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Originally Posted by BigV
Do you actually camp much, tw?
I camp a lot (20 nights / year in the woods, +- 5), and I found your advice kinda hit and miss. Did you do the things you talk about or have you just read/heard about them?
I'm not trying to be snarky, I'd really like to trade useful camping tips.
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A lot depends on the part of the world you do your camping in. TW's advice sounds like it might be useful back east. I DO question the wisdom of suspending a piece of tarp over your tent. Sounds like a great technique for collecting 20 or so gallons of rain water and having it pour down on your tent when the tarp gives way under the weight of all that water. I'd suggest an application of water proofing - mainly along the seams of the tent. Make sure the fly of your tent isn't touching the sides of the tent proper. I've never bothered with "trenching" a tent. I generally just look around and avoid pitching my tent in a gully or a draw - works out here in the Rockies and desert Southwest.
In my part of the world, water is your best friend. Bring lots! I usually have at least 20 gallons stashed in various containers in my vehicle. I love my coleman lantern - best light source around for off road camping. I always bring at least a couple of packages of spare mantles with me and extra propane. A coleman stove is nice, but not a requirement out where I am. I've made many a camp with only my trusty hibachi for a cook stove. I throw some pinon or, best of all juniper, into it and I've got great coals for cooking in 20 minutes or less. Which brings me to my next tip. ONLY YOU CAN PREVENT SMOKEY THE BEAR! Do you really want a lot of feds in yellow shirts running around your camp site? No? Well, then watch what you are doing with your campfire. Don't leave it unattended around here. If you don't use the hibachi technique, make sure you build your fire on a cleared area of ground where it won't catch and smolder and burst into flame a few feet away. Fire rings are a good idea if you are going to be at that place for a while. When you leave, make sure your fire is completely out. Throw dirt on it and any spare water you might have from washing your cooking utensils. Kick the rocks aside from your fire ring. Leave your camp spot looking like it did when you got there. Remember, search and rescue may be closing in on you! Give 'em something to search for and vanish without a trace.
Never go off road anywhere further than you can walk out of in case of vehicle failure. Know your limits. Mine is 20 miles. I know I can walk 20 miles back to the main road if I have to. If I'm alone, I don't go further away than that. An inexpensive GPS unit is a girl's best friend, along with a nice sharp ax. Lots of topo maps are fun too, so you can pretend that you know where you are. I recommend what I fondly call, "The big bouncing book of Colorado maps," and what the rest of the world calls the Colorado Atlas and Gazeteer." Its a bound volume of all the 15' quads for the state and bargain priced at only $19.95. Get one or get lost!
Well, I could go on, but I seem to have mislaid my Silva compass.
I can't recall ever seeing a skunk at one of my camp sites.