Urban Girl's Guide to Camping

Filed in archive Camping on May 30, 2007

If you're an outdoor enthusiast who's coupled, engaged, or married to a woman who hates bugs or can't live without her makeup, Heather Menicucci's new book, "Let's Get Primitive: Urban Girls Guide to Camping" may help inspire her to accompany you into the great outdoors. Using humorous anecdotes, Menicucci discusses her transition from partying in Los Angeles and renting condos to primitive camping.

Despite the fact that she is a purist, her book includes information on some of the comforts that she rejects. For example, while she doesn't use sleeping pads, she notes that "most campers swear by them." They are laid beneath a sleeping bag to cushion the hard ground, and cost $10-$100.

She also recommends a headlamp - a small light that straps on your forehead, about $60 - so you can see what you're doing in the dark and keep your hands free.

Menicucci notes that having access to potable water is "probably the biggest backcountry hassle." Sure, you can pack jugs in your car, but you can't lug 10 gallons of water a half-mile into the woods. She recommends investing in a water purifier so you can supplement drinking water you bring with you with water sources along trails. The gadgets run between $50-$200, and Menicucci says it's important to stick with reliable manufacturers, such as Katadyn, MSR, SweetWater and FirstNeed. For backup, she carries chlorine dioxide tablets, which can be dropped in a liter of water, and a SteriPEN, a small sterilizing wand that uses ultraviolet light rays to neutralize harmful bacteria.

The book also includes advice for cooking on camping trips, including recipes, techniques and shopping lists; and lists of items that Menicucci wouldn't hike or camp without. These include tin foil, paper towels, plastic bags, a roll of duct tape for various emergency repairs, DEET bug repellant, citronella candles (which repel bugs from your campsite), a first-aid kit, and matchboxes and lighters.

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