Camping tips?

[NJ Camper]

Otter lake is a nice camp also there is some stuff in that area to do there is a pocono candle place not far if you like that type of thing and in the office you should find more info on things in the area if you want to go i believe there is a go cart track not far also and if you like to fish the fishing there is great good luck and have fun

[NJ Camper]

Oh yeah one more thing watch on the way in the road is narrow in spots and alot of turns and hills and the driveway to the camp sneaks up on you

[Ed]

That road is pretty twisty-turny; just take your time and you'll be okay. The campground is almost exactly 7 miles after you pass the Marshall Creek firehouse.

Maryanne, I really don't think you can go wrong with Otter Lake. I really think your entire group will like the place. If there are any fishermen (or fisherladies) in the group, the lake offers some great bass fishing.

But most of all, try hard to go into it with an open mind and positive attitude. If you EXPECT it to be bad, it probably will be. Trust me. Been there, done that!

[PirateLover]

Maryanne, I really don't think you can go wrong with Otter Lake. I really think your entire group will like the place. If there are any fishermen (or fisherladies) in the group, the lake offers some great bass fishing.

But most of all, try hard to go into it with an open mind and positive attitude. If you EXPECT it to be bad, it probably will be. Trust me. Been there, done that!

Thank you Ed. We are going to discuss everything this weekend. I am starting to get excited. I just want to go to a nice place. Otter Lake seems to be a nice middle ground to me. My fiancee does love to fish so I've been telling him about the fishing (I read it online). Another great thing is that you don't need a permit to fish there. As the days go by my reservations are being replaces by tempered excitement... No matter what I will try to have a positive attitude and make the best of it!

[PirateLover]

Well I thought I'd report back on my eventful weekend.
4 of us took the trip to Cabela's in PA on Sat. WOW what a place. We didn't end up buying much, but it was so cool. I got a pair of hiking boots, John got a hand axe, and our friends got a king size air mattress for $50.

After that we decided to check out Otter Lake and Camp Taylor. Otter Lake was definitely nice. Everyone liked it, but there was one major problem... the tent sites were extremely small, basically on top of each other, and filled with gravel. Everyone pretty much vetoed immediately, and we were all a little disappointed. After that it was a 20 min. drive over the Delaware Water Gap to NJ to check out Camp Taylor. It seemed shady and the guy didn't even let us go back and look at the sites. Also he kept emphasizing how strict they were and that it was a family site...basically we felt like we weren't welcomed, so we left.

We stopped at two other extremely shady looking places and then went home. We drove over 300 miles and while we saw some beautiful scenery, especially crossing the water gap, the day was a bust in regards to finding a camp site.

Sunday we looked at sites closer to home, mostly in Woodstown and Monroeville NJ areas. The last place we looked at was the one we decided on- Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park at Tall Pines in Elmer, NJ. The tent sites have electric, water and cable hookups, and are big enough to fit 3 tents on one site. The sites were cheap enough that we got two so we could park our cars on the other one and have more space. They have a fishing pond, a pool, and a great general store. Also there aren't very many seasonal spots so it seemed a little nicer looking than a lot of the other places. The bathrooms were OK... the one that will be closest to us has two single "family" restrooms and the showers are in the same room so it could get a little backed up but they were clean. Overall I am very happy with this site and looking forward to camping in a little over a month! Johns dad is now buying the entire tent. We are ordering the WestWind from Cabela's. I just places an order with Avon and got their bug spray... wish me luck everyone!

[drummerboy]

Aren't you glad I put you over here in the camper forum? sounds like things are coming together for you. Having been raised in Pitman, I can't believe they've put a campground over in Elmer.

Camping out can be a whole lot of fun, and it sounds like your group should do a good job of making it a good trip. Good luck.

[PirateLover]

Aren't you glad I put you over here in the camper forum?

Yes, thank you!

sounds like things are coming together for you. Having been raised in Pitman, I can't believe they've put a campground over in Elmer.

I don't know much about the area. There were a lot of campgrounds in the surrounding area though. We had a GPS and we were just following it around the area as it listed camp sites for us since we weren't familiar with it. It is very rural, though there seems to be a lot of new construction. I'm pretty sure that it's a fairly new campground.

