Free Camping Gear For Veterans

Are 100% Service Connected Given Reduced Rates4 Years 11 Months Ago#16130

Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing

In connection with Department of Defense hospitals, Warrior Transition units, and Veterans Affairs medical centers, this nationwide fly-fishing program offers physical and emotional rehabilitation to disabled veterans.

Learn fly fishing, tying, casting, and rod building and then use these skills on a fly fishing outing through the program. To find a program in your area, use the interactive map on their website.

Camping World Military And Veteran Discount

Camping World honors all military and veterans every day by extending a 5% discount on all purchases online and in-store . If youre a Good Sam member, this discount applies on top of your member savings. Additionally, Camping World makes a point to hire, train, and transition veterans into the civilian workforce, as well as military spouses. If youre a veteran or military spouse looking for employment, reach out at for more information.

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More Individual Camping Checklists:

Sometimes all you need is a specific individual camping list. Particularly when it comes to personal clothing, food, and supplies.These checklists are intended to be complete enough to cover almost any type of outdoor camping from an over-night tent camp out in a local field, to a week-long hunting camp in the mountains, but of course there may be stuff you need to add for your particular needs.NOTE: Each camping checklist will have printer-friendly options for print-outs in MS Word format that you can edit and customize, or as a PDF doc that you can download and save.

Personal Gear/Bedding Checklist:

Whether it is a group outdoor camping event with a base camp, or a hiking trip where it is all on your back, there are some items that are basic/personal and needed no matter what type of outing you are going on.

Being mindful of camping safety and basic First Aid can keep minor issues from becoming major problems. This should be your most important checklist.

Its easy to remember the lanterns and tarps for your campsite, but its amazing how often the little things that make camp life easy, , get forgotten and left behind. This checklist will help. A campfire cooking checklist can be as simple as a fork, spoon, and individual mess kit, to a multi-page full camp kitchen set-up. Just evaluate your single or group meal needs to pack the right items.

How to customize this Master camping checklist

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Direct Professional Licensing For Military Experience

Veterans leave military service with a wealth of transferable skills and professional experiences. Thanks to an Oregon law passed in 2012, you may be able to attain official accreditation for those skills in the civilian workforce.

The program, designed to quickly get service members back to work after serving in the military, requires certain professional licensing agencies and boards in Oregon to accept military training or experience as an allowable substitution for traditional civilian education or experience required for licensure, certification or registration. That means veterans in certain fields dont need to go back to school for training they have already received in the military.

Certain professions may have special requirements that must be met in addition to military education or experience.

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Do You Have To Be A Veteran To Camp At An Army Corps Of Engineers Campground

631 views2May 1, 2022

No, you do not have to be a veteran to camp at an Army Corps of Engineers campground. In fact, these campgrounds are not even located on military bases. They are open to everyone. Most campgrounds will require reservations through Recreation.gov, but there are many free campgrounds, including areas designated as dispersed camping.

Totally Free Genuinely Useful Camping Gear

Just please don’t call them hacks

Outside’s long reads email newsletter features our strongest writing, most ambitious reporting, and award-winning storytelling about the outdoors..

This isnt another listicle telling you to put your headlamp on your water bottle to turn it into a lantern. These are genuinely useful upgrades you can make to your current camping setup, without spending any money whatsoever.

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State Park Perks Earn Free Outdoor Gear

Every state has state parks or recreational areas. Many offer discounts for entrance fees, permits, rentals, or facility reservations to service members.

Some state parks offer programs that can earn you free outdoor gear. The North Carolina State Parks Passport program is a reward program for visiting state parks. You can earn a free pair of hiking socks and $40 in gift cards just for visiting the parks. North Carolina is home to the most populous military installation Fort Bragg. State Parks near Fort Bragg that make great day trips include:

• Raven Rock State Park

The Many Uses Of A Contractor Bag

Pack out your trash. Pack out your poop. Keep the stuff in your pack dry. Make a raincoat. Keep your pack dry at night, when its outside your tent. Make a bear bag. Leave camp cleaner than you found it. Make a sling. Make a vapor barrier. Collect rain water. Make a backpack. Maybe dont do all this at once.

My personal favorite use is when you encounter a really dirty truck stop bathroom, and youve just really got to go right then. Cover the entire toilet in the heavy duty trash bag, slash an X over the bowl, and do your thing without touching anything gross.

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Little Arrow Outdoor Resort

This highly rated resort is located in Townsend, Tennessee, on the outskirts of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In addition to the camp store, there is a wide variety of food trucks that come to the site. There are also bath houses, fire pits, and a community garden.

