Help with starting a "Camping Club" at school

[Uncle Roger]

I didn't start camping until I was a teenager in high school (My parents were not the "outdoorsy" types) and then I went whole hog... I spent most summer weekends in the backcountry of Yosemite and the surrounding areas -- when I wasn't river rafting or car camping or whatever. Now that I have kids, though, we've been doing a lot of car camping (RTT & ground tent) at local state parks with some other families from the kids' schools. That's great for us, but I'm sure that there are a lot of families that don't camp primarily because they have no idea how to get started and no real impetus to find out.

So I want to start a "camping club" at the school where newbies can do an overnight trip along with more experienced campers to get them started. That way, they can feel comfortable about the trip, get advice one what to bring, and so on. I'm thinking we'd have a pre-trip meeting to talk about what to bring (and what not to bring) and then do a one- or two-night trip at a state park not too far away. Maybe plan two group trips like that in case some can't make it to the first. After that, if there's interest, maybe get into backpacking, off-highway trips, and so on. Ideally, this would all be something that would happen every year so new families could get started too.

The idea is that once a family has done a group trip, they will hopefully feel comfortable planning another trip -- perhaps with another, more experienced family -- and eventually get to the point of being able to plan their own trips and introduce others to the joy of camping.

My question for y'all is what sort of advice would the newbies need, anyone got a good list of basic gear (I just throw whatever is on the camping gear shelf in the car and hope I haven't forgotten anything), how much should the club provide (stoves, food, firewood) so the newbies don't have to worry about it, etc. Basically, any thoughts/comments/advice/etc. you might have, I'd love to hear. I'd love to document enough info so that others who might want to start something similar could do so, without having to start from scratch. (It's hard to remember all that basic info when you've been doing something so long you can do it in your sleep.)

 

[nwoods]

This is something my family enjoys doing (taking newb's out to the wilderness), as expressed in this article: http://www.adventureparents.com/adv...ream-loving-woods-family-in-15-questions.html

We recently took a young couple from the jungles of India to the high elevations of the Eastern Sierra's. They had never had a camp fire, never seen snow, and never experienced a July 4th Fireworks show. I think they had a pretty good trip. Photos: http://nwoods.smugmug.com/Family/Travel/RockCreek

Here is an excerpt of my email to them for initial preparation:

The Gear List

Essentials: (see farther below for more detail)
• Shoes & good socks.
• Backpack - even a campus book bag will do. You need something to carry your water, lunch, and jacket
• Water bottle(s). I HIGHLY recommend this bottle from Camelbak (http://www.rei.com/product/776892), but if you don't want to buy them now, 24oz Aquafina bottles work fine too (http://fresh.amazon.com/product?asin=B000R9ALBW&searchId=36075427&tag=title)
• Camera & fresh batteries and empty memory card
• Sunglasses & hat with brim or visor for sun protection. The Sun is fierce and unfiltered at 10,000 feet.
• Flashlights/Headlamps
• Raingear - if you have rain jackets, bring them. Mountain weather is unpredictable. If you don't, any lightweight water resistent shell, windbreaker, etc…will be better than nothing. Bring your normal umbrella from your car also, just in case
• Warm clothes - mountain weather is unpredictable, and at 10,000 elevation, its cold at night. Bring warm clothes! Wear layers.
• Food - please coordinate any special food needs or desires with my wife.

