By Dominic Donaldson
Dec 4, 2008If you were lucky enough to have been taken camping as a youngster, the chances are a little of your parent's adventurous spirit may have gravitated towards you also. We can all check in to a fancy hotel, anywhere around the country and be waited on hand and foot. However it takes a little more imagination and audacity to set off on the road, make your own bed under the stars and cook you own meals on a camp fire.
Camping is an excellent way to enjoy outdoor leisure and with the sheer range of outdoor equipment to compliment the occasion, you'll wonder why you ever considered paying hotel prices for half the experience.
Outdoor leisure is all about enjoying activities in the great outdoors, perhaps to enjoy the scenery and nature, to relieve stress, to find peace or simply just to enjoy life and relax. Whatever your reason for wanting a little escapism, what better way to get close to nature and soak up the scenery than to live in it for a few nights?
Camping is an excellent form of outdoor leisure; perhaps taking part in a little fishing, hiking or canoeing by day and pitching up a tent and toasting marsh-mellows on the fire by night. For those who enjoy their comforts and feel a little disheartened at the thought of sleeping rough, fear not. The vast range of high tech camping equipment available today means sleeping under the stars can be one of the most enjoyable and exciting parts of the adventure.
Disregard images you may have of throwing you're sleeping bag on a cold patch of grass and curling up in natures bush and instead, think about taking a camp bed along with you. Stable, but lightweight, camp beds tend to weigh around 5kg's and will ensure you not only enjoy a comfortable night sleep but you'll also be a little warmer raised off the ground and free from the creepy crawlies roaming the ground below. Designed to fit either inside a tent or simply outdoors, they are compact and fold up so you can even throw them in your backpack when you wake each morning.
Invest in an outdoor camp kitchen and beans from a tin no longer have to make up your evening meals. Containing shelves, windshields and storage, outdoor cooking can now be more adventurous, allowing you to cook as you would at home, from pastas, to meats, to fish and stir-fry. If you're planning on camping for a few days, it's a great way to ensure you get your daily goodness and are not relying on tinned and packet food the whole time you are on the road.
Once you've cooked up a feast, you don't want to spoil the occasion by eating the treats off your lap. Invest in some portable chairs and tables to pitch up outdoors and enjoy a sit down meal for all the family under the stars. Lightweight and compact, they can simply be folded up when you are finished and thrown in the back of the car ready for breakfast in the morning. Available in a variety of styles, sizes and materials, from wood and aluminum, to cushioned relaxers, there's something for everyone.
There's a whole selection of outdoor leisure equipment you can invest in to help make your camping holiday even more enjoyable. From inflatable boats, to handy tents, to windbreaks and outdoor heaters, depending on the kind of experience you want, you can tailor your camping holiday to meet your needs.
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