Archive for November, 2009
Cold-Weather Camping Pointers
While most people enjoy camping in the warm summer months, cold-weather camping lends a whole new perspective to familiar surroundings. You’ll observe different wildlife along the way, and the stark, bare trees allow better views through the forest. While this hobby isn’t for everyone, hardened outdoors enthusiasts often take advantage of the lack of tourists in order to truly connect with nature.
Every cold-weather camper should have a portable propane heater for times when overnight temperatures plunge below freezing. A winter sleeping bag is also essential, but be sure to pay attention to temperature ratings before making a purchase. The loft, or thickness of the bag, makes all the difference in terms of comfort and insulation. If a sleeping bag is rated for 30 degrees Fahrenheit, it will have about 1.8 inches of loft.
Tips for Temperature-Controlled Grilling
As most seasoned outdoors enthusiasts will readily attest, nothing tastes quite as delicious as a meal cooked from scratch over a roaring campfire. I would be hard-pressed to come up with many disadvantages of cooking over an open fire, but there is one that’s fairly obvious. Because of the nature of wild, licking flames, it’s difficult to judge the fire’s heat and to cook food with much precision.
It’s easy enough to remedy this problem, however. Start by creating some natural coals. Pile up some kindling and burn it down low, then begin raking the coals to form a slight grade. Cover the grade with larger sticks and prop your camping grill over top. Now you can use the higher side of the coals as your “high” burner and the lower one as your “low” burner. This is especially helpful when you’re cooking two dishes at once or multiple components of the same dish separately.