217 Fun Facts About Camping

A classic s'more sandwiches a toasted marshmallow and chocolate between what?

The name is a contraction of 'some more', which had fully taken over by the end of the 1930s.

A 1927 cookbook from which youth organization contained an early 'Some More' recipe?

A Connecticut newspaper had already described Girl Scouts eating 'Some-mores' two years earlier, in 1925.

On which date does the United States mark National S'mores Day?

National S'mores Day is August 10, an unofficial US food holiday that falls in peak campfire season.

Recreational camping is usually traced to Thomas Hiram Holding, a Briton who worked as what?

Holding was a travelling tailor by trade; his 1898 book Cycle and Camp in Connemara led him to found the Association of Cycle Campers in 1901.

Possibly the world's first commercial camping ground, Cunningham's camp, opened in 1894 on which island?

Cunningham's camp on the Isle of Man opened near Douglas in 1894 as a tented holiday camp for young men, years before any camping club had a site of its own.

Which founder of a youth movement became president of the UK's National Camping Club in 1919?

Robert Baden-Powell, founder of Scouting, became president of the Camping Club in 1919; the club had absorbed the Association of Cycle Campers in 1910.

US camping is often traced to W. H. H. Murray's 1869 book on camp life in which region?

Murray's Adventures in the Wilderness; or, Camp-Life in the Adirondacks (1869) drew so many tourists to the Adirondacks that they were nicknamed 'Murray's Fools'.

Ford, Edison, Burroughs and Firestone popularized US camping under what group nickname?

Calling themselves the Vagabonds, Ford, Edison, Firestone and Burroughs took well-publicized car-camping trips in the 1910s and early 1920s that made auto camping fashionable.

Which country enshrines a right of public access to privately held wilderness in its constitution?

Sweden wrote allemansrätten into its constitution in 1994; it lets anyone pitch a tent on uncultivated land for a night or two without asking the owner.

Under Norway's freedom-to-roam rules, how long may you camp on uncultivated land without the owner's permission?

Norway's Outdoor Recreation Act allows camping on uncultivated land for up to two days without the owner's consent; in the mountains and far from settlements you may stay longer.

Which 2003 Act gave Scots a broad right of access to the countryside, far wider than in England and Wales?

Scotland's Land Reform Act of 2003 created a statutory right of responsible access, so you can camp on most unenclosed land in Scotland whether state or privately owned.

'Glamping' is a portmanteau of camping and which word?

Glamping blends 'glamorous' with 'camping'; the word surfaced in Britain around 2005 and entered the Oxford English Dictionary in 2016.

The 1520 Field of the Cloth of Gold summit featured around how many tents and marquees?

About 2,800 tents and marquees were erected for Henry VIII's 1520 meeting with Francis I, some with fountains that ran with wine.

Which outdoor brand grew from a gasoline-lamp business set up in Wichita, Kansas in 1902?

Coleman grew from W. C. Coleman's Wichita lamp business; in World War II it built the compact multi-fuel Model 520, the original 'G.I. Pocket Stove'.

Kampgrounds of America was founded in 1962 in which city?

Dave Drum opened the first KOA campground in Billings, Montana in 1962, charging $1.75 a night to travellers heading for the Seattle World's Fair.

Karl Elsener began manufacturing knives for the Swiss Army in 1891 from a business in which Swiss town?

Elsener's cutlery workshop in Ibach, canton Schwyz, became Victorinox; American soldiers after World War II popularized 'Swiss Army knife' because they could not pronounce Offiziersmesser.

Hans Meister's 1991 giant penknife, a Guinness size record-holder, has how many blades?

Meister's knife has 314 blades and weighs about 11 pounds, which is why Guinness listed it as the largest penknife rather than the handiest.

The 'Euklisia Rug', a sleeping-bag ancestor patented in 1876, was made by a mail-order pioneer from where?

Pryce Pryce-Jones of Newtown in Wales, a mail-order pioneer, patented the Euklisia Rug in 1876 and exported it worldwide; the name is Greek for 'good sleeping-place'.

A sleeping bag that tapers from the head to the foot to cut volume and hold heat is named after what?

A mummy bag is named for its resemblance to a wrapped Egyptian mummy; most have a drawstring hood with a cord lock so warm air cannot escape.

In a sleeping bag, how does down fill compare with synthetic fill?

Down is lighter and warmer, but costlier; synthetic fill wins in the wet, barely absorbing water and still giving some warmth when soaked through.

A pup tent, meant for one to three people, is a small version of which basic design?

A pup tent is a small ridge tent: two end poles and a ridge line give it a rectangular floor, a triangular profile and very little headroom.

The Sibley design, with a circular floor and a single central pole, is another name for which shelter?

The Sibley tent is a bell tent, patented by US Army officer Henry Hopkins Sibley in 1856; single-pole conical bell tents go back to around AD 600.

The word 'hammock' reached English via Spanish from a word in which language?

Spanish hamaca came from the Taino people of the Caribbean; Columbus recorded islanders paddling out to trade cotton and 'hamacas, or nets, in which they sleep'.

Which nation's navy formally adopted hammocks in 1597?

Britain's Royal Navy formally adopted the sling hammock in 1597, and its sailors slept in them on cramped gun decks for centuries afterwards.

The word 'bivouac' is French but ultimately comes from an 18th-century usage in which language?

Bivouac came into French from Swiss German 'Biwacht', an extra night watch; the clipped form 'bivvy' spread through troops of the British Empire.

Which agency developed the metallized 'space blanket' in 1964?

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center developed the space blanket in 1964 for the US space program; the film reflects up to 97 percent of radiated heat, which is why marathon finishers get wrapped in them.

The insect repellent DEET was developed in 1944 for which organization?

Samuel Gertler of the US Department of Agriculture developed DEET in 1944 for the United States Army after its jungle campaigns; civilians could buy it from 1957.

