Our family goes camping at campgrounds an hour or two away from our house several times a year. When we first started camping at those nearby campgrounds we did not take the time to check the weather forecast before heading out, and as a result we were not prepared.

Weather can be quite different just 50 miles from home especially if the campground is near a large body of water.

One of our favorite campgrounds is on one of the Great Lakes. Temperatures there can be quite chilly in the evening even in the middle of summer making sweatshirts, sweatpants, and a seat as close to the fire as possible without melting the soles of your shoes off, a necessity if a person wants to stay warm.

Inclement weather can also quickly ruin a camping trip if a person is not prepared. If storms and a lot of rain are being predicted during a camping trip I take along lots of books, extra games, and a knitting or crocheting project to work on.

While I could be really prepared and take all these items on every trip, we have limited storage space plus I hate having extra stuff that we do not need with us because it’s more work to pack, unpack, and continually be moving around when trying to get to stuff we do need.

If severe weather is being predicted (and even if it isn’t) I make sure to talk to whoever is working at the campground when we check in to find out the latest forecast and also what to do and where to go in case of severe weather such as high winds or tornadoes.

The weather can also get so hot during the middle of the day that being outside in it makes a person feel like they are going to melt. That is when it is time to find some water to play in, to stay inside an air conditioned camper (if you have air conditioning) or to take a day trip to visit a nearby attraction that is either indoors or that will cool you off - such as a waterpark.

The Midwest RV SuperShow and Rally is being held at the Elkhart County Fairgrounds in Goshen, Indiana August 14 through August 17, 2008.

A limited number of 50 amp full hook ups will be available.

In addition to hundreds of rv’s on display plus other camping gear and accessories, people can go on RV manufacturer tours at nearby factories. Dutchmen Manufacturing, Forest River, and Keystone are all located in Goshen.

Plus, there is a large Amish community in the Goshen area which means Amish country activities like specialty shopping, backroads tours, and in-home Amish meals are just minutes away from the RV show.

Rally hours are 7 am to 10 pm.

For more information call 574.533.3247.

Yesterday I went shopping for a screened gazebo to take on our family camping trips this year. When I got to the camping section of the store I felt like a kid in a candy store because I wanted everything even though I certainly do not need it all.

It got me thinking about people who say they would never start camping because it costs too much to get everything they need.

I’ve been camping several times a year for the past 7 years and I still don’t have everything I think would be useful while camping. For example, I would like a camping inverter, another sleeping bag, a more powerful lantern, folding reclining lounge chairs, and a new camper! And the gazebo I bought yesterday was something I’ve been wanting for 3 years but I’ve waited until I could afford it.

Plus, while shopping for the gazebo I would have liked to buy a second dutch oven, a popcorn popper for over the fire, a gas powered blender, and new fishing poles.

But I didn’t.

I follow a self-imposed rule of buying camping items as I can afford them and I always think carefully about how much the item is going to be used because I have a popup camper and other popup owners will understand what I’m talking about when I say space is at a premium inside a popup. There’s no room for things that aren’t going to be used.

When just starting out with camping start with the basics: a tent or camper, air mattresses if using a tent, a lantern, a couple of folding chairs, and something to cook with.

On my family’s first camping trip we rented a camper, bought a lantern and a tripod for cooking over the fire. That’s it. Everything else we took was things we already had in our house including the bedding from our beds, pots and pans and dishes from our kitchen cupboards, suncreen and insect repellant and first aid supplies from our first aid cabinet, etc.

When we realized we liked camping we made a list of things we wanted to buy for camping and have been slowly getting them.

We decided when we first started camping that our camping trips would be a lot more fun if we didn’t have any camping related loans to worry about. So we bought a used popup camper and paid cash plus paid cash for all the supplies and equipment we’ve bought instead of buying it all at once and giving our credit card a major workout.

I hope I don’t sound preachy because I’m not trying to do that. Camping is truly a lot more fun if a person doesn’t have a lot of extra “stuff” with them to pack and unpack; plus I think camping is a lot more relaxing when a person knows there is no loan to pay off.