Camping For Dummies

by Michael Hodgson

Overview

Your straightforward guide for succesfully enjoying the great outdoors

You love the great outdoors, but you’re not always sure the great outdoors loves you. You can pitch a tent, start a campfire, build furniture by lashing tree branches together – in theory anyway! But while you may not have gotten your Girl Scout Gold Award, or your Eagle Scout with cluster, you can still enjoy a night out under the stars with those near and dear to you, or even work towards becoming a more serious outdoorsman, right?

Sure as a bear lives in the woods, Camping for Dummies shows you how to get out there and enjoy the best Mother Nature has to offer. With the helpful advice this common sense guide provides, you’ll be prepared when it comes to:

• Destination
• Gear
• Shelter
• Clothing
• Food
• Weather
• Safety

Written by journalist Michael Hodgson, veteran of Utah’s Eco-Challenge and numerous other outdoor adventures, Camping for Dummies cuts out gear-head jargon and antiquated methods to give you, plain and simple, what you need to know to make the smart choices that lead to great adventures. You’ll find out:

• How to tie a bear bag
• The delicious caveman style for cooking fresh fish
• The limitations of GPS
• How to predict the weather by observing birds, frogs, and insects
• Ten survival essentials
• How to go canoe, kayak, or bicycle camping
• What features make a good backpack, boot, and other equipment
• When and how to bring along children

Whether the dictionary definition of “tenderfoot” has your picture next to it or you already consider wilderness your home away from home, you’ll appreciate this handy, concise reference. Full of illustrations, diagrams, and directions for finding additional camping resources, Camping for Dummies is your complete ticket to America’s great outdoors.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780764552212
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	05/26/2000
Series:	For Dummies Books
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	1,130,330
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Recognized nationally for his poignant writing style, humor and knowledge of outdoor equipment, award-winning journalist and author Michael Hodgson is constantly "seeking out the wilder side of a mountain..." in search of a good story or a ridiculously tough place to test gear. Frankly, his friends are amazed that he can still walk. Michael is the copublisher of SNEWS®, a subscription-only news service for the outdoor and fitness industries and is a founding partner in GearTrends® - www.GearTrends.com - established in 1999 as an information website for new products and trends in the outdoor, snow sport, fitness, paddling and bike markets.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Part I: Planning Your Escape 5

Chapter 1: What to Do and Where to Go 7

Chapter 2: Outdoor Gear and Gadgets 21

Chapter 3: Dress for Success 55

Chapter 4: Wintering, Paddling, Biking 77

Part II: Getting There Is Half the Fun 97

Chapter 5: Hitting the Road 99

Chapter 6: Setting Up Camp 115

Part III: Camping Skills, Food, and Fun 131

Chapter 7: Skilling Up at Camp 133

Chapter 8: Cooking and Eating in the Wild 161

Chapter 9: Taking a Hike 183

Chapter 10: Fun, Games, and Photo-Ops 193

Part IV: Staying Safe, Staying Found 209

Chapter 11: Staying Found Simply 211

Chapter 12: Weathering the Outdoors 243

Chapter 13: Health and Safety Are No Accident 257

Part V: The Part of Tens 285

Chapter 14: Ten + One Survival Essentials 287

Chapter 15: Ten Low-Impact Camping Tips 291

Chapter 16: Ten Camping Recipes 295

Chapter 17: Ten or So Camping Resources 309

Chapter 18: Ten Best Outdoor Destinations 315

Chapter 19: Ten Times Two: Hodgson’s Twenty Laws of Camping 321

Part VI: Appendixes 323

Appendix A: Understanding the Outdoor Lingo 325

Appendix B: Before You Leave Home: Countdown Checklist 335

Appendix C: Connections 339

Index 345