When people think of outdoor camping, they typically imagine summer vacations: warm days, clear starry nights, nature in full-bloom. But few campers think about camping in the winter season. However, like summer camping, winter camping is also pleasurable if you know how to prepare suitably for winter.

One advantage of winter camping is that you don’t have as much group – children are back in school, and the cold climate keeps the crowds away. The strange beauty of winter is another draw: imagine motionless silhouettes of bare tree branches, refreshingly cold and crisp air, a light dusting of recently fallen snow. And if the landscape doesn’t entice you, well, know that winter camping charges are as cheap as they come.

To make winter camping more fun you will need to make sure you are able to stay warm. To stay warm while camping in the winter you will want to bring a warm coat, thermal underwear, and wool socks and gloves. It is also a good idea to bring a stocking hat and hand warmers in your camping gear. Inside your tent you can set up a kerosene heater in the middle far away from anything that could ignite. There are also many other types of camping heaters that your camping retailer will be able to tell you about. Sleeping bags for your camping trip are rated for temperature so make sure you bring a sleeping bag that is rated for the temperatures you will experience on your camping adventures.

When you first get up in the morning you may want to pull your clothing into your sleeping bag in order to warm them just a bit before putting them on. Most tents for camping are well ventilated and do not hold in heat for very long. To make your tent hold in the heat a bit longer, you may wish to throw an extra tarp over it and fasten it down with tent pegs designed for camping.

You will find that fewer people end up camping in the winter, so you will most likely find your favorite camping location not only available but also very peaceful and quiet! So if you like camping in peace and quiet with not a lot of other camping enthusiasts coming out to your favorite spots, then choosing to set up your camping area in the winter will work perfect for you. Camping retailers will often have special deals in the slower winter months, so waiting to buy your camping gear until you are ready to go camping will not be a problem for you. So go out this winter and every winter and enjoy the peaceful bliss of nature by camping.

Anyone who has been on a camping trip knows that there is nothing better than standing around a warm campfire on a brisk morning with northern winds blowing hard in your face. The feeling of warming your hands and then slowly the rest of your body reminds you that you’re still alive! It almost gives you the feeling of what it must have been like living in the wilderness many centuries ago. But before you can enjoy the warm comfort of your own campfire, you need to know exactly how to build one. Here is a easy way to build your very first campfire in 3 simple steps.

1. Create a Teepee. First make a small pile of fire kindling in the center of your pit. Kindling is anything small and dry such as pine needles, and tiny twigs. Then around and above your kindling pile, lean small sticks against each other in an Indian TeePee shape. Light the kindling, and once it starts burning, it should easily catch the TeePee twigs on fire too. Then you simply keep adding wood!

2. Create a Log Cabin. To make a log cabin campfire, you again start with a small pile of kindling in the middle of your firepit. Then you lay out twigs and sticks in a square shape around the kindling pile. With a log cabin style campfire, you’ll need to make sure you’re laying your cabin sticks close enough to the kindling for them to light. Once you have small “walls” for your cabin built up several inches, light the kindling. As that catches on, it should also light the twigs and sticks from your “cabin”.

3. Make a Wagon Wheel. With a wagon wheel campfire, you’re again starting out with a small pile of kindling in the center of your fire pit. Then you lay your twigs and sticks across the top, intersecting each other in a way that makes the wood look like the spokes on a wagon wheel. After the wood catches, you’ll want to move the longer pieces of your “wheel” in closer to the center so they can burn full.

So there you have it. Three easy ways to build a great campfire! Now that you know the simple ways to do this, you’ll enjoy your next family camping, hiking or trekking trip all the more.