In the Nick of Time – Aug. 26, 2010

Preparing for fall camping

My girlfriend Lisa and her Ivy League pals out in Philadelphia are on a wilderness retreat this weekend.

The University of Pennsylvania is sending all of its MBA students to a cabin in New York for two days to play get-to-know-ya games and eat s’mores.

Lisa didn’t want to go. She was afraid it would be too cold.

Cold to her is 50 degrees at night and 70 during the day. To me this is perfect camping weather. I told Lisa she better go, because after all, her company is paying an exorbitant amount of money on her tuition, and she better participate in every school activity so the company gets the most out of their money.

She asked if I would go in her stead.

After reluctantly agreeing to go, Lisa went shopping for new camping clothes. Since she is now living in the U.S. and not Japan, this means she can call me at any time, including when she is shopping and needs a second opinion.

She was at the camping store in Philly and gave me a ring. She wasn’t sure what she needed for clothes. Believe it or not, she actually took my advice, for the most part.

I told her the most important thing is to dress in layers. For instance, in her climate, I recommended she wear a T-shirt, a long-sleeved T-shirt and a fleece. These three layers can be interchangeable and the camper should be comfortable in temperatures down to upper 40s, lower 50s.

Second, I told her to buy a pair of long underwear. While cotton works fine, Under Armour is a marvelous invention. It’s $40 for a pair, but well worth it. It is comfortable, doesn’t constrict and you can barely tell you have it on. Plus, it keeps the legs warm at most temperatures, barring severe cold, and it doesn’t get too hot. The material breathes, so if you sweat, it doesn’t soak in. There is nothing worse then sweating all day and then having soaking wet clothes that get cold at night (which causes hypothermia).

So Lisa got a pair of Under Armour.

Next, she had to choose a fleece. You can never go wrong with North Face products, so long as you can afford it. For instance, Lisa bought a North Face fleece for $165. Great, it will last forever and will keep you warm even on mountaintops, which is what it is designed for.

A $165 North Face fleece can be used by mountaineers climbing Mount Everest. Lisa is staying in a cabin in New York. It is a little overkill, but at least she doesn’t have to worry about getting cold.

To be honest with you, when I go camping I use the fleece I got for free with my subscription to ESPN magazine.

The third item I told her to buy was a stocking hat. Ninety percent of your body heat is lost through your head at night, so a stocking hat goes a long way toward keeping it in. I can tuck into my sleeping bag wearing nothing but tighty-whities and a stocking hat and still stay warm (a three-inch layer of extra body insulation helps as well).

Since Lisa’s stocking hat was still being flown in from Japan, she decided to borrow one from a friend.

The last thing I told Lisa to bring was extra toilet paper. I told her to tear off a long stretch of sheets, roll it back up and put it in a zip lock bag. You never know when you need toilet paper, and when you need it the most, it is never there.

So if anybody else is planning to go camping this fall, those are just a few tips to hopefully make things a little more comfortable.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a whole lot you can do if it rains.