We came across this wonderful video by TSO Photography while trawling t’internet… It shows stunning views of El Teide, Spain’s highest mountain, that we just couldn’t resist ourselves from sharing it with our readers.
After watching this, I’m sure you’ll agree that the Great Outdoors is a majestic place to be…
So, what you waiting for, put down that TV remote and X-Box controller, pack up your camping tent and sleeping bag and get yourself out there this summertime… Let Nature entertain you…
Spare a thought for 65-year-old Gord Shurvell who, while on a fishing and camping trip at Dunbar Lake in Eastern Ontario, Canada, was caught short at their cabin retreat and headed to the Outhouse in the woods.
While Gord was sitting on the throne, a Black Bear pushed open the outhouse door and grabbed his pants that were down around Gord’s ankles. The bear dragged Gord for about 50 feet, and the 65 year old Grandfather feared the worst.
Luckily for Gord, his friend, Daniel Alexander, heard the screams and grabbed his rifle while running outside… Alexander shot the bear dead… His quick actions ultimately saved Shurvell’s life.
I guess this is the type of story you won’t find Disney’s ‘Pooh Bear’ acting out down in Hundred Acre Wood!
Since 2005, Harewood House just North of Leeds has hosted one of the most vibrant, fun loving festivals – yet, only a minority of people know of its existence… I’m talking about the VW Festival where for a few days in August, Volkswagen lovers, old and new, descend on this part of North Yorkshire to go bananas over Herbie lookalikes.
If you’re an avid reader of our Blog, then you’ll know that we like to highlight festivals not just fully focussed on music and the VW Festival ticks all the right boxes.
The 2012 VW Festival has extended its camping night to include Friday night as well as Saturday. The full weekend show offers trade stands, VW club stands, a live graffiti display, live bands, fun fair and loads of entertainment for the kids.
Last year there were just short of 10,000 people visited the VW Festival, not all camping though as a good majority of the crowd opt for the day pass option.
There is a family friendly campsite, separate from the main campsite, where the rules are a bit stricter, obviously, as it is for families only. Why not set-up with our very own VW Camper lifesize tent to get really in the party atmosphere.
Tickets for the VW Festival are really affordable with a Weekend Ticket (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) setting an Adult back just £35. Weekend tickets for kids aged 13 – 16 years will cost £20 and children Under 13 are FREE!
You can of-course opt for a Day Ticket and this will cost £12 for an Adult, £6 for 13-16 year olds and again kids Under 13 get in for FREE!
The VW Festival encourages all those visiting to dress up in fancy dress – the theme for the 2012 VW Festival is Beach! Think dodgy Hawiian shirts, flowery bermuda shorts and open toed sanadals (socks are optional).
For more information, please see the official VW Festival website : www.vwfestival.co.uk
We all love getting something for nothing and here at Sleeping Bag Suits HQ we are no different. This is why we are currently running a FREE gift giveaway for every Musuc Bag Classic ordered through our website!!!
That’s right, order a Musuc Bag Classic today and you’ll receive a FREE Camping BBQ worth £24.99 with every order…
Wait! There’s more… If you order 2 Musuc Bag Classics we’ll give you a FREE Camping BBQ plus a Camping Kettle
What you waiting for? Get your Musuc Bag ordered today and get these FREE gifts as well!
If your off camping, hiking or even festival going this summer then you’ll know that the experience is always much better if you’ve got the latest gadgets packed away in your rucksack.
GPS, smart mobile phones, Gameboys etc… Are sewn into the fabric of modern day living and just because you’re going ‘roughing it‘ for a couple of days doesn’t mean your beloved gadgets have to be left behind.
Au contraire, dear readers… Camping is so evolved that most ‘outdoorsy types’ will already have their very own off grid power solution stuffed inside their pack.
It doesn’t matter if it’s solar, wind, battery or good old elbow grease power… Camping power chargers are valuable commodities to keeping your gadgets functioning and they can be life savers too!
