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The Barony of Bryn Gwlad in the Stellar Kingdom of Ansteorra
Being the Austin, TX chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism
Being the Austin, TX chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism
Camping is living comfortably in an out-of-doors setting and, as such, people will have as wide a variety of camping practices as they have living practices. Many experienced campers, therefore, may have different (but just as effective) methods or advice, and it's best to get the advice from as many campers as possible so that you can determine what works best for you. What this handout presents, then, is simply a starting point of camping techniques and tips that I have gained (often the hard way) over the years. I have been a Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster with Boy Scouts of America for over twenty years and have been deeply involved in programs such as Outdoor Skills Instruction, Scoutmastership Fundamentals, Course Director of Wood Badge (the advanced outdoor training BSA course for adults), the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), Outward Bound, and the Leave No Trace program.
The camping tips and techniques presented here are focused primarily around non-backpack style camping; i.e., camping with the ability to transport your equipment by vehicle and offload that equipment fairly close to where you will be camping (what in Boy Scouts is usually called "tailgate camping" or "Cadillac camping"). The tips and techniques are given at a fundamental level, presupposing that the reader has never (or rarely) camped before.
First and foremost, it is important to remember that all camping stores and catalog companies are "for-profit" industries. They will just as cheerfully sell you something that you don't need as something that you do. This is also true of most of the retail clerks who work in these stores. In watching adults new to the camping experience, it is soon apparent that 50% of their new equipment stays in their tent or backpack and is never used. Be conservative, then, in what you purchase initially. Very little is critical. I have had both youth and adults forget tents, sleeping bags, and even food on campouts and I have yet to lose one from either exposure or starvation on a weekend camping trip.
The real key to successful (comfortable) camping is planning. It is important to think through the overnight, weekend, or extended camp and list everything you will need. For instance, if you plan to make sausage and egg breakfast tacos in the morning you will need:
This sounds like common sense and somewhat comic, but it is amazing the number of adults who come on camping trips that forget can openers, serving utensils, cleaning equipment, trash bags, etc. Items that are just a step away in your kitchen at home do not exist in the out-of-doors.
Planning also includes familiarization. Become very familiar with your new camp item, be it a tent, stove, lantern, sleeping bag, or a simple flashlight. Its set-up and operation may look straightforward in the familiar setting of your home, but in an unfamiliar setting such as a new campsite at night, its set up and usage may no longer look so simple. With items such as tents I recommend setting up them at least twice before actually using them, and setting them up outside at night in your backyard is very good training.
Planning also includes packing. What you need first when arriving at a campsite, you pack last. Realize that if you arrive to the campsite in the evening you will want your flashlight and tent and all the items needed to set up the tent (stakes, ropes, poles, hammer) first. Pack these items last so you can get at them quickly when unloading.
As I said above, practice setting it up. Tents come in three varieties, really. One is the "dome" style, which is usually set up with thin, interior shock-corded aluminum struts. As these tents maintain their shape through the struts, they really don't need to be staked down. However, on one Scout camping trip we had extreme high winds come through the camp. Several tents were found hundreds of yards downwind from the campsite…with the Scouts still in them. It doesn't hurt to stake these down. Another is the exterior frame tent, usually a series of thick aluminum poles that form an exterior framework to which the tent is attached. These tents should be staked down, and often frequently must be to maintain their shape. The third is the older models, and includes period tents, pavilions, canvas "safari-style" and Army tents that require guide ropes to maintain the upright position of the supporting poles.
This will greatly extend the life of your tent (in terms of abrasions to the floor) and gives another layer in case of rain or freezing weather. Or, if you are in a tent without a floor, ground cloths provide one.
I used to use a standard carpenter's hammer until I camped out near Llano, which is mostly granite. I now carry a short handled ten-pound sledge.
Your tent will come with cute little aluminum stakes. Make a wind chime out of them. Go to Academy, K-Mart, Wal-Mart, etc. and buy the tent stakes that look like giant nails with the green plastic rope-keepers on them. They are cheap and last forever.
