When it comes to camping, I know nothing about it. Just the basic things you pick up on television.
But as my parents are in their retirement age and my father had purchased an RV, he would like the family to join them on camping trips.
Needless to say, camping is something I’ve never been interested in but I figured, that I’ve never tried it, might as well experience it.
And fortunately, for a newbie like myself, I wanted to check out “Camp Sunset: A Modern Camper’s Guide to the Great Outdoors”.
Created by the editors of Sunset Magazine (an American lifestyle magazine that has been around since 1898), the goal was to compile years of advice into a book and keeping with the modern era and thus the book was created.
The books kicks off with choosing a campground, what type of camper are you?, the types of campgrounds out there, making reservations and building a tent. And of course, lightning, cooking in the campgrounds, meal planning, etc.
The book then goes into basic skills. From picking your camp site spot, putting a tent together, tying a knot, building a campfire, campground etiquette, avoiding problems with bugs, poisonous plants, animals and basic do’s and don’ts.
The next 73 pages are dedicated to cooking in the campground and many recipes (55 total) are provided.
The latter part of the book then features hiking, going on the trail, camping with children, wildlife safety, taking photos.
And then a chapter on fishing, tackle, canoeing and more.
And there is chapter that features having fun in the camp, games to keep children busy, telling campfire stories and then stargazing (a map of the constellation is provided).
Overall, I enjoyed this beginner’s guide to camping. The book is simple to follow, easy to read and there are many photos and full page photos included.
While those who are intermediate or advanced may find the book to be geared to newbies like myself, even as a beginner, a lot of the things I read is common sense. Especially about not feeding the wildlife. I also felt that the book utilizes so many pages just for recipes, it would have been cool to see camper experiences featured, also going into problematic things that people can learn from and not do it.
But really, this is a solid guide for beginners and as a beginner myself, I found it entertaining and it made me even more willing to experience camping than I did prior to reading the book. So, I found that to be another positive.
Overall, if you are a beginner that is contemplating camping and want something enjoyable to read and created for the beginner in mind, then “Camp Sunset: A Modern Camper’s Guide to the Great Outdoors” is for you!
