Jaunted - Tag: Camping

Would You Camp In A Tent Shaped Like The Sydney Opera House?

Omri — 2009-11-05T17:09:22-05:00

There's a certain class of people who enjoy the idea of being in nature but are less than enthusiastic about the "dirt" and "sleeping on the ground" and "being outside" parts of the experience. Their idea of roughing it involves a covered caravan, a $750 credit card bill at REI, and a case of white wine. Not red wine, because that would be too luxurious. Within that group, there's a certain subclass of folks who also have something of an nouveau riche air about them. In addition to actually "camping" in decadent comfort, they need to look like they're camping in decadent comfort. The new Opera capsule caravan, styled after the Sydney Opera House, is designed with them in mind:

We can't believe we're saying this, but this "tent" has a wine cabinet and more. Find out what else after the jump.

How to Hike Costa Rica's Corcovado National Park

juliana — 2009-08-28T16:16:11-05:00

All this week, Lost Girl Amanda Pressner will be bringing us reports from her recent trip to Costa Rica with her entire family. Any questions about traveling to Costa Rica or family-oriented activities to do while you're there? Let us know.

While the list of natural wonders in Costa Rica is practically endless, few are more revered by the locals (and industrious tourists) than the Osa Peninsula. Located in the far Southwestern portion of the country, the Osa is the home of Corcovado National Park, a dense swathe of jungle that National Geographic once dubbed “the most biologically intense place on earth.” The place is absolutely teaming with wildlife of all shapes and varieties, and contains a greater variety of birds, insects, trees and mammals per square kilometer than almost anywhere else in the world.

Thanks to Costa Rica’s commitment to protecting its most valuable natural resources, primary rainforests once slashed and burned in Osa to make way for pastureland and farming back in the 70s have almost completely returned as secondary forest—and so have a multitude of species that were headed for extinction.

New York: New York Bears Prove Smarter than Average, Learn to Open High-Tech Pic-A-Nic Baskets

Victor Ozols — 2009-07-25T12:26:51-05:00

The bears of California are never going to hear the end of this one. The New York Times is reporting that a group of bears in the Adirondack Mountains has figured out how to open the BearVault 500, a high-tech, supposedly bear-proof container that campers use to safeguard their food in the wilderness. The double-tabbed lid of the BearVault functions like a child-proof top to a medicine bottle, requiring a certain amount of dexterity and intelligence to figure out. It's the latest thinking in bear country food protection, as the old "hang your food high in a tree using a rope" trick is no match for a crafty bear. But New York bears, being mentally superior to other bears, have cracked the BearVault code, which has stymied bears elsewhere in the country.

Recessionary Travel Trends: Camping's Making a Comeback

Victor Ozols — 2009-05-16T14:39:56-05:00

This nasty recession we're in has millions of people scaling back their summer vacation plans, but there is one growth area in the travel industry that seems to suit the times perfectly. Campgrounds are going gangbusters, reporting a surge of visitors who can't afford to go the standard air-car-hotel route this year. As a nifty NPR story points out, tent camping is up by 10% this year, and RV camping is robust as well, reflecting a broad trend toward modest, inexpensive vacations close to home. If the economy remains depressed, could this be the summer that old school camping reasserts itself as the quintessential family vacation?

Escalante: The New York Times Goes Camping, Nobody Gets Hurt

egw — 2009-04-13T10:16:45-05:00

In southern Utah the forecast this week calls for thunderstorms and possibly snow, but don't tell that to the New York Times travel section: Writer Tony Perrottet reminisces about last year's trip to the unmarked trails of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, little changed since John Wesley Powell and others traversed its canyons for the first time.

The sun-baked expanses peppered with friendly-enough locals are tempting even this close to spring, but the use of the word "outback" though is, for us, a little problematic: As we learned about from the end credits of "Australia," the land Down Under wasn't always so benevolent towards its aboriginal tribes -- but they managed to let them alone to the extent that they can still live on their tribal lands. Explorer Frederick Samuel Dellenbaugh had a Ute Indian to guide him through America's outback; Perrottet had park rangers.

Still, the lure of hiking these deserted locales, even in a few months, makes us want to get our hiking boots on posthaste. And in this economy, camping sites on national park land may be gearing up for the best summer ever as budget-conscious Americans dig out the tents and propane grills. Any national parks (American and otherwise) you think we should check out in '09?

Related Stories:
· America’s Outback: Southern Utah [NYTimes]
· Utah coverage [Jaunted]
· Making You Feel Bad About Not Going Outside [Stuff White People Like]

[Photo: vtveen]

Stay Safe While Camping by Sleeping Inside a Big Bear

Victor Ozols — 2009-04-04T13:27:01-05:00

Don't you hate it when you're camping and you get mauled by a bear? I do, and apparently, so does Eiko Ishizawa. That's why the eclectic designer invented "The Great Sleeping Bear," a sleeping bag made to resemble a big brown bear. The idea is simple: if you're sleeping in one of these and a bear comes across your campsite looking for a meal, it will think you're a fellow bear and opt to eat your friends and family instead. (Apparently, bears are pretty dim.) Of course, there could be a downside as well. What if you make a particularly attractive bear?

Fort Dauphin: Camping In Madagascar: No Penguins Here

egw — 2009-02-04T16:33:54-05:00

Sometimes, you just need to go somewhere where you can get away from everyone. (We're looking at you, Christian Bale.) As we sit at our desks annoyed by Griffin the Loud Talker one cube over, we're dreaming of a departure to a far-distant locale, somewhere way off the beaten path. Say... Madagascar.

Don't be alarmed by the political protests currently going on in its capital of Antananarivo. Much of the country is protected forest or beach, which means a lot of wildlife to spot -- and with such a young industry, a camping trip is probably the best way to make sure your visit leaves as little a trace as possible.

We're digging the Mandrare River Camp outside of Fort Dauphin. Its six tents get light and hot water from solar panels, and morning and night visits into the local rain forests are included. All-in packages start at $3800 for a tent share -- and just like that, we no longer feel like screaming at the (nonexistent) Jaunted lighting crew.

[Photo of Belon'i Tsiribihina: doganowscy]