What to do in the area:

• Get an amazing view from an observation tower built upon the tallest peak in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Clingmans Dome, which stands at 6,643 miles above sea level and is part of the Appalachian Trail
• Hike Rainbow Falls, named for the rainbows that appear in the mist of the waterfall
• Visit the impressive Ripleys Aquarium of the Smokies in nearby Gatlinburg, which houses over 100,000 exotic sea creaturesthe aquarium offers a 50% discount to active duty, veterans, retired military, and reserves, as well as a 30% discount for their dependents

Instead of feeling stuck at home this summer, take advantage of the current situation to unplug and view what the great outdoors has to offer youfrom sea to shining sea!

Note: Some National Parks and campsites participating in the Tents for Troops program have varied plans for when they will reopen within the context of COVID-19. Be sure to check for closures before you start planning your trip.

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Smartwater Makes The Best Water Bottles

The tall, narrow shape, and strong construction of SmartWater bottles makes them ideal for backpacking. Theyll fit the minuscule sleeves in an ultralight pack perfectly, and will hold up to weeks of use. Theyre even strong enough that you can fill them with hot water, and throw them in your sleeping bag 15 minutes before bed time for a free bed heater.

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Camping Near You Find A Free Campsite

Whether you just need to know where to camp nearby or you want to plan a free camping road trip, we’ve got you covered. You can simply use your smart phone’s GPS to find camping near you or even use our trip planner to plan your route from coast to coast.

Our community provides the best free camping information available. Free campgrounds can be hard to find. Freecampsites.net makes it easy. We give you a simple, map based search engine to find free and cheap camping areas. Community reviews and ratings provide you with up to date information and help you select the best camp site for your next camping trip.

This is a platform for sharing campgrounds and camp sites you have discovered. We are community driven, and while we will be adding many free camping spots, we hope that you will add some of your favorite camping places as well. By sharing camping information freely, we can all spend less time researching campgrounds, spend less money, and more time camping. If everyone contributes a few campsites, we’ll all have more places to go camping.

Please come back and let us know what you find!

We are not actively seeking Wal-Marts, truckstops or other parking lots and will not be adding very many of these. There are enough Wal-Mart and truck stop directories out there already. However, if a member of the community finds one of these locations to be useful for overnight RV parking and creates an entry, we may approve the listing.

Please come back and let us know what you find!

Sign Up For Pro Deals

Most reputable brands will offer some sort of PRO deal for people in the business. This doesnt mean you have to be a full-time adventurer a pro can be a park ranger, wilderness guide, photographer, environmental worker and many, many more things. It is all up to the discretion of the brand.

A lot of PRO deals offer up to 50% off, often in return for a small charitable donation at checkout and so forth. Unlike sponsorship, most PRO deals dont require you to publicize them on your social media but there is often a rigorous questionnaire and proof-of-earnings required during your application.

If you want to know whether your favorite brand offers PRO deals simply do a web search for *brand name* PRO deal. Many manufacturers wont advertise it on their public facing website, to keep it an option mainly for professionals who are more in-the-know.

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Heres The Criteria Of Qualifications That May Allow You To Reserve And Stay At Military Famcamps Per Militarybenefitsinfo:

• Military retirees and families
• Former Prisoners of War
• Veterans with service-connected disabilities
• Reserves members, Reserve Corps of the Public Health Service or a commissioned officer of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration the meets the requirements for being considered a veteran AND also meets the above criteria are eligible for campground access.
• Honorably discharged veterans are not authorized, unless they meet the additional criteria listed above.

All of that said, despite qualifications, Active Duty and their families always take precedence especially during PCS season or times. After which, RV and campsites are based on other precedences and space availability.

And be aware, there may be prescribed time limits allowing you to stay at military campgrounds or FamCamps. However, user and occupancy regulations all come down to each individual Command authorization. The best way to find out who can use specific military campgrounds, its best to call the particular Outdoor Recreation or MWR office for details and reservation.

Speaking of military camping at FamCamps and military campgrounds, did you know that military-based MWR and Outdoor Recreation programs offer camping gear rentals such as kayaks, paddleboards, canoes, cots, sleeping bags, tents, backpacks, camp cookware and other camping equipment? But get this! Some military recreation facilities rent out cabins and cottages, campers and boats too!

Up To 60% Off Msrp On Outdoor Gear And Apparel At Provengo

All active duty, retired, and veterans of the United States federal, state and city Government qualify for Provengo’s Government pricing program. In most cases, if you have a valid government issued email address, you will automatically be approved by the verification system. If you are unable to use a Government email address, you will be prompted to upload credentials, or you can email them to . Approved credentials include but are not limited to: Agency/Association Photo ID Card, Veterans/Veterans of Foreign Wars ID Card, DD214 or DD2765. Customers will receive 20 to 60% off MSRP pricing for the brands they carry and receive even deeper discounts based on the current sales promotion they are running. Customers receive free shipping on any order that is over $250 and no sales tax outside of New York. Users can create an account at , and they also have a showroom that customers can come in and shop at located in North Merrick, New York.

