One of my favorite vacations any time of year is to go camping in the mountains, especially in forested areas. It’s perhaps not the most carefree way to vacation, but I’ve got three tips to make it as comfortable as possible.
- No shower? Use hot water to wash your hair.
I can live a few days without a shower, but more than two days without washing my hair and I feel absolutely dirty. When my family ended up in a no shower campsite during a cross country trip a few years ago, my mom had the perfect solution. You may someone else to need help you with this.
First she heated water. You may want to actually boil it depending where the water came from (I would definitely not recommend creek or river water). Just make sure it’s not too hot for when you use it. Once the water was cool enough, she had me lie down on a picnic table, with my head hanging off, and washed my hair using the water and the shampoo we had brought.
Simply wet the hair, lather up, and then rinse it out.
- Put something between you and the ground to sleep on.
Even an old thick blanket, or multiple blankets, will work for this. This will at least give some cushioning and some sort of barrier besides the tent floor.
I’m lucky enough to have an air mattress, but I also have a foam workout mat that works nicely too.
- Bring warming pads. No, not electric.
You can get these heating pads (I use ThermaCare) at almost any drugstore for pain relief, but they’re also great for when you’re too cold.
Slip them in your sleeping bag when you’re too cold and they work wonders (they’ve helped me get to sleep more than once). There are also small ones you can get, and those can be slipped into gloves if you’ve got cold fingers.
Who wants to have every vacation in a hotel? Go out, enjoy nature, and stay comfortable while doing it!