[Janmac]

I've been busy and have just found this thread. As Drummerboy may be able to tell you we (me and the frog in my throat) are crazy insane obsessive planners when it comes to camping. Also, I can not be brief.

Since you have a GPS, you may want to do some geocaching while you're camping. If you're not familiar with this do a search on geocache. Like geo-cash. The main website which is something like geocache dot com, has all sorts of info to help you get started.

Basically it's a treasure hunt with a GPS. If you leave something in the cache you can take something with you. When we would geocache with our grandkids they would leave Mardi Gras beads which our granddaughter brought from Louisiana. We don't seem to geocache except when camping.

And a word about campground showers which usually don't have any ledges, shelves, hooks or other handy stuff. After much frustration, we developed the shower bag, which is a net bag, like maybe fruit comes in. We laced a shoelace (for want of a better choice) around the top, tying it twice so that it has a loop to hang from the shower control, but you can still open the top to get in the bag.

Then, in the 'boys' bag we have a shampoo bottle and a liquid body wash bottle (being easier than the old bar soap and box routine). The 'girls' bag has the same stuff and conditioner and whatever else is needed in the shower. Since there is usually no place to put these things - like a shelf - having the bag hanging someplace in the shower handy. Makes things easy to use and there are fewer things left in the shower.

As the rubbermaid boxes are a good idea, one dedicated shower bag/container which has shower shoes (simple flip flops or slides), your net bag, towel, lotion, brush, toothbrush/paste, etc, is very handy.

It's things like the handy shower bag that make camping more fun and less frustrating. That and a comfortable chair.

If we can have a campfire - not always allowed at campgrounds - we generally don't need anything else for entertainment. Even tho you have a fire going, you may still want a warm sweatshirt or jacket with hood. After a warm day, with hiking or other activities, sometimes sitting around the campfire can be very chilly.

Jan

[PirateLover]

I
Since you have a GPS, you may want to do some geocaching while you're camping. If you're not familiar with this do a search on geocache. Like geo-cash. The main website which is something like geocache dot com, has all sorts of info to help you get started.

I've heard the term before but I've never looked into it. I think this could be fun! Thanks.

And a word about campground showers which usually don't have any ledges, shelves, hooks or other handy stuff. After much frustration, we developed the shower bag, which is a net bag, like maybe fruit comes in. We laced a shoelace (for want of a better choice) around the top, tying it twice so that it has a loop to hang from the shower control, but you can still open the top to get in the bag.

What a great idea. I think I have something that could be perfect for this. That is definitely something that would frustrate me, seeing as how both John and I have a lot of shower toiletries.

If we can have a campfire - not always allowed at campgrounds - we generally don't need anything else for entertainment.

This is one thing I'm used to! Our friend has a fire pit in his backyard and we've spent many a night cozied up to the flames shooting the breeze. This site does allow campfires, although they have to be contained within the fire ring they provide (one of those truck tire things). This is the one part I'm old hat at

[jonahbear2006]

Aluminum Foil. Take a roll of it. It is good for so many things. For the obvious,making campfire sandwiches, corn, or any kind of food, but also if you want a fire and it is raining you can make a tent for your fire out of sticks and aluminum foil.
Rope and clothes pins. you need somethign to hang wet clothes, towels, washcloths on.
We pack everything in plastic drawers in the trunk, labeled. Nothing like always searching for something when you are camping.
Buy something to put your bathroom supplies in so they are always ready to take down to the bathroom.
Rain Repellent spray. All tents, new or old, need to be sprayed with this in order to keep your tent from getting soaked from rain and dew. (keep your windows open at night. it actually keeps your tent warmer because moisture makes a tent cold and you need to let your body heat circulate. Otherwise you will wake up in a wet tent)
Door mat. You need something to place outside of your tent to step on.
Ponchos. very cheap but can be a great asset in camping. We have never used ours but still carry them j.in.c.
I agree with getting a tarp but we don't use it for the top. We put it underneath because you get mud and junk all over the tent bottom and this will be folded back into your tent if you dont have something between the tent and the ground.
I camped for most of my life, starting at 5 years old. These tips go on and on; get a good book from the library or half.com on all of this. You will be happier if you go with everything you need and the electricity can be done without. I have NEVER experienced camping in electricity till Disney 07, and I am 28.....it is a luxury but it is also night to have no lights from time to time.
Have a great trip!