Camping Gear:
We will provide just about everything you need, including tent, sleeping bags, etc… If you have flashlights, bring them. Too many is almost enough. Headlamps are the greatest tool ever invented. If you want to buy them (not required), I recommend these: http://www.rei.com/product/751757. Keep your backpacks empty by stuffing your clothes into a duffel bag and that's all you need.
• Camp Chairs. I do not have enough for everyone. There might be bench seating, their might not. Bring folding chairs if you have them, or find a log/stump/rock etc..
• Pillow: bring your pillow from home, you will be so much more comfortable! Use a pillow case that can get dirty, and is washable
• Decks of playing cards….
• Bring a mug or thermos for the hot drinks

Clothing:
• If you have hiking boots, bring them. If not, sturdy tennis shoes are okay. Bring two pairs of shoes in case one gets wet. I always bring a pair of sport sandals as general purpose shoes if my boots get wet.
• Socks. Bring two pair of socks for each day of camping, ie: 4 pair for this weekend trip. If you have high quality specialty hiking socks made from SmartWool or similar, please bring them. Wool is both cool and warm, it insulates if wet, and it reduces blisters and friction within your boot. Several pairs of medium weight SmartWool hiking socks are recommended.
• Pants/shorts. Cargo pockets are good, shorts are great. Quick drying, lightweight material is excellent. Zip-off pants are superb and offer all of the above features. You only need one pair of full length pants, and one pair of shorts (assuming everything is fairly quick drying nylon or similar).
• I highly recommend a sturdy pair of sweatpants for night time comfort. Worn over your hiking shorts around the campsite/camp fire, and in your sleeping bag if it gets cold. Mornings also, before the sun warms up the area.
• Gloves: I recommend a pair of light weight cotton or fabric gloves in case temps are on the cool side.
• I HIGHLY recommend a wool cap. If you get cold at night, particularly in your sleeping bag, a wool cap over your head will significantly help retain body heat.
• Sweater and or/sweatshirt for warmth.
• Outer layer windbreaker or jacket. People differ on this. I prefer a thin shell and warm sweatshirt, my wife likes thick jacket, thick sweater
• Thin light blanket (fleece preferably): The blanket is great for sitting around the campfire at night, staying warm in the morning while the sun wakes up, and for wrapping around your body IN your sleeping bag if you get cold. A very thin blanket in your sleeping bag DOUBLES the effective heat retention ability of the bag.

 

[Uncle Roger]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing. I'm definitely going to include your info.

 

[Raw7s]

I was in a Backpacking club in high school and loved it! It was my first time to go camping, and doing it with friends at school made it great. It's what got me hooked on the outdoors. I know they'll enjoy it as well.

We'd have a meeting a day or two before the trip to discuss everything. For us, the only thing the school provided was the teacher who had 20 years of back country experience to be our guide, and external frame packs. Everyone kept things real cheap. We ate granola bars, crackers, and drank bottles of wal-mart water. Our hikes were 5-7 miles up and around the Ouachita mountains, so no one brought anything other than bare essentials. Most shared a tent, so one would strap the tent to their pack, while the others carried sleeping bags, clothes, food, etc.

One of THE MOST important items for our trips were heavy duty trash bags. We crossed multiple streams, some ankle deep and others knee deep with a fast current. One member slipped on a rock and fell backwards submerging his pack. But he had dry clothes inside the bags to change into. Having another member close by to help him up was good as well. Trying to sit up in a stream with a 40 lb pack isn't very easy.

 

[Ray Hyland]

We also take newbie families, both offroading and camping. It is one of the services we offer.

On intro trips we usually bring three kinds of everything, different types of tents (nylon, cotton, etc) stoves (propane, butane, white gas) plates (plastic, metal, melamine) etc.

Then we do a small trip, not too far, set up camp really early, one night only. Make sure there is nothing dangerous around (fast streams, cliffs) for the kids, just a gentle creek that the kids can play in, that way the parents can relax a bit and focus on what you are telling them. Show them the different kinds of gear, let them play with it all a bit, and discuss the pros and cons of the various options, both for trips and gear. Stress that there are no right answers, everything is a compromise, and it will take them a little bit of time to figure out what works best for their family.

Above all make sure that you schedule less, rather than more, stuff in a day. The last thing you want is for them to feel that this was a stressful trip. Make it relaxed, fun, easy going. Then they will want to come back for more.

Ray


www.hylandadventures.com