Travel World's Places

Archive for July, 2009

Backpacking With Children

Although backpacking with children may seem like a lot of effort the benefits gained from taking them along can far outweigh the hassles. The benefits include not competing with technology for your childrens attention teaching them selfsufficiency skills and watching them connect with the peacefulness of nature. Here are six tips that allow for a more positive experience when backpacking with children.

1. Involve Them In Packing

Make a list of the items to bring and have your children help collect them. If they are not old enough to read you can read the items to them. This is important because the more the children are involved in preparations the more they will feel a part of the trip and the less likely they are to be resistant to backpacking.

2. Get Their Help with Choosing the Trail

Choose a couple of trails and sites that are acceptable to you and then let the children choose from among them. This is another way of involving the children and letting them have a say in where you will be going.

3. Give Them Special Items For Backpacking

Give them something special that is to be used only for backpacking. Children enjoy binoculars water bottles with fun designs on them walking sticks and small waterproof cameras. Another special item that is not only fun but can be very useful is their own flashlight.

4. Get Them Excited About Going

Getting children excited can be as simple as talking about backpacking in terms of how fun it is. Another method of eliciting excitement is to go to the library and get books on and about backpacking. These may be howto books especially illustrated ones or fiction books with characters that have adventures in the woods.

5. Bring Along Games

While there is a lot to entertain children with while backpacking it is always a good idea to bring along a game or two. These are useful when it rains or at night when the children are in the tent but too restless to sleep. Small lightweight games specific to backpacking can be found in stores that specialize in outdoor activities. Other options consist of purchasing an extra small deck of playing cards these are about 1/4 of the size of standard decks using travel versions of traditional games or repacking games such as bring the dice from a Yahtzee game in a zip lock bag with a couple sheets of paper and small pencils or pens.

6. Praise Their Hard Work

It can work wonders when children feel that they are impressing their parents. One easy way to accomplish this is to comment on how hard they are working both with the hike and with camp chores. First encourage them to do a good job and then praise the results.

While backpacking with children can be extra work the end result is often more than worth it. There is something about nature than can calm even an otherwise hyper kid and time alone with parents provides the perfect opportunity for long talks and quiet companionship that may proof elusive when at home where computers televisions and phones all make distractions a common occurrence.

So load up the kids next time and build a special memory that only backpacking with children can create.

About the writer:  Sarah Holt writes for The Ultralight Backpacking Site. To get the ebook “Ultralight Backpacking Secrets And Wilderness Survival Tips” for FREE as well as photos gear recommendations and a new wilderness survival section visit: http://www.TheUltralightSite.com

Backpacking Tips First Aid Know How

Most major injuries can be avoided but sometimes no matter how careful you are an injury will occur. Even if its a minor one it still needs attention. Every backpacker should have an understanding of basic first aid. If there is a major accident then help could be a long way away so having basic first aid knowledge can be vital. Even if you do not suffer a major accident there are still some simple things you can do to prevent problems while backpacking.

The first thing you need is a good first aid kit. This is an important piece of equipment. You will need to have some basic items in your kit to ensure you are ready for almost anything that can come your way. The following list will give you some idea of what to include.

Band aids of different shapes and sizes

Antibiotic ointment

Hydrocortisone cream

Moleskin

Alcohol pads

Ace bandages

Hand sanitizer

Gauze pads

First aid tape

Cold pack

You may also want to include a powered energy drink which is a good item if you were to get stranded to help keep your energy up.

One of the biggest parts of first aid is prevention. You should understand what you can do to prevent accidents. This will go a long way to helping keep you safe on the trail. You should always make sure your equipment is in good shape. You also need to wear protective gear. Have a good plan for your backpacking trip and tell someone about it so they can be aware if you should become missing. You should learn about poisonous plants so you know what to avoid. You should also learn about basic survival skills.

