Camping. Just saying the word out loud relaxes me. Sleeping bag camping. I have been an avid camper since I was a child. My love of the outdoors really took bloom when my father built my brother and I a tree house when we were around the ages of five and eight. We slept out there as often as we were allowed, and many nights we’d sneak out and sleep up there, watching the moon rise and enjoy all the sounds of the great outdoors (as much can be heard when you live in the suburbs!)
Of course being young kids, we’d enjoy the noises and stillness of the night until the sky became too dark and the noises became too unknown. Around 10pm we’d sneak back inside, returning to our comfy beds still thinking about the beautiful night sky and how independent we felt being outside at night all at alone.
My love of the outdoors has matured somewhat over the years as I’ve gotten older. Granted I still get scared of the dark from time-to-time, but when you are sleeping bag camping you kind of have to tough it out. There is no running back inside! The ideal camping trip for me nowadays involves traveling light. I much prefer hiking in to a camping spot versus just hopping out of my car and setting up camp twenty steps away from my car.
When I pack my gear, the four mandatory items are my sleeping bag, toilet paper, coffee and my camping coffee maker. Granted the argument could be made that a coffee maker shouldn’t really classify as a main item for sleeping bag camping, but then again anyone that would make that argument doesn’t really know me or my love for coffee that well! The way I look at it, is that ya need something that you can put you to sleep and something that can wake you up. When I go camping it is those two requirements that must be met; sleeping warmly and comfortably in my trusty sleeping bag under the stars and waking up smelling hot coffee brewing in my camping coffee maker. Mixed with the scent of fresh pine air, I would consider it to be the perfect alarm clock, well that and waking up to the sunrise. There is just something magical about sleeping bag camping and the outdoors that doesn’t seem to fade with age.