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New To Camping Or Just Starting Your Planning

An organized camping trip needs planning! This checklist will walk you through the planning stage step by step. Almost all public camping areas have camping and campfire regulations/restrictions. To-dos and No-nos, you need to know to plan your camping trip!

Outdoor Recreation Is Therapeutic

A 2014 study evaluated the benefits of outdoor recreation experiences the majority of which did not include formal counseling or therapy. Researchers found that veterans experienced significant improvements including:

• Psychological well-being

A 2015 study reiterated the value of outdoor recreation identifying three themes:

• Social reconnection group outdoor experiences fostered healthy relationships
• Life-Improving change time outdoors can give veterans renewed sense of motivation
• Inner peace/Psychological healing time to contemplate well-being led to self-reflection, acceptance, and discovery
• Processing and reflection spending time outdoors contributes to psychological well-being

In 2019, the Accelerating Veterans Recovery Outdoors Act was introduced. If enacted, this bill will require the VA to establish a task force on providing mental health treatment to veterans through outdoor recreation.

As this bill makes its journey, there are already therapeutic outdoor recreation programs available to active duty service members, veterans and their families. Participating in such programs can restore a sense of purpose, improve physical and mental aspects of health and provide the opportunity for connecting with others and yourself.

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Yosemite Pines Rv Resort & Family Lodging

This campground is located just under half an hour from the Big Oak Flat entrance to Yosemite National Park in California. It boasts a pool, its own general store, plenty of activity spaces like a volleyball court and horseshoes, and you can even pan for gold!

What to do in the area:

• Hike to the top of Yosemite Falls
• Climb or hike the famous rock formation, Half Dome
• Go wine tasting at family-owned wineries in one of the oldest grape-growing regions in America on the nearby Madera Wine Trail
• Visit the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, where 500 of these gargantuan trees standeven one you can drive through!

Diamond M Ranch Resort

This ranch does it all. It is run by three generations of Alaskans who strive to make Diamond M Ranch Resort both family and community friendly. Located on Alaskas Kenai Peninsulahome to the Kenai Fjord National Parkthe site overlooks the Cook Inlet and the Kenai River. They offer free weekly farm tours and free guided hikes to resort guests. Just across the inlet are two more national parks: Katmai and Lake Clark.

What to do in the area:

• Catch trophy salmon in the nearby rivers
• Fish on the ocean for halibut
• Go on a glacier tour by boat to catch sight of whales, sea lions, and other wildlife
• Go on a bear viewing trip

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How Does A Veteran Gain Free Entrance To A National Park

In national parks that charge an entrance fee, a veteran will need to present one of the following forms of identification to receive a free Interagency Military Pass:

• Department of Defense Identification Card

• Veteran Health Identification Card

• Veteran ID Card

• Veterans designation on a state-issued U.S. drivers license or identification card

Its especially important to obtain the Interagency Military Pass to display on the vehicle dashboard at unstaffed sites. View a list of federal locations that issue passes.

At sites that do not issue annual Interagency Military Passes, showing the above forms of identification will allow free entrance.

Veterans can also obtain a free Military Pass online through the USGS Store. There is a $10 online processing fee.

Free Sports Gear Tickets For Veterans And Military Kids

When a military recruit signs the dotted line and raises a hand to swear the solemn oath, their service and sacrifice begins. Often unseen, but never forgotten, are the children who make those sacrifices, too. While Mom or Dad proudly serves, these little heroes endure long deployments, extended training exercises and many of the stressors inherent in military life.

Minnesota Vikings Tight End Kyle Rudolph with a group of United Heroes League Military Kids

Any active service member or Honorably discharged Veteran who deployed to a combat zone , with children under 18-years-old, are encouraged to apply.

To date, United Heroes League has provided over $10 million dollars worth of sports gear, tickets, camps and grants to over 40,000 military families across the U.S. 120 athlete ambassadors from six different sports and over 30 professional sports organizations have joined the UHL Team.

Also for 2019, United Heroes League proudly introduces UHL Outdoors. Military and Veteran families can join NHL All Star and passionate military supporter Steve Payne for one of eight nationwide fishing events. The service member or Veteran, and their child, will join Payne and a host of professional athletes out on the water for a memorable day of fishing.

A Military Child goes fishing with UHL Outdoors

Based in Hastings, Minnesota, United Heroes League is a nationally registered 501c3 non-profit organization and maintains an average 90% giving rate.

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