Here we look at some of the best outdoor power solutions on the market today…
The PowerPot
To put it simply, The PowerPot charges your USB devices, power lights, iPods, smart phones etc.. while heating up a pot of water.
These thermoelectric cooking pots capture the electric current that is formed when a hot and cold source give off a temperature gradient like when cold water is heat up over a warm stove.
The electrical current given off when a temperature gradient happens is captured by PowerPot’s unique and innovative, flame-resistant USB cable, which is then used to charge or run electrical devices.
The Camping Power Station
This compact device carries enough power source to jump start your car (it comes with built in jump leads), easily charge your smart phones or plugin in your laptop.
The Camping Power Station is charged by dynamo, AC (230V) or DC (12V) and has a built in torch (1W)… It also comes with its own wind-up handle in case of emergencies – so you can turn that wrist and elbow action into some much needed voltage for your gadgets.
Portable Solar Power Systems
Okay, I’m talking about the kind of portable solar power system here you could easily carry on your backpack NOT the type that is rooted on top of a caravan or trailer.
Portable solar power systems for outdoor camping need to be lightweight, flexible enough to fold away, robust and to a high degree – waterproof.
These types of outdoor camping power solutions are extremely expensive, you might not get much change from £500, however, you can buy smaller solar kits that will charge just a small mobile for around £50.
Wind Powered Camping Charger
Mobile phone company, Orange, have been developing prototypes for wind powered chargers for several years now.
They’ve got the basics almost sewn up and have been happy with tests with their catchy named Gotwind.
The Gotwind portable charger weighs just 150g and can emit charges to smart phones – digital cameras, ipods, mobile internet consoles, hand held GPS units etc…
Unfortunately, the Gotwind is not commercially available yet.
Flash mobs are an off-spin from our social media age, groups of people gather quickly in a designated area, ‘do something’ then disperse as quickly as they arrived. Normally, flash mobs arise from Facebook or Twitter, sometimes they’re even organised by advertising brands as a form of guerilla marketing.
However, from the culture of flash mobs, some gatherings have proved popular and are now turning into annual events held throughout towns and cities across the world.
One gathering, which has caught the imagination of many is the Zombie Walk!
The Zombie Walk events, which were first popular in America have spread across the pond and are now becoming more frequent in the UK and mainland Europe. They’ve even spawned off-shoots such as Zombie Pub Crawls.
Zombies Like Guinness
These Zombie Walks now have their own Guinness World Record as to how many zombies join in with the ‘walk’ or ‘crawl’. The first attempt back in 2006 attracted 894 people outside a Mall (of-course) in Pittsburgh, USA.
Since then many cities across the world have held that ‘prestigious’ Guinness World Record for the biggest Zombie Walk including Brisbane, Australia and Nottingham in the UK.
Dublin, New York and Long Beach, California all held Zombie Walks with crowds of zombies estimated to be around 8,000-10,000. But none of them was officialy recognised by Guiness.
In November last year, Mexico claimed the official Guiness World Record for the most zombies in a Zombie Walk – 9,806 to be exact!
Zombies The Future
As the Zombie Walk events continue to grow (doubling in size almost yearly) – organisers look to campsites to help offer cheaper accomodation for those who wish to participate in the fun.
At Sleeping Bag Suits we stock a large selection of tents, camping gear, sleeping bags and our world famous Musuc Bags – even the undead like to keep warm and snug at night!
Tips To Become A Realistic Zombie
Zombies like make-up, so take pride in applying your ghoulish look – do it right – do it for the screams.
Get your Zombie Walk down to a tee, remember Zombies don’t do swaggers nor do they walk with their hands stuffed in their pockets. Leg dragging is good, outstretched arms also hit the right note but not too Mummy or Frankensteinesque… Your a Zombie! You live(?) For Brains.
Zombies don’t talk, they groan, moan and make a lot of gargling noises… Remember try to stay in character during the course of the whole Zombie Walk… Go knock them dead!
