After your adventure-filled, great outdoor vacation is over, making sure your camper is neat, clean and sealed up tight is all part of the job. One thing some people may experience, even after completing these tasks, is the fact that when they are ready to take their camper out for another trip, they realize there may be traces of mice, squirrels, bugs and other pests. When you have this problem, it usually means you have to remove all non-perishable foods, such as, sugar, pancake and other mixes, crackers, etc. Having to do this is just an extra cleaning step than can be avoided if you take the proper steps to keeping these pests away.

All rodents, and other pests, depending on where you are located, may have different reactions to certain remedies. Therefore, we have listed below several different options you may want to try, until you find the one that works for you.

The first thing you may want to try would be a well known remedy that is already used in attics and basements and such. Moths balls have been known for ages now to keep vermin away. A good way to put the moth balls in use would be to put them in some tupperware with small holes poked in the top of it. This will prevent the balls from rolling around and possibly getting lost in your camper. Spread a few of these throughout your camper. When the time comes to put your camper to use, you can quickly air out the smell of the moth balls by removing the tupperware with the balls in it and open the windows for a couple of hours.

A couple of other options you may want to consider, would be soaking some cotton balls in peppermint oil and dispersing them through out your camper or Bounce dryer sheets. Both of these options have been known to do the trick as well, with the added bonus of a fresh smelling camper.

Also, if none of these do not seem to do the trick, you may want to try using ammonia or even sprinkling baking powder throughout your camper and vacuuming it up when your ready to use it again.

There are so many remedies out there to choose from. Knowing which one will work best for you may take a little trial and error, but it will pay off in the end with your vermin-free camper.

Safety should always be priority number one on any camping excursion. In the summer months, there are a few extra considerations that should be made with regards to safety. Here are some camping safety tips for the summer:

• Pack for cold weather. Just because it’s 80 degrees or more during the day doesn’t mean you’ll be hot at night. Temperatures can fall into the 60s or lower in the summer months depending on where you are camping. Sixty degrees might not sound too unpleasant, but it is very, very cold for sleeping outdoors. Imagine sleeping in your house with the air conditioning set to 60; you’d want lots of blankets, right?
• Use sunscreen. Sunscreen should be used year-round, but the risk for burning is even higher in the hot summer months. You also have more skin area exposed during the summer, so be sure to apply sunscreen liberally to any areas of your body not protected by clothing.
• Drink lots of water. When spending a summer day outdoors, it’s about impossible to drink too much water. Water intake is important for camping no matter what time of year, but in the summer months you’re more prone to sweating and dehydration. If you plan to drink alcohol while camping in the summer, try to drink one bottle of water for every alcoholic beverage as alcohol strongly promotes dehydration.
• Protect against mosquitoes and other insects. In winter months, insects do not pose much of an issue while camping. In the summer months, they can ruin your day. Guard against this by applying anti-insect spray and setting up several citronella candles around your campsite. A bee sting kit is also a wise thing to have on hand.
• Dress in layers. During the daytime, you’ll probably be comfortable in as few clothes as possible. However, as the day lingers on and becomes cooler, it is handy to have layers of clothing. By nighttime, you’ll probably have three or four thin layers of clothing on to stay warm in a cool night’s breeze. Again, don’t assume that just because it’s 80 during the day that you won’t get cold at night.

In addition to these summer safety tips, always be sure to come prepared basic camping first aid and common sense!

Camping can be a wonderfully rewarding, enjoyable, character-building activity for kids. It can also be one heck of a challenge! Taking children out into the woods away from their PlayStation and Wii while insisting they leave their handheld PSP behind already puts you in quite the hole in terms of helping them have a good time and keeping them entertained. Thankfully, as you and I both know, once they get out there and brighten up their attitude, they’ll see that camping can actually be quite fun!

Here are some ways to help make camping rewarding and enjoyable for your kids and their friends.

1. Build enthusiasm about the trip by including them as part of the planning. Take them to the grocery store so they can choose what snacks to bring and what games to play.

2. Make them have some modicum of responsibility during your camping excursion. Even if it’s something as simple as helping set up the tent or collect firewood. Give them some type of task that will help them feel like they’re a contributing hand in making the camping a success. Reassure them that there will be plenty of time for fun and games but that before you can do that, a little work must be done. This work-reward pattern is something many kids in this generation miss out on which is a shame because it’s very character building. You can make the camp chores fun by having awards for most sticks collected, fastest clean-up, etc.

3. Have an array of activities ready that your kids will enjoy. When I was a kid, my Dad brought out a bb-gun and had us shoot at empty cola cans from 30 feet away. I was only about 7 at the time and still remember how awesome it was to shoot a “real gun”! There are so many possible camping activities for kids and many of them are things they never get the chance to do in the city. Consider some of the following:

• Scavenger hunt (first kid to find all items on list wins)
• Rubbing souvenirs (place a leaf vien-side-up under a piece of paper, rub a crayon over the leaf)
• Frisbee, baseball, or football to toss around
• Camping races (one-legged race, sack race, backwards race with teams and partners)
• Alphabet nature hunt (have to find something that starts with each letter)
• Constellation and satellite search at night
• UNO, checkers or other picnic-table games
• Camping Olympics (organize a series of games with points awarded based on finish)
• Hide and seek (nature makes a great place to play hide and seek, just be sure to establish boundaries)

With any competitive event, be mindful of everyone and keep it fun for all. Winners should not be praised too much nor losers chastized. After all, it’s just camping!

4. Use your time out in nature to instill valuable skills with your kids. Teach them about fire safetey. Show them poisonous leaves so they know what to avoid.

5. When in doubt, have fun! I think you could agree that some of the best memories you form as a child take place while camping, so have a blast!