Do you like camping but don’t get to go often enough? Just can’t find the time to get away? Here’s some good news, you don’t have to! Grab your gear, set up in your yard and you can go camping any time. Have to be at work in the morning? Set the alarm on your cell phone, make coffee and breakfast on your stove before heading inside for a quick shower, then head off to work.
These backyard excursions can provide valuable experience. With shelter near at hand, you can test out new gear without fear. New stove or type of food? Go in and rummage through the kitchen if it doesn’t work out. Want to see how well your gear stands up to the rain or cold? Go test it! If you get wet or cold, go inside.
There is no worse time to find out your gear isn’t working than when you’re out in the field, relying on it. Can you set up your tent quickly, even in the wind? What about taking it down during a lull in the rain? Being able to do so has saved my wife and I from getting thoroughly drenched a couple of times; this is a skill that we honed with practice. Through testing at home, we know that we can sleep comfortably in our hammocks on a 35°F night. When sleeping in the tent, we know which of our pads are the most comfortable. Through practice, we know our favorite meals and how long it takes to prepare them. When you use your gear at home you can use it more often, testing it thoroughly and learning its quirks, which will enable you to have a safer and more enjoyable camping experience.
Don’t let time be an excuse anymore. You can have a great time camping, right in your own back yard. Literally!
I do this all the time to test gear. I made oatmeal for breakfast with a JetBoil stove for a whole weekend before taking it on an 11 day trip. Very valuable things can be learned from playing with gear in the backyard.
I do it not only to test gear, but also to get the camping fix when I can’t get away for a “real” trip.
On another note, I love my JetBoil! I’ll be posting a review about it shortly.
Backyard camping is a great way to introduce kids to camping!
That’s a great point that I overlooked! I definitely got my start out in the backyard. Thanks for the reminder!
My wife and I will be taking our niece backyard camping over the summer. It will be good introduction for her, as the “safety of home” will only be a few feet away if needed.
The topic is quite hot in the net at the moment. What do you pay the most attention to while choosing what to write about?
Some of my most favorite times as a kid where camping in the back yard. I think that it is always good to sleep in a tent every once in a while, even if it is in your own backyard. 🙂