Weather was perfect, highs in the mid-80s, lows around 50. This is our third time camping here on the Coyote loop. The view is just beautiful. Photos don’t do it justice. Great place to just sit and watch the ever changing blues.

Camping this past weekend at Lake Anna State Park in Virginia. It was a Meetup with participants scattered throughout the campground. I had a really nice site with a view of a little field with no campsite on that side. We did a Friday night potluck. Saturday night was a campfire with camping friends that I haven't seen in a year. It was so great to reconnect with them.

Edit; Elijah Clark State Park is in GA, north of Augusta, on the border of SC. One of my favorite sites, perfect weather in mid 70s to mid 40s, quiet campground and just far enough away from home. Great meals with exception of the cinnamon rolls, whoopsie. Also, I got a new air mattress (Zempire Monstabed), it is amazing! Quite literally the best sleep I've ever had in a tent. Warm, firm and no air loss. Can't wait till the next trip!

Went camping this past weekend in Hunterdon County, NJ and had a great time! Was really nervous about the cold so I double layered tarps under the tent, plus yoga mats, emergency blanket, sleeping pads, weather rated sleeping bags, and an extra blanket or three for added warmth. It sounds super extra writing it out like this but this kept us really comfortable during two nights of frost in a 3 season tent.

I also took a shortcut in the spirit of saving my marriage and brought starter logs (duraflame). It made life way easier and prevented yet another "why is this fire taking so long on an empty stomach also it is FREEZING" argument. That said, as a relative camping noob, is this a massive no-no? Is there in fact a less painfully miserable way of putting a fire together? Inquiring minds trying to reduce footprint and protect local ecosystems would like to know. Thanks in advance!

This past weekend my wife and i took our son and 3 dogs to Mistletoe State Park, in Appling, GA, just outside of Augusta, GA.

We had a great time at the campground, and we loved site #57 as it was fenced in - perfect for our dogs and kiddo.

It was little man's first trip, and we were really happy with our tent set up - just an Amazon basics 4 man tent, with sleeping pad. It was a little chilly at night but we were warm inside the tent with a wool blanked under the foam pad, and with flannel sheets. But the weekend was lovely with mid 70's Georgia Fall weather.

Sadly, the water levels at the lake are really, really low, making fishing really difficult.

Overall, the weekend was a success. Campground bathrooms are clean and well maintained, and staff were great to work with. Reservations are required, but are easy to book online.

Last weekend a friend and I set up under an old pavilion to go hunting from. The temps at night bottomed out at 29°, and it was pretty cold. But the Aboron air tent held up, held the heat from a diesel heater all night! We were comfortable all weekend (4 days, 5 night). I will never regret this purchase.

So I'm pretty new to being outdoors, hiking, fishing etc, the whole thing. I'm loving it but I'm feeling inadequately equipped for anything longer than a short 4-6 hour hike on my local trails. I have a semi-decent backpack, and some pretty good boots, but other than that I have nothing. No camping cookware, jackets, tents, you name it I don't have it.

What should I prioritize first? I only really plan to do a max of maybe 4ish days out in the middle of nowhere.

I live in the midwest but my buddy who got me into this drives all over the country for it and I 100% want to tag along for his week long adventures across state lines in the wilderness so I want to have stuff for most occasions, weather, and conditions.

Only things that come to mind would be a lifestraw, a dutch oven, a few smaller pots, and a couple of dry bags.

Hi all, I am planning a potential trip to Vancouver Island. I plan on renting a pickup with a tent rig. I am curious if anyone can attests to how easy it is to dispersed camp/reservation free camp in the sparser parts of the island. Grateful for any advice!

We camped for two nights over the weekend at Bandy Creek Campground. The fall colors were absolutely stunning. We completed the 6-mile John Litton Farm Loop Trail yesterday - a favorite hike that features the old homestead and barn, built around 1900, from the Litton and Slaven Farm.

Last night I lay awake in the tent and watched the moon rise, wrote longhand in a notebook by lamplight, and listened to a pack of coyotes howling and yipping somewhere in the distance. It was difficult to leave today.

Looking for something different, or a general tips. Always looking for new things to try

I’m toying with an idea someone told me about. Right now, I have 2 thick walled coolers that I take when camping with my family of four. I fuse ice blocks and ice and they last a good 5 days or more.

I am wanting to switch to a refrigerator cooler but have some reservations due to camping in bear country.

Someone told me they use a refrigerator cooler in freezer mode to freeze ice packs. Then they swap out ice packs in their regular cooler. They keep the regular cooler in the bear box. Has anyone done this? What ratio of ice packs to cooler space do you use. I fill my coolers 2/3 full with ice for my long trips. I would assume I could use more cooler space if I can replace ice packs once per day or maybe every other day.

