Camping in nature is a relaxing and exhilarating experience that stimulates all senses. When sleeping in a tent, you are close to nature but protected from insects and the weather.
Camping allows you to tune your senses to the sounds of nature, and spending time outdoors in the fresh air greatly invigorates your mind. Numerous people are attracted to the many delights of camping, and the Finnish national parks and hiking areas offer an endless choice of destinations.
The rules of the national parks and hiking areas tell you where camping and pitching a tent are allowed. In the wilderness areas of the north you can select your campsite with fewer restrictions, but even there, you should observe the rules of the area and the responsibilities associated with public access rights.
Before going on your first camping trip, you should know about planning a safe trip, the outdoor etiquette, litter-free camping and planning your meals during the outing.
Practise pitching the tent at home before you head out
Draw up a suitable itinerary with your group and plan your overnight stays, ensuring that the daily distances to be covered are suitable for everyone. Factors affecting the choice of a good campsite include the distances you plan to cover, the terrain, your group's experience, your gear and, among other things, access to drinking water.
You should practise pitching your tent at home and make sure you can handle it, also if the weather throws surprises at you.
Before putting up your tent, make sure camping is permitted on your selected spot. In national parks and hiking areas, camping is only allowed on designated campfire sites and rest stops. Setting up your own camp and lighting a fire outside the camping area or in its close vicinity are not allowed; you may only light a fire on a designated campfire site.
In nature reserves, camping is usually permitted near lean-to shelters and wilderness huts, but to avoid unauthorised camping, you should always see the Nationalparks.fi website or check with the area's visitor centre.
1. Select a campsite and peg down the tent
Pick a spot for your tent that is as flat as possible, slightly higher than its surroundings and protected from the wind. When your tent is slightly higher up, water will not puddle underneath it even if it rains. Pick up any branches, cones and pebbles lying on your selected site.
If your site is windy, align your tent so that its door is sheltered from the wind. Lay the tent down and spread the inner tent out on the selected site. If it is windy, peg the tent down on the windward side with two stakes. You should sink the stakes into the ground at a 45-degree angle, leaning back from the tent. If the ground is hard, bang them in with a stone or similar. Please note, however, that damaging the soil and bedrock and extracting soil or minerals is prohibited in the rules of national parks.
2. Attach the poles and put up the tent
Next you will assemble and attach the poles of the tent frame. Check the possible colour codes to ensure that each pole goes into the right sleeve. Sometimes the poles are not all the same length. Depending on the tent model, the poles slip either directly into the inner tent or in the outer layer. If the poles go into the outer layer, as in the video attached to this article, the inner tent and the outer layer are attached together and go up at the same time.
The tent pops up when you peg it down, starting with opposite ends. You can also secure the sides of the tent with stakes.
Finally, you stretch the fabric by attaching the guy ropes to the ground with stakes. Once you have done this, you should go around the tent and tighten any ropes that remain slack. The outer layer should be tight enough to prevent it from touching the inner tent.
3. Take down the tent and tidy up
When you take the tent down, follow the above steps in the opposite order. Rather than pulling the poles out, you should push them, ensuring that they do not come undone at joints and potentially rip the fabric.
When you go, tidy up after yourself and leave no trace in nature. Take home everything that you brought out.
For a good night’s sleep you need not only a suitable tent but also a sleeping bag and a camping mat
To sleep comfortably outdoors you need a suitable tent, but this is not all. It is equally important to select your sleeping bag and camping mat according to the outdoor temperature as well as your size and preferences.
The purpose of the mat is to insulate you from the chill rising from the ground, whereas the sleeping bag keeps cold air out and your body temperature at a suitable level. The tent itself protects you from the weather, including wind and rain, and insects. Your sleeping bag should also be of a suitable size to keep you comfortable; if the bag is too large, cold air gets in, and your body heat will not be enough to keep it warm.
Practise sleeping outdoors in your garden and other tips
In order to find gear that suits you and conditions that make sleeping outdoors pleasant, you could practise in the garden or in your nearest forest. If the sounds of nature and sleeping outdoors also seem like an unfamiliar idea to you in other respects, make your first night as easy as possible. If you are not sure about the gear, borrowing some of it works out less expensive. This allows you to consider your personal preferences.
The best way to have a good night’s sleep is pulling on a set of clean and dry thermal underwear before you crawl into your sleeping bag. You should also fill your stomach and go to the toilet before bedding down for the night. This way, your body will have enough energy to keep you warm during the night, and you will not be woken up by a full bladder. Before you go to sleep, it is also a good idea to warm up with a bit of light exercise, ensuring that your body heat keeps the inside of your sleeping bag sufficiently warm.
In cold weather, you should wear a hat and gloves. A snood scarf would also be handy for covering the skin of your neck. If you still think you might get cold in the night, you could fill a watertight bottle with hot water, cover it with a woolly sock and slip it in the foot end of your sleeping bag. This is guaranteed to keep your toes toasty until the morning.
If, for one reason or another, your night outdoors is not all you hoped for, do not give up. Think about what went wrong and write it down. With small changes, you will be sure to make your future excursions carefree, sufficiently comfortable and also refreshing.