May Long Weekend, widely hailed as the first big camping weekend of the season, is quickly approaching, and I don't know about you, but I'm very excited. Hopefully you've booked your campsites already, because even with unpredictable weather they fill up fast.
Whether you're planning to hit some trails with your ATVs or bicycles, tow your watercraft to the lake, or are just out for a relaxing weekend it's important to be prepared. The roads are going to be crowded with people trying to leave the city, gunning for the mountains if you're here in Alberta, and the stores are going to be chaotic with people trying to pick up last minute supplies before they leave. It happens every year, and every year people fall into the same trap.
In this article, I'm going to list some tips to help you get your adventure started with relatively low stress so you can get right to the relaxing, fun part and spend more time there.
1. Get Your Site Early
Before anything else, you should know where you plan on going. On an average weekend, you'll usually be able to book a camp site a week in advance without too many problems, unless you're trying to go somewhere that's exceedingly popular.
May Long, however, everything becomes exceedingly popular. Everybody is trying to get out of the city and get their first taste of summer, so any campsite with an opening works. If you're smart, you'll plan ahead, find a place that you really want to spend your weekend, and book a site far in advance. Another benefit is that once you've decided where you're going it's much easier to lay out a plan for what you want to do, based on what's in the area.
2. Pack and Prep your Vehicles Beforehand
Yes, it's true that all of us wake up the morning of departure to pack bathroom bags, finalize the cooler, and get the last of your clothes together, that's hard to avoid. I'm not here to tell you to have your bags packed a week before hand, that doesn't work for everyone. What you can do to make your life much easier is get your RV or watercraft out of storage a couple of weeks beforehand. Make sure that if you're hauling a trailer or RV out to the woods, you've properly inspected and prepped it. If there's a problem that crops up on the Friday, you're going to have a hard time getting it fixed before you leave. For more info how how to prep your trailer or RV for the camping season, check out
this article. If you're planning on hauling out any watercraft, make sure you've thoroughly checked them for damage before the weekend, or you may be short an activity, as it will be hard to get repairs done on a motorboat on May Long.
Cargo Storage
Getting yourself to your destination is fairly easy. The hard part is getting all of the gear you're gong to need out there when you have a vehicle packed with friends and family. It helps to know what you want to do beforehand. You don't need to plan every minute of every day, but having a general idea of the activities you want to hit on the trip will help you prepare your vehicle storage space.
If you're going to be camping near a beautiful lake or river and you want to do some kayaking or canoeing, make sure you can get the boats there. We offer a wide range of accessories that can help you get your boats out with you, including the
Thule Hull-a-Port Pro Kayak Carrier and the
Access Adarac Truck Bed Rack. If you're towing a trailer, we even have trailer racks, like the
Swagman Roamer LT Pop-Up Trailer Rack, to help you get your gear safely to your destination.
If you're not hauling watercraft, a Cargo Box may be a good way to make sure your ride is comfy. When you have your car packed with people, hauling enough camping equipment, personal gear, and food can be difficult, especially if you're planning on tenting. If your vehicle has a roof rack installed, you need to check out our selection of Cargo Boxes, like the
Yakima RocketBox Pro 14 or the
Thule Force XXL. Both of these are large enough to accommodate a tonne of gear so your vehicle is less squishy. If you don't need something so large, maybe
SkyBox 16, or one of our many
Cargo Baskets will do the trick for you. If you don't have a
roof rack, we can get you set up with one quickly and easily.
Bed Extenders
Once you're at your destination, how do you plan on transporting your ATVs? A trailer with a garage for your toys is great for the long haul, but horribly inefficient for transporting quads to a staging area. Be nice to yourself and the environment, and get a truck bed extender for your pickup, Not only will you have a better time hauling cargo, you'll be able to securely transport your ATVs in your truck bed. The
AMP Research Truck Bed Extender, on our sister site Tonno Cover Depot, is one of several great options.
Tonneau Covers
A great way of increasing your secure storage space is by using a tonneau cover. A cover like the
Access Original Roll-Up can turn your truck bed from an exposed area for storing large items into a secure, locked off place for hauling smaller cargo. If you're looking to haul a trailer, you still have options.
Retractable Tonneau Covers, like the
Pace Edwards JackRabbit can be locked in multiple positions, so you can haul a fifth wheel trailer and keep your cargo covered.
3. Plan for Your Absence
Always plan for the fact that you will be away from your house for several days. If you have a pet that isn't coming with you, set them up in a pet hotel or recruit a friend to visit them at your house once or twice a day. Make sure your heat is turned down, as this can do wonders for your heating bill. Secure all your windows and doors and at least partially close some of your blinds or curtains. If you're especially worried about break-ins, you can set a lamp in your house on a timer to come on in the evening for a few hours. These steps will help discourage potential thieves.
4. Buy Supplies Early
Don't be the person shopping to fill your cooler on the way out. Stores are always overcrowded at the beginning of the weekend with people who forgot hamburger buns, need ice, or forgot to pack water. Buy your groceries a few days before hand to minimize your time spent in lineups for a cashier. If you need to get camping gear, or other equipment, check that the week before and pickup up then. You run less risk of not findingh what you need, and then you can just pick up and go in the morning without having to mess around in a store.
4. Leave Your Work Behind
The long weekend is mean to be exactly that, a weekend. While it is a good idea to bring cell phones and a GPS in case of an emergency, leave behind your pagers and computers. Keep your cell phones off unless you really need them, because this time is the time to be with your family and friends. You only have one go at life, and once you retire, all you're going to have is the people around you so treat them right.
5. Stay Safe, and Be Respectful
Remember that the people around you may not be as prepared as you are. Some of them have to work the weekend, some of them may be scrambling and stressed, Treat everyone around you with respect and basic decency, and everyone will have a much better time.
Make sure you treat the environment around you with respect as well. We want to be able to visit these campsites and wilderness for many years to come. We are lucky to have all of this wide open space in Canada, so get out their and enjoy it and stay safe!
Auto Truck Depot
107, 42 Ave SW, Calgary, Alberta
info@autotruckdepot.ca
