Whether you're new to camping or simply come across the occasional camping phrase you've never heard, here are some of the basic terms every camper should know.
A-frame - An older-style tent featuring a mid-support that runs the length of the structure.
Backcountry - The isolated and uninhabited sections of national park, public land or forest
Backpacking - Traveling with all of your belongings, including tents and sleeping bags, carried in a backpack
Bearing - The reading of your compass in the direction you're heading
Bivouac - A tent designed to accommodate only one person.
Chickee - An elevated, sheltered wooden platform built along interior rivers and bays where no dry land exists.
Citronella candles - Popular and natural insect repellent that keeps away mosquitos
Dehydration - Excessive loss of body fluid that could result in headaches, fainting and more severe symptoms
Dome tent - A wind-resistant tent, shaped like a geodesic dome and supported by a system of crisscrossing support poles.
Draft tube - The tube running the length of the zipper in a sleeping bag that blocks the transfer of cold air through the zipper into the sleeping bag.
Free-standing tent - A type of tent that doesn't require ropes or stakes to keep the tent standing
Frostbite - A medical condition caused by extreme cold that could eventually result in amputation
Gray water - Wastewater that's created from bathing, cooking, laundry and other activities
Heat stroke - When your body temperatures rises significantly from being exposed to the sun
Kindling - Pieces of wood and twigs used to start fires
Lyme Disease - An infectious disease usually spread through ticks
Low-impact camping - An ethic that treats nature with respect by leaving as little trace as possible
Poison Oak/Ivy - A poisonous shrub or plant that causes itchiness and rash when touched
Primitive campground - A place to camp without amenities, including bathrooms, showers and electricity
Private campground - An area to camp that's owned by a business
S'more - Common camping treat made by sandwiching a marshmallow and chocolate bar between two graham crackers
Space blanket - A waterproof emergency blanket that is made with Mylar. Space blankets are waterproof and conserve warmth by reflecting body heat back to the person it covers.
Water-resistant - Hinders the ability of water of enter
