Admit it, we've all yearned for a camping trip, setting up and living in those domed tents amidst the lap of nature, while simultenously practicing basic bushcraft to cook food, ignite fires. But for someone who have never gone camping previously, the whole idea of it might seem quite confusing in the beginning, and lost at where to start. Atleast it did for me, when I started planning for a trip across the Himalayan stretches of Himachal Pradesh. My trip that I undertook between the months of mid september till late November, took me from the beautiful green valleys of Kangra, surrounded by the snow cappped mountains across the cold, dry deserts of Lahaul and Spiti. Needless to say, it was one of the most rewarding experiences that I ever had. But I understand, had I not planned ahead properly and got the right equipments, this trip would have easily gone south. So, I have conjured my experiences to bring up a guide, to help y'all first time campers to get your camping experience right.
1. CHOOSING YOUR MOST IMPORTANT EQUIPMENT - YOUR TENT
Needless to say, camping trips are non-existent without a tent, the main highlight of camping. Tents comes in all sizes, forms, strength, material and pitching techniques. For anyone living in India, first time campers can find the right tent in the nearest Decathlon store. Your choice of tent should be based upon the terrain, weather conditions expected and your personal comfort. Usually, for most parts of India, the ideal choice of tent is the Quenchua MH100 tent, which comes in 2 person, 3 person and 4 person variant. Easy to carry due to its roll on cover, it comes complete with a rainfly and six point pitches to withstand most of the strong winds.
2. OTHER IMPORTANT EQUIPMENTS
Besides your tent, you will also require several key equipments, starting with a Sleeping bag off course. Sleeping Bags, just like the tent should be bought keeping in mind the nature, location, weather conditions of your trip. One mistake that many first time campers make while purchasing sleeping bag is, they straightaway purchase the most compact looking product in order to reduce their carry-on load. However, compact doesn't always mean that it is suitable for your trip. Beside Sleeping bag, carry a small pullover cover, a lantern, flashlight, with spare batteries, a small solar panel with USB charging ports, a compact nail hammer to pitch your tent's hooks, a compass and supplies of mosquito and bug repellent. You might also want to carry blow air pillows, towels. You can additionally carry a small camping axe, for chopping firewood and unconventionally it also serves as a defensive weapon.
3. COOKING EQUIPMENTS AND RATIONS
Usually for short 2-3 days camping, campers carry canned, ready to eat food. However, longer trips require certain cooking equipments. Butane burners, with small butane cans are quite popular with campers. However you can also opt for firewood fueled mini camping stoves. These mini stoves are compact, easily assembled, and can be fired with firewood, wood chips, dried tree branches, dried leaves, paper. Additionally makeshift stoves, with carefully chosen rocks of the right size, usually three or four in numbers, can be made while on the trip. There are specialized foldable utensils and cuttlery meant for campers which can be easily folded and tucked along with your gear. Food Rations that are supposed to be carried usually are the spices, sugar, salt, oil, butter, seasonings. These can be supplemented from human settlements while you are on your trip. Keep a track of your rations, so that you can stock up before getting away from Human Settlements during camping.
4. CLOTHING
This is perhaps one of the most important aspect to take care of. Without the right clothing, a camping trip can easily go haywire. Mostly for campers undertaking the trips in mountainous, cold regions, clothing matters a lot. Pack enough woolens, socks to trap heat, especially at night. Jackets, Sweaters and comfortable, hygenic undergarments too are a must. Carry proper gloves, headgears and eye protection like goggles of snow shields. For trips across forested areas, with substantial bug and mosquito presence, wear long garments that shields your skin from bites.
5. SETTING UP YOUR CAMP
Choosing the right spot for pitching your tent might be a challenge at times. Safety is the utmost priority. Pitch your tent in areas which isn't too secluded. Even if you seek your camp somewhere in middle of nature, away from Human commotion, make sure you do not venture too far away from Human settlements, for your first time. Also it is ideal to pitch nearby a clean source of water, a lake or a river. When pitching your tent on the fringes of forested areas, keep in mind that it is safer to have the tent at a distance from the forest tree line. At night time, it is advisable to keep your bonfire lit, to ward off animals and pests, but make sure the fire is lit at a safe spot away from any kind of folliage.
6. MODIFICATIONS TO HELP YOU WITH THE CARRYLOAD
Before you begin your trip, it is advisable to introduce certain personal modification in your backpacks, rucksacks to help you carry your equipment. The choice of modifications vary from person to person. Personally, I had modified my rucksack to hold my entire tent roll as well as sleeping bag pack. I had the bottle carrier pocket of on one side of my rucksack removed, and replaced it with a larger, wider holder pouch to fit my tent roll in it. Also, I introduced carabiners and holders in front of the rucksack in order to attach my sleeping bag pack to it. The weight of the carry load was thus uniformly distributed reducing pressure on my shoulders as well as made it easy for me to carry.
Camping across Himachal Pradesh was perhaps one of the best experiences of my life. Sure, at times it did seem challenging and obscure, but anyways, ended up being a success for me. I sincerely wish you all first time campers all the best, and hope the tips elucidated above comes to you.
Think we missed out on something? Tell us about it in the comments below. Or write about it here on Tripoto.
' fill='%23359391'%3e %3cpath d='M46.1538462%2c43.5714286 L41.5%2c50 L36.8461538%2c43.5714286 L36.8670256%2c43.5714286 C36.3173077%2c42.7142857 36%2c41.6851429 36%2c40.5714286 C36%2c37.4854286 38.4535641%2c35 41.5%2c35 C44.5464359%2c35 47%2c37.4854286 47%2c40.5714286 C47%2c41.6851429 46.6826923%2c42.7142857 46.1329744%2c43.5714286 L46.1538462%2c43.5714286 Z M41.4294872%2c39 C40.6150641%2c39 39.9487179%2c39.675 39.9487179%2c40.5 C39.9487179%2c41.325 40.6150641%2c42 41.4294872%2c42 C42.2439103%2c42 42.9102564%2c41.325 42.9102564%2c40.5 C42.9102564%2c39.675 42.2439103%2c39 41.4294872%2c39 L41.4294872%2c39 Z' id='Location-white'%3e%3c/path%3e %3c/g%3e %3c/svg%3e)
