Students often travel on their own, spending time alone with nature. Do you plan to go to the forest to throw Frisbee, to make a campfire and to cook some meat there? Well, if you are not an experienced bard having an old backpack with all the required things packed and ready, here are 10 “lifehacks” from the authors of our essay writing company, which will allow spending a night in a tent with a comfort.
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1. Check if the Tent Pack is Complete
Before leaving for a hike, check if all the pegs and ropes are on their places. Spread out the tent while being at home and make sure you have all the required instruments and parts to assemble it correctly.
Do not be lazy and check if zippers on the tent function properly. When darkness comes, there can appear not only cold, but various small and nasty creatures as well.
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2. Learn How to Pitch a Tent
This is very important! A tent that is wrongly pitched not only makes perfectionists sad with its appearance, but can leak under the rain or fly away with the strong wind. Check the user’s guide first, this never hurt anyone.
Remember that a tent has to stand on a plain place with no pits or bumps under it. Pitch up a tent (bind all ropes, put pegs into the ground, spread out the tent itself and close all doors). If the tent looks like a real smooth house, you can spend a night in it with no worries.
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3. Have a Carpet or a Mattress
Despite the tent has a waterproof bottom, it can’t protect you from cold. So if you don’t want to catch a flu, have a carpet or an inflatable mat with you. Good quality carpet can protect you from both cold and wet, but it is quite tough to sleep on. Though, you will get used to it in a night or two, and your back won’t hurt anymore.
Inflatable mattress is softer that a carpet. It is comfortable to sleep on it, but it is five times more expensive. Still, it’s your call.
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4. Prepare a Sleeping Bag and a Blanket
If you think that a usual blanket is going to protect you from a night cold in a tent, you are seriously mistaken. It can sometimes be very cold outside, especially early in the morning. So, a blanket is fine only if your tent is being heated.
A sleeping bag is an optimal solution. Choose it carefully and pay special attention to a comfort temperature indicated on it. This is a temperature for you to not get cold in a sleeping bag.
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5. Take a Heating Pad with You
It does not occupy much space, but you’ll be glad to have it nearby during a cold night. A good opportunity is a salt warmer: it is enough for long, and safe to use it. If cold caught you unprepared, then take a usual plastic bottle, fill it with a hot water and place it into your sleeping bag.
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6. Do not Forget a Pillow
One more thing that can help you make your tent-nights more comfortable is a pillow. Do not take a regular home pillow with you. It can easily be replaced by its inflatable variation. Inflatable pillows are sold not only in tourist gear stores, but in usual hypermarkets as well.
What can also replace you a pillow is your sleeping bag case. Put warm clothes inside it: you’ll get an order inside your tent and a guarantee that you are not going to lose your case.
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7. Protect from Insects
Mosquitos, bugs, woodlice, spiders: these are not the most pleasant neighbors to share your tent with. To prevent them from entering your “house”, close doors tightly.
If they got inside, then you can use special devices deploying some smoke, but they smell not really pleasant. Not only insects will refuse to spend their night in a tent with such a smelling air inside it.
There is a modern portable device on batteries. It makes no noise and no smell, but it costs more than those smoking spirals.
Do not put on woolen clothes when leaving for a hike: wool smell attracts harvest bugs.
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8. Take a Second Pair of Socks
While camping, you’ll probably need to change two pairs of socks during the day. They do not take much space, so take at least three pairs for two days.
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9. Take a Carpet for Sitting
Take a small sitting carpet with you in order to feel comfortable and not to use blankets for sitting.
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10. Prepare Lights for a Tent and a Place Around
Have economic, but bright enough lights in order to avoid looking for things in the dark if you will suddenly need something.