Campfire Chicken

• Split chicken breast
• Red potatoes (cut in half)
• Carrots (cut in half)
• Onion (cut in half)
• Plum tomato (cut in half)

Place the above ingredients into aluminum foil sheets, make into pocket. You can add some seasonings (I use some balsamic dressing mix). Bake in the oven or over a campfire. You can also add a small piece of corn on the cob. This is great – it’s a I full meal but no pots or dishes to wash. Great for camping.

Share your favorite camping recipe with us we would love to feature your recipe.

This camping recipe was provided by Adventure Sports Online.

I always like to start off with a list so that I don’t forget anything. I plan meals ahead of time so that I know what spices, additional pans, etc. to bring. Anything you can cook at home you will be able to cook on a camping trip if you bring the right supplies and cookware. I can’t tell you how great food tastes when you are camping, you will have to experience that for yourself. I can tell you, it will definitely put a smile on your face! Some of my fondest camping memories growing up was the good eats my Dad made in his dutch oven.

The more items you add to your camping kitchen you will find it easier to have a camping box or large plastic containers with lids to keep you kitchen items in. This will keep your camping kitchen items clean, all together and organized for your next camping trip. I like to bring a tarp to cover my kitchen area, not only to provide shade but to provide shelter if the weather should turn nasty.

Below is a list of items that will help you get started with setting up your camping kitchen. This list is intended as a suggestion, the more you go camping the more you will personalize your list for the items you need for your camping kitchen.

Cooking Equipment

• Camp Stove

• Grill Rack

• Charcoal

• Lighter

• Matches

• Dutch Oven

• Pots and Pans

• Coffee Pot

• Thermos Jug

Cookware

• Can Opener

• Measuring Cups

• Measuring Spoons

• Potholders

• Long Tongs

• Spatula

• Long Handle Spoons

• Long Handle Slotted Spoon

• Pronged Fork

• Whisk

• Kitchen Knives

• Grater

• Campfire forks

• Cutting Board

• Basting Brush

• Vegetable Peeler

• Meat Thermometer

• Colander or Strainer

• Metal or plastic mixing bowls

• Egg holder(s)

Tableware

•  Spoons

• Forks

• Knives

• Plates

• Bowls

• Drinking Cups

• Coffee Cups

Other Items

• Aluminum Foil

• Dish Soap

• Dishcloth

• Dishpans (3)

• Paper Towels

• Trash Bags

• Folding Table

• Tablecloth

• Tablecloth clips

• Cooler

• Fresh Water Containers

• Hand Soap

• Hand Sanitizer

• Tarp (To shelter camp kitchen)

There are many times on camping and hiking trips where you may need or want to cross a river. This can often be dangerous even if the river is shallow and flowing slowly.

Once the water is above your knees, things become even more dangerous. If there is an alternative to crossing the river, it’s best to use it. However, if there’s no other choice, make sure you know what you’re doing at all times.

Here are some tips you should find useful while crossing a river:

Find the shallowest point

When crossing a river by yourself, try and find its shallowest point and smoothest section of the river bed if possible by viewing it from above. Try to avoid boulders and submerged snags, etc.

Look for river bends

The safest spot to cross is the straight section between river bends. If you lose your footing the current may carry you to a bank at one of the bends.

Keep your boots on

When crossing, keep your boots on. It’s better to have a pair of wet boots than to cut your feet in the river. You might want to take long pants off though as they can increase resistance to the river’s current.

Make sure your backpack can be taken off quickly in case you lose your footing or if it becomes snagged. Remember, the backpack may also be used as a flotation device if needed.

A stick or pole can be handy

It’s a good idea to cross with a strong stick or pole that’s about 5 or 6 feet long to give you support.

Go diagonal

Cross the river diagonally downstream and take small steps to feel for the bottom. Don’t look down at the water flowing by you as it could affect your equilibrium. Keep your eyes locked on the other side and don’t grab at rocks as you may lose your balance.

Group Crossing

If there are several people crossing the river you should travel in a line across and each person should place their hands on the back of the person to the left and right of them, preferably on a strap or clothing. This will interlock everybody together.

Pack your belongings well

Make sure your important belongings are packed in waterproof areas of the backpack or use garbage bags for liners. If you happen to lose your footing and the river carries you away, release the backpack, but hold onto it for flotation.

Our camping tips topic is about camping etiquette. Have you ever found the perfect campsite and had to clean it up before you could set up your camp! Don’t you just hate that! When I go camping all I want to do is get my camp set up and start enjoying my camping trip I don’t want to have to clean up a campsite after another camper.

