Brandi Seals is freelance writer originally from rural Michigan, and now resides in Arkansas with her husband Michael. She and her husband enjoy hiking, camping, and anything else that gets them outdoors and closer to nature. They base camp regularly, and are planning to take up backpacking. Brandi feels that there is nothing like cooking over and open fire and sleeping under the stars. She plans to continue going on camping adventures for the rest of her life.

Brian Kline

Brian Kline’s earliest outdoor interest began at age 10 when he slipped away from home with his dog “Wobbles” for daylong strolls into nearby canyons and ravines. He's been enjoying the outdoors and camping ever since -- more than 35 year. Good fortune presented excellent camping opportunities in the Pacific Northwest where lakes, mountains, and desert terrain are all within two hours travel from where he lives.

His teen years were spent at state parks hiking through the desserts, always attentive for the sound of rattlesnakes. There were other days spent hiking the forest trails of Mount Rainier National Park where glacier trails and ice caves attracted experienced and novice hikers. The Pacific Northwest has an abundance of excellent camping. Another of Brian’s favorites is camping at Lake Cushman at the foot of the Olympic Rainforest.

Forston

Forston has been camping for over fifteen years. Having started camping as a Cadet, he's collected a mass of knowledge over the years. Today he regularly hikes Pacific coastal mountain trails in British Columbia, and camps in the backcountry where it might take days to return to civilization. His love for camping comes from the time he spends outdoors where he gets to enjoy the beautiful natural west coast surroundings.

Jason Houle

Jason brings a wealth of camping gear knowledge from years of experience as a manager of camping stores. He truly loves outdoor activities. Based on his pattern teaching scuba diving, skiing and snowboarding over the past decade, it's clear he loves to share what he knows.

Jennifer Williamson

Jennifer has been hiking and backpacking for over 15 years. A native Vermonter, some of her favorite haunts include Tuckerman’s Ravine on Mt. Washington, the Long Trail in the Green Mountains, and Mt. Marcy in the Adirondacks. Other trips have taken her to the Pacific Northwest, Britain, and Australia. She’s recently taken up bike touring, which she describes as “backpacking on a bike.” She took her Fuji touring bike to the San Juan Islands last summer, and is planning a trip to Scotland next year. In the meantime, she’ll be sticking close to home in Central Pennsylvania, where you can still find limestone streams full of native brook trout—if you know where to look.

Marshall Krueger

Marshall Krueger has camped annually for the last 28 years. Over the years, he’s combined camping with other outdoor such activities as hunting, fishing, hiking, kayaking and canoeing. He’s also camped in every province west of Quebec, in the Yukon Territory, and in eleven States including Indiana, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. His preferred form of camping is long trips by car and tent. Although the arrival of his two children has affected his camping habit, he found new interest after borrowing his parent’s RV units.

Miranda Miller

Miranda Miller is an avid all-season camper from Owen Sound, Ontario. She credits her love of the outdoors largely to the beautiful Georgian Bay and Niagara Escarpment area in which she was raised. In her early twenties, Miranda was able to travel and work in hunting and fishing camps throughout Central, Western, and Northern Canada, including remote outposts and fly-in locations. On days off, she enjoyed hiking and camping in the Alberta Rockies or BC interior. She now takes great pride in introducing her growing family to the pleasures of truly roughing it by planning vacations around canoe trips and bush camping throughout North America.

Nora Caterino

Nora Caterino is a professional writer living in Mississippi. She's loved camping for over 30 years. She enjoys base camping, as well as bicycle and motorcycle camping. During the many years she lived along the Space Coast of Central Florida, she traveled to many camp grounds along the Atlantic coastline. Her favorite seashore campgrounds are Jetty Park in Port Canaveral, Florida and Sebastian Inlet State Recreation Area at the southern tip of Brevard County, Florida. Her favorite inland camp site is Withlacoochie State Forest where she enjoyed canoeing the Withlacoochie and Rainbow Rivers.

Sandy Baker

Sandy Baker is an experienced camper and hiker. Spending many years camping as a child, lead to camping as a teen and later with her family. Her journeys have included all types of camping in all types of locations from New Mexico to Canada and many places in between. Trail hiking is a favorite, camping with the kids is also a challenge worth taking on! In addition, Sandy likes to canoe, whitewater raft and do many more physically demanding activities that gets her outdoors and challenges the body and mind.

Stacey & John Doyle

Stacey started camping with the Girl Scouts, who taught her survival skills and how to safely appreciate wildlife, and have been going ever since. Here camping experiences over the past thirty years range from backpacking alone with a pup tent to relaxing in an RV throughout the Northeastern United States.

When she and her husband were courting and started to get “serious”, he took her on a bare bones winter camping and fishing trip to see what she was made of. After she caught more fish, helped pitch the tent and pan-fried some delicious flounder, Jack decided she was “a keeper”.

Here husband also started camping in his youth and honed his survival skills as a Marine in the Vietnam War. They now enjoy camp trips with their two beautiful children, who love it as much as they do.

Their favorite excursion is to grab a big Coleman tent, a generator and an inflatable rowboat and head out to Cedar Point in East Hampton, Long Island, New York. The private grounds, historical lighthouse, piping plover (an endangered bird species that's everywhere here), fruitful bay and attentive service staff make this an ideal nook for our family trips.

Taras Boyko

At the age of 25, Taras has camped for over fifteen years, and has been mountaineering for ten. Over the past four years, he’s ascended difficult alpine peaks (ranging in the 2a to 3a difficulty category for those familiar with alpine climbing).

Taras started hiking and camping in the rocky mountains of Crimean Peninsula (Ukraine). Then he climbed most of the peaks in Carpathians. A couple years back, he explored the Alps, but his major achievement was reaching the summits of the Kavkaz mountains (bordering Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Turkey and Azerbaijan). He stood on the peaks of the highest European mountain - Elbrus, and the second highest – Kazbek.

Among his favorite hiking activities are “thru trails” with elements of cliff climbing. He likes to be on the “edge” all the time.

Through his years camping, hiking and climbing, he’s faced the challenge of nature many times during his adventures: hunger, illness, broken bones - but nothing in the world will stop him from going to the mountains while he’s alive and able.

Today, Taras lives in Kiev, Ukraine, and has graduated as a Master of Arts.

Valerie Mellema

Valerie Mellema lives with her husband, horses and dogs in Amarillo, Texas.

Valerie works as a freelance writer and enjoys writing on a variety of different subjects. She also enjoys camping and has spent many nights under the stars as a Girl Scout in her youth and as an adult with her family. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Agribusiness/ Equine Business & Industry with a Minor in Animal Science.