Labor Day marks the traditional end of the camping season for most people. Tents, sleeping bags and stoves go into garage-hibernation as kids head back to school and fall sports become the focus for many families. For those who can brave some cooler weather or a rain shower, though, fall camping can be even more enjoyable than camping in the summer.
Author Archives: Roy Scribner
Green Camping: What not to do
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: State program teaches environmentally sound camping
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette® ran a fun and poignant article today, by Don Hopey, about a Pennsylvania state program to educate campers about some of the common mistakes that have a negative impact on the environment. It’s a timely reminder, given that visits to our parks are up this year and we have a lot of new and inexperienced campers who may not realize that it’s not okay to cut limbs off a tree for firewood or roasting sticks and foil doesn’t burn in the campfire.
Yeti Tundra Cooler
Last month I wrote about the Engel® line of rugged ice chests and while I was scanning the outdoor news on Outdoorsfile.com this morning, I stumbled across Yeti® Coolers and their equally impressive line of roto-molded polyethylene ice chests.
All I want for my birthday is to go camping
Okay, maybe that’s not all she wants for her birthday, but with Chuck E. Cheese’s® just down the road, a bounce park in town and the lure of a sleepover party with her favorite friends, it makes this dad proud to say that his soon-to-be nine year old daughter chose a camping trip for her birthday. Camping has been a part of our kid’s lives just like going to movies or maybe a restaurant. It’s still something that is special to them, but it surprises me that they still get excited about it since it’s something that we do pretty regularly.
Essential Gear: the underappreciated big blue tarp
Inside and out, blue tarps will protect your tent
The outdoor retail market thrives on convincing us that we need new gear to get the most out of our outdoor adventures. This is actually a good thing, since the industry keeps coming out with better gear, each and every year. It can also go a bit overboard, though, with superfluous gadgets and fluffery that is just a waste of your hard-earned money. One way to save money on camping gear is to look for similar products outside the industry that can serve the same purpose. The big blue tarp is one of those items.