Good camping etiquette is, carry out what you carry in. Leave a campsite the way you would like to find it. Bring Extra trash bags to contain your trash and wrappers so they don’t blow all over your campsite or your neighbors campsite. I always bring a rake along too, that way I can rake the leaves and sticks from where I am going to set up my tent and if the campsite is messy I can get it ready for me much more quickly. Plus if you are building a fire in a fire-pit or one that you made, it is good fire safety to keep loose leaves and sticks at least 6 to 8 ft. away from your fire area.

One way to help our fellow campers is to share information with each other. Camping tips is a great way to help each other out through our own experiences. Share your camping tips with us and your fellow campers, its easy,  just leave it in a comment and we’ll do the rest.

Happy camping! Be safe out there.

The SteriPEN Journey Safe Water System – This product is SteriPEN’s complete package with everything you need to get started to stay hydrated on a multi-day hike or take camping for a personal water purifier, take when traveling or even use in an emergency when clean drinking water isn’t available.

The technology behind the SteriPEN Journey is quite interesting. SteriPEN products use ultraviolet (UV) light technology to purify water, destroying more than 99.9 percent of bacteria, viruses and protozoan cysts such as giardia and cryptosporidia. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is an effective disinfectant. The SteriPen Journey emits a light that is absorbed by the cells of the microbe, preventing cell enzymes from reading its DNA. Without DNA, microbes can’t reproduce to make you sick. This process will destroy 99.9% of harmful microorganisms.

The nice thing about using the SteriPEN is the ultraviolet (UV) light will not alter the taste, PH, or other properties of the water. It is safe and effective to use and it works without adding chemicals to the water.

The SteriPEN Journey Safe Water System comes with the SteriPEN FitsAll Filter, BPA-Free 1L Nalgene bottle, customized neoprene carrying case and 2 disposable CR123 batteries.

Feature Recipe!

This is a great recipe for the lovers of dutch oven cooking. Indian fry bread has been around for a long, long time. It is very tasty, enjoy!

Dutch Oven Hopi Indian Fry Bread

Dutch oven cooking: (Not exactly a low fat desert) In camp ignite about 15-20 charcoal briquets and arrange in a pile in your fire pan. Let burn until they are covered with ash (about 20 minutes) and put on the oil.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
1 tbs. baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup lukewarm water

Directions:

Stir and knead dough on floured board – cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Cut up into 8 sections – flatten out to 2 inches thick. Melt crisco or comparable vegetable oil in a dutch oven so there is about 2 inches depth of oil. Then drop sections of dough into the hot oil to fry about 2 minutes or until done. It’s like cooking donut holes. Roll in cinnamon and sugar and pig out.

Contributed by: Gordon G. MacLean

A big thanks to AdventureSportsOnline.com for sharing this recipe with us.

Feature Recipe!

Foil cooking while you are camping is an easy and great way to make meals. This recipe for cooking a whole turkey is bound to be a favorite.

Whole Turkey on the Open Fire!

Ingredients:
1 whole turkey (any size, I usually do about a 10 lb bird)
Heavy duty aluminum foil
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
salt and pepper
butter

Directions:

Clean out bird thoroughly, remove organ meat and neck from inside cavity, wash and set aside.
Roll out aluminum foil long enough to close around bird with a few extra inches
Roll out 2 to 3 sheets the same length and seam together, side by side (not lengthwise)
Place turkey on foil and curl up edges of foil.
Salt and pepper inside cavity
Cut small slits in skin of bird and place small amounts of butter under skin in multiple places
Pour soy sauce and honey over bird
add garlic, organ meats and neck to tinfoil package
Close up and seal all sides (leave top loose so you can open and baste.
Place on hot, low campfire grill.
Baste occasionally, every hour or so until done.
Test for doneness (varies due to bird size and heat)
It will never dry out so I just keep it on for hours, turkey falls off the bone!
To test if done … slice into turkey to the breastbone, as long as it’s not pink, it’s done.

Enjoy!

Try this recipe, let us know how you like it. We like to share recipes so, if you have one you like, we want to hear from you, we could even feature your recipe.

