Do you have a weekend without anything to do or a weekend when you don't want to do anything? I know what I'd do. I would pack up the truck and head for the woods. Sitting by a camp fire with your favorite people solves many problems, so you shouldn't wait too long between fires. My favorite thing to do on a weekend is to camp. Are you looking for an easy way to camp? How about car camping? I love it!
 

Camping Makes the Weekend Perfect
Chuck Fitzgerald C2004. All Rights Reserved.


 

First of all, let's define car camping?

When you can drive your vehicle right up to the camp site, that's called car camping. Even if you're driving a truck it's still called car camping. The advantage of car camping versus primitive or base camping is that you can take anything you want with you. If you want to take a hammock or huge grill or a stack of magazines, you can. Load your car or truck with food, clothing, shelter, bedding, games and anything else you want to take along and get going. It's really that simple.

So where can you car camp?

Just about anywhere. National and state parks don't allow car camping except in designated campgrounds, other than that, you can car camp virtually anywhere on public lands. The internet is loaded with websites that can help. Start looking at www.backcountrytoys.com/education.htm. Our Education Center is loaded with up to date camping information.
 

 

Here are some things I take along when I car camp:

hiking gear, bird watching binoculars and field guide, a radio for music and weather updates, tent, cot, sleeping bag, grill, shovel, fire starting gear, lots of food and drink, first aid kit, a stack of reading material - this can also be used for building a fire - such as newspapers and magazines, rain gear, hammock, dogs and dog food, folding chairs and table, stove, table service and utensils..you get the idea. I take all that I need to be comfortable. If you don't have these things, don't fret, all you really need are food, shelter and common sense.
 

Camping is a great way to renew and strengthen relationships.
 

Take your spouse, your children, your siblings, your friends. Without the distractions of television, telephone, internet and alarm clocks, you will have a wonderful time. I'll always remember something a dear friend of mine told me years ago, "Time spent in our great outdoors is time added to your life." That sounds like a good reason to go. Use this information and you'll Get It Right The First Time.

Get Outdoors!

About the author:

Chuck Fitzgerald is the President of Arizona
based, BackCountry Toys, an online store providing backcountry
specialty gear and educational information for outdoor
enthusiasts. Visit www.BackCountryToys.com to receive the free
newsletter "FreshAir" or call (800) 316-9055.
 

Legend has it that Julius Caesar was a puny lad that wheezed and sneezed until he joined the Army of Rome and began camping out.  Click HERE for our front camping page

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At first glance, providing first aid in the backcountry appears to be much like it is anywhere else. But if you look a little closer and you'll find it is quite different.

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Free camping information for every state. 

RV travelers can learn about more than 1,000 free and inexpensive places to stay a night at FreeCampgrounds.com.

Most of the online directory's listings are supplied by RVers themselves. They range from scenic government campgrounds to city-sponsored RV parks, truck stops, rest areas, commercial RV parks with a fee of $10 or less, desert lands of the West and the parking lots of RV-friendly businesses.

"City parks are one of the best deals going," said editor Chuck Woodbury. "There are at least 100 of them around the country where an RVer is invited to stay a night or even a week for free. Sometimes there's a donation box, but even so, the requested amount is usually a fraction of what an RV park would charge. Some country parks and even fairgrounds also offer complimentary stays."

A recent survey of more than 2,000 recreational vehicle enthusiasts revealed that approximately 60 percent seek out free or inexpensive campgrounds to offset high fuel prices. "If an RVer can save $25 or $35 over what it would cost for an RV park, that money can go into the gas tank the next day," said Woodbury. But he noted that many RVers choose free locations simply out of convenience. "They may be too tired to go on but can't find an RV park. Most of these RVers will choose a traditional RV park or public campground the next night."

Many truck stops permit overnight stays as well as other services to RVers like internet access, propane and mechanical work. Some RVers routinely hole up overnight in roadside rest areas, a practice Woodbury does not recommend for safety reasons. But he acknowledges it's a common practice.

The most popular free overnight stops are in the parking lots of Wal-Mart stores. "About 90 percent of the stores will allow an RVer to spend a night as long as they pull off in a corner and don't set up 'camp,'" said Woodbury, who also edits the 100,000-circulation weekly newsletter.

Perhaps the best deal going for RVers on a budget is on the federal government's wide-open desert lands of Arizona and southeast California where a stay of up to seven months goes for $140. "There are minimal services at these Long Term Visitor Areas, but for RVers with solar panels and other devices, life can be very comfortable and affordable at less than 70 cents a day.

Visitors who post free campground information are encouraged to provide details about a site's scenic beauty and noise level. "Locations near railroad tracks are obviously not places where an RVer stays for a meaningful experience with nature," said Woodbury.

To search for a campground visit FreeCampgrounds.com.

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