Which Scottish scientist invented the vacuum flask in 1892 but never patented it?

James Dewar devised the vacuum flask in 1892 to store liquefied gases; two German glassblowers sold it as the Thermos from 1904, and he later lost a lawsuit against their company.

Which knot is nicknamed the 'king of knots' and taught with a rhyme about a rabbit, a hole and a tree?

The bowline appears in John Smith's 1627 Sea Grammar as the 'Boling knot', and a similar knot was found in the rigging of Khufu's solar ship.

Which campfire lay stacks kindling in alternating crossed layers around the tinder?

A log cabin fire stacks kindling in crossed layers around the tinder like cabin walls, leaving air gaps that keep it burning steadily and evenly.

In bear country, how far apart should food store, campfire and tent be placed, in a triangle?

Park advice is to put tent, campfire and food store at the corners of a triangle about 100 yards apart, so cooking smells never lead a bear to where you sleep.

In the United States, which agency registers bear spray as a pesticide?

Bear spray is a capsaicin-based pesticide registered with the Environmental Protection Agency; approved cans typically hold 7.9 ounces or more and fire a cloud about 25 feet.

The Leave No Trace framework used by campers is organized into how many principles?

Leave No Trace has seven principles, covering everything from campfire impacts to respecting wildlife, set out by the Boulder, Colorado non-profit formed in 1994.

The Ten Essentials list first appeared in print in the 1974 third edition of which book?

Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills printed the Ten Essentials in its 1974 third edition; The Mountaineers' 2003 edition reworked the list into 'systems' such as navigation and emergency shelter.

Smokey Bear's slogan was changed in April 2001 to say 'Only you can prevent' what?

In April 2001 the slogan became 'Only You Can Prevent Wildfires' to cover grassland blazes too; the campaign, running since 1944, is America's longest public service ad effort.

The bear cub who became the living Smokey was rescued after a 1950 wildfire in which state?

The cub was found clinging to a charred tree after the 1950 Capitan Gap fire in New Mexico; he lived 26 years at the National Zoo in Washington and got his own ZIP code, 20252.

Which US president signed the law creating Yellowstone, the world's first national park, in 1872?

Ulysses S. Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act on 1 March 1872; about 96 percent of the park lies in Wyoming, with slivers in Montana and Idaho.

Theodore Roosevelt camped near Yosemite's Glacier Point in 1903 with which naturalist?

John Muir guided Roosevelt on a three-night camping trip in Yosemite in May 1903, which helped persuade him to bring Yosemite Valley under federal control in 1906.

Which president signed the 1864 Yosemite Grant, the first federal land set aside for preservation?

Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant on 30 June 1864, ceding the valley and Mariposa Grove to California for preservation; Yosemite only became a national park in 1890.

In which year did President Woodrow Wilson sign the Organic Act that created the National Park Service?

Signed on 25 August 1916, the act created an agency whose first director was Stephen Mather; by the 2020s it looked after more than 400 units.

The Appalachian Trail runs from Springer Mountain in Georgia to which peak in Maine?

The northern terminus is Baxter Peak on Mount Katahdin in Maine; roughly 3,000 people a year attempt the nearly 2,200-mile thru-hike and about a quarter finish.

Running from Georgia to Maine, the Appalachian Trail passes through how many US states?

14 states lie along the trail, from Georgia to Maine; it was proposed by Benton MacKaye in 1921, finished in 1937, and has more than 250 shelters and campsites.

On which spot in Poole Harbour, Dorset, did Baden-Powell run his week-long experimental Scout camp in August 1907?

Brownsea Island hosted the camp that tested Baden-Powell's ideas; Scouting for Boys followed in 1908, published in six fortnightly parts.

Juliette Gordon Low founded America's best-known girls' scouting movement in 1912 in which city?

Low founded the Girl Scouts in Savannah, Georgia on 12 March 1912 with a troop of 18 girls; the famous cookie sales began five years later, in 1917.

William D. Boyce founded the Boy Scouts of America after an unknown Scout guided him through fog in which city?

In 1909 an unknown Scout guided Boyce through a London fog and refused a tip, saying he was doing his daily good turn; Boyce incorporated the Boy Scouts of America in 1910.

Which place calls itself 'the RV Capital of the World'?

Elkhart County, Indiana calls itself the RV Capital of the World: most North American recreational vehicles are built there, and it hosts the RV/MH Hall of Fame.

Apollo 11, 12 and 14 astronauts were quarantined in a modified trailer from which brand?

NASA's Mobile Quarantine Facility was a converted Airstream trailer; Airstream says it was the only one of some 400 trailer builders of 1936 to survive the Depression.

Winnebago Industries was founded in 1958 in Forest City in which state?

Forest City is in Iowa's Winnebago County, which gave founder John K. Hanson the name; the company's first motorhome rolled off the line in 1966.

Which company patented the extrusion process that gives marshmallows their cylinder shape?

Alex Doumak patented the extrusion process that pipes marshmallow as a continuous rope and cuts it into cylinders; his family firm Doumak, founded in 1921, makes them in Bensenville, Illinois.

Which river is credited with first popularising camping in the UK, tied to Victorian pleasure boating?

British camping grew out of Victorian pleasure boating on the Thames; by the 1880s crowds camped along the river, the world Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat (1889) describes.

In which year was Britain's Caravan Club founded?

The Caravan Club was founded in 1907 by journalist J. Harris Stone; it renamed itself the Caravan and Motorhome Club in 2017.

In which Surrey town did the Association of Cycle Campers open its first camping site in 1906?

The Association of Cycle Campers opened its first own site at Weybridge in 1906, when it had several hundred members; it later grew into the Camping and Caravanning Club.

In what year was the International Federation of Camping Clubs founded?

