I make a bunch of these in the Fall when I am making candles for gifts. I sue the left over wax for making these fire starters and citronella candles.

Making your own firestarters is very easy. You don;t need and candle making supplies- stuff you have hanging around in your kitchen will be fine. The only thing you may need to buy is some cedar chips ( can buy at any pet store or department store it is used as bedding for hamsters, etc) . Get a small bag- a little goes a LONG way.

Here are supplies:

Wax ( you can use canning was i.e. paraffin wax available at grocery store, old candles, cehap dollar store candles or buy at craft supply store. If you have a choice get wax meant for pillar or votive and not container wax)

Double boiler or similar. If you have old metal coffee can use this. You are going to melt wax and add wood chips and is messy. If you have an old pot or metal coffee can this would be good to use.

Cedar chips or similar. ( some people will also use dryer lint or shredded paper)

Optional: very small paper cups, cardboard egg cartons or large ketchup cups found at fast food restaurants.

1. Melt the was on your stove top. Do not do this without double boiler- never have pot with wax on direct heat. Keep on eye on wax so it doesn’t get too hot- when it is melted and clear you are good to go.

2. Add wood shaving/lint/paper and stir. You Will need to act fast so wax doesn’t harden. Add enough so material is pretty much covered.

3. You can just put blob on cookie sheets and use just as is. I find this messy. I prefer to put into egg cartons and cut up. Also can can spoon into ketchup containers.

4. Done!

All you have to do is light with match when you are starting a fire. these work better than any fire starter I have ever bought.
I keep in ziplock bag.

If you are using as fire starter for your fireplace I would add more material to wax- too much wax can cause creosote buildup in your fireplace liner.

Also- do NOT dispose of old wax or melted was down your drain. It will clog.

Posted by admin as Camping Advice and Camping Tips, Camping Recipes, General Camping at 11:49 AM EDT

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I am not a big fan of sprays like DEET and one of my kids is quite allergic to bug bites and we tray and and prevent the bites from happening.

Here are some ways to keep bugs ants, mosquitoes and ants out of your trailer when camping .

Prevention:
-Keep doors shut. Check openings and zippers to make sure they are closed tightly. I do this when we set up. You can check at night by walking around pop up trailer and checking for light “seepage” for cracks or openings.

- Spray curtains with this recipe for natural mosquito repellent.

-Keep lights off in the trailer as much as possible and when on on use on low setting.

- Limit going in and out and in out of trailer in evenings- tweens and teens seem to “need” to go in and out constantly. Surefire way to get lots of bugs inside your trailer.

- Citronella is a good line of defense. Have Tiki torches or citronella candles around the door to trailer. Some people use incense but I have never found this effective. Here is how to Make Your Own Citronella Candles for Camping
- Don’t use air fresheners in trailer- anything that “smells nice” will attract mosquitoes.

- Not as much fun but turn off your “party” lights- they attract LOTS of bugs.

- Keep ant traps in the trailer if ants are a problem. We had a problem with them on a long stay in Florida one year.

- Fans IN your trailer. We use a desk fan in bug season- the moving air keeps bugs away. The small little fans do not work that well.
- On our Fleetwood Sun Valley we have an add-a-room. We have actually never ised it but I would put it up right away if we went camping in black fly season.

Posted by admin as Camping Advice and Camping Tips, Camping and Mosquitoes at 10:27 PM EDT

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we have an Atwood heater in out Fleetwood pop-up.. We have had problems right from the get go with it. I have had constant troubles getting the furnace to “catch” finally I took it into our dealer ( and yes- just AFTER our warranty ran out).

The problem was a faulty propane gas pressure gage. Cost 180.00 to fix. OUCH. why oh why didn’t I take it in before warranty ran out. Argh. The symptoms were the pilot was on and I could here it click- several time trying to light,. Blower was on. Sometimes it would catch. Toward the end- could not get it to catch at all.

