Fall camping is one of the most beautiful times to be out in nature. The fall leaves are changing color and can make some of the most amazing backdrops for pictures. The weather tends to be cooler, but if you prepare the right way, Fall camping can still be a very enjoyable time. Here are a few tips to help you so that you will want to make Fall camping an annual trip:
1. Reduced Fee Campsites: One great advantage to Fall camping is that campsites typically lower their camping fees during the Fall. This is deemed as a slow time and so campsites lower fees to try and entice campers to come to their parks. You can always checkout Adventure in Camping and look for Fall specials in your area!
2. Watch the weather: Nowadays it’s easy to get our weather at least a week in advance. And because campsites are rarely full in the fall, you can plan your Fall camping trips with short notice and still secure a great camping site. Fall weather can fluctuate quickly, so always check the forecasts ahead of time specific to the parks or campgrounds you plan to visit. Remember in the Fall warm weather can quickly turn. Depending on where you’re going, you should always be prepared for the chance of snow, rain, or other severe weather during your camping trip.
3. It’s worth it to invest in a good tent: Your tent is what protects you from the outside elements while you sleep, and protects your belongings during the day. You want to invest in a quality tent. If you purchase a three-season tent, this would allow you to be able to use it basically any time that you wanted to camp. Then you wouldn’t have to have multiple tents. You want to make sure that your tent has a full rain fly to help keep the moisture out of your tent. Sudden night rain falls could ruin a camping trip real quick! Having a tarp is also a must for under your tent. This will help moisture from seeping in and put a small barrier between the ground and your tent. An extra tarp can always be used for extra rain protection as well.
4. Pack a cold-weather sleeping bag: Night temperatures will be drastically different than Summer camping nights. And nothing ruins a camping trip faster than a cold, miserable night of not sleeping because you were freezing! Mummy sleeping bags are best for keeping warm because they cling closer to your body. Most of them come with a hood that surrounds your head to capture heat that would otherwise escape. Wearing a hat while sleeping will also help heat not escape your head if your sleeping bag doesn’t have a hood on it.
5. SLEEPING PAD: This is one of the most important things that you could forget! A good, thick sleeping pad will be your buffer between the cold ground and you while you sleep. Even two thin pads would work great, but the thicker the better. The ground gets cold at night and it will just soak right thru your sleeping bag and make for a miserable night. So as much padding as you can get between you and the ground the better.
6. Good clothes: Choosing the right clothes will make your Fall camping much more enjoyable. You will want to bring a mixture of clothes because the Fall weather can change in an instant. So pack with all types of weather in mind.
These are just a few tips to help you with your Fall camping. And don’t forget to bring your camera, because Mother Nature gets wild in the Fall!
