We’re in the middle of the camping season and it’s been a while since we talked about good quality camping equipment or outdoor equipment brands. Therefore, we thought to take some time out to share with you our thoughts on how to choose good quality camping equipment that will last a long time when camping with your family.
The Importance of Good Camping Equipment
Tent camping is not a new concept. Every year, I hear these stories of people who are so used to sleeping in tents that they don’t know how to choose good quality camping equipment.
Here are some tips on how to choose good tent camping equipment:
Choose the right tent
The size of the tent depends on the number of people and their sleeping arrangement, but don’t count on it being a subject for negotiation. Decide with your family, who wants to sleep in a tent and who doesn’t.
Choose the right sleeping bag or pad
A good sleeping bag or pad is essential for any kind of tent camping (in other words, you should be able to sleep comfortably, even when it’s raining), but it also serves as a great pillow for your head and back when you wake up in the middle of the night.
Just make sure that if you buy a sleeping bag or pad for another person, you will be able to handle your own body temperature as well as theirs. A good sleeping bag has two zippers: one at the top and one at the bottom (the latter allows air circulation). A higher quality sleeping bag — one made from synthetic materials such as nylon — will have more pockets for storing gear and extra clothing/gear than cheaper options that use only natural breathable materials (e.g., cotton).
Like all good quality camping equipment, be sure that there are no sharp edges or edges on which you can cut yourself while sleeping. You might want to look into spending a bit extra on a quality tarp (a special type of floor covering) that keeps the ground dry while protecting against rain or snowfall during storms; this will help keep you sheltered from those nasty bugs too!
Choose proper footwear
It is important that your foot is protected by sturdy boots with good arch support so it doesn’t get soaked by rain or snow; safety matters more than looks (and we really shouldn’t care about looks either).
Make sure that your boots have enough padding so they aren’t uncomfortable in cold weather without socks; also make sure they won’t slip off if accidentally stepped on during mealtime etc.; and lastly, make sure they fit well enough so they don’t fall off while hiking through mud (or worse: falling into water) when you wear them around camp at night!
Shoes with good support like hiking boots can have shoulder straps too if you would like them
How to Choose a Tent
We actually have a lot to say about tents, but we’re just going to touch on a few points in this post so that you can make an informed decision.
For one thing, it’s good to consider a tent when you are first starting out (or even if you are not starting out). That way you avoid buying the cheapest, most flimsy tent and end up with something that is really not very durable or doesn’t fit your needs. Most tents tend to be more expensive than they need to be.
So here are some basic tips for choosing good quality camping equipment like a tent:
1) look at the height of the poles (generally indicated by the number of feet between each of the poles), and the area between them; then compare different tents by this measure. Compare heights from about 12 – 15 feet for a bit more compactly packed tents; and from about 15 – 18 feet for larger ones. Pay attention to how high up your head it will go, too; many folks find that 5-6 footers are too short for comfort.
2) check if your tent has vents; there should be vents at least on one side (in some cases both sides on large tents). Besides having vents, check if there is enough room around the edges of your tent so that you can move easily within it without having to bend down or reach far back into it.
If there is not enough room around the edges, then there will be less space in which to move around freely; and if there isn’t enough room inside your tent, then you will get hot air rising from your body due to temperature difference between outside and inside.
3) check how thick its floor is: I like thick floors because they don’t get wet when I walk outside in rain; and after I have been camping for a while, my feet don’t hurt as much from walking through mud as they do when I walk through water. The thickness of the floor depends on several things:
a) weight (see 3); b) thickness of material used in construction (usually canvas versus plastic), c) driest point under flooring material vs most damp point under canvas/plastic (can usually tell by seeing what colour paint covers what parts), d) absorption of water under flooring vs other materials such as concrete blocks or wood siding — basically where a lot of rain gets absorbed by those materials means that it will
How to Choose Sleeping Bags and Mats
Many people who use their own sleeping bags and mats when camping will often carry their family with them. This is understandable, since it’s a lot cheaper to take care of a family than it is to pay for extra camping gear. However, there are also some downsides to this approach:
The first problem is that you can’t get anything done at the campsite when your kids are running around and getting in the way of your tent. In other words, we call this “the kids’ sleep mode”. It might not be an issue for you if you have a child who doesn’t interact with the outside world — but it can be if yours does or you do have kids who are pretty independent (or have been given an excuse to be).