The Fédération Internationale de Camping, Caravanning et Autocaravaning (FICC) was founded in 1932, and national clubs from many countries affiliated with it.

At which famous air show do people often camp in small tents under their aircraft's wing?

At EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, thousands of pilots fly in and camp beside or under their aircraft in the show's dedicated aircraft-camping areas.

What is 'workamping'?

Workamping means trading labor for site discounts or a free pitch at a campground or RV park, sometimes with utilities or modest pay added.

Which European country has the most campsites?

France has around 8,000 campsites, the most of any European country, graded from one to five stars under the national tourism classification.

Which was Canada's first national park, created in 1885?

Banff, set aside in 1885 around the Cave and Basin hot springs, was Canada's first national park; Yoho and Glacier followed in 1886.

What is an Australian bush camper's 'swag'?

A swag is a canvas bedroll, traditionally carried by itinerant swagmen; the 'jolly swagman' of Waltzing Matilda camps by a billabong with one.

How long does the CDC say water should stay at a rolling boil at sea level?

The CDC says 1 minute at a rolling boil kills waterborne pathogens at sea level, rising to 3 minutes above 6,500 feet where water boils cooler.

Which activity combines running with camping?

Fastpacking combines trail running with ultralight backpacking, covering long distances by day and camping with minimal gear at night.

Which c. 1962 Phil Ochs album is named as camping-themed music?

Many films and other media have also focused on camping.

What material did the Roman Army use for its tents?

Roman legionaries' tents were made of leather, stitched panels of goatskin or calfskin, and modern re-enactors have used copies of them successfully.

According to Genesis 4:20, who was 'the first to live in tents and raise sheep and goats'?

Genesis 4:20 names Jabal, son of Lamech and Adah, as the ancestor of tent-dwelling herders; his brother Jubal is credited with the harp and flute.

What does the military shelter acronym TEMPER stand for?

TEMPER tents (Tent Expandable Modular Personnel) are US military frame tents assembled from 8-foot sections; the Army also uses the DRASH collapsible shelter.

About how much warmer than outside is the interior of an enclosed tent, not counting wind chill?

An enclosed tent runs only about 10 degrees Fahrenheit (5 °C) warmer than the outside air, the gain coming from retained body heat and a little radiation.

Tent rain resistance is measured as 'hydrostatic head' in which unit?

A rating of 1000 mm or less is best regarded as merely shower resistant.

Expedition tents intended for extreme conditions are often rated at what hydrostatic head?

Expedition tents are often rated at 3000 mm hydrostatic head, while groundsheets, which bear the weight of sleepers, may be rated for 5000 mm or more.

What is the floorless covered area outside a tent entrance, used to store boots and packs, called?

The vestibule is the floorless area under the flysheet outside the inner door, used to store boots and packs and to cook or clean gear away from the sleeping space.

A sewn-in groundsheet that extends about 15 cm up the tent walls is known as what arrangement?

A bathtub floor turns the groundsheet up about 15 cm at the walls so water seeping under the side walls cannot reach the sleeping area.

Which of these dome-derived tents adds extra criss-crossing poles for snow and strong wind?

Geodesic tents add two or more crossing poles to the basic dome, spreading snow and wind loads; to resist wind they are rarely more than 120 to 150 cm high.

Which wedge-shaped tent appears in European manuscripts from the 9th to 13th centuries?

The geteld, an Old English word for tent, was a simple wedge tent with rounded ends, recorded in Anglo-Saxon and later manuscripts from the 9th to 13th centuries.

Which Inuit conical tent design shares its shape with the tipi?

The tupiq is the traditional Inuit summer tent of sealskin or caribou hide stretched over poles, conical like a tipi; the Siberian chum is its counterpart.

Which US airport is cited as an example of tent-style tensile architecture?

Denver International's Jeppesen Terminal has a peaked Teflon-coated fiberglass roof evoking the snow-capped Rockies; the Munich Olympic Stadium and The O2 are other tensile examples.

The Sámi Parliament of Norway's design is inspired by which traditional tent?

The Sámi Parliament building in Karasjok, opened in 2000, has a conical assembly hall shaped like a lavvu, the traditional Sámi tent.

Which Indian ethnic tent, used for weddings and parties, dates to the Mughal era?

A shamiana is a ceremonial Indian tent dating to the Mughal era, often multicoloured with detachable side walls, used for weddings and parties.

What was traditionally used to power the ropes hauling circus tent canvas into place?

Circus elephants traditionally hauled on the ropes that raised the big top's poles and canvas; cranes and machinery later took over the job.

Which Belgian travelling dance-hall tent is built of wood, canvas and stained glass?

A spiegeltent ('mirror tent') is a Belgian travelling dance hall of wood and canvas lined with mirrors and stained glass, built by Belgian firms from the late 19th century.

Which women's-only peace camp was set up outside a US airbase in Newbury, England?

Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp began in 1981 outside RAF Greenham Common near Newbury, protesting the basing of US cruise missiles there, and lasted until 2000.

Which mountaineer, first up the Matterhorn in 1865, gave his name to a classic Alpine tent?

Edward Whymper, who led the first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865, designed the ridge-shaped Whymper tent that stayed a mountaineering standard for decades.

Which European standard, introduced in 2005, normalised sleeping-bag temperature ratings?

EN 13537, introduced in 2005, standardised the comfort, limit and extreme temperature ratings on sleeping bags; ISO 23537-1 replaced it in October 2016.

Which US retailer began requiring American makers to follow the EN 13537 sleeping-bag standard in 2010?

REI, the US outdoor co-op, required sleeping bags it sold to carry EN 13537 ratings from March 2010, pushing American makers to adopt the European test.

What is the insulated flap that runs along the inside of a sleeping bag's zipper called?

A draft tube is the insulated flap that runs inside a sleeping bag's zipper, stopping cold air leaking through the zip's teeth.

