Outdoor Life - The Complete Camping Guide: 125 Tips, Must-See National Parks, All New Gear Guide, Campfire Recipes, Packing Checklists, Water Purification, Fire Starting & First Aid Essentials

My parents owned a 1972 orange Volkswagen Westfalia bus. We would load up on a Friday evening, and on Saturday morning would drive somewhere that felt far away and different, but was actually about 45 minutes from home. My brother slept in the pop-up top of the camper; I slept in a hammock stretched between the two front doors. The back bench seat folded out into a double bed for my parents.

My brother and I spent the days from dawn to dark exploring, climbing and pretending. We ate beans and weenies and made s’mores.  My life as an adult and parent to a 6-year-old is remarkably similar. My husband and I pack everything up on Fridays, drive into the mountains in southeast Wyoming and return Sunday afternoon. just in time to buy groceries for the week ahead. We generally camp every weekend from the middle of April to the Consider this magazine your guide to a summer of camping in whatever way makes most sense to you. Don’t compare your experience to other people’s or do what someone else says you should. Read about your options and figure out the best path for you. We cover everything you need to know to make you camping experience fun and memorable.