• While planning for a camping trip, it is better to research the area where you are going for camping. Try to know what snakes are native to that area and learn about each one of them. You will get a mental power to overcome your fear when you will know about snakes, their habits and appearance. When you will know whether snakes in that area are aggressive or poisonous, you will get idea to protect yourself and you will be able to avoid snakebites while camping.
• Snakes stay out of those areas which are populated, have short and less grass and are open to public, but exceptions are always there. Snakes love to live in areas where there are more weeds and high bushes so these areas are good hiding places for snakes. When you are camping in areas where snakes can be found, you need to keep your ears on alert. If there is a rattlesnake close to you, it will warn you by rattling its tail. If you need to in areas which are not paved, dress up appropriately. To avoid snakebite, wear pants and long socks along with hiking boots. Such clothing will protect you from snakebite in case you step on a snake by mistake.
• When on a camping trip, do not put your hands into holes. Never stick your hands around trees, rocks and piles either. Snakes may be present in such places. Snakes also hide in log piles and under brushes. So if you need to collect kindle or firewood, use a flashlight to check the area first. You can also make noise by stomping your feet. This noise may alert the snake that somebody is near and snake may go from there. If you see a snake, respect its area and walk away from it.
• You should also keep snakes from entering your camping tent. To do this, keep the tent zipped and closed all the time. Moreover shake out blankets, pillows, shoes and bags and other things that have been on ground before using.

Camping is all about having fun so do not let fear of snakes spoiling your trip. If you will do necessary research about campsite, you will take all important steps to avoid snakebites.

• Most of the campers are afraid of bears that trespass into their campsites but bears do not get dangerous unless they are threatened. There are a lot of other animals that can crawl into your tents or campsite and make you annoyed. These animals usually include raccoons, mice and squirrels. To prevent such animals from infesting your campsite, keep all foods inside coolers or a container having lock on its lid. For more safety, you can also tie a rope around container or cooler. Hang cooler seven feet above from ground.
• After having meals, take care that leftover food is not left exposed. Animals can get smell of this food and can come into your campsite. Place leftover food back in cooler and then hang it again. If you are not going to eat that food again, it is better to burn leftover food completely so that it does not attract animals.
• Always eat outside your tent and do not store food inside tent. Edibles like candies and peppermint should never be stored inside tent as they can attract animals. Do not place toothpaste separately. Instead place it along with food. It sounds strange but in fact, animals especially bears are quickly attracted towards smell of peppermint.
• Before and after using pots, dishes and pans, wash them thoroughly. Mice usually sneak into campsite in search for something to eat. They are greatly attracted to dirty utensils having leftover food particles. They may move around in utensils licking the leftover food. In this way, they can leave several germs in your utensils. More dangerously, they can also leave feces in pots which are toxic and contain bacteria which can make you ill. So cleaning up utensils and campsite is very important because mice like mess and filth as well as remnants of food.
• Another very interesting tip to keep animals away from campsite is to use aromatic fabric softener. It is quite strange but it is true that fragrance of fabric softener keeps animals away as they do not like it. So bring those sheets and pillows to camp that have been soaked in fabric softeners. Fabric softeners act as animal repellent so you can also use them on your sleeping bags and tent. The strong fragrance of softener will also cover up smell of food and thus keep animals away from campsite.

To avoid any unpleasant situation created by animals’ attacks, you are needed to follow above mentioned tips.

Camping in rain sounds terrible and it becomes even more difficult if you do not have proper camping gear and know-how. Here are some important tips for camping in rain. These tips will help you survive during rainy camping trips:

