Camping, Under The Stars

[talatnat]

It's been some 20 years since I last hit the trails in Grand Canyon, Yosemite, the Tetons and elsewhere. Now older, the yearning's coming back apace, to do it here in Thailand with the wife and my two under-five-year-old kids.

I'd appreciate pointers to getting started here: Good camping-supply stores (I wasn't all that happy with the selection at our provincial Robinsons), what brands are popular (and affordable) here, Thai websites that maybe cover some of this ground, and tips and warnings. Tips: For example, what kind (insulation rating) of sleeping bags are suitable for year-around use here? And so on...

I can make the trip to Bangkok to buy the stuff, so I hope that should open up some suggestions.

Thanks

[sriracha john]

You may wish to consider camping at one of the National Parks. Many of them supply camping supplies ranging from tents, sleeping bags, lanterns, etc. which saves you from the added expense of purchasing supplies yourself as well as hauling it all around. They always seem to supply decent quality products at very inexpensive rental rates.

A good rundown of parks and their facilities in Thailand is available at:

http://www.trekthailand.net/list/

Have fun....

[talatnat]

You may wish to consider camping at one of the National Parks. Many of them supply camping supplies ranging from tents, sleeping bags, lanterns, etc. ..

Have fun....

Indeed, that's probably the best way to start ... and to check if the rest of the family gets to like it. Thanks for the link, too.

Any suggestions for sites with good amenities (toilets, showers, whatever) on the east-coast or up to Khao Yai to my north? Just to introduce the wife to it all gently.

[jdinasia]

There are 2 places that sell camping supplies in Prawet ... very close to each other. One is at Seacon Square on the second floor near Lotus/Tesco. The other is about 1 Kilometer away at Seri Center ... (Sports World?)

Both places are on Sri Nakarin Rd inbound from Bangna Trat.

Another place I have seen is on Suk 71 (Pra Kanong) near Soi 38 .. they import directly ... more limited choices but probably cheaper

[sriracha john]

You may wish to consider camping at one of the National Parks. Many of them supply camping supplies ranging from tents, sleeping bags, lanterns, etc. ..

Have fun....

Indeed, that's probably the best way to start ... and to check if the rest of the family gets to like it. Thanks for the link, too.

Any suggestions for sites with good amenities (toilets, showers, whatever) on the east-coast or up to Khao Yai to my north? Just to introduce the wife to it all gently.

We went here last month and enjoyed it alot. Nice easy hiking trails, waterfalls, nothing to stressful for the little ones. Nice facilities and camp right next to a very pretty small lake:

Khao Kitchakut National Park in Chantaburi province.

http://www.trekthailand.net/central6/index.html

includes map, descriptions, and photos

[Nordlys]

There is a Thai-brand store selling camping gears including tents along north Sukhumvit somewhere between Asoke and soi 33, but I forgot the name of the store. I think you can find the advertisement of this brand/store in Thai travel magazine called Anusarn O.S.T.

Believe Central Chidlom also sells tents and sleeping bags on the floor where they sell sporting goods and so does US brand North Face at Siam Discovery and Gaysorn Plaza.

Finding cooking gears and cutlery for ourdoor use in Thailand seems difficult (saw a few at Central Chidlom and Pro Cam-fis in Emporium) especially the butane canister for portable cooking stove.

[sriracha john]

That's one of the many nice things about most national park camping areas; often they have quite decent restaurants as part of their facilities, thus removing the tasks of cooking and cleaning up as well as reducing your carrying load in and out of the campsites.

[Nordlys]

No wonder they don't sell cooking gears in Thailand... But do they allow outdoor BBQ or cooking at tables in their facility? And how about toilets and shower rooms (if there is such a thing at camp ground)? Are they clean and in hygenic conditions?

Edited March 19, 2006 by Nordlys

[sriracha john]

At most campgrounds, I saw more than a few people cooking at their campsite (in keeping with their lovely fascination with all things food-related, some Thais seemed to spend almost ALL their time camping doing so.. )

The sites all have had showers and toilets (the state of them varied from poor to good). With the facility I mentioned earlier, they were good.

Have to keep in mind in this regard that the charges for camping in National Parks are unbelievably inexpensive. We happen to bring our own tent and pay only 30 baht. Tent rental are usually in the 150-250 baht range.