This recipe was shared by our friends at TheCampingSource.com

Inflatable Boats Cost Less and are Lots of Fun

A good friend of mine CT Wilson wrote an article on inflatable boats that I would like to share with you. With summer upon us and water sports being on the top of the list of things to do I think this article has plenty of great information in it. Inflatable boats have come along way in safety and are much more affordable than the fiberglass boats. I think what is the most appealing to me is the fact that you can put inflatable boats anywhere in the water, unlike the fiberglass boats with a trailer that has to have a ramp of some sort to place them in the water. I can see where the inflatable boat could be much more convenient in that aspect. Enjoy the article!

Inflatables – The Pleasures of Boating Without the Hassles

For many people the idea of spending a leisurely day floating on a river or lake sounds just heavenly. The high costs of maintaining a boat, however, do not. Fortunately, inflatables provide an excellent alternative to their fiberglass counterparts.

Inflatable boats may have been around since prehistoric times. Archaeologists have found drawings of man using inflated animal skins to cross rivers and get across lakes. In many waterside cultures, young children were taught sailing and swimming skills by using inflated animal bladders.

It wasn’t until 1838 when Charles Goodyear perfected the process of vulcanizing rubber that inflatables really had widespread potential. The following year, 1839, the Duke of Wellington tested the very first inflatable pontoons. This was followed very shortly by the development of two types of inflatable boats which were meant to be used in Arctic expeditions.

These first inflatables were often made from Mackintosh cloth which was most commonly used for raincoats. The cloth was infused with rubber to make it more durable and airproof. There was a pocket created to contain the bellows which was used to inflate the boats.

It wasn’t until the early 1900′s, when rubber manufacturing really took off, that the inflatable boats used were developed. Now inflatables are used for dive boats, rescue operations, lifesaving rafts, military maneuvers, and so much more.

For most of these boats, the sides and bow are made up of flexible tubes which can be filled with pressurized gas. These tubes are frequently separate chambers to help reduce the impact of a puncture and will have independent valves for inflation.

For smaller inflatable boats the floor and hull are frequently left flexible, but for boats 10 feet or more the floor and hull may consist of 3-5 pieces of plywood or aluminum sheets. These braces will be placed between the tubes but are not rigidly joined to enable them to be easily removed.

In many cases the transom will also be made of rigid material so that it’s possible to mount an outboard motor.

The tubes are made of a rubberized, synthetic hypalon or PVC. These materials are very lightweight and provide secure buoyancy. Different manufacturers use slightly differing variations on these which can result in some inflatables having thicker walls than others (something to consider when selecting the boat you want to use).

One of the best aspects of inflatables is that they are designed to be taken apart and stored in a small area. This means you don’t have to find some place to park a large boat, not do you have to worry about maintaining property insurance on inflatable boats. Furthermore, most of these types of boats don’t even require a trailer or boat ramp for putting them in the water. You can simply carry or pull your boat to the water’s edge and inflate it right there.

When conducting your homework on brands of inflatables, the two names that are sure to pop up are Intex and Stansport. Both companies are known for producing high quality, safe and reliable inflatable boats.

Intex is, in fact, known for manufacturing boats with an extra degree of safety against punctures because their tubes have the thickest walls while still maintaining the flexibility needed for ease of storage.

Stansport, a name known in the outdoor industry for producing a huge range of products, also manufactures one of the top 4 and 6 man inflatable boats. Both of these companies routinely exceed regulation standards in the production of their boats and other items.

If you just don’t have the space or the money, but you have the desire to have a boat, inflatable boats may be a viable option to consider. These boats have high safety ratings, and they have to adhere to the same testing and regulations as other vehicles, but they won’t break your wallet.

Happy boating this summer! Let us know how you like your inflatable boat.

Why do we Need Tent Camping Tips?

What is most important to me is keeping my family safe while tent camping and through tent camping tips we can share knowledge and experience with each other to help keep our family, friends and ourselves safe while camping. Here are some safety tips and some camping tips too, that will help your camping trip to be a safe and an enjoyable outdoor experience.

