One of the fondest childhood memories I have are camping with my dad. My dad and I would grab our tent, sleeping bags and fishing poles and head down to a local lake for a weekend. Camping can be a wonderful activity for the entire family. It can also become a huge calamity if you are not prepared or don’t know what to expect.

If you are not experienced at camping then it might be best to start with a commercial campground. These campgrounds are often listed in the yellow pages. The costs of these campgrounds is often nominal and they usually have showers, bathrooms, electrical hookups, running water nearby, fire pits and a camp store for any necessities that you may have forgotten. Established commercial campgrounds also often have activities for the entire family including swimming pools, hiking trails, paddle boats and fishing lakes. Although most of these campgrounds are set up for campers they almost at always have tent sites as well.

Once you have tried camping at an established campground you may decide to want to rough it out in the woods on your own. To find locations for tent camping you might try doing an internet search on camping.

Regardless of where you go camping it is important that you be prepared. The following is a list of items you should consider for ensuring you are prepared for an enjoyable camping trip.

Camping Inventory

1. Tent. You can find a wide selection of tents in various sizes from 2 person tents to family sizes. You might consider getting the children their own tent. They will enjoy having their own space.

2. Sleeping bags and an air mattress if desired.

3. Flash lights and extra batteries.

4. Matches

5. Cookware. Cooking on an open fire will probably not be good for your best cookware so you might want to bring older pots and pans or consider buying a camping cookware set. Think ahead about foods that will be easy to cook on a fire.

6. Firewood. If you are not camping at an established campground you may not have access to firewood.

7. First Aid kit. This should include band aids, peroxide, gauze, burn crème, tape, a tool for removing splinters, and anti bug spray.

8. Water for drinking

9. Trash bags. Whether you go camping at an established campground or in the woods somewhere it is imperative that you leave the area exactly as you found it. If the location does not have trash bins then pick up your trash and take it with you. Don’t ruin the experience for the next family.

If you carefully plan your camping trip and expect the unexpected by being prepared for anything you will have a great time camping.

patio fire pits | outdoor fire pits

The idea of having a fireplace in the backyard has become quite popular over the years. Like an indoor fireplace, it includes a chimney and is surrounded by brick or stones. Outdoor fireplaces are usually built into or against a wall, and though this is the most expensive method, the price will depend on your choice of design: a ready built unit or decide to have one custom built. No matter which way you choose, you can expect to pay anywhere between just a few thousand dollars to ten thousand dollars and up for an outdoor fireplace.

An element of danger exists with all types of fireplaces, but the potential danger is even greater with portable fire pits, possibly because they are not as permanent as an indoor fireplace. Because a fireplace exists within a structure, it must adhere to existing building codes, but a portable pits relies on the homeowner to make sure that it is used in the safest way possible. The importance of safety when using outdoor fireplaces can never be stressed too much as is apparent in an article that appeared online about a family who sustained $50-$60,000 in damages as the result of a fire pit that was being used on a wooden deck. The patio stones that had been placed underneath the fire pit were unable to prevent the transfer of heat to the deck boards, and the structure caught on fire.

In order to assure safe operation and reduce the dangers of outdoor fireplaces, it is recommended that they be kept away from anything that is combustible and not placed any closer than ten feet from the house or other combustibles. Additionally, before retiring for the night, the homeowners should ascertain that the fire is completely out.

An outdoor fireplace can be a nice addition to your home, but you have to be willing to take the extra precautions that are necessary. Unlike a barbeque grill, gas or charcoal, that sets several feet from the ground, an outdoor fireplace is low to the ground. As such, it cannot be used near the house or on any kind of combustible surface. As long as you’re willing to take the extra precautions, it’s something you can certainly enjoy with a great deal of pleasure.

patio fire pits | outdoor fire pits