Edited March 19, 2006 by sriracha john

[Tippaporn]

Welcome to camping in Thailand, Talatnat. You'll get good enough advice on what and where to buy from others. There are quite a few very nice National Parks within a 5 hour's drive radius. One of my favorites is Tat Mok, just on the outskirts and to the east of Petchabun. From the valley floor it's about a 10KM drive straight up the mountainside following alongside a creek running between the mountains. An absolutely awesome scenic drive.

What I like about this park is that the camping grounds are small, sheltered from the road by a natural berm, grassy, and you can park your vehicle right at your site. Another huge benefit is the creek bordering the campground opposite the berm. I've camped there thrice, all on holidays when other National Parks are overflowing, yet this one never seems to fill up at all.

Here's some pics.

Just to note, if you're used to camping in the U.S. don't expect to have the traditional campfire. I've seen very few Thais build them, nor have I seen any park provided firepits. That may be due to my limited camping experience, though I've been to quite a few parks.

The campfire pictured was built by me. For some reason we had a small pile of pebble stone on our site. Being on the edge of the campground with forest bordering it I noticed a huge pile of freshly cut timbers. Laying on the ground near the pile of stones was a 4-foot length of split bamboo. My mind instantaneously put the ingredients together and the light bulb quickly went off.

Using one end of the bamboo I dug out a fire pit and then used it to grade the pebble stone. I found more than enough pieces of logs that seemed, amazingly, to be cut expressly for my purpose of building seating more than halfway around the fire. Shorter pieces lended themselves perfectly for small 'coffee' tables at the ends of each length of seating. I finished up by building a classic log cabin fire and setting up the glasses, booze and even a trash bag pinned to a stake. Now there was little to do but wait in anticipation of nightfall.

Needless to say that when the sun went down and the chill air began to shiver the bones I lit up the fire attracting most of the other campers. A party to remember!!! Come 2 AM or thereabouts my wife decided to do a little kung fishing in the creek, inviting me to come along. It was absolutely hilarious to see her out there fishing in the dark with no jacket or equipment other than her bare hands. Amazing, I thought, especially considering her intolerance for the cold.

Have fun, and thanks for an idea for a new topic.

Edited March 19, 2006 by Tippaporn

[talatnat]

What can I say? Cannot wait to get started... thanks to all for the good advice and inspiration.

[sriracha john]

A bit further, but a terrific place worth the trip:

http://www.trekthailand.net/m9/index.html

cost a staggering 180 baht to stay 4 days/3 nights (30 baht x 2 people x 3 nights)

view from straight out the front door of our tent, right on the beach :

didn't count them all, but here's one of the English-translated, "300 Hilltops National Park" :

not a bad way to spend the holidays, eh? :

view of "up" the coastline of our campsite "he11" :

and last, but by no means least, the view of "down" the coastline of our campsite showing the "hundreds of tourists congregating on the filthy, trash-strewn beach" :

Happy Camping To You...

Edited March 20, 2006 by sriracha john

[sriracha john]

apparently over-worked the forum's photo posting capacities... sorry

can a mod delete the first two incomplete posts? thank you

Done!

Penz

Edited March 20, 2006 by penzman

[Spaniel]

We have been camping in Khao Yai National Park since 1995. When we first started it was very nice (no crowds) but the past several years the park can get quite crowded on the weekends. At Khao Yai you can rent tents, sleeping bags, pillows, mats, small charcoal cookers and you can purchase the charcoal there. The reason you wont see large fires at the campsites is they are prohibited in the National Parks. In Khao Yai overnight camping is restricted to two camp sites both of which have showers and toilets and a couple of restrauants if you dont care to cook. In addition to paying the entrance fee to the park you will also be charged a camping fee per night. I dont remember the exact charge but it was small and unlike the park entrance fee all pay the same amount. The best time to go is durnig the "winter months" from around November to March when it is cool in the mountains, sometimes actually pretty cold. It can get pretty messy during the rainy season but I'm told you tend to see more animals. Guess the rain keeps them moving.

As far as buying camping gear here in Thailand if you are in the Minburi area of Bangkok stop by Fashion Island mall and go to Sports World. I also believe there is a sports World located in Central Chidlom in Bangkok. Anyway they have a pretty big selection of tents and all the camping gear you would need and the prices are ok as most of the stuff is fmade in Thailand. One poster mentioned a shop on Sukumvit near Asoke. Unless you want to spend a lot of money I would stay clear of that place. They have good gear but most/all is imported so prices are rather high.

If you have any particular questions post again and I'll try to help you out.