Rope is only really needed in that third category of tents (see Tents above), or with the use of sunshades that also use guide ropes to maintain pole position. However, you will find any number of needs for some sort of tying material, whether it is tying up a trash sack or securing a tankard to your belt. For the tents and sunshades that use rope, extra rope is a must. Both natural fiber and nylon rope wear and age, and will break when you least want it to, so check them frequently and bring extra. It also doesn't hurt with these items to have the ropes prepared in advance in terms of having them cut to length with the appropriate knots already tied. Remember, too, that the standard knots used in tent set up such as two half-hitches or the clove hitch make use of the fact that natural fiber rope such as hemp or sisal uses friction to retain the knot's effectiveness. Slick-surface cordage such as nylon or polypropylene has very little friction and these knots do not work well on such ropes. There are actually knots designed for use with such cordage. In addition, be aware of others in using ropes, whether it's a tent guy rope or a simple clothesline. Flag the ropes so that others will see them and not trip or get "clotheslined" by walking into a neck-high rope strung between two trees. Flagging ropes may not be period, but the focus here is safety, not authenticity. Martha and I purchased an old yellow drape at Goodwill, cut it into strips, and tied strips to each rope. The strips (flags) stay on the ropes while packed so we don't have to keep putting them on.
In choosing a sleeping bag, give careful thought as to where and how often it will be used. A bag rated to -20°F. may feel great the rare times you go camping in freezing weather. However, while Boy Scouts go camping in all types of weather, SCA campers do not. If inclement weather, particularly freezing weather, is predicted, I will most likely stay home or find a nearby hotel. My sleeping bag is a mid-range temperature bag. When I do go cold-weather camping I simply add thermal long johns and a thermal blanket to the set up. In very hot weather (usually the norm in Texas) I sleep on top of the bag and just throw a sheet over myself (usually from my Care Bear or My Little Pony sheet collection).
Sleeping is a lot easier with a pillow than without one, though a balled-up coat or cloak makes a decent backup.
I usually have both. Are they a necessity? Texas ground tends to be fairly unforgiving on backs, shoulders, and hips, especially at my age.
I usually bring a Coleman lantern that uses Coleman fuel, another Coleman lantern that is battery-powered, three or four flashlights, and extra batteries for everything. Remember that if you are preparing dinner, and your lord or lady is at another spot around camp, two lanterns are needed. Battery operated lanterns usually cast a smaller circle of light (are less intense) than lanterns using white gas or propane. Remember, too, to put new batteries in lanterns/flashlights before going camping. Simply turning the lantern or flashlight briefly on and off at home will tell you that you have enough battery to turn it briefly on and off; it will not tell you how long it will last.
Things function well at home because you usually know where things are; they tend to have a particular place in the house. Make the same habits when camping. Determine a specific place among your chests, baskets, and containers where your flashlights will go, or your first aid kit, or your glasses and wallet at night, or anything you will want to find immediately without needing to dig for it. For me, important things always go in the same place so I can find them even in the dark on a rainy night. For instance, when going to bed, my watch, glasses, wallet, etc. go inside my boots next to my cot. I also bring a pair of old slip-on tennis shoes for those late night visits to the privies and keep them next to my cot.
Start carrying your flashlight around before it gets dark, like right after lunch. Often you will be somewhere around camp, the light will gently fade, you'll stroll over to a friendly campfire or bardic circle, and realize you need to get back to your tent and your flashlight is still in your tent.
Flag your tent ropes if you are using guide ropes for a tent, pavilion, or sunshade. Torn strips of a faded, light-colored sheet or drape work fine. Help people to see where those ropes and stakes are.
Make your meals and hang your trash at a short distance from your tent. Insects, reptiles, and mammals will be attracted by the smell. You don't want them in your tent.
To avoid ants on the camp table, take four clean and empty shallow, wide tin cans (such as tuna cans) and fill them with water. Place each leg of the table in the water in the can. Ants can't swim.
Most of us love soft drinks. So do flies and bees at outdoor events. Tankards with lids are priceless at outdoor events. Hang your trash some distance from your campsite/pavilion so flies and bees and ants are attracted over to it, not where you are sitting.