• Avoid camping in rain. It means that if there is a forecast of bad weather and heavy rain, then avoid going on a camping trip and wait until the weather becomes pleasant and suitable for camping.
• During rainy camping trips, tarps are proved to be your best friends. Always bring tarps with you on camping trips as it can be used as a roof in rain. Packing extra tarps can also help you making a wall outside a tent to prevent horizontal rain.
• Take more and more plastic bags with you if you are expecting rain on campsite. The wonderful thing about plastic bags is that they keep the things dry. Ziploc bags can be used to protect smaller but important items like camera, money, passport, licenses and matches.
• The most important thing in a rainy camp trip is to keep you dried. You must have all rain gear with you on a camping trip like rain boots, rain coat, back-up rain coat, extra pair of socks, lots of clothing and an umbrella of course.
• Spray the seams of your camping tent with a waterproof tent sealant once in a year. This will prevent leakage during rain.
• If you are expecting rain during your camping trip, bring a lot of games. They are best to pass time because you never know how long you will have to stay in your tent. So it is always nice to have something to do.
• Take newspapers with you and try to keep them dry. Newspapers will help you a lot if it rains during camping. They will provide you some reading to pass rainy time as well as they can also be used as fire starters if forest is waterlogged.
• Bring some food which does not need to be cooked. This will help you in case you can not use BBQ stove or make a fire in rain.
• Do not set up your camp on a steep or rocky inclines because wet rocks become slippery and loose. So it might be quite risky to set up a camp on slippery rocks.
• If rain comes with heavy storm and strong wind then do not seek shelter under trees as their branches may damage you causing a serious injury.
• If you are camping in rain along with kids then you will also have to keep their morale high. Tell them different stories to divert their attention from horrible sounds of storm and rain.

• You will first have to research about the possible and most convenient destinations. Especially if you are traveling with family, you will need to choose a beach which has all facilities and amenities to make your camping trip a wonderful experience. If you are just traveling with a group of friends, you can choose any beach anywhere making sure that there are no restrictions regarding camping.
• Also make an estimate of number of miles which you need to travel in order to reach desired beach. If your kids are with you in camping trip, it will be better for you to go for a short trip. If your camping site entails a long distance, consider going with a lightweight backpack.
• Check whether there are safe sources of drinking water within the site or not. If not then bring sufficient amount of water in coolers. Make sure to drink a lot of water during your camping trip as bright sun can make your skin dry and you can also suffer from dehydration.
• Make a checklist of things which you will need during camping trip. Essential items for beach camping include tents, sleeping bag, water, food, utensils, stove, first aid kit, matches, lantern, sunscreen lotion and of course swimming gears.
• It is recommended to set up camp above high tide line ensuring that sand on this site is dry and away from sea.
• Before pitching your tent on beach, remove all rocks and sticks which can cause discomfort for you to sleep at night.
• Do not go into sun without applying sun screen because sun rays are really strong off shores. Even on cloudy days, UV rays are strong enough to damage your skin. Protect your skin first. Besides protecting facial skin, also take care of feet with proper footwear and make sure to protect your eyes using sunglasses.
• During your beach camping trip, stay away from sand dunes and cliffs. They are not protected and are not recommended either to be used as shelter. You can find shelter from strong winds at the rear of trees and bushes.
• Follow warning signs especially those that restrict swimming in a certain area. Warning signs are for protections and violation of these restrictions can be dangerous.
• Do not leave your kids unattended on beach while swimming even if they have floating equipment. A little negligence on your part may lead to something quite misfortunate.
• Trash should be disposed off properly. Do not make a mistake to bury trash under sand.

Camping on a beach is all about enjoying the wonderful experience and majestic views of sea. So those who want to make the best of it should follow the above given tips to have an unforgettable summer experience.

• Before heading to campsite, practice pitching your tent. Doing this is really necessary if you are a beginner. It is of great value to pitch a tent quickly and effectively.
• Look for a natural bed of spongy and smooth soil when looking for a place to set up. Avoid setting up in bottom of hills and valleys.
• To avoid potential damage and water-logging, set up a tarp below your tent.
• If you have planned to camp on high altitudes then drink plenty of water to prevent yourself from dehydration and high altitude sickness. High altitudes sicknesses are really bad and can ruin your expedition. These sicknesses can cause headache, muscle cramp, nausea and even frostbite and hypothermia.
• Food which you take out with you often comes in plastic bags and packaging. Discard this packaging before packing food items. Instead of plastic packaging, use clear bags which can be tied in a knot. To know what is inside each bag, mark plastic bags with permanent marker. Using clear plastic bags will give you benefit in two ways. Firstly, they will cut down litter and trash accumulation and secondly, these bags can be used again for storing other items.
• Building campfire becomes necessary in cold weather. But you need to be very careful while building campfire. Campfire should always be built at a safe distance from trees and root systems. Trees and roots can catch fire and can lead to serious accidents.
• Before going to sleep, you must make sure that you have quenched the fire. You can check it with your fingers. When you are sure that you can sift your fingers through ashes of fire, it means that it has been put out.
• If you have a problem with dirty pots and you don’t have a scrubber, use pine cone or sand to scrub your dishes. This is one of the easiest methods to have clean dishes during camping adventure.
• If you have to spend night in an area with extremely cold weather and your sleeping bag is not enough to warm you up then zip bags of your mates together and cuddle up close. This method is the best to survive in a chilly night.
• To control your body temperature, dress in layers.
• Learn to use a GPS or a map. You can get lost in woods of similar looking trees even if you are familiar with that wooded area well.