G’day!

Spent two nights camping in Howqua Hills, Victoria. Sheepyard Flat was packed over the weekend, so we headed further down to Pickerings Flat. Got lucky the next day when some campers left and we found an awesome corner spot right next to the creek. Definitely worth it! Sharing a few photos of our setup and the surroundings.

Did the Terrapin mountain trail in Virginia, it’s about 9.6 miles. Started it at 5:30 Am going counterclock wise because it was the hardest route and I wanted to get it over with. Here are a few pics from my trip I thought I’d share.

Got this butane stove from Walmart over a month ago. Left outside for a week and now it does this and struggled to ignite. Any ideas why how do prevent it from happening again to my new one. I returned it and got the same one. Save the safety comments.

I have unexpected free time in early November and I’ve already wanted to go camping on my own ( I’ve only gone with others as a child/teen) and Georgia isn’t that far from me ? I have the money to get equipment that I need and have done a moderate amount of research, I think I’m just nervous to pull the trigger also haven’t looked at campground and I know they can be booked in advanced

My wife wouldn't go camping with me unless we had a similar barrier from insect critters as a cabin. This is the best I could do. (Yes, I did go back and adjust guy line tension and center post straightness.)

My husband and i are finally foster parents!

We have been highly encouraged to include kiddos in our activities- and for us, thats becoming camping. We arent “seasoned” but we have some camp trips under our belts! We dont have kids of our own so are starting from scratch in the kid department.

We are licensed for 0-5, and we want to kind of start collecting camp gear now so when summer rolls around, we can just pack the car and go.

We are looking for recommendations on

•sleep spaces for once kids age out of a pack and play

•chairs, gear, or even a new tent. (we want an instant tent, that fits us, our cots, 2 big dogs, and a child or two)

•favorite toys!

•lake gear/toys (even favorite life jackets!)

•advice!!!! all the advice!!!!

thank you so much with your help! we really appreciate it!

I have a north face wawona 6 and am planning to rethink our tent floor treatment for next year. I have two kids (4 and 6) and the tent basically becomes a play room. They bring some toys in there, they wrestle and roll around; basically camping pads that are at all delicate or can pop are not options right now.

We've been using play room mats that are about 3/4 inch thick to form a "floor" of the tent and then for sleeping we roll out the thermarests but the play room mats are at the end of their life and never really did much on rocky or rooty terrain. I've been looking at larger mattresses that can function as both a floor and sleep surface like the lost horizons mattress (Amazon) or the exped megamat (rei, pricy). I was also looking at other playroom type pads that would cover a larger area but most seem not durable enough.

Anyone have recommendations for what I'm looking for?

We had a blast! Thanks you for all of your suggestions and tips. Until next time friends!

Looking to plan a camping trip for my birthday middle/end of November in California... any recs?

Right now my top choice I found (that is available) is Forks Campground in Wishon! Would love somewhere with some foliage if possible and not crazy cold. Thank you in advance!!!

My kids (15 and 11) have been camping and hiking with me since they were 5yr old respectively. They're both experienced using knives - both my static folders and fixed blades. They can whittle and camp cooking.

The eldest has been borrowing my Gerber Vertebrea and CRKT M16. The youngest wasn't their own knife. I'm leaning towards a fixed blade but they both want folders.

If I go with a folder it would have a liner lock, drop or spear point and a smooth edge (no seration).

Any advice?

Hey all!

I’m looking for blanket recommendations.

I don’t camp very often however, I am a trucker and with the weather getting colder the inside temperature of the truck is pretty similar to the outside temperature. I mostly work out of Michigan and northern Ohio so when it gets down below 50 degrees. That’s where I’m starting to get a little uncomfortable. LL bean is currently selling what seems to be a pretty thick camping blanket but it’s pretty expensive. About 140 bucks. I don’t mind spending a pretty penny if it will keep me warm, but I figured I’d ask you guys to see if there’s anything warmer than that, or even cheaper.

Thanks gang!

Edit: thank you everyone for your recommendations, I have just purchased an arcturus blanket from amazon.

Hi friends!

I’m relatively new to camping so go easy on me! My rainfly would sag from dew. It made its way into the inner layer of my tent causing the inside to get slightly wet.

Unsure if I’m staking the tent incorrectly or if this is why I need to use guy lines.

Any help is appreciated! I’m using a first generation Nemo dagger 2p

Having dogs that love to roam off leash, it’s impossible to stay at actual campsites. So we always look for primitive or dispersed camping areas. We hit the lottery in the Mohave National Preserve. Primitive enough. With a fire pit!

Edit: I always thought primitive camping was anytime you camped in an unmarked spot, with no water, bathrooms, tables, host. I’m sorry to cause mass hysteria amongst everyone. 🙏 I am now educated.