When packing your car (or backpack), put in last what you will wish to use first.
If rain is threatening that weekend, make sure you have spare, dry clothing (especially underwear and socks) that have been placed in two heavy-duty Zip-Lok bags. From experience, one isn't enough to keep the water out. Also, if the chance of rain is more than 20%, carry your poncho or rain suit on your person. Make a nice period pouch to carry it in. Rain in the outdoors in Texas can increase from 20% to 100% in about two seconds. Be prepared. Also, large plastic tubs are great for keeping the water out. It's also a good idea to set your chests or tubs up on small blocks of wood to get it a few inches off the ground. This helps with both insect problems and water problems.
Speaking of rain, realize there is no such thing as waterproof, no matter what the manufacturer says. I have Gore-Tex boots and a Gore-Tex rain suit. I still get wet. Just not as much.
Keep a first aid kit in your tent. If you are setting up a sunshade or pavilion, keep one there as well. Be familiar with all items in the kit and know exactly how to use them. Also, remember that for the majority of us, we are not nurses, EMTs, or physicians. Mild cuts, scrapes, abrasions, fry pan burns, etc. are treatable by Joe Average. Don't try to assist someone with a more severe situation because of the number of times you've watched "ER".
Almost all camping stores and catalogs sell those green rubber-encapsulated snake bite kits. They make great makeshift birdies when playing badminton. Do not use them. Do not connect the puncture wounds with a knife. Do not suck the venom out. Do not constrict blood flow with a tourniquet. In Boy Scouts, National Outdoor Leadership School, and Outward Bound, use of tourniquets is forbidden. Their use may have been taught in the 50s and 60s, but not now. They are only used in situations where amputation of the limb is unavoidable. Snakebites occasionally happen. Texas is blessed by having all four types of venomous snakes that are indigenous to the United States (rattlesnake, copperhead, cottonmouth or water moccasin, and coral snake) indigenous to this state. I have seen all four in Travis County and neighboring counties. In case of snakebite, lay the person down with feet slightly higher than the head to prevent shock. If he is cold, keep him warm. If hot, cool him down with cool compresses. You are trying to slow his heart rate by making him comfortable and putting him at ease. Don't panic or be anxious; you will be making the patient anxious as well. But the FIRST thing you do is call 911. In these days of cell phones, somebody will have one. Call 911 and get an ambulance or Life Flight in to take care of him. Almost all complications that develop due to snakebite are caused by individuals trying to treat the bite first rather than getting the victim to a hospital or care center as soon as possible. Loss of limb and/or life can happen if the victim does not get antivenom treatments quickly.
Almost all camping stores and catalogs sell burn salve. Burns are categorized in three levels, or "degrees". First degree is the lowest level of intensity and usually is shown physically by a reddening of the skin area. Burn salve works great on these. So does ice water, which is cheaper. Second-degree burns show blistering, and third-degree burns are blisters and open sores. Do not put salve on either of these burns. All you will be doing is causing the victim additional pain when you get them to a burn center, hospital, or other care center and the nurse or physician has to scrape it off. Third-degree burns should be treated by a hospital or care center.
It is against Boy Scout policy to have an open flame or any kind of catalytic heater inside a nylon or polypropylene tent—and for a very good reason. Though these compounds are lightweight and have high water repellency, they do not burn—they melt, and very rapidly. It has been proven in any number of tragic cases nationwide that regardless of the tent or the physical condition of the individual, you will not be able to get out of such a tent before the material melts on to you. In fact, Boy Scout policy was set due to several such cases in the '60s. If you need a light, use a battery-powered flashlight. If you need heat, use either one of the commercial chemical heating compounds that are already pre-mixed and in a sealed container (such are available at most camping stores) or simply throw another blanket around you. Open flames in canvas tents/pavilions are a little safer, as the material won't melt on to your skin. But "flame-retardant canvas" does not mean it won't burn—it means it will burn slow enough for you to burst out of the tent and watch everything go up in smoke. Candles in tents may be period and can be done safely in canvas tents, but individuals doing so should be experienced and very wary of possible accidents.