Whose 1992 book, PCT Hiker's Handbook, popularised ultralight backpacking?

Ray Jardine, the rock climber who invented Friends camming devices, published the PCT Hiker's Handbook in 1992 and championed drastically lighter packs.

What is 'cold soaking' in backpacking?

Cold soaking means rehydrating dried food without heat: couscous or instant noodles sit in a jar of cold water for an hour or more, so no stove or fuel need be carried.

In backpacking, what does 'base weight' exclude?

Base weight is the pack's weight excluding worn clothes and consumables such as food, water and fuel; ultralight hikers aim for under 10 pounds.

Who conceived the Pacific Crest Trail in 1932?

Clinton Churchill Clarke of Pasadena proposed the Pacific Crest Trail in 1932 and chaired the conference that promoted it; the trail gained official status under the National Trails System Act of 1968.

Which point, at 13,153 feet, is the highest on the Pacific Crest Trail?

Forester Pass, at 13,153 feet on the Kings Canyon-Sequoia boundary, is the trail's highest point; the low point is at the Columbia River near the Bridge of the Gods.

In what year was the Pacific Crest Trail officially declared finished?

The trail was declared complete in 1993 with a 'golden spike' ceremony in Southern California, 25 years after its 1968 designation as a National Scenic Trail.

Near which California town is the Pacific Crest Trail's southern terminus?

The southern monument stands at the Mexican border near Campo, California; the northern end continues unofficially past the Canadian border into Manning Park, British Columbia.

What is the name of the official southern terminus of the Continental Divide Trail?

The Crazy Cook Monument in New Mexico's remote Bootheel, reached only by rough dirt road, is the official southern terminus; Antelope Wells is the alternative start.

Roughly how long is the Continental Divide Trail from Mexico to Canada?

The Continental Divide Trail runs about 3,100 miles through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, the longest of the three Triple Crown trails.

At which spot in Yosemite Valley does the John Muir Trail begin?

The John Muir Trail starts at Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley near the Merced River and runs about 211 miles south to the summit of Mount Whitney.

Who originated the idea of a trail along the backbone of the High Sierra?

Theodore Solomons conceived the High Sierra route as a boy in the 1880s and scouted it in the 1890s; the trail's final section, at Palisade Creek, was completed in 1938.

How many US states does a hiker visit by completing all three Triple Crown trails?

The Appalachian Trail's 14 states, the PCT's three and the CDT's five add up to 22 states across roughly 7,900 miles of trail.

Who was the first person to achieve the Triple Crown of Hiking?

Eric Ryback hiked the AT at 16 in 1969, the PCT in 1970 and the Continental Divide in 1972, making him the first recognised Triple Crowner.

Who was the first person to complete the Triple Crown of Hiking in a single calendar year?

'Flyin' Brian Robinson hiked all three trails in 2001, the first calendar-year Triple Crown; Heather 'Anish' Anderson became the first woman to do it in 2018.

Which organisation is the only one that formally recognises Triple Crown hikers?

ALDHA-West, the American Long Distance Hiking Association-West, awards Triple Crown plaques at its fall Gathering to hikers who report finishing all three trails.

Which national scenic trail follows the Potomac from Chesapeake Bay into Pennsylvania's Allegheny highlands?

The Potomac Heritage Trail, a national scenic trail designated in 1983, is a network of routes along the Potomac from Chesapeake Bay through Washington, D.C. to the Allegheny highlands of Pennsylvania.

Which national scenic trail consists of five short, disconnected segments rather than one route?

The Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail is five separate sections totalling about 60 miles beside the Natchez Trace Parkway rather than one continuous route; the system has 11 scenic trails.

Who wrote the Wilderness Act of 1964?

Howard Zahniser of The Wilderness Society drafted the Wilderness Act and saw it through some 66 rewrites, dying four months before Johnson signed it in 1964.

How many acres of federal land did the Wilderness Act protect when signed on September 3, 1964?

The Act immediately designated 9.1 million acres of federal land as wilderness; Lyndon B. Johnson signed it into law on 3 September 1964.

The Wilderness Act defines wilderness as land where the earth is what 'by man'?

The Act defines wilderness as 'an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain'.

Leave No Trace says human waste should be buried at least how far from water?

Leave No Trace says to dig a cathole at least 200 feet, about 70 adult paces, from water, trails and camp, and to pack out toilet paper.

Which outdoor school worked with the US Forest Service to develop the Leave No Trace program in 1990?

The Forest Service partnered with NOLS, the National Outdoor Leadership School, to develop the Leave No Trace curriculum in the early 1990s; NOLS had taught minimum-impact camping since its founding in 1965.

What is the first of the seven Leave No Trace principles?

'Plan ahead and prepare' heads the seven Leave No Trace principles, which end with 'be considerate of other visitors'; 'dispose of waste properly' is third.

Which Yellowstone geyser erupts roughly every 60 to 90 minutes?

Old Faithful erupts about 20 times a day at intervals of roughly 60 to 90 minutes, sending water 100 to 180 feet into the air.

Yellowstone's bison herd holds what distinction among US public herds?

Yellowstone's bison form the oldest and largest herd on US public land, having lived in the park continuously since prehistoric times and numbering several thousand.

Which couple started a Yosemite concessions company and camp in 1899?

David and Jennie Curry opened Camp Curry in 1899 with a handful of tents; it grew into Curry Village, briefly renamed Half Dome Village during a 2016-2019 trademark dispute.

What does the name Ahwahnee, the earlier name for Yosemite Valley, mean?

Ahwahnee is usually translated as 'big mouth' or 'gaping mouth', a reference to the valley's shape; its people, the Ahwahneechee, were the 'dwellers in Ahwahnee'.

Yosemite was designated a World Heritage Site in which year?