These were some basic tips which every camper needs to know before setting out for an adventure trip.

Make sure to take all above mentioned items with you to enjoy your beach camping trip.

Adhesive Bandages

Include adhesive bandages of various sizes and shapes in your first aid kit. They are proved very useful to treat small cuts and scrapes. You can also add a small amount of antibacterial cream on bandage before applying it on wound.

Antiseptic Creams/Lotions

These are used for treatment of cuts, scrapes and burns as they prevent them from getting infected.

Iodine Wipes

These are used to clean wounds as well as they also disinfect area around wounds. They clean skin properly and as a result, bandages and tapes stick to skin easily.

Butterfly Bandages

They prove useful if you unfortunately get deep wounds which require stitches. Butterfly bandages hold he wound together until a medical assistance reaches you.

Sterile Gauze Pads

Keep several sizes of sterile gauze pads in your first aid kit. They are also use to clean wounds or they can also be used to cover bigger wounds.

Medical Tape

Don’t forget to keep a medical tape in your first aid kit as it is the most essential item. They can be used to hold gauze pads and bandages in place in case you get large and deep wounds. On the other hand, medical tapes are also useful for covering swellings and eruptions. Even in worst cases of having a broken bone or sprain, you can use medical tape for having instant relief.

Pain Killers

These are quite obvious and everyone knows about them. But they are equally important and you cannot afford to miss them. To have immediate relief from pains and inflammation, keep Aspirin, Ibuprofen and other similar pain killers in first aid kit.

Scissors

They will be used to cut bandages or medical tapes. Make sure they are sterilized.

Latex Gloves

You will require them while dressing wounds. They will prevent your germs from infecting wound as well as they will prevent your hands from getting germs and other nasty things.

Elastic Bandages

Elastic bandages are mostly used in severe cases. They are used:

• To hold ice bags on a place to reduce swelling
• To support sprains
• To make support for severe sprains and breaks
• To make slings for hurt shoulders and broken collar bones

Key Light

What will you do if you need to treat a wound in night? Definitely you will need sufficient light. So bring a key light with you to apply first aid in night. Flashlights can also be used but key lights are preferred because they are smaller and easily fit in first aid kit or backpack.

Medications

You will also have to bring prescribed or non-prescribed medicines which you often need.

Other Useful Items

There are some other things which seem less important but are very useful. These include:

• Safety Pins: Used to hold slings and bandages.
• Moleskin: Used for treatment and prevention of blisters.
• Duct Tape:  It can be used in place of medical tape. It also has several other uses.
• Lip Balm: It will prove very useful if you often suffer from chapped lips.
• Petroleum Jelly: It is used if you suffer from severe abrasion. It is also used in place of lip balm.
• Triangular Cloth: Used for making slings and supports for shoulder injuries. It holds bandage in place. You can use old piece of a bed sheet as a triangular cloth.
• Tweezers: It is used to remove splinters, ticks and other useless particles from wound.
• Miscellaneous Lotions: These include burn lotion, anti-itch creams, Aloe-Vera gel and anti-fungal cream etc.
• Eye Drops: To treat eye infections
• Snake Bite Kit: To treat snake bites
• Bee Sting Kit: To treat bee sting wounds

• If you want to sleep outside comfortably, make sure to bring necessary bedding. You will need a comfortable sleeping bag to sleep outside tent. Sleeping bag should be well padded so that it can keep you insulated. Also bring a pillow and extra blanket to sleep with ease and comfort. If your campsite has rough ground, you will also need an inflatable mattress. You will also need it if you have back problem.
• Choose a stable and safe area for positioning your beddings. Your sleeping area should be clear and away from animals. Also make sure that sleeping area is not a path. If you want to have a campfire, then choose sleeping area accordingly. Before setting your bed and mattress, check the ground carefully. You will not want to sleep on a ground which has too many rocks and pebbles.
• Wear proper clothing if you want to spend night outside. Wear clothes in different layers while sleeping outside. In this way, you can peel off layers if you feel hot. You can also add an extra layer of sweater or jacket if it is too cold. Also wear socks when sleeping outdoors as they will keep your feet warm. To contain more body heat, you can also wear knitted cap.
• When sleeping outdoors, you will also need to protect yourself from insects and bugs. For this, spray sufficient amount of insect repellent on your sleeping bag and clothing. If you dislike the smell of insect repellent, then spray it a few minutes before going to sleep.
• You should go to sleep early while sleeping outdoors. Try to sleep soon after sunset and avoid staying up late. One more tip!! Avoid reading ghost stories before going to bed as it will have an impact on your imagination and you may get frightened while sleeping.
• Some people have a habit of listening radio before going to sleep. But while sleeping outdoors, enjoy the natural silence. You may hear sounds of owls, crickets and other animals but this is a part of nature and you should enjoy it.

