Camping Information

The planning of nearly each camping trip focuses on the where, when and what, with only a dab of thought to packing up at the end of the trip. Deep sighs and moans of realization that it's time to clean up and head home darken the usually great mood that arises from a great camping excursion. But if a few techniques are employed at trip's end, the leaving will be quick and with a better mood.

Where to Start?

It is no secret that access is one of the major deterrents to participation in hunting and fishing. If you fall into that category, or know someone who does, public lands may be the answer to your dilemma. Millions of acres across the nation are available to public hunting, fishing, hiking and general enjoyment. Finding those lands are not as difficult as you might think. Here are some tips to help you get started.

State Lands

If you love the outdoors--and we know that you do--there are beautiful things to see and do all over the United States.

If you hunt, fish or backpack out west, having enough water is a serious issue. You'll be sucking dry air and will need to consume a lot of water. Years ago we'd throw a canteen in our backpack, then we progressed to water bottles. Another option was chlorine pills to purify water, which didn't taste so good.

For my outdoor activities I’ve got to have five different types of footwear with 75 percent of the wearing time going to my hiking boots.

As the camper from the neighboring campsite approached, his facial expression revealed obvious concern. He introduced himself and we shook hands.

I've tested hundreds of knives, written a million articles on them and conducted knife seminars from Alaska to Texas. At the end of every seminar I'm always asked, "What is the best knife to buy?" No wonder they're confused. After all, there are hundreds of options out there.

Camping tents come in dozens of shapes and sizes, designs and intentions. So do campers. I recently observed a perfect example of this at a state park campground, at neighboring campsites.

How many times have you tried something, which afterwards, you wished you could have only sampled it before jumping in? I have plenty of times. Negative results leave a bad taste that is tough to erase.