Enjoying Camping! going camping with the family this ...

[Pages:4]Enjoying Camping!

In this down economy, more people are forgoing more expensive resort vacations and going camping with the family this summer, driving the "family truckster" packed with gear out to one of the many national parks or campgrounds to enjoy the outdoor activity of camping. On The Early Show on Tuesday, June 30, 2009, Paul Hochman, of Fast Company magazine (), discussed camping and what you'll need to have a great time at various forms of camping.

ALSO SEE: National Park Service:

Paul's words-to-the-wise:

Backyard Camping

1. LL Bean Ultra Dome Tent, four-person $189 Easy setup (takes less than 10 minutes), gives tons of room for a family of 4, weatherproof. Color-coded clip system helps make setup easy. Almost 60 square feet of sleeping space, plus lots of interior zip bags for storing gear above the fray.

Link:

2. EZ Grill/All-in-One BBQ $4.99 or $9.99 Recyclable Instant Grill Comes Complete with Foil Pan, Grill Grate, Stand and 100% Natural Charcoal

All-in-one BBQ. 100% recyclable portable grill. All the materials provided are recyclable, even the packaging, metal grate, stand and charcoal. EZ Grill's ingredients include carbon from rice, corn and wheat stalks, corn starch for binding and mineral oil for ignition. Available in regular size (1.81 lbs) and party size (3.31 lbs). Lights with one match and cooks for up to 1 ? hours post ignition. .

3. LL Bean Camp Bag, Flannel lined, 40-degrees $49 Flannel bag, with polyester fill insulation. Great for the backyard. Not a technical bag for serious campers, but perfoect for keeping the kids warm on cool nights outside in the tent.

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4. LL Bean Ice Cream Ball $39 This one will be fun ? involve the crowd. We'll show how to make the ultimate campside dessert. We'll add the necessary ingredients at the top of the show, flll the ice cream ball and then pass it around the crowd for shaking. In 20 minutes, we'll have a pint of perfect ice cream. If you want to add flavoring, let me know.

Link:

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5. Petzl Myo XP LED Headlamp MSRP: $99; online for as little as $65.

The Myo XP is the first programmable headlamp in the world. You can dial in up to 10 different light levels that match your lighting needs. If you want to go outside for a walk to the loo, put it on 10. If you want to read at night without waking your campmates, put it on 1 or 2. There are 8 other levels for everything from map reading to a dusk trail run.

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6. Nalgene Oasis BPA-free canteen $8.20 There has been a lot of news recently about the fear of BPA (Bisphenol A) leeching into water consumed out of plastic bottles. The result: a surge of new, BPA-free bottles. And water bottles are essential in camping, no matter what your level of expertise. Nalgene is one of the biggest names in the business, and this one is nearly indestructible, cheap, and very easily packed.

Link:



Car Camping

1. LL Bean Mini LED Lantern with Remote Control $25 Yes, you'll be doing a lot of walking around in the dark when you go car camping; having a simple, bright lantern is a must. The mini LED lantern is great, because you can hang it in your tent or outside in the common area between tents, and, when you're ready, turn it off from up to 20 feet away with the included remote control. And while we're at it, note that it works great on the back deck, in the garage, anywhere you need quick, easy, portable light.

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2. Coleman Fold N Go Stove $79 This portable, foldable propane stove is about 25% more compact than traditional 2burner stoves, puts out up to 20,000 BTU's of heat ? plenty for the standard burger/chicken/hot dog feast ? and cleans easily. And best of all, it's compact enough to easily stove in the car for quick trips. Weighs only 8.8 pounds.

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NOTE: if you want to show a non-LL Bean link, (and a TON of other retailers) sell this product.

3. LL Bean Crank LED Flashlight Without much effort, you can have a battery-free light anywhere you go, whether it's camping or just for emergency storage in the glove compartment.

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4. Seattle Sports "Active Trax" Speaker and Radio This FM/AM/Weather Band radio and amplified speaker is powered by one of two ecofriendly methods -- a solar panel on the top of the speaker, and a hand-crank on the back. Just plug in your iPod or MP3 player for music on the trail or at the camp site. With one minute of hand-cranking, the speaker will play for about half an hour. The solar panel on the top yields about 30 minutes of play time for every 5 hours it sits in the sun. Plus, it's also an FM, AM and Weather Band radio, which will play for up to 7 hours on a single charge. Comes with a case.

Link:

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5. "Born to Explore" book by Richard Wiese $13 The former president of the Explorers Club writes about "How to be a Backyard Adventurer," a great book for getting families (and especially kids) psyched about turning even the back yard into an adventure space. Fun how-to projects include navigating by the stars, telling time without a watch, starting a fire without a match, and in winter, making an igloo.

6. New Balance 920 water performance shoe. $90.00 NB's first-ever water performance shoe - designed to easily transition the outdoor enthusiast from water to trail. Great for car camping - you only have to pack one shoe for the entire trip. Go for a nature walk in the trails, a trail run, and then transition to a canoeing or kayaking activity. The 920 features a full length drainage system called H2Flow technology; small ports between the midsole and upper allow water and sand to quickly flush from the shoe for quick overnight drying. No more miserable wet feet. Fun fact: The 920 gains about 5-6% of its weight after being submerged, while its competitors gain 20%.

Link:

Camp Chair in a Bag



Camp Table

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Agro/Ultra Serious Camping

1) Arc'teryx waterproof shell, made with Gore-Tex Paclite material (only 12 ounces). The best, lightest-weight, waterproof/breathable jacket on the market. $299. Packs into a tiny space, easy to put in small bags and spaces, and almost magically springs back into its original shape. And again, TOTALLY waterproof and breathable.

Link: Mammut Shield Sleeping Bag

2) Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 1 Tent $349 Ultralight backpacking tent. Weighs only 2 lbs 11 ounces. And its `fast-fly' weight (without the heavy, waterproof fly) is just 2 lbs 2 ounces. The whole thing packs into a space 6" by 18". With a floor area of 22 square feet and over 3 feet of head height (perfect for comfortable sitting and reading).

Link to setup instructions:

3) Black Diamond Bbee backpack $45 Just the basics, in an ultralight (12 ounce), nearly indestructible, water-resistant, 12-liter (732 cubic inch volume) backpack. A big center compartment is great for day hikes away from the camp site; it has lots of interior pouches to organize your vital gear.

Link:

4) Mammut Shield Sleeping Bag- $529 The first sleeping bag to combine the waterproof shell of a bivy sack with a down sleeping bag ? creating, essentially, the world's first lightweight yet waterproof (and breathable) down sleeping bag that also keeps the head protected from snow, sleet and rain ? a first. With minimal seams, it increases the integrity and decreases cold spots. Shaves ounces.

5) Brunton cooking solutions ? MY-Ti Titanium folding Spork Compact, lightweight titanium flatware weighs only 1.1 oz total. MSRP: $30

Talon Butane Stove At just 3.7 ounces, the Talon canister stove packs nicely and cooks well. A simple stove for easy operation and maintenance. MSRP: $45

Solo BattPack Able to recharge 4 AA or AAA batteries. 2 AA and 2 AAA rechargeable batteries included. USB output to charge small electronics from the charged batteries MSRP: $68.73

Solaris 6 Works with the Solo: Use the Solaris 6 to charge the battery pack when in the woods. Weighs 7.1 oz and folds nicely. $208

FUN FACT: Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced 391 national parks in 49 states will have 3 free weekends this summer for consumers wanting a quick camping getaway. Here's a link:



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