7 Common Mistakes New Campers Make and How to Avoid them
Camping is, without a question, a great way to spend time outdoors. It's the best way to get up close and personal with nature. As a novice camper, you are more likely to commit a number of common blunders. The reason behind the mistakes is not that camping is too difficult. In fact, the matter is that most new campers don’t even think about the basic requirements of camping.
In this post, we have detailed some of the most common mistakes that new campers make so that you don’t have to learn the hard way. Also, we have shared practical solutions to all the problems discussed to help you out. So, without much ado, let's have a look at each one separately.
1. Lack of knowledge about the use of camping gear
Most new campers lack proper knowledge about the use of camping gear. Where new campers falter is that they buy a brand-new kit from the market and take it straight to the camping site with them.
Ideally, they need to check if the gear is functional before actually taking it to the campsite. It would be of great help if you practiced at home, at least for some time before you go camping.
2. Wrong Campsite
In the entire camping experience, finding the right camping location is the key. A wrong campsite can easily ruin your whole camping experience by adding discomfort and distress to it. But a few mistakes will always be expected from new campers.
Here is how you can avoid them:
- Choose a campsite that has previously been used as well.
- The ground chosen as a campsite must be firm.
- Wind exposure must be manageable.
- Nearby human settlements will be helpful.
- Examine your surroundings to see if there are any dead trees that could fall on you and injure you.
- Sun exposure, sun shade
You just need to stop and think about all the mentioned points. You will automatically be hinted at by your brain if the campsite of your selection is appropriate for camping or not.
3. Pack Improper Clothing
Trousers or tight jeans are not a convenient option for any kind of adventure outing, especially camping.
Especially if you are out camping for several days, the type of clothing you choose to wear becomes doubly important. New campers fail to understand that improper clothing will be a cause of discomfort and can taint their camping experience.
Indeed, you need some relaxed, breathable pieces of clothing that you can wear and have the best camping experience. Also, your clothing must be appropriate for the weather and elevation above sea level.
In this regard, Macabi skirts can be an excellent clothing option for both men and women, since they are suitable for all leisure activities and can be changed into pants or shorts via the pant clip system, as well as being breathable and stylish. Also, it gives you great practicality as well. You can carry your important things in the handy and safe pockets of a Macabi skirt.
Camping in the woods, you can use the Macabi skirt in several different efficient ways according to the demand of the situation. Whatever way you tuck the Macabi skirt, it's always going to be comfortable. Lastly, the material used for the skirt is really tough and you can use it without any fear that it might tear.
4. Mistakes related to Food
Food is a necessary survival item irrespective of where you are currently. However, when you go camping, food is one of the top essentials that you have to carry.
New campers fail to consider the climatic conditions of the area. Many a time, the way they store food for camping does not conform to the environment of the campsite, and as a result, the food gets spoiled.
Therefore, you must ensure the protective packing of food items according to the climatic conditions so that the food doesn’t get easily spoiled.
Meanwhile, you must also make the necessary arrangements to protect your food from mice, squirrels, and other similar animals that can attack and ruin your food, ruining your entire camping experience. Similarly, you would be better off if you studied the local food storage regulations through research before you actually went camping.
5. Travel too far
Camping is meant to be a trip of fun as well as great relaxation. However, new campers fail to understand the basic difference between a camping trip and a road trip. As a result, they waste almost half of their vacation time on the road, and when they reach the camping site, they are fully exhausted. Similarly, the journey back to home also becomes too tiring for such campers, and they get home more tired, which is against the very idea of camping.
So, in this regard, we recommend that you choose your camping site in such a way that reaching the camping site shouldn’t take you more than 1/4 of the total time you have dedicated to the camping expedition.
6. No toilet arrangements
Toilets are an inevitable need for campers, which is often overlooked by most new campers.
You have to keep in mind that most of the campsites don’t have proper toilets or even conventional pit toilets, which are mostly associated with the countryside. Now, you are left with only two options. Either you carry a portable toilet with you or you carry a shovel with you. So, you will be better served if you carry a toilet shovel with you.
7. No Attention to the Campfire
It won’t be wrong to say that camping without a campfire is incomplete.
Although there are some campsites that don’t allow campfires, where they are allowed, they become one of the top checklist items for a good camping experience.
But it has been seen that many new campers don’t give the experience of campfires its due importance. Even if they do manage to setup a campfire, they do it very half-heartedly, which is equivalent to devaluing the whole experience of campfires.
Even if some campers know the importance and fun associated with campfires, they lack the proper knowledge to manage a proper campfire. They end up using damp wood and wasting energy and crucial time on a campfire that is too smoky to sit close to.
The solution to this problem is that the campers must plan ahead of time. You can pre-decide where you will get the right dry firewood to manage campfires near the area where you are camping. Also, you must make sure to carry some waterproof matches with you to effectively light the campfire.