How to Make a Sleeping Bag and Other Homemade Camping Gear

Camping is a wonderful way to "get back to nature". Millions of people spend a night, weekends, or even weeks at a time exploring the woods and the forests that make up this great nation of ours. If you're a seasoned camper that loves to sleep under the stars, you probably already own everything you need to go camping. But, if you're a "greenhorn" and have never camped before, you probably don't have a clue what the basics are that you need. Don't worry about running up your credit card at the local camping store. Instead, in a pinch, or if you want to try camping out first before you spend a lot of money on supplies, simply learn how to make homemade camping gear.

You'll basically want to take a tent, sleeping bag, a lantern, some cooking utensils, a rain coat, and a container to carry water in. Put some medium-size waterproof tarps, long and short posts, and a roll of heavy duty string or twine in the car, and you can make your homemade tent once you get to the campground.

To erect your tent when the time comes, place two tarps on the ground alongside each other. Lift up both of the corner ends and slide their grommets over a long post. Place the end of the post deep in the dirt. Do this again with the middle part of the tarps. Then, raise up the other end of your homemade tent in the same manner.

Now, use lengths of the string or twine to fasten the grommets to the long posts. You'll need to use the short posts to secure the sides of the tent to the ground. Grab a handy rock and position the posts along the sides of the tent: one in the front, middle, and back. Use the rock to hammer each post down. Then, use more lengths of string or twine to tie the grommets in the tarps to the short posts. For your homemade camping gear to stand up properly, you'll need to tie the string or twine so the tarps are pulled taut. Use additional string or twine and run it through the grommets in the top of the tent. Tie it off securely so the top is completely closed.