I also have troubles with it tripping- seems to get too hot and will shut off in middle of the night.
we had a near fire with ceramic heater with kids/sleeping bag and no way will I use or recommend an electric heater for a pop up or tent. One way to go is with a heated mattress pad or electric blanket ( put blanket under you - heat rises.)

Posted by admin as Camping Advice and Camping Tips, Heating and Cooling at 6:17 PM EST

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Bill Johns’ Excellent Motorcycle Camping Guide Offers all kinds of advice and tips for camping with a motorcycle.
He offers advice on what to pack when camping with just a motorcycle to haul all your gear, types of storage equipment for your bike, food and everything else you can think of ( or not!) to pack . He offers his camping advice in a humorous and laid back style- very easy to read and chocked full of info. A must read if you have ever considered camping with your motorcycle.( Which to me sounds like FUN!) maybe when kids are grown we can give it whirl.

Posted by admin as Camping Advice and Camping Tips, Camping Equipment and Reviews, General Camping at 1:18 AM EDT

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Amaze Your Friends and Family with these cool campfire trick- You can create some really neat special effects with some common and not so common- household chemicals.

To add to fire- Use duct tape lay a piece of duct tape out- about a 3-4″ strip- put a few spoonful of ONE chemical of your choice on the tape and fold over- making sure edges are sealed. DO NOT MIX THESE CHEMICALS- EVER!!!!!
When ready to add to fire- just toss the whole packet in

Copper Chloride : makes a BLUE flame, Can be found at Fire Work chemical companies- my favourite is SkyLighter.com

Borax : Light yellow-Green Flame (but this at any supermarket in laundry section)

Copper Sulfate: makes a green flame in campfire. Buy in pool/spa chemical store or Fireplace store.

Lithium Chloride: bright pink/red flame . Can buy here http://secure.sciencecompany.com/Strontium-Chloride-100g-P15973C672.aspx

Salt Peter:(potassium nitrate).For a violet-purple flame.

Epsom salt(Magnesium Sulfate}makes a bight white flame in campfires- buy pretty much anywhere.

Strontium Chloride: makes red flame in campfire. Stores specializing in fireworks chemicals.
also here : http://secure.sciencecompany.com/Strontium-Chloride-100g-P15973C672.aspx

Potassium Chloride: makes a deep purple flame in campfire. Sold as a water softener salt and starter fertilizer in most gardening sections..

Alum (thallium): a nice bright green flame in campfire. Used for pickling but can also buy cheap at drugstore- ask pharmacist.

Calcium Chloride : nice blue flame - is sold commercially as the product ” Damp-Rid” to get rid of moisture.

Table Salt (sodium chloride)- make an orange flame.

Boric Acid - deep red flame. Buy at any pharmacy.

Posted by admin as Camping Advice and Camping Tips, Camping Recipes, Camping with Kids, General Camping, Great Camping Crafts at 6:58 PM EDT

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Use a standard garden hose quick connects. I fiddle quite a bit trying to attach hose to the trailer and this makes a big difference. You still need to screw valve onto campground water supply but late at night after a long drive- anything to make life a little easier

Posted by admin as Camping Advice and Camping Tips, General Camping at 11:06 PM EDT

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First off- when your trailer is level stick on set of permanent levels to the front and side of your trailer. You won;t have to guess if your trailer is level. Levelling front to back is fairly easy using tongue jack - however levelling from side to side is different story. Do NOT use your stabilizing jack to level your trailer. They are not built to carry that much weight. You can crack you floor or damage your frame trying to use those jack to level your trailer .You have to have something under one of the wheels. Many people use a levelling system ( popular ones are BAL leveler and Lynx leveling) other are happy with pieces of 1″x8″ pieces of wood under the tire.

Park trailer on your site- roughly placed where you want it to go. Then put your levelling block or wood either just behind the wheel or just in front and drive you towing vehicle a bit forward or behind- depending where you have placed the leveling block. Recheck with your levelling tool. When level, chock the wheels, unhook, and pull ahead.

I can tell you with the BAL Leveller its is a breeze. You just place iunder the wheel and crank. Works like a dream. This is easiest. You only need one and cost is about 65.00 USD.

