Camping in Canada, Europe, and Around the World

There are hundreds of campsites around the U.S. and Canada, and around Europe, Australia and many other parts of the globe.

Whether you like desert areas, evergreen trees, lakes and mountains, or even swampland, there's a campsite to match your taste. You can camp out in the hot sands of Arizona or Nevada. You can head for lush, green New Hampshire or Idaho and you can head south to the Ozarks.

If you've seen much of the U.S. and want to expand your horizons, there are just as many campsites in Canada. Though desert and swampland will be harder to find, there is just as much or more of mountains, lakes and forests.

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The Rocky Mountain chain in British Columbia is even larger and more impressive than it is in Colorado. In the west there are dry areas, similar to Eastern Washington, that offer wineries for a nice break along your trip. Farther north there's the frozen tundra similar to the type that gives much of Alaska its stark beauty. To the east there are the amazing lands of Ontario and Quebec, where the lakes and forests rival anything to be found in Vermont or Maine.

You may want to search even farther out by heading off to Europe.

Areas of Siberia are much like Alaska, only larger than even that huge state. The Black Forest extends larger than some states and the variety of trees and wildlife is second to none anywhere. The Altay mountains offer kayaking, horseback riding, climbing and a dozen other activities. The similarities to the U.S. allow you to apply your U.S. camping knowledge, while the differences will excite all your senses with the thrill of the new.

The Black Forest of Germany in Baden-Wurttemberg is one of the world's most renown camping areas on the planet and for good reason. With one of the world's largest lakes you won't lack for entertainment near the water. Brush up on a few words of German, though. Most of the tourism is from Germany and Switzerland and you may find communication a challenge.

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You could head south to Greece where you'll find sunny beaches and glorious stark, rocky hills overlooking stunning blue water. Or you can head inland 20 km and explore some of the area away from the coast. Greece is especially popular with younger campers, so you're sure to strike up a friendship.

Portugal has its own share of sunny beach campgrounds, too. Or you can take off for the mountains where the locals have been accommodating campers for generations. You can find everything from little more than bare ground to fully equipped campsites with showers, restaurants and sports activities.

The UK has a hundred options in a half-dozen countries. Swansea in Wales is near the sea, while Gwynedd in the far north has spectacular blue-green mountains. Scotland has two dozen major areas, around the coast with views of wild seas of Orkney or high in the Highland mountains.

Anywhere you want to go and any type of atmosphere you want to enjoy is available. Let the world be your oyster. Pick a pearl.

Can You Pack Light and Bring What You Need?

The military has a term for moving personal equipment from place to place that backpackers have adopted - humping your gear. It's apt. There's something about the phrase that suggests effort, and that is certainly true. Hauling personal gear for camping and hiking can be one of the less thrilling parts of the experience.

In order to minimize the downside, give some thought to what you truly need for where you're going. A little research into the specific campsites you pick for your trip will reveal a lot of back saving information.

You'll find out whether the campsite has running water (some do, many do not), and whether there are showers (rare, but less so as time passes). Try to get a person, either via phone or email, and ask specifically about quality. Some water suitable for bathing or cleaning dishes isn't something you'd want to drink.

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Always bring a few gallons of drinking water, just in case. But keep in mind that a gallon of water (about 4 liters) weighs about 8 lbs (3.6 kg). You don't want to have to haul much of that on your back.

Think about the climate. Sleeping bags have gotten much lighter in recent years, but they still weigh about 4 lbs (1.8 kg) at best. Also, though they roll up to a nice tight size these days, they are still one of the bulkier items you will carry. Don't pack a winter sleeping bag if you're going summer camping and vice-versa.

Tents today are much lighter than their heavy canvas grandfathers. Today's tents are made from lightweight, tough nylon. Heavy steel poles are a thing of the past. With internal frames, using aluminum or fiberglass, it's possible to get a strong tent in a low mass package. But here again they weigh at least nearly 4 lbs and the more pole support the heavier they are.

To lighten your load select a tent that is no larger than what you actually need. If the weather is expected to be fine, trade space for weight. Gear can be left outside and in some places you can dress outside and still have plenty of privacy.

It's essential that you pack a first aid kit, but the truly needed items can be carried in a small, lightweight package. Wrap around bandages, anti-bacterial cream (less bulk than spray), scissor/tweezer combos and a few other things can weigh under 2 lbs easily. Remember, every pound you carry in, you have to carry out. At least, in the case of first aid gear, you certainly hope so.

A backpack will add another 3 lbs (1.4 kg) and some of the gear like parachute cord (for tying up food bags and other uses), dental floss (useful for a dozen things besides dental hygiene), tooth paste, mirror (for emergency signaling) and a few other essentials will add a few more.

Twenty pounds is about the minimum, and it can reach 40 lbs before you know. It doesn't sound like much, until you start lugging it over a trail to get to your campsite, then lugging it back to the car, moving to the next campsite. If you add a long hike, that weight becomes a significant percentage of your total body weight to haul around.

