Camping?
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An aside to the discussion: Occasionally, we used to car-camp at more standard sort of campgrounds, with showers and coolers & stuff, just to cheap out vs. hotels. First, I learned that blocks of ice work better in coolers (last longer, keeping things cool vs. cubes) . . . then it occurred to me that I could advance-freeze cleaned plastic milk jugs full of something like herb tea, use them to keep the coolers cool, and have a tasty cold drink as they melted.4
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An aside to the discussion: Occasionally, we used to car-camp at more standard sort of campgrounds, with showers and coolers & stuff, just to cheap out vs. hotels. First, I learned that blocks of ice work better in coolers (last longer, keeping things cool vs. cubes) . . . then it occurred to me that I could advance-freeze cleaned plastic milk jugs full of something like herb tea, use them to keep the coolers cool, and have a tasty cold drink as they melted.
Yep, and if it's REALLY stinking hot you take a fan (they come battery powered as well as electric, for cheap) and blow those across the frozen jugs. Though for me that's less camping hack and more the AC or electricity is out hack.1 -
wunderkindking wrote: »An aside to the discussion: Occasionally, we used to car-camp at more standard sort of campgrounds, with showers and coolers & stuff, just to cheap out vs. hotels. First, I learned that blocks of ice work better in coolers (last longer, keeping things cool vs. cubes) . . . then it occurred to me that I could advance-freeze cleaned plastic milk jugs full of something like herb tea, use them to keep the coolers cool, and have a tasty cold drink as they melted.
Yep, and if it's REALLY stinking hot you take a fan (they come battery powered as well as electric, for cheap) and blow those across the frozen jugs. Though for me that's less camping hack and more the AC or electricity is out hack.
Yuppers. My *house*, before AC.
(And my then 17 y/o cat licking the ice jug.)2 -
I'm camping as I type this. I pre-planned meals and brought snacks like popcorn, rice crackers with melted cheese (kind of a lo-cal take on nachos), cut up veggies, etc. I don't get as many steps as I do when I'm at home but I still manage around 13,000. I've done some yoga, gone for walks with the dog, and ran.
Two years ago we did a three-month RV trip across Canada and at the end of it I had only gained 4 pounds. I was pretty pleased with that because I sampled wines and ciders from coast to coast, plus I was on a search for the best cinnamon bun (Maple Creek, Saskatchewan and Alma, New Brunswick tied, if anyone is interested). I took resistance bands and tubes instead of my dumbells, I had my yoga mat, and I walked and/or ran every day. I ate pretty much the same type of meals as I did at home and the only time we ate out was on the east coast (scallops, lobster, and mussels!)
I see two options for camping: either eat the same way you do at home, but with a couple of camping type treats in the mix. Or view it like a holiday and accept that you'll gain a couple of pounds that will drop off when you get back to your regular routine. That last strategy might not work if you have several trips planned though. To me, the worst scenario would be to have a free- for-all for the entire summer, but it doesn't sound like that's your intention, so that's good news
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You’re in for a real treat! Banff and Jasper are beautiful. I did an RV trip there a few years ago with my mum and brother. I remember good coffee every morning but don’t really recall what we did for food! I think we just bought food at grocery stores when we came across them and stocked our fridge and cooked a lot so pretty healthy simple food.0
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I am posting this here because this thread is why I did it.
i actually - loosely (no weighing just package serving sizes) - tracked my calories today and fairly accurately tracked my exercise for the day.
I *ate* about 2200 calories, the bulk of it in carbs and with high sodium. That's about 400 my usual maintenance. But I BURNED about 900. Leaving me with a bog standard 500 cal deficit in spite of the lack of concern/focus on things.
weird.
Cool! but weird.
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NorthCascades wrote: »I guess people approach camping differently.
My version is hiking 5 to 10 miles with everything you need in your backpack, sleeping on the dirt wearing all your clothes, pouring boiling water into a bag of gruel if you want to be fancy, and pooping in a hole in the ground.
My mom had one of these types of camping trips planned in 2012. (There was a tent involved though.) She was 74 at the time. It was cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy and not rescheduled. Last fall we cleaned out her attic and got rid of her camping stuff. I think I was sadder than she was.
I backpacked as a kid but was never drawn to it as an adult. I did sleep in a tent for most of two years in upstate New York 2002-2004, including most of the winters. Winter tenting = best sleep of my life!2 -
Just another camping variation: I used to do a lot of canoe-camping with portages, week or 10 days at a time away from car/roads/stores, and took a lot of hippie-esque food that was *heavy* (think bulgar wheat with seasonings & protein, and that sort of thing). No refrigeration, no conveniences, but if you only have to carry it for a couple of miles or so at a time, it works. 😉 Burns plenty calories paddling/portaging for hours, too.
To me, a lot of the point of camping was getting to be places where one couldn't be in any other mode. If I'm gonna stay in civilization rather than backwoods, hotels are fine. But, I may be biased by having grown up in the country, where we didn't have to camp because the house was in nicer woods than most campgrounds . . . and I still live in a "more trees than people" setting these days, too.
I did the canoeing/portaging/camping thing for two weeks in Quebec the summer I was 14. It was amazing!
