How To Set Up Camp, Camping Tricks
Emily Flory 06.06.11
As a little kid my family and I were always planning camping trips to numerous places around Iowa, including our back yard. Every opportunity that we had we doing something in the outdoors. Setting up camp during our outings was always a struggle. Even the seasoned campers may never pack everything or will over pack every now and then. The weather can play a big role on what you bring and how you set up. Here are a few tips that we would follow to make our camping experiences a little bit better.
- Always plan for wind even on a breeze-free day. Stake your tent down on the side facing the wind first. Face the entrance of your tent away from the wind.
- When you are putting your rain guard on set that up first. In case of rain coming fast you will have it ready to go right when you are finished putting your tent up. You can also use it as a shield if it is already raining by placing it over top of your tent and setting your tent up that way.
- If you are putting your tent up on uneven ground, place the tent in the position where your head will be on the uphill ground.
- Make sure when plotting out an area for your tent that all the sticks, stones, and debris are moved so you do not have to deal with it when you are trying to sleep.
- To make a pillow, put some of your clothes in your sleeping bag sack.
- Fluffing your sleeping bag when you unroll it in your tent will help with insulation later when you go to sleep.
Setting up camp right will help make everything easier for your trip. My family and I spend quality time setting up the right way so we can have fun and not worry about it later. Keeping camp the way it looks from the beginning is another important concept but making sure it is as ready as it can be is crucial for having a good trip.
Born and raised in Iowa, I have been an enthusiastic outdoors woman from a very young age. From the very beginning my dad had me throwing a line in the water and following him out into the woods to sit and wait for that big Iowa buck to walk by. By doing all of this, I was raised country and always will be.
With my home being positioned literally in the boondocks surrounded by timberland and no one else around, I had a pretty good opportunity to make the best out of my resources and my love for the outdoors came when I scored my first whitetail from my backyard. Seeing that 8 point buck come hiking up the path from the riverbed, this little girl’s life was changed forever. Since then, I've had the chance to score some nice whitetail and have also developed a love for bird hunting as well. If it flies, it dies in my case. I love the challenge and will continue broadening my trophy room around the United States.
If it wasn't enough to grow up in an area of heaven like this, we of course needed to put some of our experiences on TV as well. Starting in November of 2010 my family aired the first episode of Outdoors on the Farm, a Farm Journal production. Hosted by Chip Flory, aka the wonderful dad who is the reason why I am the way I am, my family along with our pro staff have been able to put a unique twist on the usual hunting show. OOTF brings farmers and hunters together to maximize their habitat by explaining and teaching what they can do around the farm to increase their profits and quality of their land and even more importantly, how they can have more fun outdoors on the farm. The most important people in my life are my family and to be able to experience this with them is more than I could ask for.
Outdoors on the Farm airs every Thursday at 7:30 a.m. (central time) and Saturday at 10:30 a.m. on RFD TV. You can also view any of our episodes on our website at outdoorsonthefarm.com at any time. Be looking out for our 2nd season to start in Fall of 2011 and check out our blogs to keep up with the Flory family and our pro staff!
