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Setting up a campsite can be viewed as a chore. You need to find all your gear from the back of the truck and set everything up while ensuring you have parked at a good spot.
However, this doesn’t always have to be the case. Setting up camp can be quick, which leads to a camp experience that is much more pleasing.
This article discusses tips for setting up your campsite that ensure you are done in no time!
Table of Contents
- Tips for Setting Up Your Campsite: Use a Trailer as Your Basecamp
- Choose Your Site Wisely
- Tips for Setting Up Your Campsite: Make It Comfortable
- Build an Awesome Campfire
- Tips For Setting Up Your Campsite – Final Thoughts
- Recommended Overlanding Gear
Tips for Setting Up Your Campsite: Use a Trailer as Your Basecamp
Sure, trailers are not for everyone. Some people prefer a simpler camp setup. However, there is no denying how easy camp setup becomes when you have the right trailer for the job.
A great choice is the FORT F-6 – a small and easy-to-setup trailer that will transform your camp experience.
First and foremost, this is a trailer that can easily hit the dirt. It has an articulating hitch, a Timbren axle-less independent suspension, 16 inches of ground clearance, and a 40-degree departure angle.
However, off-road abilities aren’t the only thing the FORT F-6 can offer. It’s also a comfortable base camp for your outdoor adventures. Amenities include the following:
- A power cluster with USB and power ports
- Victron 220 Ah AGM batteries with a 1200w pure sine wave inverter
- A 200W solar panel with a solar charge controller
- A waterport with a shower hose and nozzle
- A dedicated kitchen area with a pantry, sink, and stove
- A counter area with LED work light
On top of all that, the FORT F-6 has plenty of storage for your gear. There’s 42 gallons of water storage, interior weatherproof storage slide-outs, and a 46-inch slide-out storage drawer that can house an optional refrigerator. All told, there’s more than 50 cubic feet of storage!
You can also enjoy exterior LED lighting, rooftop racks for your rooftop tent of choice, and a 270-degree quick-deploy awning that covers the rear of the trailer, including the kitchen and prep area.
This trailer blends comfort with a manageable size and weight, too – it’s 150″ long, 75″ wide, and 58″ tall, and it weighs 3500 lbs. In other words, the FORT F-6 is made for rugged trails, offers loads of amenities that make camp a more comfortable place, and does all of this quickly and easily. Not bad, right?!
Choose Your Site Wisely
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Next up on our tips for setting up your campsite list is choosing your site wisely…
For example, if you plan to stay at an organized site, avoid camping near the toilets as they can be smelly during the day and night.
Also, ensure that your tent has shelter from the sun in the morning. If you set up in the wrong spot, the sun will hit your tent and probably wake you up earlier than you want.
You must also find high ground to camp to stay safe during winter. This is because rivers or low points can flood quickly during sudden rains. So, choose the hilltops; the views are better there anyway!
Tips for Setting Up Your Campsite: Make It Comfortable
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Taking simple but useful gear with you when camping is one of our top tips for setting up your campsite. To ensure you are comfortable, you will need a good quality camp chair, lighting, and an outdoor rug.
You can use the rug outside your tent or sitting area to stop all the dirt from entering your living space. Lights and a good camping chair help finish the scene when it comes to relaxing in nature.
The camp chair and lights also need to be of good quality as it is important to stay comfortable and have reliable lights. There is nothing more annoying than messing around with cheap products that do not manage to work correctly. However, keep in mind that if you keep the lighting at a minimum, your eyes will get used to the dark, and you will be able to see much better.
I’d also add a rugged camp table to your list of must-have gear for setting up a campsite like a pro.
Sure, you can use a cheap folding table, but they take up a ton of space in your vehicle and are often unstable on uneven ground. Besides, you can’t put hot skillets or pots on cheap plastic tables, so their utility for cooking space is limited.
That’s where the Tailgater Tire Table comes in…
The Tire Table is just what it sounds like – a table that mounts to your vehicle’s or trailer’s tire.
This design is ingenious because the table will be perfectly level, even if the ground isn’t. Setup takes just a moment, too – just hook the table’s brackets over the tire, deploy the collapsible leg against the tire for added stability, and you’re ready to go!
The steel construction makes Tire Table extremely durable. Not only will it stand up to the elements, but it can also be used as a way station for hot pans as you cook.
And when you aren’t using Tire Table for cooking, you can use it for dining, playing games, or, as I often do, catching up on work. The possibilities for using this table are virtually endless!
On top of all that, Tire Table is exceptionally well-built and well-priced. It’s the perfect combination!
Build an Awesome Campfire
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Our final point on the tips for setting up your campsite list is to build an awesome campfire. Let’s be honest – camping without a campfire is like cake without chocolate. However, starting a campfire has some risks, and we need to ensure that the correct steps are taken to ensure the process is successful and safe.
The campfire should be kept at least 15 ft from surrounding wood or other flammable vegetation. This ensures that the sparks from the fire cannot reach other flammable objects. From there on, keep a bucket of water or a small fire extinguisher close to you just in case you need to put the fire out quickly. A shovel can also help put the fire out by covering the fire with dirt.
To start the fire successfully, use dead and dry wood. Tinder can be small twigs, dry leaves, grass, or needles. You shouldn’t cut down branches from live trees as they do not burn well (and it damages the tree).
The process of starting the fire is as follows:
- Place your tinder in a loose pile at the center of the fire pit
- Build up your kindling base either in the form of a tepee, lean-to, log cabin, or cross
- Ignite the tinder with a long lighter or match
- Put more tinder as the fire starts to grow
- Gently blow the base of the fire to give it more oxygen
- Once your tinder catches well, start adding larger pieces of wood which will be long-term fuel for the fire
Tips For Setting Up Your Campsite – Final Thoughts
Photo by Daria Nipot via iStock
Efficiency and comfort are the key takeaways from the above tips for setting up your campsite. Being comfortable out in nature is a must, as it ensures that the activity becomes something you enjoy rather than a chore.
If you have any further questions regarding tips for setting up your campsite, feel free to post them in the forum section of our page.
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