thinking about camping out in backyard, suburban enviro

[Domindart]

Possibly trying to camp, avoiding the dog shit left by our german shephard lol.. maybe practice some of my lessons learned online.

-hunting squirrel
-making fire with sticks
-skinning and gutting squirrel
-cooking the food on spits or in pan
-making a platform for tent to sit on(I dont have much space to camp)
-make a tinder bundle and try to smolder an amber
-make spears
-do some scouting
-heat up some rocks and use rocks for boiling/ or warmth

anything else IM wanting to do I can refer to my online bookmarks or these forums

anyone else been doing this?

[The Big Ugly]

I've done this a couple times in the past few months. With a 2-year old and 7-month old, it's hard to do as much camping as my wife and I like, so backyard camping has been cool. We've probably covered almost everything on your list, except the platform for the tent (and substitute rabbits for squirrels). I think of it like dry firing a gun: it's not as good a training experience as you'd like, but it can help you work on some basics when you don't have time for the real thing.

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[Domindart]

how did u procure the rabbit?

[bacpacjac]

We can't always get out either, and the neighbours can get a prickly, so we've been known to escape to the garage to practice skills like firemaking.

[duodecima]

I am planning this soon-ish as practice for cold(er) weather camping. Thus, if my gear is not as warm and comfy as I think it is, we can bail and try again later.

[airballrad]

I'll be doing this as soon as the weather gets a bit warmer. I want to get the kids warmed up on the idea before I drag them and my gear out to a state park.

[Domindart]

I'll be doing this as soon as the weather gets a bit warmer. I want to get the kids warmed up on the idea before I drag them and my gear out to a state park.

Wish I could get to a state park but the backyard will have to do for now.

[airballrad]

Wish I could get to a state park but the backyard will have to do for now.

I'm lucky enough to have one only 20 minutes from home; the 6-year-old has already been there. But I want to get them into a bit of a groove before I try taking two at once. Besides, I have several friends who are noobs at camping, and they want to take their kids sometime too. So we may just have a small jamboree going in my back yard.

[Domindart]

With all the dogshit in my backyard I'm not sure I can fulfill this dream. Sucks too cause I really want to practice some bushcraft stuff and build a fire. Maybe I can get away with just the fire and a chair.

[Blackdog]

With all the dogshit in my backyard I'm not sure I can fulfill this dream. Sucks too cause I really want to practice some bushcraft stuff and build a fire. Maybe I can get away with just the fire and a chair.

You're joking, right? You can't practice bushcraft because your dog crapped in the yard????

[KnightoftheRoc]

Physical fitness is a recurring theme you'll find in most of the threads on ZS. Get some exercise- go do the poop patrol!

The backyard is my proving grounds for ANY new gear or ideas. Convenient to TWO hospitals, and my own extensive FAK, garden hose, fire extinguisher... well, you get the idea. I'd rather have my screw-ups in the relative comfort of my own home, than out beyond the reach of immediate help. I have also found it makes for a great bonding experience with the kids, and it can even be done on a school night.

Thread title says "suburban", so, be careful what and IF you hunt, where I live, it's still not legal, because of distance to houses (no discharge of firearms within 500 feet of an occupied dwelling), and I always assume a building to qualify as an occupied dwelling, to err on the side of safety. Not to mention, the cops don't get called on me this way.

[Toothpick Jim]

On my small city lot there isn't really a good area to camp so we did the next best thing.

This past winter my 5 year grandson and I have spent a few nights camping in the basement, no lights on etc. When it's in the teens outside it is maybe high 50's floor level in the basement.

He really enjoys it and like others said, it gives us a chance to try out gear in a more controlled situation and practice setting up the tents etc. We use a free standing Alps Chaos 3 tent.

[Domindart]

With all the dogshit in my backyard I'm not sure I can fulfill this dream. Sucks too cause I really want to practice some bushcraft stuff and build a fire. Maybe I can get away with just the fire and a chair.

You're joking, right? You can't practice bushcraft because your dog crapped in the yard????

I can practice for sure, but wanted to camp!

Not sure I'm up to picking up all the crap.

Currently working on the beer can stove. Just need to find some proper fuel.

[The Big Ugly]

how did u procure the rabbit?

I live in the desert, we have more rabbits run through our front yard than squirrels. Not that hard to snare if you pay attention to which plants they like to nibble on.

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[airballrad]

This thread's getting me excited for warmer nights so we can do this. When I was out in the yard with the kids today I built a small fire with nothing but the sticks I collected in the yard, my EDC Bic, and using my Leatherman to make some shavings. The kids thought it was awesome and gathered more sticks for me. My wife just looked outside and shook her head.

[KnightoftheRoc]

... My wife just looked outside and shook her head.

Nothing better as a reaction can be hoped for by a husband

[airballrad]

Nothing better as a reaction can be hoped for by a husband

Very true. I don't even think she was muttering under her breath this time.

[run faster]

I cant believe I never thought of doing this, maybe now that we have a backyard I can get my fat butt out to practice our skillz, course our yard is always flooded so maybe we'll practice a boat bug out lol

[Domindart]

Yesterday I went to the local park on the Chatahoochee river and tried to make a bow drill using the sticks I saw around the trail. No success, I think I was using the wrong wood.

I've also been messing with beer cans , trying to make a stove. Need to find some denatured alcohol.

I might try to build a fire later today in the backyard and play !

[tojo]

Not sure I'm up to picking up all the crap.

Do yourself, the garden but most importantly your dog a favor and pick it all up.
Everybody wins!

As for camping in the backyard, I did it many times as a kid, it's the best idea for trying out the gear for sure

[Dawgboy]

I have 2 tents setup in the backyard right now as they are drying out from last weekend's hurricane camping... It's hard to keep the kids out of them...

[KnightoftheRoc]

With all the dogshit in my backyard I'm not sure I can fulfill this dream. Sucks too cause I really want to practice some bushcraft stuff and build a fire. Maybe I can get away with just the fire and a chair.

You're joking, right? You can't practice bushcraft because your dog crapped in the yard????

I can practice for sure, but wanted to camp!

Not sure I'm up to picking up all the crap.

Currently working on the beer can stove. Just need to find some proper fuel.

If you are not physically up to the challenge of poop patrol, how do you plan on camping, like, anywhere? If your situation is that extreme, from bad health, old injury, whatever, then do the dog a favor, and find it a loving home where they CAN take proper care of it.
If it's simple laziness, do the dog a favor, and find it a loving home where they WILL take care of it.
Would you stay in a room with feces all over the floor? I certainly hope not.

[Domindart]

I guess it wasnt that bad, got the tent up and stepped in some dog shit once or twice but its all good.. got the tent up still, would love to make a fire but its rained today.. hmm.

[duodecima]

I guess it wasnt that bad, got the tent up and stepped in some dog shit once or twice but its all good.. got the tent up still, would love to make a fire but its rained today.. hmm.

That is the BEST time to practice with the fire - this way, if you can't get it going, you go back inside, as opposed to when it rains while you're camping, and you're just cold&wet and possibly hypothermic. We did fire in the rain this weekend in the back yard (rocket stove in the rain FTW...). Was going to practice winter camping in the back yard for the same reason but it warmed up too fast!