Many people, particularly during these tough economic times, are reluctant to go out and make an investment in camping gear until they are convinced that family camping is something they will enjoy on a regular basis. The good news is that you can achieve a similar outdoor experience, without having to invest in tents and sleeping bags.
Outdoor Gifts to Avoid this Christmas
Christmas should be a time of joy and happiness, so don’t throw a lump of coal in somebody’s stocking with one of these low-quality outdoor gifts. There is a lot of great outdoor gear out there that doesn’t cost a fortune (see 5 Stocking Stuffers for your Camper), so be careful with your money and make sure that you understand exactly what your favorite outdoors person wishes they had.
Black Diamond Octane Pack
It sure is nice when you can get away with the kids for a day of hiking, in December. My son and oldest daughter joined me for a shakedown cruise with the new Octane pack, from Black Diamond®. Though still technically a daypack, at 28 liters the Octane is a big step-up from my 8 liter CamelBak®. For this trip, we headed up to Henry Coe state park in south San Jose. Henry Coe is the largest state park in northern California, encompassing some 87,000 acres and was actually on the chopping block earlier this year, when the state was embroiled in budget woes. Needless to say, we paid our $8 use fee and I was happy to see quite a few cars at the headquarters entrance.
Weekend Outdoor Reads for December 4th
Weekend Outdoor Reads is a new feature, here on CampingBlogger, where I will highlight some of the best outdoor content that I’ve come across throughout the week. In many cases, this will be articles from other bloggers that I follow but, like this week’s selection from The Wall Street Journal, I’ll highlight exceptional content from traditional news sources, as well.
Get the Family Outside this Weekend
December is finally here and if you haven’t finished your Christmas shopping yet, then you probably have big plans to hit the malls this weekend to get it finished. You can do yourself and your family a favor, though, by shopping online or squeezing that last minute shopping in during the week, so you’re free to enjoy the weekend with your family, instead. Here are five great ways to get the family outside this weekend.