Camping stacation

I’ve never heard of a ‘staycation’ until this year. With gas prices nearing $4.00 a gallon I guess it’s inevitable that more people are going to become familiar with this portmanteau. It seems that people everywhere are taking ‘stacations’ this year and according to many news articles I’ve found on the web, several large retailers have decided to target ‘stacationers’ with sales.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the nation's largest retailer, has launched an "American Summer" campaign, featuring tents, grills, coolers, wicker furniture sets and inflatable pools, saying a summer getaway is "as close as your own backyard." Rivals Target Corp., touting "fun under the sun" in its circular, and Kohl's Corp., with a "sale into summer" promotion were among other retailers cutting prices on swimwear, patio sets and other such merchandise.

With gas prices the way they are, most people I’ve talked to have cancelled their vacation plans for the year. Many have opted just to stay at home. I’m an apartment dweller so the idea of staying at home somehow doesn’t offer the same appeal as it would for those with a large backyard, swimming pool and world class gas grill on their patio. I’m sure that many condo dwellers feel that same way.

As an alternative to a traditional vacation it would appear that many people have opted to go camping this year. A news article I found (which can be seen here http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080704/BIZ/807040345/1409/METRO) states that tent sales are up 14%.

I have just a couple of quick tips for anyone interested in making their camping trip a little more green. Many of the same stores that sell camping equipment carry something called camp soap. Camp soap is biodegradable but it still shouldn’t be used near a water source as it needs soil to break down. Heavy duty paper plates not only keep styrofoam and plastic out of the land fills but can also be used to help start your campfire. Using travel mugs instead of plastic cups (most of which can’t be recycled) is another way to keep trash out of land fills. If you’re thinking about taking plastic knives and forks you may want to look at lexan instead. Lexan is both durable and reusable. Lexan utensils can be found in the same section of your retailer as camp soap.