The Cold Steel Bushman Bowie is a an amazing knife. Weighing in at just over half a pound, with a blade length of 7″, this is a good knife to have on the camping trail. It’s a good all around knife because it’s not only honed to a fine edge, it’s just plain tough! If there’s one knife you don’t want to leave at home when you’re outdoors, this is it.
Tents are involved in most camping trips. The tent you choose depends in large part on what type of camping you’re going to do. If you’re driving to your campsite with your family or several friends, a large cabin type tent or dome tent works well. If you only have a couple people camping you don’t really need a big tent, but my opinion is if you have room to haul it, the bigger the better. It’s even nice to take an extra tent along and set it up if your site is big enough. This gives you storage room to keep your things dry and varmit free during the night.
If you’re backpacking you need to think compact and light. There are several tents available for backpackers. They range from 1 person solo to 3 person. Backpacking tents are designed to be efficient and easy to carry. Many of them come with rain flys and vestibules. The vestibules act as an additional storage area that is somewhat protected from the weather. The tent shown here is a good example of a backpacking tent. This is the “Eureka! Mountain Pass 2XTE“.
It’s a lightweight 3 season 2 person tent that has a pack weight of 6 lbs 8 oz, with doors on each side and vestibules. The fly is also removable and reveals a mesh liner underneath. Click the link for more details.
Canvas wall tents are sometimes preferred by hunters as they are strong, water resistant, and since they have vertical walls, the square footage is more usable than that of a dome tent. Hunters often set up stoves in their wall tents to cook with and to keep warm.
Another type of tent is the expedition tent, these are usually 4 season tents designed to withstand severe conditions such as strong wind and blizzard conditions. Expedition tents usually have a fly that completly wraps the tent while also providing vestibules. This keeps the weather out, so you can stay warm inside. Since these tents are so rugged, they are also heavier than some other types of tents.
Before you launch out on the camping trail, make sure you do some research and get the tent that best fits your needs. Eureka has a good selection on tent selection tips.
My most recent experience on the camping trail was a trip to the Bufflo river near Ponca Arkansas a couple weeks ago. For those of you that are not familiar with this region the Buffalo River Trail is 37 miles long and has magestic rock walls of several hundred feet high, waterfalls, caves, natural bridges, and elk not to mention the beautiful clear water of the buffalo river that looks blue green from a distance. To put it mildly this place is a spectacular breath of fresh air.
We started at the Ponca low water bridge and hiked down river to steel creek. Then we headed up Steel creek for another mile or so. All told we guessed this was about a 5-6 mile hike. If you want to take an afternoon hike, the trip from Ponca low water bridge to Steel creek campground would be an excellent candidate. This trail goes up to the top of the rock wall overlooking the river, while walking the trail, you come across several rock pillars which are about 10′ in diameter that are right next to the bluff. Most of them are only a few feet away from the main footing making it tempting for one in our group to jump over. The only problem is that they are probably 30-50 feet up! No room for error there. Fortunatly he didn’t decide to try it.
Once we got to our spot, we set up camp and got the fire started (without the use of lighter, matches or commercial fire starters). More on that later.
Supper consisted of T-Bones and prime rib strips cooked over a backpacking stove along with biscuits cooked on a stick similar to a marshmallo, & some cooked on the campfire rocks. We finished it off with some campfire coffee. This is what the camping trail is all about, trying new things, getting fresh air, and spending quality time with your friends and family.
The next morning, we had homemade sausage, and eggs cooked over the backpacking stove, and cooked the rest of the prime rib and biscuits on the campfire. I’ll tell you, there’s nothing better than prime rib cooked on a stick over an open flame. Unbelievable!
We have another trip planned for next weekend to the same area, I think we’re going to check out the Lost Valley Trail this time. I’ll write more about that trip later.
This area is a great example of a camping trail, and there are many opportunities for an afternoon hike here also.
For more information on these and other great trails, check out the following links and get outdoors!
Hiking in the Ozarks Mountains and Buffalo river hiking trails
Ah the camping trail. The smell of fresh air, the birds chirping & the lure of the outdoors makes you want to get out there & hit the trail. Before you go you need to consider a few things.
What type of outing do you want it to be? Is this trip an afternoon hike, weekend get-away, or possibly a journey for several miles? Each of these will include the camping trail, but the phrase “camping trail” has different meanings in each context, & any of them could go wrong without proper advance planning. The key to being a successful outdoorsman is to be ready for anything, and choosing your equipment wisely is the first step towards that readiness.
Consider the following for each type of camping trail.
The Afternoon Hike:
-Appropriate clothing. Long pants and jackets may be necessary even during the warm summer months, especially when hiking through wooded areas.
-First Aid kit
-Sturdy shoes or boots
-Canteen or bladder for water. Portable water purifier would be a good idea.
-Flashlights (cap lights work great also).
The Weekend Get-Away:
The same as the afternoon hike with the addition of the following:
-Tent with plenty of room for sleeping and gear. Waterproof it before you leave. Unless you will be hiking long distances where weight and size is a concern, a larger, more weather resistant tent is probably worth bringing.
-Sleeping bag
-Air mattress, Cot, Hammock, etc…
-Pans, cups, plates, silverware, cooking utensils
-Camp stove
-Stove fuel
-Sharp knife
-Hatchet
-Flint & striker (or lighter)
-Tarps
-Rope
-Firewood
-Contact Solution
-Pain relievers for headaches, etc…
The Multi Mile Journey:
Use the weekend get-away list as a guide, but you will need to lighten your load enough to carry in a pack. You should also consider the following:
-Backpack
-Water purifier is a must
-Lightweight camp stove (folding stoves with (3) legs are preferred)
-Lightweight Sleeping pad
-Compass
-Maps
-Lightweight, compact foods (dehydrated, trail mix, soup mix, etc…)
So whether you’re planning on an afternoon hike, weekend get-away, or a journey for several miles, there are several things to consider.
Always remember to pack for the weather you are likely to face & err on the side of caution when planning your trip to the “camping trail”.
One more bit of information that could save your life in any of these instances, is always tell some body where you are going & when you plan on coming back, that way they can send a search party if things go wrong.
Now get to the camping trail & have some fun!!