UNESCO inscribed Yosemite as a World Heritage Site in 1984 for its granite cliffs, waterfalls and giant sequoias, six years after Yellowstone's 1978 listing.

Who first reached the summit of Yosemite's famous granite dome in October 1875?

George Anderson, a Scottish-born blacksmith, reached Half Dome's summit in October 1875 by drilling iron eye bolts into the smooth rock and hauling himself up.

In which year did Yosemite introduce a permit system for the cable route up its famous dome?

Yosemite began requiring Half Dome cable permits in 2010, first for weekends and holidays and from 2011 every day, after crowds reached 1,000 a day.

Which US national park was the most visited in 2025?

It straddles Tennessee and North Carolina.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is nicknamed the world capital of which animal?

The red-cheeked salamander is found only in the Smokies.

Which mountain name did Denali National Park carry when created in 1917?

The park was created as Mount McKinley National Park in 1917 and renamed Denali in 1980, when it was enlarged under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act.

Which lake at mile 85 of the Denali Park Road gives the classic reflected view?

Wonder Lake, at mile 85 of the park road, gives the classic reflected view of Denali about 26 miles away and has the road's final campground.

Lafayette National Park was renamed to what in 1929?

Sieur de Monts National Monument (1916) became Lafayette National Park in 1919 and was renamed Acadia in 1929, the first national park east of the Mississippi.

Who designed and financed about 57 miles of carriage roads on Mount Desert Island's national park?

John D. Rockefeller Jr. financed and directed about 57 miles of carriage roads between 1913 and 1940, crossing streams on granite bridges; motor vehicles are banned on them.

Which architect designed Phantom Ranch, at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, for the Fred Harvey Company?

Mary Colter designed Phantom Ranch for the Fred Harvey Company in local stone and wood; it opened on 9 November 1922 beside Bright Angel Creek.

Which explorer named Bright Angel Creek during his 1869 expedition?

John Wesley Powell named Bright Angel Creek on his 1869 Colorado River expedition, contrasting its clear water with the muddy Dirty Devil upstream.

What were the four patrols at Baden-Powell's 1907 Brownsea camp named after?

The four patrols were named after animals: Wolves, Ravens, Bulls and Curlews, each wearing a coloured shoulder knot.

What colour knot did the Curlews patrol wear at the 1907 Brownsea Island camp?

The Curlews wore yellow shoulder knots; green was the Bulls, blue the Wolves and red the Ravens.

Which Scout commissioner bought Gilwell Park for The Boy Scouts Association in 1919?

William de Bois Maclaren, a Scottish district commissioner, paid £7,000 for Gilwell Park in 1919 to give London Scouts a camping ground.

Gilwell Park lies within which forest on the outskirts of London?

Gilwell Park's 109-acre site at Chingford lies on the edge of Epping Forest, the ancient woodland straddling Essex and north-east London.

Wood Badge beads are said to come from a necklace Baden-Powell took from which Zulu chief's stronghold?

Baden-Powell took the long necklace from Dinizulu's abandoned stronghold in 1888; such acacia-bead necklaces, iziQu, were given to brave warrior leaders.

Who, as Gilwell Park's first Camp Chief, ran the first Wood Badge course in 1919?

Francis Gidney, Gilwell's first Camp Chief, ran the first Wood Badge course from 8 to 19 September 1919; John Thurman later held the post from 1943 to 1969.

Where was the first World Scout Jamboree held in 1920?

The first World Scout Jamboree filled the exhibition hall at Olympia, London, from 30 July to 8 August 1920, with about 8,000 Scouts from over 30 countries.

Which World Scout Jamboree was the first held in the Southern Hemisphere?

The 16th, in Sydney's Cataract Scout Park in 1987-88, was the first Jamboree south of the equator; the 19th, in Chile, followed in 1998-99.

Where was the 25th World Scout Jamboree, cut short by a heat wave and storm, held in 2023?

The 2023 Jamboree at Saemangeum, South Korea, a reclaimed tidal flat, ended early as heat casualties mounted and Typhoon Khanun approached, with Scouts bused to Seoul and other cities.

Which Polish city was chosen to host the 26th World Scout Jamboree in 2027?

Gdańsk was chosen for the 2027 Jamboree, the first in Poland, with the site on Sobieszewo Island in the Vistula delta.

The Kandersteg International Scout Centre began in 1923 with the purchase of an old chalet in which country?

Kandersteg is in Switzerland's Bernese Oberland; the chalet had housed workers on the Lötschberg railway tunnel, finished in 1913, and stood empty until Scouts bought it in 1923.

On what date each year do Guides mark World Thinking Day?

World Thinking Day is February 22, the shared birthday of Robert and Olave Baden-Powell, when Guides think of their sisters around the world.

The three leaves of the Guide trefoil badge stand for what?

The three leaves stand for the threefold Promise; the vein up the centre is a compass needle, and the World Flag uses the same blue and gold.

A 1909 Boy Scout rally at which London venue is tied to the origins of the Girl Guides?

At the Crystal Palace rally of September 1909 a group of girls calling themselves Girl Scouts demanded to take part, and the Girl Guides Association followed in 1910.

Camp Fire Girls was founded in 1910 as a sister organisation to which group?

Camp Fire Girls was conceived in 1910 as a sister organisation to the Boy Scouts of America, and is described as the first nonsectarian, multicultural organisation for girls in America.

On which Maine lake did the Gulicks run the camp where Camp Fire Girls took shape?

The Gulicks ran Camp Sebago-Wohelo on Sebago Lake, Maine, where the Camp Fire Girls programme took shape before the organisation's 1910 founding.

In which Connecticut village did Ernest Thompson Seton form his first Woodcraft 'Tribe'?

Seton invited local boys to camp on his Wyndygoul estate at Cos Cob in 1902, forming the first Woodcraft Indians tribe; the scheme strongly influenced Scouting.

