All posts by Norm

Super Chill Your Drink in Just a Couple of Minutes

Coca-Cola GlassCamping trips usually start out the same – you arrive at your camp site, unload your vehicle, and setup your tent or trailer.  This is often done in some sweltering heat and leaves you sweating profusely and looking for a cold drink.

Have you ever gotten to this point and found that you brought the drinks, but forgot to put them in the fridge or cooler?  Now all you have is warm soda or beer to quench your thirst.

Well this simple trick can chill your canned or bottled drink to an incredibly cool temperature in just a couple of minutes.

Continue reading Super Chill Your Drink in Just a Couple of Minutes

Happy Mother’s Day

Happy Mothers DayTo all of the mothers out there, we would like to wish you a happy Mother’s Day from all of us here at Practically Camping!  After all, family is what camping is all about.

If you are a mom, take the day to enjoy the things in life that make you happy.  Take a look at your children and realize that you brought them the gift of life.  You were there to watch them grow up.  First steps, first words, first band-aids, and first dates.

Without moms, none of us would be here and many of us wouldn’t be who we are today.  So if you aren’t a mom, take the time to appreciate yours.  There are many people out there whose mothers are no longer with them and they don’t have the luxury of spending time with her or telling her how much they appreciate her.

Don’t wait until it’s too late to appreciate your mom too.  Today is the perfect opportunity to tell her you love her.

The Must Have List Every Tent Camper Needs

Tent SignAhh yes… the days of tent camping.  I can recall many a night where I would lay awake in my tent and watch the lightning through the moonroof on  my Woods two-room tent.  I loved the sound of the thunder and heavy rain hammering the nylon.  I think that was my favorite part of tent camping.

It’s been a few years since we’ve been camping in a tent, but I still have my old checklist of things we needed to have on each camping trip.
Continue reading The Must Have List Every Tent Camper Needs

9 Great Ways to Avoid Bee Stings While Camping

YellowjacketMost blogs have guest posts written by experts on a particular subject and this one will be no exception.

This is a guest post that was written by my mom.  She has been highly allergic to bees for her entire life and for her, learning about bees and learning how to avoid them has been a necessary tool for survival.  Here is what she had to say:

Bee stings are painful and nasty, but this is especially true for those who have a severe allergy to them.  By bees I mean hornets, wasps, yellow jackets… any of the stinging group.  I’ve put together a few pointers that just might save you from a painful attack, or maybe even save your life. Continue reading 9 Great Ways to Avoid Bee Stings While Camping

Time to Check Your Batteries!

Inside Smoke DetectorMost of us remember to change the batteries in our household smoke alarms on a regular basis. If you’re like me, it’s because the smoke alarm lets out an annoying beep every few minutes when the battery gets low.

The luxury in that is that you are in your home all year round, so you are likely to hear it.  If you happen to store your RV for the winter, and your battery dies during storage, then you aren’t likely to hear the beeping when you prep your RV for the season.

This makes it extra important to remember to check your RV smoke alarms at the beginning of the season.   Continue reading Time to Check Your Batteries!

Kids Feel Safe Sporting the Lego Man Headlamp

lego headlampWatching my own kids while we camp leads me on a path down memory lane.  When I think back to being knee-high to a grasshopper and camping, the one thing that was the same about every trip was how scary it could get once the sun went down.

Some things never change.  My kids always feel more secure when they have a flashlight with them.  Well, the Play Visions company has come up with a way to make the night even less scary – they injected a little bit of Lego into it.

Now your kids can have fun while conquering their fears of the dark.
Continue reading Kids Feel Safe Sporting the Lego Man Headlamp

How to Spot Poison Ivy and Poison Oak

Wikipedia Poison OakFortunately, my family has never had to endure the pain and frustration that comes from contact with poison ivy or poison oak.

That said, FreeMD statistics on these pesky plants show that 9 out of 10 people who come into contact with poison ivy or oak will develop an allergic rash.

Let’s look at ways to identify these dangerous plants and hopefully avoid some unnecessary pain.

Continue reading How to Spot Poison Ivy and Poison Oak

Every Campfire Starts with a Spark

And this blog will be no different than a campfire in that it needs a spark to get going.

In the weeks, months, and years to come, I hope to fill this blog with articles and content that will aid in improving the camping experience for campers and RVers the world over.  This collection of useful information is geared towards campers like you.

I’m always interested in feedback, so feel free to drop me a line or leave a comment.   If you have an interest in the type of information posted in this blog, be sure to subscribe.  That way you’ll always be up to date!

Norm