I do most of my camping these days with North Texas Adventures which is not a hard core camping group. These days even those who appreciate their home comforts in life can enjoy camping.  If you bring an inflatable air mattress with sheets, a comforter, and pillows you’ll forget you’re not in your own bed at home!  Given how large tents are these days even a queen size mattress does not need to take up the whole tent. 

If you are at a campsite with electricity, consider bringing a fan to plug in which helps beat the heat in your tent.  This comes in handy in the brutal Texas heat.For colder weather camping, bring some good sleeping bags for added warmth. 

With today’s amenities there is no need to “rough it” on a camping trip.Keep this in mind when you write your guest list.  Even people that insist they don’t like to camp may enjoy modern day camping that can have much of the comforts of home.

Some of my best camping memories are sitting around the fire at night.  This is a great time to relax and tell stories of your adventures from that day, like the time I ran over a rattlesnake on my mountain bike, and my buddy, to avoid the rattlesnake ran his bike straight into a cactus!  Ouch!Meanwhile you can roast some marshmallows or enjoy a few cold beers. 

Make sure to bring lots of firewood to burn, as there is nothing worse than having the fire burn out just as the party is getting started.  Fires are so much fun that most campers will even enjoy them in warm weather.  I remember waiting for the sun to go down after a 92 degree day so we could light a fire!
One of our favorite night time activities is a good game of Texas Hold’em poker, this is very popular in our DFW Outdoors Club

This can be great for beginners who sometimes are lucky enough to bring the pot home.This happened with my girlfriend and I was so embarrassed when she won and waved the cash around in the air singing “I am the winner!” at the top of her big lungs.  Fortunately for all of us, her beginner’s luck soon ran out and it was much quieter at the next game. 

So make sure to bring some games or items for entertainment that appeal to your group. Some of the other items I bring for fun are a football, bean bag toss game, Frisbee, fishing poles, a bicycle and of course a deck of cards.

Don’t forget a lanten.  You may need it to find your way to the tent after a beginner takes your money at poker!Finally it is important to remember, Don’t mess with Texas!  We take looking after the camp area seriously, what ever state you are in, as we do with our Dallas Fort Worth Hiking Club. Do a good deed and leave the campsite cleaner than you found it.  Do a good walk through to make sure we minimize our footprint on our great state parks and camping area’s.We all appreciate you doing your part.

Thank you for reading this article and I hope these tips help you make a more successful and fun camping trip!   

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