On river rafting trips, we have guests with different levels of camping experience. When we pull into camp for the night, some have no idea where to set up a tent, while others head for flat ground and feel right at home. Since I’ve seen my fair share of campsite disasters, I figured I’d mention a couple of pointers to note when picking out your bed in the woods for the night.
1. Avoid the poison oak.
Of course this means to know what poison oak looks like. Here’s a quick reminder.
For those of you that might be on the east coast, familiarize yourself with poison ivy as well and avoid setting up your tent anywhere near it. This seems like common sense, but these plants can be deceiving! Sometimes they’re red or dark purple. Sometimes they don’t look very shiny. Even if you don’t touch the poison oak yourself, but your tent brushes up on it, you can still get the rash from the oil touching the tent. (And then you touching the tent.) If you aren’t sure if it’s poison oak or ivy, it’s best to be safe and just steer clear. And always remember, leaves of three, let it be.
2. Look for the most level spot you can find.
Often it can be hard to find level spots to set up your tent. Something that looks flat at first glance might have you slipping to the low side of your tent and later in the night. This is no bueno. Look in all possible areas for the flattest spot you can find, and worse comes to worse, make sure to have your head on the high side.
3. Put a tarp in front of your tent, not underneath it.
If it starts to rain, the tarp wil pool the water right underneath where you’re sleeping. Not fun. Instead, why not set up a tarp in front of your tent door, to leave your dirty clothes, shoes and gear outside and off the ground.
4. Look for wind protection.
If you can set up your tent perhaps nestled in trees or behind a large rock, you’ll be warmer and more protected against the wind. It can get loud in your tent if it’s a particularly blustery day, and you’ll want that peace and quiet from the elements for an afternoon snooze.
5. Make sure you have a nice view!
Okay, this can be tricky, especially coming after my previous point. Try to position yourself so that you can either see the stars from the skylight or out the door from your bed. If it’s a river trip you’re on, see if you can open the door to a view of the river. This definitely increases the wow factor of camping.
Most importantly, enjoy yourself out there! Who knows, maybe you’ll decide to forego the tent completely and just sleep out under the stars. (That’d be my vote. 🙂 )