There are many ways to camp outdoors in nature, you will be able to find your personal niche by simply spending a vast amount of time camping. Nobody was ever a professional after one attempt, so start off light – pack light and don’t stay too long. The chances of forgetting something essential are very big, especially on your first time. So pop that cherry and go camping!
There are tons of companies who offer good quality camping equipment for campers world-wide and Fjällräven is definitely one of the best. Here are some of the greatest perks about outdoor camping.
One with Nature
Slow but steady, we are shifting to disconnect ourselves from nature which might have catastrophically effects on our human potential. Being connected with nature gives a healthy perspective on us as a species and on our surroundings. To know where you originate from allows you to have a deeper understanding of how our life came to be and how extraordinary we humans really are. We have accomplished everything we have decided to overcome, including leaving the planet to land on other places throughout our galaxy! Being one with nature allow you to be aware of your full potential as a fellow human. Never forget where you came from.
Randomness
The Scandinavian winters always offer snow and cold winds, but the weather can also be incredibly versatile. A massive snowfall can make it close-to impossible to continue navigating through some regions. The weather has always had ways to affect our lives, for better or worse.
There are however more random factors out there. The fish streams might be empty or delayed for various reasons and your food might get eaten by bears if you ignore the appropriate measurements such as hanging up your food in a tree (a few hundred metres away from your camping site).
During storms and strong winds, bird nests and dead branches might fall down from the trees so look up in the trees before you set up your camping spot. In the winter, enormous amounts of snow can fall down from trees and cover your tent completely – resulting in a waste of energy in order to clear it and sometimes you might have to change your camping spot!
No Sound or Light Pollution
Many of you are probably trying to find out what sound and light pollution actually is, it does sound like made up words. They are real words though; they refer to the sound/light from humans in general. It is a known fact that it’s harder to watch the moon and the stars from a city than from the countryside which is because of the light pollution. The sound pollution from cars and industries in the city are constantly buffering which affects us more than we think. But don’t take my word for it, discover it yourself on your next camping trip instead. Try to sit down with a book of your choice and enjoy the silence of the Scandinavian woods, or even better – try to hear nothing. It will surprise you.
Relaxing
Neither phones nor electricity should be used when camping. It’s smart to bring a mobile phone in case of an emergency, which is why you should keep it off at all times in case you really need to use it later on. The extent of app usage and internet services in general has expanded massively in the past years, but we are not used to it.
We originate from animals in the wild who are supposed to be in nature without beeping notifications from a “smart” phone. The smart phone is becoming smarter than us – a huge problem in my opinion. Allow yourself to rest during your camping trip as it definitely is time well spent.
Create a little lounge area if you go camping in a group. You’ll discover how neat a lounge area can be for you and your friends, you can all sit down together and communicate without buttons and sound notifications. Marvellous!
You can get inspired and read about more relaxing things to do while camping.
Gratitude & Appreciation
I always feel gratitude towards life after coming home from a camping trip, most trips for that matter. I consider myself being an atheist, but I still feel an immeasurable appreciation to the earth and life itself after a proper camping trip. Everyone who is struggling with depression should definitely spend some time out in the nature.
The gratitude towards nature inside of us grows over time after some time out in the wild. The Scandinavian wilderness offers many mountain paths, valleys and some of the biggest rapids in the world. Storforsen is a perfect place to go in case you want to experience the earth-shaking presence of one of the world’s biggest rapids. The great wonders of nature exceed every other experience that you might have “in the city”. Nature also serves as one of the best medicines against a depressed soul.
Economy-friendly Vacation
Camping is done without restaurants, cafés and other establishments. Instead, you bring what is necessary on your journey while using every available food source to keep yourself full. Try out fishing in a lake/stream, pick (the eatable) mushrooms and other eatables if you have done your homework.
Many Scandinavian streams contain mussels and rainbow trout, as well as playing salmons that travel up and down the streams during specific seasons of the year. Always refrain from setting traps, unless you are close enough to end the suffering for the animals that are caught. Please be aware that traps aren’t allowed to use everywhere in nature, so make sure to do your homework on your upcoming camping region.