Calorie dense food was a priority. All I specifically remember was peanut butter and chocolate.4 -
kshama2001 wrote: »Just another camping variation: I used to do a lot of canoe-camping with portages, week or 10 days at a time away from car/roads/stores, and took a lot of hippie-esque food that was *heavy* (think bulgar wheat with seasonings & protein, and that sort of thing). No refrigeration, no conveniences, but if you only have to carry it for a couple of miles or so at a time, it works. 😉 Burns plenty calories paddling/portaging for hours, too.
To me, a lot of the point of camping was getting to be places where one couldn't be in any other mode. If I'm gonna stay in civilization rather than backwoods, hotels are fine. But, I may be biased by having grown up in the country, where we didn't have to camp because the house was in nicer woods than most campgrounds . . . and I still live in a "more trees than people" setting these days, too.
I did the canoeing/portaging/camping thing for two weeks in Quebec the summer I was 14. It was amazing!
Calorie dense food was a priority. All I specifically remember was peanut butter and chocolate.
I wish that I had the skills/confidence to solo, or had a compatible (platonic) canoe camping partner. I really miss these trips, especially come Fall. Late spouse was a much, much better canoeist than I, plus much stronger generally. I trusted him in the backwoods implicitly, as a partner. These trips always strengthened our bond, our appreciation for each other.
I have a suitable solo tripping/expedition canoe, around 40 pounds, that I can carry by myself . . . not so sure about big, hilly portage distance, or leaping from boulder to boulder with the boat as a funny hat? That's not even thinking about the risk of broken bones falling off a slippery split-log "bridge" through a bog, or something like that, which I've had close calls with in the past. Maybe I should be braver, but atm solo scares me too much, appealing though it is.
Still, if I could sit one more time at the Big Thunder Lake campsite, feeling like I was perched in the woodsy semi-silence at the top of the watershed . . . !2 -
We have an RV. I find I have the same problem. There is something about camping and overeating that go together.
Last summer I was determined to not gain weight over the summer and I was successful for the first time ever.
What I did:
- stuck with my normal ‘at home’ breakfast. Which for me is 1 tbsp each of chia, hemp, flax 30 grams of Dorset cereal and 170 grams of Greek yoghurt
- Ate garden salad everyday at dinner
- Had veggies or fruit for evening snack
- Drinking water, water, water — no alcohol
- Reduce sugary snacks — I couldn’t (didn’t want to) eliminate all sugary snacks, but I did intentionally pack less than previous years.
Good luck0 -
For me, camping means I'm a bit short of money or there's no hotel near where I am. Pop up ultralight tent, I'm bound to have a thermos of hot water and a pack of dehydrated meal. Or just something I bought along the way while driving around. Not too keen on sleeping in a tent (side sleeper, and wide hip bones!), but for those rare occasions it's ok. I also use these meals if I'm fairly sure I might not be able to get something out and about or it's not to my taste. Used one when hiking Ben Nevis, some hikes in Zion NP, and will use 1-2 on Iceland soon.0
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This is something unbelievable, in due course of camping you gained weight. I think you are taking too much rest after having your meals, do a little bit of walk post meals0
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This is something unbelievable, in due course of camping you gained weight. I think you are taking too much rest after having your meals, do a little bit of walk post meals
A little walk does not lead to magical calorie burns. Being in a calorie deficit does. However, all sorts of reasons can lead to calorie gain, including water weight gain which might be brought on by traveling, by stress, by eating more salt, by new type of exercise, by not sleeping so well, etc.0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »Just another camping variation: I used to do a lot of canoe-camping with portages, week or 10 days at a time away from car/roads/stores, and took a lot of hippie-esque food that was *heavy* (think bulgar wheat with seasonings & protein, and that sort of thing). No refrigeration, no conveniences, but if you only have to carry it for a couple of miles or so at a time, it works. 😉 Burns plenty calories paddling/portaging for hours, too.
To me, a lot of the point of camping was getting to be places where one couldn't be in any other mode. If I'm gonna stay in civilization rather than backwoods, hotels are fine. But, I may be biased by having grown up in the country, where we didn't have to camp because the house was in nicer woods than most campgrounds . . . and I still live in a "more trees than people" setting these days, too.
I did the canoeing/portaging/camping thing for two weeks in Quebec the summer I was 14. It was amazing!
Calorie dense food was a priority. All I specifically remember was peanut butter and chocolate.
My son and I are doing an 8-day float through BWCA in Minnesota/Ontario in late July. Can't wait! Although there will be fish involved in the diet as well.
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. . . then it occurred to me that I could advance-freeze cleaned plastic milk jugs full of something like herb tea, use them to keep the coolers cool, and have a tasty cold drink as they melted.
An added benefit of doing this is not having your food get soaked by melting ice water. This technique also works for afternoon outings to the beach or sports field.
@YellowD0gs I remember vividly the best meal I ever had camping was following a day of whitewater rafting, we threw out lines to catch wild salmon and roasted them immediately with wild potatoes and onions we dug up from the riverside. Even without butter, salt and all the other spices, the combination of fresh food plus exertion from the rafting provided all the flavor boost needed to make the meal so memorable, I can still taste it when I close my eyes over twenty years later!4
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