You can not prevent everything though so you should also learn basic first aid. One of the biggest things is to try to keep all supplies sanitary. This includes trying to clean hands as best as possible before treating a wound or injury. Bacteria grows quickly and once it is introduced to an injury things can get worse quickly. You should take a first aid course to brush up on the basics so if you should veer need them you know them.

About the writer:  Mike Legg is a seasoned hiker with many years experience of backpacking in europe. For more information on this or other aspects of backpacking go to http://www.buytryreview.com/category/backpacking

Backpacking Recipes – The Simplest

I need simple backpacking recipes because there is never a stove in my backpack even on weeklong trips in the wilderness. I often backpack with less than fifteen pounds total pack weight and total means all food water everything. It’s often in a daypack so I don’t have much room for a stove and fuel canisters.

I also don’t want the extra weight. I don’t want the extra trouble of cooking either. I prefer to spend my time to hiking and exploring and picking wild berries. I leave the stove home. If you’ve considered doing the same try some of the following simple backpacking recipes to add a little variety to that diet of crackers nuts and granola.

Peanut Butter And Wild Fruit

Peanut butter is a great backpacking food because it is so high in calories for the weight. Put some on a wheat cracker and top it with a few wild strawberries or raspberries for a healthy treat. My wife and I have eaten as many as nine different kinds of berries on one day hike so you can have quite a variety of taste sensations with this plan.

If it isn’t the season for wild fruit you can bring along a handful of jelly packets borrowed from your favorite restaurant. If you bring jam or jelly from home ditch the heavy glass jar of course. Jelly in a small plastic tub will be lighter and safer and should stay fresh for at least a few days.

Trail Mixes

A good trail mix is one of the most convenient backpacking foods. Here’s my recipe for a good one: Mix peanuts sunflower seeds chocolate chips and raisins in any proportions you like. Taste and adjust the quantities. Add whatever else you can think of and taste it again. Is that simple enough?

A Full Dinner Backpacking Recipe

Want a delicious dinner in the middle of the wilderness without cooking? Pack whole wheat crackers and two types of cheese. Hard cheeses like a good smoked gouda last longest. Bring a foil pouch of tuna. These don’t have to be refrigerated. Put a few olives in a zippered plastic bag with a small handful of baby carrots. Then get a boxed wine drink all but about four glasses remove the bag from the box and pack that.

Have this special meal on your first or second night out while the carrots and cheese are still good. Prepare crackers with tuna on then. If you come across some wild onions sprinkle some chopped up leaves or bulbs on these. Prepare crackers with the two types of cheeses and top these with the olives. The baby carrots will be ready to eat as is and will have been flavored by the olive juices.

Enjoy it all with a water bottle half full of wine I never carry a cup. The wine bag by the way can then be used to carry up to six quarts of water or can be blown up and used wrap in a sweater as a pillow. These bags weigh less than three ounces and are very tough.

Salad Recipe

Backpacking doesn’t have to mean giving up fresh foods not even if you go really light. Throw a few carrots and radishes in a plastic bag and they’re usually good for at least several days. Add some edible wild greens like dandelion leaves and some wild onion or peeled and chopped young thistle stalks and you have a salad. Carry you veggies in a large zippered plastic bag for easy mixing.

For dressing get one of those eightounce plastic water bottles. These weigh less than an ounce and don’t take too much room. Put a few ounces of olive oil in it a great highcalorie backpacking food an ounce of wine vinegar or any other vinegar and a pinch of salt pepper and oregano. Add a touch of honey if you like it sweet and a bit of cayenne pepper if you like it hot.

This should be enough for two salads. Just wash your salad ingredients put them in the bag add some dressing close and shake. You can eat it right from the bag. The salad dressing container can be used as an extra water bottle when it is empty. I like backpacking recipes that keep it light and multiuse containers help with this.

About the writer:  Copyright Steve Gillman. To get an ebook on Lightweight Backpacking Secrets And Wilderness Survival Tips for FREE as well as photos gear recommendations and a new wilderness survival section visit: http://www.TheUltralightSite.com