Beach Camping

What could be better than waking up at dawn to watch the sun rise over the ocean, the gentle sound of the waves waking you from a wonderful night's slumber? Beach camping is extreme fun, but it can present extreme challenges as well. With a little planning, your beach camp excursion will be a good time, and problems can be avoided.

Depending on the beach, and the season, the challenges will be different for each trip. Before setting out on your beach camping trip, do your homework and find which problems you may encounter. Some things to take into consideration include, but are not limited to: weather, lack of shade, availability of fresh water, laws and regulations for your beach of choice, restroom facilities or lack thereof, availability of ice and food, wind, and the high tide marks.

Some beaches have camping areas, and others are more remote and simply allow it, as opposed to catering to camper's needs. For the beginner, beach camping at a state park or commercial campground is probably the best idea. Most of these will have restroom facilities (not all do) and access to fresh water and ice. Do check with the campgrounds rules for fires, how close to the water line you can set up camp, swimming or fishing, and any other concerns you may have. 

Beach camping in areas with little to no shade can become extremely hot in summer months. Keep this in mind, as tarps or shade shelters can help alleviate this concern. Heat exhaustion is a real concern for the summer months. A quick dip in the water is a good way to avoid this, but may not always work. Keep hydrated, and a watchful eye for symptoms of campers getting too hot. 

Ice will melt faster in a hot camping environment, so extra care should be given to coolers in this setting. Burying your cooler half way with sand, and covering with several blankets and shade given to the whole thing will help with melting times. Having a large cooler packed with bags of ice and a small block of dry ice will help reduce trips for more ice. Dry ice will cool a little too well, so food and beverages should be kept in a smaller cooler and ice added to that as needed. 

No shower house? No problem! As long as you have access to clean water, a shower in a bag will help provide necessary hygiene. These are designed to be laid out in the sun, and within an hour or so will heat up to a shower temperature. Then they are hung and the nozzle opened for a refreshing shower. Shower stalls can also be purchased for the modest, and they set up just like a tent. This is especially important in salt water beach camping to remove salt from a dip in the ocean.

Watch for updates on camping equipment related to beach camping, as this is one of my favorite ways to camp!