Let’s start with personal items.

Personal Items

In personal items, most of campers include clothing, toiletries and other essential items.

1. Clothing

• Shirts
• Pants/Shorts
• Shoes
• Hat/Cap
• Gloves
• Swimming clothes
• Nightwear
• Socks
• Undergarments
• Jacket/Coat

2. Toiletries

• Toothbrush
• Tweezers
• Toothpaste
• Mouthwash
• Toilet Paper
• Shampoo
• Soap
• Mirror
• Comb
• Towel
• Deodorant
• Shaving Accessories
• Nail Clipper
• Antiperspirant

3. Miscellaneous Items

• Sunglasses
• Prescribed Medicines
• Sunscreen
• Lip Balm
• Watch

Camping Gear

• Tent
• Tent Carpet
• Tarp
• Sleeping Bags
• Canteen
• Blankets
• Pillows
• Folding Chairs/tables
• Camping Lanterns
• Cooler
• Ice Chest
• Camping Shower
• Hammer
• Inflatable Cushions
• Radio

Food Items

How can you forget about food items? You must plan your meals before setting out for a trip. Some of the most important items you should bring include:

• Eggs
• Bread
• Biscuits
• Dairy Products
• Vegetables
• Drinks like juice, tea and coffee
• Snacks
• Cooking Oil
• Salad Dressings, Barbeque Sauce, Mayonnaise, Ketchup etc

Kitchen Items for Cooking and Food Service

• Camping Stove
• Fuel
• Firewood
• Grill
• Can Opener
• Aluminum Foil
• Plates
• Cups
• Bowls
• Garbage Bags
• Paper Towels
• Dish Washing Liquids
• Fork/Spoons
• Tongs/Spatula

Other Essential Items

Apart from food items, clothing and camping gear, there are some other things which are necessary to bring on a camping trip. These include:

• Cash
• Credit Cards
• Required Permits and Licenses
• Toolkit
• Emergency Kit
• First Aid Kit
• Maps
• Compass
• Wallet
• Cell Phone and its Charger
• Camera and Film
• Clothes Pin
• Medical Insurance
• Rain Gear

Things you should not bring to a Camping Trip

There are certain items which should not be brought to a camping trip such as:

• Hunting Knives
• Weapons
• Pressurized Lanterns and Equipment
• Fireworks
• Guns and Ammunition
• Bows and Arrows
• Cigarettes and Tobacco Products
• Illegal Drugs
• Alcoholic Beverages
• Liquid Fuels

• First you need to scoop out damp ash from your metal stove or some previous campfire. Now gather all necessary materials. Get some sheets of dry newspaper, chunk of candle wax, dry twigs and lighter or match box.
• Your next step is to break up candle wax into smaller bits. If you are shivering and badly need to start a campfire immediately, don’t waste time in breaking the wax. Instead, stick the wax into middle of newspaper.
• Make a large ball of newspaper by crumpling it. Now set that ball in the driest spot of campfire or stove.
• Put kindling, dry twigs, broken pencils and sticks on top of newspaper ball. Make sure to place all sticks and kindling in a cross-hatch pattern. In order to make a cross-hatch pattern, lay pieces of kindling in a horizontal manner and lay some other pieces in vertically. Keep setting the layers alternately. This pattern will ensure that sufficient oxygen will get into your fire and keep it burning.
• After setting kindling, light newspaper ball at its side. Try to light it as it may take a few more attempts to catch fire. To keep the fire going, blow on it with a pipe. If you do not have a pipe, make a cup of your hands around mouth and start blowing.
• When you are sure that kindling has started burning steadily, add more wood or fuel.