Which magazine published Seton's 1902 articles that became the Birch Bark Roll?

Seton's 1902 series in the Ladies' Home Journal grew into the Birch Bark Roll of the Woodcraft Indians; Kipling urged him to write the novel Two Little Savages.

Frederick Gunn marched his students 40 miles to which Connecticut town in 1861 for America's first summer camp?

Gunn led his Washington, Connecticut pupils on a 40-mile march to Milford on Long Island Sound in 1861 for two weeks of camping; the American Camp Association calls him the founder of organised camping.

Which camps, founded in 1893 by Gunnery alumnus Gregg Clarke, operate in Vermont and Ontario?

A. S. Gregg Clarke, a Gunnery alumnus, founded Keewaydin in 1893; its camps on Lake Temagami, Ontario and Lake Dunmore, Vermont are among the oldest in North America.

The International Astronomical Youth Camp, one of the oldest science camps, began in which year?

The International Astronomical Youth Camp has run since 1969, gathering young people for three weeks each summer at a different European site.

Therm-a-Rest's self-inflating mattress was invented by former engineers from which company?

Three engineers laid off by Boeing in Seattle, Jim Lea, Neil Anderson and John Burroughs, invented the self-inflating mattress and founded Cascade Designs in 1972.

Hilleberg was the first company to use which coating on tent flysheets, in 1975?

In 1975 Hilleberg became the first maker to use silicone-coated fabric on a flysheet; silicone keeps the fabric stronger and more tear-resistant than polyurethane coatings.

Which Hilleberg tent is the single-pole solo tunnel design?

The Akto, introduced in 1995, is Hilleberg's one-person tunnel tent pitched on a single hoop pole; the Allak is the freestanding dome.

Which cartoon character lends his name to the Jellystone Park camp-resort chain?

Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts, a franchised chain begun in 1969 at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, licenses the Hanna-Barbera bear as its mascot.

In which year was Hipcamp, the campsite-booking platform dubbed the 'Airbnb for camping', founded?

Hipcamp was founded by Alyssa Ravasio in San Francisco in 2013, letting landowners rent out campsites and glamping spots, which earned it the 'Airbnb for camping' tag.

Who became KOA's first female CEO in April 2019?

Toby O'Rourke became KOA's first female CEO in April 2019, the company's 57th year, after serving as its president.

Who carried a Primus stove to the South Pole in 1911?

Roald Amundsen's party cooked on Primus stoves on the way to the South Pole in December 1911; Hillary and Tenzing also relied on Primus stoves on Everest in 1953.

Which Primus stove, introduced in 2001, was the first to burn LPG, white gas, kerosene, jet fuel and diesel?

The OmniFuel, launched in 2001, burns LPG canister gas, white gas, kerosene, jet fuel and diesel through swappable jets; Primus stoves are made in Tartu, Estonia.

In which Swedish province has Trangia made its stoves since 1925?

Trangia has made its stoves in the village of Trangsviken in Jämtland, central Sweden, since the company was founded in 1925.

What fuel does the classic Trangia burner use?

The classic Trangia burner is a brass cup that burns methylated spirit (denatured alcohol) silently, with a simmer ring to throttle the flame.

Which company did William Coffin Coleman's firm acquire in 1996?

Coleman bought Application des Gaz, the French company behind the blue Campingaz butane cartridges and stoves, in 1996.

Which conglomerate acquired Coleman's parent Jarden in a deal announced in 2015?

Newell bought Jarden for $13.2 billion in a deal that closed in April 2016.

Which certificated-site law lets the Camping and Caravanning Club license small campsites without planning permission?

The Caravan Sites Act 1960 (in full the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act) lets exempted bodies such as the Camping and Caravanning Club certify small sites for up to five caravans without planning permission.

Which polar explorer served as president of the Camping Club from 1909 to 1912?

Captain Robert Falcon Scott was the Camping Club's president from 1909 until his death in 1912; Baden-Powell followed as president from 1919 to 1941.

JanSport is named after which person?

Murray Pletz named the company after Jan Lewis, the founder's girlfriend, who sewed his first aluminium-frame packs; they married, and JanSport launched in Seattle in 1967.

JanSport staff made their 46th annual group climb of which mountain in 2018?

JanSport employees and dealers climbed Mount Rainier every summer from 1973, reaching their 46th consecutive ascent in 2018.

What was Tim Leatherman's first product, sold from 1983, called?

Leatherman's first product, the Pocket Survival Tool (PST), went on sale in 1983 after his prototype, nicknamed 'Mr. Crunch', had been turned down by knife and tool companies for years.

Trouble with which car on a 1975 trip inspired Tim Leatherman's 'Boy Scout knife with pliers'?

Leatherman and his wife toured Europe in 1975 in a Fiat 600 bought in Amsterdam for $300; its constant breakdowns made him want pliers in a pocket knife.

Who invented ferrocerium, the 'ferro rod' fire-starting alloy, in 1903?

Carl Auer von Welsbach, the Austrian chemist who also devised the gas mantle, patented ferrocerium in 1903; its sparks burn at around 3,000 °C.

What is 'char cloth', a traditional tinder for flint and steel, made from?

Char cloth is cotton or linen fabric baked without air in a sealed tin until black; the charred cloth catches a spark from flint and steel and glows readily.

By the survival 'rule of threes', a person can last about three weeks without what?

The rule of threes holds you can survive about three minutes without air, three hours without shelter in harsh conditions, three days without water and three weeks without food.

Company lore says Nalgene's president noticed which group using its lab bottles while camping?

Marsh Hyman, president of the Rochester, New York lab-ware firm, found his son's Boy Scout troop using its leak-proof bottles on trips, prompting the 1970s outdoor line.

Which band played the grand opening of the first The North Face store in San Francisco in 1966?

