Sunset goes camping: our staffers field-test tips, recipes, and gear

Sunset, May, 2003

PLUS: Best campgrounds in your area.

By the staff of sunset

Last summer, some of Sunset's editorial staff and their assorted spouses and children staged an off-site meeting, Sunset-style: We went camping in the forests of Big Basin Redwoods State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It really was work--while our staff is stacked with hardy veterans of the Outdoors, we had to pitch new tents, try out exotic gear, and attempt novel recipes on unfamiliar stoves. But all of us had the time of our lives. In these pages, we'll share advice gleaned from many years of camping, from experts, and from our "off-site"--we did learn a few lessons. And we'll make this suggestion. Summer's almost here. We've got our gear ready. We hope you do too.

Know-how Build a campfire

While the kind of fire you can build depends on your wood, the principles involved don't change. "The fire triangle is made up of three ingredients--fuel, heat, and oxygen," says Julie Sidel, interpretive specialist at Big Basin. "Folks often forget that third ingredient."

Making kindling

"Logs split into thin, flammable pieces make the best kindling," Sidel says. To cut wood, use the contact method taught by the Boy Scouts: lay the edge of the hatchet or ax on the end of the wood, parallel to the grain, then strike them against your chopping block.

The tepee

"The tepee shape works great if you're using long sticks, but it's less stable," Sidel notes. Begin with crumpled newspaper (the whole sports section) or tinder, then lay on plenty of kindling. Start your tepee by forming a tripod with three stout sticks and then fill it in, leaving a gap to allow wind to enter and circulate.

The log cabin

"It works best with logs or short pieces of wood," says Sidel, and it also creates a great bed of coals for toasting marshmallows. Start with a generous amount of crumpled newspaper and kindling, making sure it will burn the wood. Once the fire's established, add one or two of your largest chunks of wood.

Remember:

Don't collect downed wood in parks.

Don't leave a campfire unattended.

Do douse fires with a bucket of water.

Do rake out coals to make sure they're dead.

S'more s'mores

Everyone loves the classic s'mores of childhood. But now that we're older and have the patience to toast our marshmallows to a perfectly crisp, tan shell and gooey interior (no carbonized sugar lumps for us, please), we decided to sandwich them with these updated combinations.

Black forest: Chocolate wafer cookies and cherry jam

The Elvis: Peanut-butter sandwich cookies (twist cookies into two halves), dark or milk chocolate, and sliced bananas

Gianduja: Gaufrette, wafer, or pizelle-style cookies and chocolate-hazelnut spread (Nuteila)

Lemon meringue pie: Shortbread cookies and lemon curd

Neoclassic: Digestive biscuits and squares of bittersweet chocolate

Pina colada: Coconut cookies and grilled slices of fresh pineapple

Prefab: Purchased chocolate-topped butter cookies (such as Petit Ecolier)

Thin mint: Chocolate wafer cookies and thin after-dinner mints (such as After Eight)

Great fireside stones

Nothing beats gathering around the flames to hear a tale. We asked librarians near national parks for their suggestions, and we threw in one of our own.

(All are available at www.amazon.com.)

* Campfire Stories: Things That Go Bump in the Night, by William W. Forgey, M.D. (Globe Pequot Press, Guilford, CT, 1985; $12). Original, classic stories of adventure and ghosts, each easy to memorize for retelling.

* My Life in Dog Years, by Gary Paulsen (Bantam Doubleday Dell, New York, 1998; $16). The famed author of adventure tales reflects on the canines in his life (you'll love Caesar) in a series of entertaining stand-alone chapters.

* Ready-to-Tell Tales: SureFire Stories from America's Favorite Storytellers, edited by David Holt and Bill Mooney (August House, Little Rock, AR, 1994; $20). Forty professional storytellers share stories guaranteed to work in front of the most demanding audiences.

* Stories for Around the Campfire, by Ray Harriot (Campfire Publishing Company, Laurel, MD, 1986; $7.95). A collection of humorous, ghost, adventure, foreign, and Native American stories handpicked by camp directors.

Camp food basics

Shopping

* Buy in small packages. Bulk just means more to lug.

* Buy meat vacuum-sealed (some butchers offer this service) to prevent leaks, or use zip-lock plastic bags.

* Choose sturdy produce. Cabbage stays fresh longer than lettuce; apples keep better than strawberries.

* Purchase bagged vegetables. Buying them prepped saves time.

Packing

* Assemble a camping box with utensils, matches, a small cutting board, and other necessities. Keep it ready to go so you don't forget basics.

* "Decant liquids such as marinades into plastic bottles.

* "Pack food frozen, when possible, so it acts like ice and keeps fresh longer.

* "Place fragile greens and herbs at top of ice chest, not next to ice (greens may freeze).

* Use paper towels to cushion pots and pans; they'll also come in handy for cleanup. Plastic bags for leftovers and foil for cooking are also useful.