Posted by admin as Camping Advice and Camping Tips, General Camping at 10:49 PM EDT

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We recently encountered black bear while camping- on one occasion a large male black bear was at our campsite for a good 20 minutes. I did follow the usual advice- make lots of noise , etc. But the bear just hung around and was eating some food stolen from a nearby cooler. One of the park staff said to try and scare away a bear- but my instinct told me that coming between a animal and its food was never a good idea. The ontario governmenr has excellent information on how to handle black bears in general and what to do if you meet up with bear on your campsite.

Some of the topics covered are:
What To Do If You Encounter a Bear
Bears are normally shy of humans and quickly get out of our way when they see us. There are a number of things you can do if you spot a bear on a trail or one enters your campsite or yard.

Do not approach the bear to get a better look. Slowly back away while watching the bear and wait for it to leave.
If you are near a building or car, get inside it as a precaution. If the bear was attracted to food or garbage, make sure it is removed after the bear leaves to discourage the bear from returning.
It is important to keep dogs away from a bear. While a well-trained dog may deter a bear, a poorly trained one may only excite it resulting in the bear following the dog back to its owner.
If a bear is in a tree, leave it alone. Remove people and dogs from the area. The bear will usually come down and leave when it feels safe.
If a bear is trying to get at food in your yard or campsite (and a building or a car is not within reach) or if a bear tries to approach you, here is how you should react:

Stop. Face the bear. Do not run. If you are with others, stay together and act as a group. Make sure that the bear has a clear escape route, then yell and wave your arms to make yourself look bigger. Use a whistle or airhorn if you have one. The idea is to be aggressive and to persuade the bear to leave. This will work if the bear is still partly afraid of humans.
If these attempts fail to frighten the bear away, slowly back away watching the bear and giving it a wide berth.
Climbing a tree to get away from a bear may offer you little advantage as black bears are excellent tree climbers.
A bear may stand upright to get a better view, make huffing or “popping” sounds, swat or beat the ground with its forepaws or even bluff charge. These are a bear’s way of telling you that you are too close. Back off and give the bear more space. If the bear comes within range, use pepper spray if you have it.

How to Recognize a Potentially Dangerous Encounter

Injuries by black bears are rare, but can occur in the following situations:

Cornered bears
Black bears may become anxious or annoyed if they are crowded by people or dogs, or if intently focused on a food source. These bears will generally give many warning signs (they may make huffing or “popping” sounds, swat or beat the ground with their forepaws or even bluff charge) to let you know that you are too close.

Mother bears protecting their young
Mother bears are rarely aggressive towards humans but they are protective of their cubs. Do not test this by intentionally approaching cubs or knowingly getting between them and their mother. The mother bear will generally give you many warning signs to let you know that you are too close.

Predatory black bears
On EXTREMELY RARE occasions, black bears (usually adult males) have attacked humans with the intent to kill and eat them. This has happened about 40 times in the last century in North America (six incidents in Ontario). By comparison, many more people have been killed by lightning, dogs, and bee stings. Predatory black bears may not make huffing or “popping” sounds, swat or beat the ground with their forepaws or perform bluff charges. Instead, they may press closer and closer to their intended prey assessing whether it is safe to attack

Here is what to do if you find yourself in one of these situations.

Slowly back away, watching the bear.
If the bear tries to approach you, stop. Be aggressive, yell, throw rocks or sticks and use pepper spray if you have it. NEVER TURN AND RUN.
If the bear continues to approach you, resume backing away slowly while continuing to be aggressive towards the bear.
If a bear makes contact with you, DO NOT PLAY DEAD. Fighting back is the best chance of persuading a black bear to stop its attack. Use a large stick, a rock or anything else that you have on hand to hurt the bear.

Are Black Bears Exhibiting Increased Boldness?
Ontario’s Black Bear Population
What You Should Know About Black Bears
Bears Travel a Long Way

More Black Bear Information

Posted by admin as Camping Advice and Camping Tips, Camping and Wildlife, General Camping at 1:00 AM EDT

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