The Grateful Dead played the opening of the first The North Face store at 308 Columbus Avenue in San Francisco's North Beach in 1966.

The North Face's logo is inspired by which Yosemite rock formation?

The logo's three curved lines echo the profile of Half Dome, which rises to 8,839 feet above sea level at the east end of Yosemite Valley.

Douglas Tompkins sold The North Face to go and climb which Patagonian peak?

Tompkins sold The North Face to Kenneth 'Hap' Klopp for $50,000 and in 1968 drove to Patagonia with Yvon Chouinard to climb Mount FitzRoy, a trip filmed as Mountain of Storms.

Patagonia's first store, opened in 1973 in Ventura, was called what?

Great Pacific Iron Works, the shop Yvon Chouinard opened in a former Ventura meat-packing plant in 1973, was Patagonia's first store.

In 1993 Patagonia became the first company to make clothing from polyester sourced from what?

In 1993 Patagonia became the first clothing maker to turn recycled bottles into polyester fleece; since 1985 it has given 1% of sales to environmental groups.

REI was founded in 1938 in which city?

Lloyd and Mary Anderson founded REI in Seattle in 1938 as a buying co-operative after importing an Austrian ice axe; its first shop was in a Seattle co-op grocery.

Under its #OptOutside campaign, REI began closing its stores on which shopping day in 2015?

REI began closing all its stores on Black Friday in 2015, paying staff for the day and urging customers to #OptOutside instead of shopping.

Airstream's 1936 Clipper was essentially a rebadged version of which earlier all-aluminium trailer?

The 1936 Clipper was essentially the Bowlus Road Chief reworked: Wally Byam bought the bankrupt Bowlus-Teller company's assets and moved the door from the front to the side.

Airstream trailers are manufactured in which Ohio town?

Airstream has built its trailers at Jackson Center, Ohio since 1952; Thor Industries bought the company in 1980.

Which Petzl device, produced in 1991, was its first self-braking belay device?

The Grigri, launched in 1991, was Petzl's first self-braking belay device, using a cam that pinches the rope under a fall's load; the ZOOM headlamp had come in 1981.

In 1956 Fernand Petzl's team made the first descent below 1,000 metres in which French cave?

The Gouffre Berger in the Vercors was reached to 1,122 metres in 1956 by a team including Fernand Petzl, the first cave explored below 1,000 metres.

Zippo lighters have been produced since 1933 in which Pennsylvania town?

George Blaisdell founded Zippo in Bradford, Pennsylvania in 1932 and the first lighters followed in 1933; a Canadian plant at Niagara Falls, Ontario ran from 1949 to 2002.

Which war correspondent wrote that 'Zippo is probably the most important element on the front'?

War correspondent Ernie Pyle wrote the line; wartime Zippos were made of steel with a black crackle finish because brass was reserved for the war effort.

Which wild Adirondack black bear famously learned to open several models of bear canister?

Yellow-Yellow, named for her two yellow ear tags, defeated several BearVault canister designs; the 125-pound bear was shot by a hunter in 2012.

Where are IGBC canister tests against captive bears carried out?

IGBC tests take place at the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, Montana, where a captive grizzly gets an hour with the container, which must show no hole over a quarter inch.

Bear spray stopped undesirable bear behaviour in what share of cases in a 2008 Alaska review?

The 2008 review by Tom Smith and colleagues found bear spray stopped undesirable behaviour in 92% of incidents, and 98% of users in close encounters escaped uninjured.

Which University of Montana graduate student led development of capsaicin bear spray in the mid-1980s?

Carrie Hunt tested capsaicin sprays on bears for her University of Montana master's research in the mid-1980s under Charles Jonkel; Bill Pounds, who helped, founded Counter Assault.

What is the cord strung between a camping hammock's two ends to fix its sag called?

A hammock ridgeline is a cord tied between the two ends to fix the sag, typically about 83% of the hammock's length, and to hang a light or bug net from.

Which hammock brand makes the parachute-nylon DoubleNest?

Eagles Nest Outfitters (ENO), founded in 1999 by brothers Peter and Paul Pinholster, makes the DoubleNest parachute-nylon hammock, a campus and campsite staple.

Everest's South Base Camp in Nepal sits at what altitude?

South Base Camp on the Khumbu Glacier sits at 5,364 metres; the North Base Camp on the Tibetan side is lower, at about 5,150 metres.

From which airport do most Everest Base Camp trekkers begin their walk?

Most trekkers fly from Kathmandu to Lukla's Tenzing-Hillary Airport at about 2,850 metres, notorious for its short sloping runway, and walk from there; about 40,000 a year make the trek.

With which war is the Swedish torch, a log burned from the middle, traditionally linked?

Tradition credits Swedish soldiers in the Thirty Years' War (1618-48) with the Swedish torch; freshly cut green wood burns thanks to the chimney effect up the central cuts.

A camping Dutch oven's rimmed, concave lid is designed to hold what?

The flanged, slightly concave lid holds hot coals on top so the oven bakes from above as well as below; three integral legs lift the pot above the fire.

The Dutch oven is the official state cooking pot of Utah, Arkansas and which other state?

Lewis and Clark carried a Dutch oven on their expedition.

What is the most widespread friction fire-making method among indigenous cultures?

The hand drill, a spindle spun between the palms on a fireboard, is the most widespread friction method; unlike the bow drill it needs no cord.

Ötzi the Iceman carried flint and pyrite for sparks along with what fire-starter?

Ötzi's kit included tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius) carrying traces of pyrite, showing he struck sparks into it; he died in the Ötztal Alps around 3300 BCE.

The word 'tipi' entered English from which languages?

'Tipi' comes from the Dakota and Lakota word thípi, 'they dwell', built on thí, to dwell.

What distinguishes a tipi from other conical tents?

