Growing up camping has always been exciting to me, there is something about getting away from the rat race of city life & setting up your home in the elements of nature, where everyday is an adventure! Setting up camp is critical when it comes to preparing yourself for the element of surprise, nature has a way of dishing out the weather in all forms, from rain to storms of the worst kind..... to assure you have the right gear to hold up to the elements will provide the protection needed to enjoy the great outdoors! here are a couple ideas to keep in mind when choosing the right gear, let's begin with the arrival to your campsite, if possible choose to pitch your tent on higher level ground to reduce the chance of waking up surrounded by water. Positioning a ground sheet under your tent to serve as added floor protection and also keeps the underside of your tent cleaner when packing up. Screen tents provide shade on hot sunny days and with the no-see-um mesh keeps unwanted guests out, providing a bug free enviroment when eating or to just hang out. Once you have covered the main essentials for camp set up you then can focus on what you can do to provide maximum comfort inside, sleeping bags play an import role when it comes to a restful nights sleep, selecting the right temerature rating will help when choosing the right sleeping bag for you. Temperature ratings are achieved not only by the amount and type of fill but also by the heat that is generated by your body when inside the sleeping bag, based on the outside temperature a general rule of thumb is to select a sleeping bag that is 10-15 degrees lower than what the average temperature is in your area, you can add additional warmth by simply adding a liner inside your sleeping bag to raise your body temperature. Lastly, camping cots provide elevated comfort by keeping you off the ground for maximum comfort regardless of the conditions.