• Always check the weather forecast for the area your camping in.
• Tell someone where you will be and when you plan to return.
• Give yourself enough daylight time to set up camp and check out your immediate area.
• With family camping you always want to give yourself enough room for family and gear, for a family of 4 – bring a tent that sleeps 6 to 8, you won’t regret it.
• Don’t set up your tent in lower terrains and if  you don’t have a choice, dig a 3 to 4 inch trench around your tent for rain run off if there is rain in the forecast (It is always a good idea to keep an eye on the sky for weather changes).
• Don’t set your tent up in the middle of a worn path, this could a deer, elk, etc. path that is traveled at night by them and your tent could be trampled as well as the people inside.
• Set up your tent well away from a campfire, floating sparks can quickly catch a tent on fire.
• Never leave a campfire unattended, this also applies to your camp stove.
• Bring your camping first aid kit, always check and replace missing items, also check expiration dates of any medications.
• Bring proper clothing, in some areas the temperature can drop drastically at night. Plan for the terrain your camping in…do you need hiking boots or is tennis shoes more appropriate.
• Bring cots or air mattresses, the ground even inside a tent is hard and cold and lack of sleep will put a real damper on a camping trip.
• Store matches in waterproof container or bring a storm proof lighter.
• Bring flashlights and extra batteries.
• Bring camping tools such as shovel, rake, leatherman multi tool, foldable saw, axe, etc.
• Make your first nights meal simple, whether it is pre-cooked from home or maybe sandwiches.
• Block ice lasts longer than in a cooler than ice cubes, frozen milk jugs work great too.
• Don’t leave food out, latch coolers when not using so not to attract wild animals.
• Do not feed wild animals.
• Don’t store food inside your tent.
• For heaven sakes don’t forget the can opener, I am not going to tell you how many times I forgot that one : – )

We have other tent camping tips that might be helpful to you, check them out too! You are welcome to share with us you camping or safety tips that you have learned through knowledge and experience.

Happy and Safe Camping!

North to South Rim so Close Yet so Far Away

The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long and the mile deep canyon separates the North Rim from the South Rim. Although the average distance across the canyon is 10 miles is take 5 hours to drive 215 miles between the park’s South Rim Village and the North Rim Village.

North Rim Campground

The North Rim is located on the “Utah” side of the Canyon, is harder to get to is more wild and secluded. The North Rim Park is only open from May thru October due to it’s 8,000 ft elevation and reservations are strongly recommended because of the shorter season that the park is open. After mid-October, weather permitting, a limited number of sites with limited services (potable toilets) will be available on a first come – first serve basis until the snow closes Highway 67.

There are no hook-ups but there is a dump station within the campground. Wood and charcoal fires are permitted in the provided campsite grills. Gathering downed wood is not permitted, wood can be purchased at the general store. There are coin operated laundry and showers at the campground entrance.

Campsite fees are $18 – $25 with a maximum of two vehicles, six people, three tents are allowed per site. A vehicle towing a trailer, pop-up, tent trailer, fifth wheel or motor home pulling a vehicle is considered two vehicles.

South Rim Campgrounds

The South Rim Campgrounds are the most popular campgrounds because they are open all year, has a local airport and rail service, is located on the “Arizona” side of the Canyon, close to Interstate 40 and easier to get to.

Mather Campground is open year-round, it is Located in Grand Canyon Village. This campground offers tent and RV camping. RV Camping, there are no hook-ups and there is a 30 foot trailer or RV maximum. Pets are allowed but must remain on a leash at all times and not left unattended. Wood and Charcoal fires are permitted in provided campsite grills only. There are laundry and showers located near the campground for a fee.

This campground is extremely busy during the summer months and reservations are strongly recommended from March 1 through mid-November. Fees are $18 per site per night, a maximum of two vehicles, six people, three tents are allowed per site. A vehicle that is towing a trailer, pop-up, tent trailer, fifth wheel, or motor home pulling a vehicle is considered two vehicles. Group sites are $50 per night, maximum of 50 people and 3 vehicles per group site.

During the winter mid-November through February 28 reservations are not available, family campsites are $15 per site per night and group campsites are $30, this is on a first-come first-serve basis.

Desert View Campground is open May through mid-October (Schedule will be updated in spring 2010) and has a total of 50 campsites located 26 miles east of Grand Canyon Village. This campground is on a first come – first served – self registration basis and will accommodate tents, smaller RV’s or Travel Trailers (30 ft maximum length). Fees are $12 per space, per night, there is a limit of 6 persons, two tents, or two vehicles or one RV/Travel Trailer per site.

There are no utility, water or sewer hook-ups, each site has a campfire grill for fires and cooking use and a picnic table. There are two water faucets located within the campground, restrooms have flushing toilets and sinks, no hot water and there are no showers.

Travel Village is adjacent to the Mather Campground and is operated by Xanterra Parks and offers RV sites with hook-ups. Advance reservations may be made by calling (888) 297-2757; for same-day reservations call (928) 638-2631. A dump station (closed during the winter months) is located near Mather Campground. Pets are allowed, but must be leashed at all times, and may not be left unattended.

Visit our Friends at U.S. National Forest Campground Guide for more information on campgrounds in the U.S.