Shannon

Absolutely, either let the fire burn out and extinguish the embers or douse the fire with water and be sure it's out before going to sleep. We don't need to lose what little bit of forested protected land we have, and the concept of fire being good for a forest is more apt for pine forests than the typical forests we have throughout much of Texas.

Think of the campfire as a lit candle in your house -- you wouldn't go to sleep with a candle burning, even if it were in a jar, right? (I hope not, anyway.)

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QuestionMark

Thanks Shannon. I had a feeling that was the answer, but I just wanted to be sure.

ploddinTod

Don't know how cold it will be but remember the wool for the feet and the wool for the head (stocking cap) or some other material if you find it too scratchy.

Enjoy.

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campermom

We got some wool socks at Sportsmans warehouse. They weren't scratchy and kept the feel warm without overheating. Im glad we bought them. Cold parts just ain't fun.

QuestionMark

Howdy folks.

We're back from our first time camping. One night at Stephen Austin State Park. Close enough to home but a nice enough park. We chose a water-only tent site. The park was nice...bath house was very clean. Attentive park staff/volunteers.

Had a good time...picked up a PETT toilet before we left for our 4-year old in the middle of the night. It came in handy and worked like a charm. Generally everything went fine except for right when we put our son to bed he starts to complain -- bad -- about an ear ache. :rolleyes: So we had to leave everything where it was in the dark and drive from the park to a walmart about 8 miles away to get some ear meds and children's tylenol. It did the trick and the ear didn't bother him any more.

A few things we learned/realized:

1. Bring extra medications -- especially for the kid. We had some basics but didn't think of pediatric stuff.

2. Our checklist did almost perfect in terms of making sure we had what we needed, but we didn't focus enough on activites and especially things to keep the 4-year old occupied. We could've used a deck of cards.

3. I wasn't very comfortable sharing the queen airmattress with my wife. I'm 6'4" and found that I just didn't have much room. I didn't get a lot of sleep and having to get up a time or two at night to use the restroom wasn't easy in the tent, on the floor, trying not to step on the family, etc.

We've been looking at RVs a lot lately and I think this trip, if nothing else, has helped us solidfy our desire to purchase an RV. I think being able to enjoy the outdoors and then retire into a cozier RV is more our tastes. Additionally, we'd like to not be bound by the weather as much and the RV would allow us to camp in the south all year long. But that doesn't mean we aren't going to try camping again in the near future.

Thanks for all the advice. Let me know if anyone has any thoughts on the 3 items listed above!

rockhill

You just went thru the learning process most, if not all, of us have gone through. The wife always has a "medical kit" with us that included items she thought might come in handy. And she was right. We also always had cards,small board type games to entertain the kids and adults.
We went for years in a tent, first canvas then later nylon. When the budget allowed we "upgraded" to a 10ft Jayco pop up and used it for 10 years or so. We now pull a 21ft hybrid. It has the pull out beds like a pop up, but the amenities of a regular hardsided RV. For us it is the best compromise of the two worlds. A regular RV can be warm, or force you to run the AC on marginal days while the "tent" flap beds of the hybrid allow you to open up.

At any rate, use your tent for a while to see if you go enough to warrant the expense of something more comfortable. I do remember trying to craw out of a tent with out stepping on the kids or wife. They tend to get upset when you do! Enjoy your future camping experiences.

aggiehiker92

There's something I now bring with me every time I camp, even though it's insanely ugly. The big blue (or gray) tarp.

The longest time, I'd see these things wrapped around a picnic pavilion or between two trees, and think it looked horrible. Finally, there are tarps in more "natural" shades (camoflage is nice) that don't look so bad. I swore I wouldn't do it...until I did. The wind break created by the tarp made for a MUCH more enjoyable experience by all, especially down here in South Texas where the wind blows incessantly.

I would highly recommend the natural colored tarps over the hideous blue tarps, as your camping neighbors aren't likely to balk as much from the "scenery intrusion".

Happy camping.

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