Green Camping Weekend and Reviews

My friends and I headed to Oakland Valley Campgrounds in Cuddebackville, New York for a relaxing weekend in the woods. We tried to make it as green as possible. We thought it was a great success, read the article and let us know what you think.

We arrived early Friday evening, quickly unpacked, set up our tents, and got the fire going. One camping staple that we love is our hand cranked/solar powered radio. The menu on Friday consisted of Lauren’s homemade hummus, made with chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, tahini, and olive oil, served with Wild Garden Pita Chips and carrot sticks. The Wild Garden Pita Chips were thick and shaped more like a Ritz cracker than a pita chip. I enjoyed them, but others found them to be too hard. They were very crunchy; I could see how some one would think they were stale. We also munched on Newman’s Own Organics Hermits. These soft old fashioned cookie are loaded with flavor. We had the cinnamon Hermits full of organic molasses, sugar, raisin, figs, palm fruit oil and whole wheat flower. For a cookie, they aren’t too unhealthy either with 15 calories from fat. The main course consisted of Dr. Praeger’s California Veggie Burgers. These were very hearty, filled with tons of veggies and grains that you could actually see. They grilled up perfectly. These veggie burgers were a big hit especially with organic american cheese on a wheat bun.

The temperature was probably in the low 50’s or high 40’s overnight and the trees surrounding us really kept the heat out. I bundled up in my Patagonia Synchilla Fleece. This heavyweight fleece is light and soft on the touch. It is made of recycled garments and soda bottles. The jacket is more expensive then normal fleece jackets, but it’s worth it. The fit is perfect. I wear a medium and it was snug and tight, but loose enough to stretch out in. Besides the comfort and design of the fleece, the fact that I’m wearing recycled soda bottles and old worn-out garments sets this jacket apart. It’s totally worth it, especially for a green camping weekend.

On Saturday, we spent the day in the sun and on the water while rafting on the Delaware River. We packed up reusuable water bottles that we filled with water and lemon, a few beers, some cheese and granola bars and headed to White Water Willies just to find out that it had been sold to Silver Canoes, which was still an excellent Delaware River outfitter.

I used sunblock from All Terrain called TerraSport. The UVA/UVB sunblock is biodegradable and all natural. It uses something called Z-Cote which is basically zinc so it really blocks the sun. I liked the non slip and dry grip of the TerraSport. It seemed to work really well in the areas where I actually applied the natural sunblock to. So, needless to say, my back is burnt unfortunately, but that’s what aloe’s is for.

I also loaded up with Herbal Armor from All Terrain. It’s a deet-free insect repellent. It’s an all natural spray or lotion that will keep you free of bugs for 2-5 hours. I sprayed it on my legs and arms during the rafting trip and on my legs only at night at the campsite. I do not have 1 bug bite, so it must have worked. Herbal Armor has an unique formula with five natural essential oils recognized by the EPA as repellents. They sell travel size and a normal size. All Terrain really has some awesome products that I’d suggest you’d try if you want to stay away from chemicals while enjoying the outdoors.

Saturday night’s meal consisted of Tofurky Beerbrats, Amy’s California Burgers and Quorn Chik’n Patties. Amy’s were very grainy, vegan and soy free. Quorn is meat and soy free. The Tofurky Beerbrats were the biggest hit though. They aren’t the best nutritionally because they are high in sodium and fat for a soy product, but they are delicious. The beerbrats are made from organic tofu and Full Sail Ale, a microbrew from Oregon. Full Sail Brewing Company is also known for being green. The Tofurky beerbrats are even better with spicy brown Tabasco Mustard on a whole wheat bun.

Eventually, I headed to bed while still wearing my Patagonia Fleece and Nau Shorts. I woke up early to the campers next to us talking loudly, the sun shinning and the river flowing. We broke down the tents, packed the cars and headed out to New Jersey.

So, that was the end of our eco-friendly camping trip. Other green highlights include my Toe Foo flip flops and the rechargeable batteries and LEDs in the flashlights.

To see some of the companies discussed above, click the following links.

wildgarden.biz
patagonia.com
tofurky.com
nau.com
simpleshoes.com
tabasco.com
allterrain.com
newmansownorganics.com

And here’s some related posts from previous Leafygreen.info Reviews.

Wild Garden
Patagonia
Tofurky
Newman’s Own Organics

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