will need to bring:

1. Tent– make sure you bring all of its necessary accessories: rope, tent poles, stakes, and a rain fly. Choose a roomy tent, wind and rain resistant, and easy to assemble.
2. Sleeping Bag– this will help to keep you warm when temperatures drop significantly at night.
3. Water bottle– trade in those plastic water bottles for a reusable bottle. Excellent quality bottles that will keep your water cold or hot for hours where you can take it with you on your camping trip, and anywhere else you’ll want to go.
4. Prepared meals – meal preparation before camping can reduce waste, and make cooking at the campsite easier.
5. Plates and Utensils– washing the reusable dishes instead of tossing away paper or plastic ones goes a long way with the environment.
6. Pocket knife– this item is very useful especially when camping. It can be used to cut a rope, prepare food, open tightly closed packages, tighten a screw or sharpen a stick.
7. First Aid Kit– your first aid kit should include other necessities as well: scissors, adhesive, gauze, soap, a CPR mouth barrier, and an emergency whistle.
8. Cleaning Supplies– clean up thoroughly before leaving the campsite. Bring plenty of trash bags and biodegradable soap. Bring out what you brought in.
9. Flashlight, lantern, or headlamp– a campfire is nice and bright but you will need this in finding items within your tent or when you need to visit the toilet at night.
10. Weather-appropriate clothing and rain gear– you should bring clothes to keep you cool. Also, choose a lightweight and waterproof rain jacket that will accommodate multiple layers of clothing.

Camping is a great time to practice respect. It teaches you how to be respectful to others, to the environment, and to yourself. Take the time to appreciate where you are, what you’re doing, and who is with you. Enjoy the moment. Breathe in, and take in all that surrounds you. Listen to the birds, feel the soft breeze, see the waves gently rolling. Stop being anxious about the things you can’t control. This is your time to get away from all that. So savor it and don’t be afraid to have fun!