Smoke flaps at the top, adjusted with two outside poles, let a fire burn inside and set the tipi apart from other conical tents; modern tipis usually have canvas covers.

What is the traditional covering of a Central Asian yurt?

The felt is made from wool of the sheep that travel with the herders.

What is a Mongolian yurt called?

A ger has straight roof poles and columns supporting the crown.

Which 1970 concert inspired Michael Eavis to start Glastonbury?

Eavis was inspired by seeing a Led Zeppelin show in Bath, at the 1970 Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music; his first Worthy Farm festival drew 1,500 people on 19 September 1970.

The 1971 Glastonbury main stage was a one-tenth replica of what?

Bill Harkin's 1971 Pyramid Stage was a one-tenth-scale replica of the Great Pyramid of Giza, built from scaffolding and plastic sheeting over a 'blind spring'.

Burning Man began in 1986 on which San Francisco beach?

Larry Harvey and Jerry James burned an eight-foot wooden figure on Baker Beach at the summer solstice in 1986; the event moved to the Black Rock Desert in 1990.

Burning Man's temporary Black Rock City lies about 100 miles from which Nevada city?

Black Rock City rises on the playa of the Black Rock Desert about 100 miles north of Reno, the nearest big airport for 'Burners' flying in.

How many stated principles guide Burning Man, according to co-founder Larry Harvey?

Larry Harvey wrote the Ten Principles in 2004, including radical self-reliance, gifting, decommodification and leaving no trace.

Who wrote the screenplay for the 2014 film Wild, based on Cheryl Strayed's PCT memoir?

Nick Hornby adapted Strayed's memoir for Jean-Marc Vallée's 2014 film; Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern earned Oscar nominations for it.

What does Cheryl nickname her overstuffed backpack in the film Wild?

Cheryl calls her enormous pack 'Monster' in both the memoir and the film; she starts out barely able to lift it at a Mojave motel.

Which Oregon landmark marks the end of Cheryl Strayed's journey in Wild?

Strayed ends at the Bridge of the Gods over the Columbia River at Cascade Locks, having hiked about 1,100 miles of the trail in 1995.

New Zealand's Great Walks network was established by the Department of Conservation in which year?

The Department of Conservation launched the Great Walks network in 1992 to manage its most popular multi-day tracks, with the Milford Track the most famous.

Which is the longest of New Zealand's Great Walk tramping tracks, at about 78 kilometres?

The Heaphy Track, about 78 km through Kahurangi National Park from Golden Bay to the West Coast, is the longest Great Walk track; the Routeburn, at 32 km, is among the shortest.

Which Great Walk is actually a canoe voyage rather than a walk?

The Whanganui Journey is a 145 km, five-day canoe or kayak trip down the Whanganui, New Zealand's longest navigable river, from Taumarunui to Pipiriki.

What instant fine did New Zealand's Freedom Camping Act 2011 set for camping illegally?

The 2011 Act created a $200 instant infringement fee for freedom camping in banned areas, with fines of up to $10,000 for dumping sewage improperly.

Which survival expert presented the Australian TV series Bush Tucker Man?

Les Hiddins, an Australian Army major who researched wild foods for the military, presented the ABC series Bush Tucker Man from 1988.

Which brand of trailer did Airstream acquire in 2016 and later withdraw in 2020?

Nest trailers were made of moulded fibreglass.

Which US president stopped at McKinley Park Station in 1923 while touring the Alaska Railroad?

Warren Harding drove the golden spike completing the Alaska Railroad at Nenana on 15 July 1923, stopping at McKinley Park Station on the way; he died in San Francisco weeks later.

What is the removable waterproof outer layer of a double-wall tent called?

The rainfly, or flysheet, is the waterproof outer layer pitched over a breathable inner tent, leaving an air gap that sheds rain and limits condensation.

The campfire standard 'Kumbaya' is a spiritual first sung in which culture of the Carolina and Georgia islands?

Kumbaya is a Gullah spiritual from the Sea Islands; folklorist Robert Winslow Gordon made the first known recording in 1926 of an unaccompanied singer identified as H. Wylie.

Which part of the marsh mallow plant was traditionally used to make the confection?

Confectioners whipped the mucilaginous sap of the marsh mallow root (Althaea officinalis) with sugar and egg whites; gelatin replaced the root in the 19th century.

In which state has Durkee-Mower made Marshmallow Fluff since 1920?

Durkee-Mower has made Marshmallow Fluff in Lynn, Massachusetts since 1920; nearby Somerville holds a 'What the Fluff?' festival honouring inventor Archibald Query.

MSR, the Seattle maker of camp stoves and water filters, began in 1969 as what?

Larry Penberthy launched Mountain Safety Research in 1969 as a safety newsletter testing climbing gear; his 1973 Model 9 stove separated burner from fuel bottle, and Cascade Designs bought MSR in 2001.

Jetboil, maker of integrated backpacking stoves, was founded in 2001 in a former woolen mill in which state?

Dwight Aspinwall and Perry Dowst founded Jetboil in New Hampshire in 2001 and debuted the stove at the 2003 Outdoor Retailer show; Johnson Outdoors bought the firm in 2012.

Historically, the Australian term 'overlanding' referred to what?

Droving livestock long distances to open new country or reach markets was the original overlanding; Len Beadell's outback roads, such as the Gunbarrel Highway, later became routes for vehicle-based overlanders.

Which government contractor won the 2017 contract to rebuild and run Recreation.gov?

Booz Allen Hamilton won the 10-year contract in 2017 and relaunched Recreation.gov in October 2018, funded by per-reservation fees rather than a fixed price.

Which US programme gives fourth-graders and their families free entry to federal lands?

Every Kid Outdoors, begun in 2015 as Every Kid in a Park, gives US fourth-graders and their families a free annual pass to national parks and other federal lands.