Take only the essentials and your trip will be that much more pleasant. Give careful thought to your list. You'll be surprised how much you can do without away from home. Then when you get back, you may actually be motivated finally to clean out the garage.

Planning Your Camping Trip

Camping should be spontaneous, fun and relaxing. But in order to relax and enjoy that spontaneity, advance planning is a must.

Camping has been a tradition for over 100 years, but back then it wasn't camping so much as just living in the wild for a while. It began in earnest, as a widespread form of vacation, in the 1940s. But it really got going over the following 20 years as the post-WWII economy improved and the highway system developed.

Now, with RVs and the advance of technology camping became enormously popular. Tents, sleeping bags, GPS units, cell phones and much else is much different than 20 years ago. The result? Many campers vie for a spot during certain weeks of the year for a limited number of campsites.

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Commercial campsites sprang up to satisfy the need, but there are limits from economic constraints (many campsites don't make profitable businesses). The number of desirable spots outside National and State parks is limited, too. There's only so much great scenery around.

So, the first step in planning your camping trip is to decide when and where you want to go, then make a reservation. There are hundreds of places online to do that. Two are ReserveUSA (http://www.reserveusa.com) and The National Park Service Reservation Center (http://reservations.nps.gov).

Like booking a good cruise, you'll need to book at least three months ahead and, for the best spots, possibly as much as a year or more. Rooms at the famous Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite, often require booking two years in advance. Pretty extraordinary considering that the cheapest room is $350 per night.

Once you have a confirmed reservation you can prepare your packing list. You could throw everything into the SUV and take off. But the odds are high you'll overlook something essential.

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You'll need a well-stocked first aid kit. You should spend time reviewing the list of most common toxic plants for the location you chose and any wildlife warnings for the area. Bears are common in some areas, wild cats in others.

Make a complete list: tents, sleeping bags, clothing, tools, stove, lighting, ... that's appropriate for the place and time of year. That list will be at least one page of four columns full of things even just to hit the basics.

Investigate any road closures, especially if you're planning a winter camping trip. Floods, rocks slides, snow avalanches, ice and other problems are still fairly common.

As the trip date gets close, check the weather. Most camping areas are in the mountains or away from urban areas. Those areas tend to have less predictable weather with sudden rain squalls, thunderstorms, etc. But, you can get a good idea of what you're likely to encounter anyway. Pack accordingly.

Plan ahead carefully and you'll be in a better position to relax and forget about controlling events during your trip.

Identifying Poisonous Plants While Camping

The three most common toxic plants that campers are likely to encounter are poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac. Any one of these can cause a painful, itchy rash.

Poison ivy is probably the most common of the three, since it grows throughout most of North America. Shrubs can be as tall as four feet (1.2m), but it is frequently found as ground cover between 4-10 inches (10-25cm) high. It rarely grows above 5,000 feet, but most campsites are below this elevation.

There's an old saying 'leaves of three, let it be' that makes for a good start on identification. The leaves tend to be a dark, dull green but can be purplish at certain times of the year.

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Poison oak also has multi-lobed leaves, with fuzzy fruit on the branches. Sometimes the leaves are scalloped around the edge and can be wrinkled rather than smooth as poison ivy leaves are. Three lobes are more common, but five lobed leaves exist as well.

Poison oak grows in sandy soils from southern New Jersey to Florida, but occur in western parts of the U.S. too, such as Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. The range extends north to the Sierra Nevada all the way up to southwestern British Columbia in Canada and as far south as northern Baja California in Mexico. Some types are found in Washington, in the Columbia River gorge, Oregon and Nevada.

Poison ivy is more common in the east, poison oak in the west and south.

Poison sumac is the least widespread, since it prefers very wet soils such as swamps and peat bogs. The leaves are bluish green, sometimes with red tips or tints. The berries on the bush are cream colored. Though less common, it is the most toxic of the three.

All of them produce urushiol, which is the material that sticks to the skin and produces the unpleasant rash. One particular problem with contact is that since urushiol is oily it can easily be spread to parts of the face, hands and elsewhere by casual brushing. The oil tends to stick to parts it contacts and then stays there, where it quickly binds with skin cells.

The rash can range from mild to severe and cortisol creams are usually used to treat the symptoms. The first step to treating it, once you know you've made contact, is to avoid spreading it. Don't touch your face or other parts of the body.

Washing thoroughly with soap and water helps, but once contact has been made some amount of effect is almost inevitable. Fifteen minutes after contact, washing has minimal effect, since the urushiol has already bonded to the skin. There are a fortunate percentage (around 15%) of individuals who are immune to the effects. There's no vaccine and extreme cases can lead to blistering and a burning sensation.

Apply a spray or cream to treat the effects and avoid scratching, no matter how great the temptation. That will only make it worse. The effects take about two weeks to fully wear off, but if treated the itching will subside in a few days to a week.

Avoidance is the best policy.

Staying Safe on Your Camping Trips

It sounds harsh and even a little bit silly, but the first rule of camping safety is: don't do anything dumb. You wouldn't think it should be necessary, and it might be useless, to point out how that's unsafe. But one can always try. Two common dangers that are easily avoided are lightning and inappropriate climbing.

