Camping On A Budget

Camping On A Budget by James L. Bruner
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I can recall with much distinction numerous weekends of family camping trips where myself, my brother, and sister would more or less be turned loose on nature with a thumbs-up to explore and enjoy. For us camping wasn’t just a recreational event. It was like our annual vacation that lasted for the summer but we seldom went anywhere speaking in terms of miles traveled. For us kids that didn’t matter for in our eyes we were miles away from anything and our imaginations were our only restraint.

In the earliest days of camping we started out with your basics. A station-wagon full of food and a tent with some pillows and sleeping bags. Of course we always brought our fishing poles along but beyond the immediate basics we were about as plain with our camping trips as one could get with a family of five. We often camped at areas that were well off the beaten path but nearly always had some connection with water where we could fish and swim. This was a fairly far cry from our last years of camping that entailed a camper, a boat, dirt bikes, pedal bikes, barbecue grills, a television and just about anything else you needed to make you feel right at home in the outdoors. That has an ironic ring to it doesn’t it? Our camping areas also changed as we now followed the roads that led to more modern campsites so we could of course have access to electricity to run the television and whatever contraptions we also had that needed that buzz of humanity to work. In contrast the difference in progression was like night and day and it’s easy to spot the increase in expenses. Which brings me back to the beginning with the understanding to outline some steps to creating your own camping trips on a tight budget. After all, in today’s economic climate, people are looking to get back to the basics in many areas and camping is a great way to bring a family together for a weekend.

First things first here will be your shelter. Simple and basic a tent that will accommodate the trip. Think of your tent as your temporary home for the weekend. it needs to house all the members of your camping trip and as a general rule of thumb I suggest adding one person. For a five member family I would suggest a six person tent. While that may not sound like sticking to a budget, the price will be negligible especially if you run into bad weather and everyone is stranded in the tent for the day. That little extra room never hurts when you’re spending an afternoon inside playing cards until the weather clears. Most family tents are created in the cabin style while most two to three person tents are dome shaped. Some tents are divided into room for kids and adults or equipment. You really have a plethora of choices today and for the most part you can get a lot for your money. Personally I believe there are moments when you purchase a brand name item and other moments where you can buy a cheaper brand. If you are planning to taste camping for the first time be aware that you can pay $250 for a family tent in a cheaper brand and $600 for the same size tent from the more popular merchant. I would opt for the cheaper tent before jumping in all the way for something more extravagant. Most of your higher grade tents will be determined by the thickness of material used for the tent shell and the type of stitching both around the hardware areas and the stress points. All important factors for the avid camper but something that the beginning camper on a budget can bypass for the time being as long as you treat the tent with care.

Your next purchase would probably be your sleeping bags. Now here is actually an optional item and for the budget-minded camper there’s no reason your blankets from home aren’t going to be just as warm and comfortable as any sleeping bag. You can strike this one from your budget if you like right here but, if you want to go this route you don’t need to spend a lot of cash for a suitable sleeping bag. Determining factors will be the weather as most sleeping bags are rated for specific types of weather and have low temperature factors for their rating. You can also consider a two person sleeping bag system which will act as a bed for a couple. Typical of this style of sleeping bag is the inclusion of small pillows. It may sound like a small benefit but when you don’t have to lug your own pillows around it is a welcome addition. And you have the additional body heat with this style of sleeping bag which has it’s obvious points when the weather cools at night.

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