Autumn months are the best time to camp. Especially in autumn, the colours of nature encourage people to camp. However, camping becomes a sport that needs more attention, especially as winter gets closer. Here are the golden tips for those who want to camp...
Tent, your home in nature
Tents are your habitats while camping. A tent protecting you from all kinds of weather conditions can also prevent you from having trouble in nature. Tents are classified in four ways according to seasonal conditions.
Festival tent: It is called one or two seasonal tents that are suitable for summer use only.
Three-season tent: These tents can be camped after sufficient equipment except for winter conditions.
Advanced three season tent: It is also known as four-season tent. It is more resistant to harsh weather conditions than tents regular three-season ones.
Extreme tent (five season tent): If you are interested in mountaineering as well as camping, you should especially prefer these tents. These tents have flexible poles made of aluminium and can withstand very harsh weather conditions.
You can find the most suitable tents according to your needs under the name of the brands as Husky, The North Face, Quechua, Makalu, Evolite.
Pay attention to these points when choosing a tent!
Do not miss the small details when choosing a tent place in the camping area. These details are very important for a comfortable and safe camp.
● Prefer the places close to transportation areas but far from crowded and noisy residential areas.
● Do not choose places near cliffs and rocks.
● Make sure that you are away from areas such as pits, marshes, dry river beds and dirty puddles when camping.
● Choose locations away from hazardous locations, such as power distribution units, high voltage zones, and military shooting zones.
● Choose safe places close to water resources.
● Try to find areas that are not too shady or overly sunny.
● In an emergency, choose places where you can reach the nearest security and health unit.
● If possible, stay in a camping area.
Where can you camp in the Marmara Region?
İğneada Flood Forests, located in the Marmara Region as a camp site, can be a good option for those who want to camp in autumn. Uçmakdere, Kömür Port, İnönü Plateau and Ballıkayalar Nature Park are also good places to camp in the Marmara Region.
The sleeping bag as your night comfort
Sleeping bags are the most important equipment to survive in the camps. Even if you do not have a tent, you can survive the night by covered with a sleeping bag. Bivak Camping can be defined as a quick overnight camping type in an unplanned way, usually with limited material. Those who are engaged in extreme sports can “Bivak” depending on the conditions such as finishing the route early, deviating from the route, injury, bad weather conditions.
When you are “Bivak-ing” or sleeping in a tent, the jumpsuit will not warm you up by itself, it will warm you up with your own body temperature. That is, the overalls prevent the air inside the overalls from going off, thus allowing you to keep it warm. Therefore, according to the EN 13537 standard, there are four different types of heat to be considered.
Upper limit (Upper limit): The maximum temperature that a man can sleep without sweating. At this value, it is assumed that the hood and zipper are open and the arms are outside the overall.
Comfort: The temperature that a woman can sleep cosily in a comfortable position.
Low Limit (Lower limit): The temperature that a man can sleep without waking for eight hours in a curled position.
Extreme: The temperature that a woman can hold for six hours without the risk of hypothermia. (Freezing may occur in cold)
There are two types of sleeping bags according to the insulation material.
Synthetic sleeping bag: Even when they are wet, these sleeping bags do not lose their insulating properties and get dry very quickly. They are affordable. It is easy to maintain and keep. It does not cause allergies or difficulty in breathing. However, they take up a lot of space in the bag and the interior material is hard, so it will not be very comfortable.
Goose down sleeping bag: It is the best in thermal insulation. It is lighter and takes up less space than synthetic overalls. It absorbs the sweat from the body and sucks it out, keeping the body dry. However, if they get wet, they lose all their insulation properties. It takes a long time to dry. It may cause allergies or breath-difficulty. It is not that cheap.
The mat is a must-have for comfort
One of the most important materials providing comfort while staying in the tent is mat. It provides isolation by providing air flow between sleeping bag and ground under conditions such as uneven terrain and cold ground.
There are two types of mats; inflatable and foam mat. You have to choose one of these two depending on the type of travel. It may be more practical option to prefer foam mats since the inflatable mats will take up space and weight. The inflatable mats take up little space and the light ones are high priced. They are also more likely to be damaged.
Your home is on your back
When choosing bags, it is necessary to pay attention to being useful and comfortable. Wrong bag selection may damage bone and muscle tissue during prolonged use. You can find very high quality and useful bags in brands such as Quechua, The North Face, Pinguin, Evolite, Makalu.
After choosing your camp bag and it's time to prepare your bag. It is important to make a compact preparation as the space is limited to carry items. You should put enough clothes, the sleeping bag, first aid materials, cleaning products, food and kitchenware in it. Listing the items and then categorizing them allows you to organize and helps you find easily what you are looking for.
Attention should also be paid when placing the items in the bag. You should adjust the bag's centre of gravity to make sure the bag is staying upright when you put it on the floor. So, it doesn’t cause any difficulties when carrying it. A sleeping bag is placed at the bottom of the bag. If clothes and heavy equipment such as a stove are placed on the back, the bag will get balanced. On the upper side, food and first aid supplies are placed from heavy to light. The camping mat is attached to the part designed for the mat.
Life-saving details
Nature can be dangerous when no action is taken. There are small but important materials that seem unnecessary in outdoor sports. Materials such as first aid kit, head lamp, whistle and compass will help you to call for immediate intervention or help when you get lost or something happens to you.
Unspoken rules of being a camper
It is important for your comfort that the ground you will be camping is even and clean as much as possible.
Since the equipment is made of flammable materials, you should not light the fire near the tent and other equipment.
Instead of throwing the trash away, put it in a trash bin or in the trash collection area which is a big step to protect nature.
If you need to move away from the camping area, never go away without your head lamp, whistle and compass. Even in such cases, it is extremely important for you to have someone with you or at least give information to someone.
Leaving your food and litter on the floor or in the tent can cause animal attacks. Hanging this type of material on trees would be the best solution.
Do not block your tent ventilation, even if the weather is extremely cold. Doing so causes evaporation and condensation inside the tent, raining inside and getting all your equipment wet.
Warming up in the camp is not so difficult
It may be a miraculous idea to use a hot water bottle to warm up in the camp.
If you are going to be camping in cold weather, you can put an aluminium blanket between your mat and your overalls to avoid getting cold at night. It is also a nice solution to put water in the hot water bag and put it in the overalls. Putting your clothes on your toes can prevent you from getting cold from your feet. In addition, you can use fleece blankets and clothes. Drinking something warm before going to sleep also keeps you warm. Finally, do not forget to tighten the hood of your overalls.