The great outdoors is a wonderful place to experience but sometimes accidents can happen – from bad falls to allergic reactions – Mother Nature can be quite severe on us – but she can also provide a remedy close at hand.
Treat A Campfire Burn
Firstly, let us start off by stating that all campfire burns should be treated as serious when camping/hiking in the wilderness to avoid the burn turning infectious.
Administer some pain relief, such as ibuprofen, if you have it available. Treat the burn by running it under cold water for 5-10 minutes – if you’re nowhere near a water source then wrap the burn in a damp compress for around the same time.
If the burn blisters, do not burst them, rather apply honey to the blisters to protect from infection. Try to keep any dressing from getting wet again to stop infection. Seel proper medical help immediately.
Insect Bites and Wasp or Bee Stings
Best advice is not to scratch the bite or sting (no matter how much you might want to) if you have been stung then try to remove the stinger with a sharp knife. To help relief itching and discomfort apply a cold compress or cover the stinged area with mud or rub with dandelion sap.
Sunburn/Sunstroke
The best type of treatment for sunburn is prevention – don’t forget to apply sunscreen – receiving sunburn in the wilderness can be lethal – most experts advise not to burst areas that blister in the wilderness as this can enhance infection.
Best to be prepared for most accidents that happen when hiking/camping. Pack a well-stocked first aid kit and at least include the essentials : bandages and gauze; antiseptic creams and ointments; sterile wipes; pain killers; tweezers, scissors, knife and sunburn relief spray.
Image courtesy of www.theultimatehang.com
So you’ve heard all the hype surrounding Hammock Camping and bought into the claims that “Once you’ve spent time sleeping in a hammock you’ll never go back to tent camping“… And you decide you’re going to give it a go!
But before you head off into the woods to find a couple of trees to hang your Hammock from – consider this… The biggest problem with Hammock Camping is not staying comfortable, nor is it the fear of falling out of your Hammock… But the problem most rookies experience when first trying out Hammock Camping is actually staying warm!
For those who have been Hammock Camping before they even have a phrase coined for those that complain about the lack of warmth – Cold Butt Syndrome!
Actually, there’s a pretty straight-forward way to fight against Cold Butt Syndrome and that’s insulation.
Normally, a good sleeping bag will do the trick, however, in some instances even this is not enough. Foam pads can be used to warm your derriere or you could purchase a Musuc Bag Suit which are made from special a Polyester Diamond lining that can keep you warm and comfortable in extreme tempratures of -14.
There are plenty of Pros and Cons of Hammock Camping just like everyday Tent Camping – it’s not for everyone and sometimes you might find your carrying more weight in your backpack than you would if you were pitching a tent – that said, if you never give it a go how will you ever know!
Image courtesy of astronomycentral.co.uk
Popularity in Stargazing has seen sales in Telescopes and Binoculars rocket over the last few years – Amazon reported a 500% increase in telescope sales when the popular BBC TV show Stargazing Live aired a few months back!
Of-course, heading out into the backdoor to peer at Stars trillions of miles away when you live in a built-up area has it’s drawbacks. Light pollution is the star gazers enemy! That and cloudy conditions…
Remoteness is key if you’re going stellar sightseeing, far away from the glare of street lights of built up areas.
There is also another problem when it comes to being out and about under clear skies at night – and that’s keeping warm!
Wearing plenty of layers of clothing helps to keep you warm, get yourself a cosy hat to wear also and make sure your footwear is watertight as fields can get quite dewey during the nightitme. Packing some warm drinks to keep you going is a must!
However, there is another way to keeping warm while stargazing and you can save yourself a small fortune from accumulating all the additional clothing into the bargain…. Especially, if you’re going to be going stargazing frequently. A Musuc Bag is ideal for stargazing – it keeps you warm (even in extreme temperatures of -9 with the Musuc Bag Classic) and has great mobility – so you can be up and about in a flash when that constellation you’ve been waiting about all night for comes into view.