The second (but equally bad) problem is that you don’t know what kind of weather conditions you will encounter on your camping trip until after you arrive at your campsite. If it isn’t raining, then your tent might work fine. But if it starts raining, then it isn’t going to work out as well as all those fancy raincoats and umbrellas will tell you!
So what should people do? In truth, there is no perfect answer here — but we thought we would share some ideas. Some authors advise people to bring their own sleeping bags and mats (which can be quite expensive); others say that one should bring their own sleeping bags only.
Some advice bringing nothing at all; others say that one should bring good quality common sense (for example: don’t put things that burn like cigarettes or matches in tents). We believe the best way for a person to choose what kind of equipment they need is by asking themselves two questions:
1) What kind of camping gear do I want?
2) What kind of equipment would I need if I were camping? And then by answering those two questions they are going to answer themselves how much they need of each item — and thus how much they need before they start thinking about buying something new.
How to Choose Cookware and Other Camping Equipment
Camping is a great way to spend time with your family and you don’t want to get into the habit of buying or trading-in your beloved camping gear every year just because it’s “just another summer.” You want something that will last, but not something that will get you sued.
You can buy a good quality camping tent, but there are some trade-offs when it comes to price, comfort and durability. First, price: a good quality tent can be several hundred dollars more than the cheapest version of the same tent from an online retailer. So if you’re going to spend that kind of money on your kids’ tents, we recommend doing some research and talking to people who have used theirs for years.
We also recommend against buying tents with lots of extras (like extra rain flys or zippers) because they tend to break down faster than advertised, a common problem with tents these days.
Next, comfort: if you don’t sleep in them often enough for them to feel uncomfortable, then it won’t matter how well they work out in the backcountry. However, comfort isn’t everything — as my wife pointed out when I suggested we try out our new sleeping pad before we bought our tent: “I think that thing is going to fall apart before this trip ends!” Do what makes sense for you personally; but make sure you can sleep comfortably on comfortable ground at night.
Durability: do not overlook this factor either; durable camping equipment usually costs more than cheap tents and will last longer too. Again, make sure you can sleep comfortably on comfortable ground at night as well as in the morning (and even if there is no set routine for waking up), especially if your children are coming along for the ride too (or maybe even yourself).
If you have pets or other friends who might need sleeping bags or other gear too (like toddler beds), bring plenty of extra supplies and be prepared for unexpected emergencies… Think about whether your campground has any showers nearby; if so, bring a few things with water purification tablets and/or water filters along too (to treat water after drinking or showering).
Don’t forget about making food… This one is important! You need to be prepared for any eventualities — cooking meals outside at a campfire is fun but hard work: windy days are much harder on cookware than hot days; it
Conclusion
The choice between a tent, a tent liner and an insulated sleeping bag is one of the biggest decisions you will have to make when you are planning to spend your vacation time outdoors. It’s also one of the easiest decisions to make.
If you know about good quality camping equipment and have no problem with buying it, here I am going to take you through some of my experience in this field and explain why buying more expensive products is not always better.
A tent is a good option for camping because it provides protection from the weather (not only wind) and keeps your body warm during the night. A tent can be made of nylon, polyester or other materials depending on their cost and durability. But these materials are not as durable as others like Gore-Tex or cotton so they should be used while they are still in good condition – otherwise they will end up badly damaged.
A tent liner is a waterproof fabric that provides protection against rain water that comes into contact with your sleeping bag and protects it from getting wet when it rains overnight in case you sleep inside a closed tent for example (otherwise you will wake up soaked). lengths don’t exceed 15 cm (6 inch). It is possible though that adding another 2 sleeping bags would result in additional excess length as well as additional weight; so just be careful how much extra good quality camping equipment.