Over 100 persons per year die outdoors from lightening strikes, most of those in wilderness areas. It kills more people in an average year than any other weather related phenomenon.

Lightning occurs most frequently within clouds, but a small percentage forms CG (cloud-to-ground) strikes. If you happen to be the tallest thing around, such as when you are standing on top of a hill, your odds of getting struck are higher.

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Humans have substantial amounts of salty fluid within their bodies and that often makes for a preferred conductive path, relative to other nearby objects. You are even more so when you get wet, as from rain that precedes or accompanies lightning.

But it isn't necessary to be the highest, or even the most conductive, thing around to get seriously injured from lightning strikes. Being higher or more conductive makes you more likely, but the odds are still far from zero even when you're not.

Further, it isn't necessary to be struck to be injured. Lightning carries enormous voltages, it's true. But it requires only a modest amount of voltage to push electricity through you. The current (the amount of actual electrons flowing) is the primary killer. And lightning contains extremely high currents. Obviously, anything which can split a tree transmits considerable energy.

Just being near a lightning strike can knock you down or disturb physiological processes, such as injuring your eyesight, breaking an eardrum or singeing your skin.

A second major way in which some campers exhibit less than stellar reasoning is taking unnecessary risks in climbing or hiking.

Standing too close to cliffs is an obvious no-no. Rapid, unexpected gusts of wind are common in camping areas. It takes very little to push you over, especially if the ground near the edge is loose (as it often is). Don't tempt fate by moving closer than a couple of feet from the edge.

Climbing up can be just as dangerous. Rocks can loosen, leading to a fall and producing falling debris on your partner underneath. Trees growing out of the mountainside are clinging to rock by fragile roots. Small disturbances, such as you grabbing them for a handhold, can easily pull them loose. Bad for the tree, worse for you.

Even if you don't fall a dangerous distance, minor cuts and scrapes can turn deadly outdoors. It's rare, but improve your odds by keeping them minor. Breaking a bone, especially a leg, outdoors is no minor matter when there are no medical facilities nearby.

Don't try to exceed your limits by a wide margin. Risk for the sake of adventure is part of an exciting life. Foolish risk for the sake of impressing your fellow campers is dumb.

Packing the Necessities for Camping

Campers are always faced with a dilemma. Either you bring the entire house or you invariably find that the one thing you need was left at home. There's no perfect way out of this, but a little thought will help improve your odds. Bring what you really need, without overflowing your vehicle or breaking your back.

If you're planning on tent camping, you'll need the tent, of course. But that can mean poles, stakes, ropes and other items as well, along with any tools you need to assemble it. Reduce your headaches by investigating in a self-assembling tent. That type has all the major components needed to keep the tent sturdy and upright as part of one integrated unit.

You'll find it easy to assemble (the name is only a slight exaggeration) and much easier to pack, unpack and haul to the campsite. Look for one made from waterproof material and that has sturdy seams.

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Something to sleep on is essential. Sleeping on the ground may look adventurous in old Western films, but it's hard on the back. That will reduce your enjoyment of camping and make hiking the next day difficult. There are a hundred different kind of inflatables, sleeping bags and other options. If you bring an inflatable or air mattress, make sure it's self-inflating. Make sure your sleeping bag is waterproof and made with good insulating material with a durable shell.

Unless you want to subsist solely on pre-packaged, ready-to-eat food, you'll want to bring something to cook with. Keep items to a minimum - a multi-purpose pan, a lightweight camping stove, a few utensils. You don't want to spend all your time packing, unpacking, cleaning and so forth. If you bring disposable utensils, make sure they're sturdy enough to handle the type of food you prepare and eat.

A first aid kit is a must. A splint can be improvised from available material, but you'll need bandages (both wrap around and stick on band-aids). A disinfectant and/or anti-bacterial cream or spray is essential. A minor cut or scrape can become deadly out in the wilderness, but is trivial if treated properly. Aspirin is a great all-around drug, but ibuprofen or acetominophen are good substitutes for those with sensitive stomachs.

Bug bite spray or cream can prevent a minor irritant from becoming a major annoyance or worse. Some moleskin is a good idea for treating blisters, too. Scissors or a multi-purpose, Swiss Army-style knife can be really handy. Resist the temptation to bring a hundred different tools, though. Some cleansing towelettes can be great for hygiene and first aid.

Many campsites have a water supply, but the quality varies. Be prepared. Bring water bottles for drinking, cooking and emergency cleaning (wound treatment). You won't be able to haul enough to shower every day, but you might be able to bring enough to wash your hair once every few days. Water weighs about 8 lbs (3.6kg) per gallon (~4 liters), so plan ahead. You don't want to haul several hundred pounds of water anywhere.

A rechargeable flashlight (of the sort that can be plugged into the cigarette lighter or cell phone recharger in the car) can be a lifesaver. Even in non-emergency situations, it's about the most helpful thing you can have at night when you're a few feet from the campsite.

Think 'essential', minimize luxuries. If you want all the comforts of home, bring a big RV or just stay home.