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" CAR CAMPING Tailgating with Mother Nature Drive-in camping combines the beauty of nature with the conveniences of civilization--if it keeps you warm, grills a steak or mixes a cocktail, bring it along. Finding the perfect spot to park all that luxury takes advance planning. Campsites at many state and national parks can be booked online. But before you make a reservation, call the campground and ask to speak with a park ranger, says Jane Huber, coauthor of The Best in Tent Camping: Southern California. &amp;quot;Describe your dream campsite and ask for recommendations.&amp;quot; The Gear: We&amp;#039;re all for active vacations, but we also know how to get comfortable. [ 1 ] GCI&amp;#039;s Outdoor Everywhere Chair ($40) folds and unfolds easily, and adjusts to uneven terrain. [ 2 ] Merrell Chameleon II Gore-Tex XCR trail shoes  ($110) have waterproof, breathable pigskin uppers and a molded footbed for comfort. Experienced campers will appreciate the lightweight, quick-setup [ 3 ] North Face Heron 33 Tent ($349). It has serious waterproofing and an aluminum hub that locks the poles together. But the incredible value of Wal-Mart&amp;#039;s Ozark Trail four-person tent ($30; not pictured) is equally impressive.   Campfires are good for toasting marshmallows, but the [ 4 ] Coleman Road Trip Grill LXE ($170) can cook a steak to perfection, then fold up in seconds and roll out of the way. The smart way to organize camping dry goods is in the [ 5 ] Mountainsmith Modular Hauler 4 System ($90). Its 7500-cu.-in. big bag fits four smaller bags inside, and the whole shebang goes in your trunk.Food and drinks keep cool in the [ 6 ] Coleman 100 Quart Extreme ($90), which has twice the insulation of ordinary coolers--it can keep ice for five days in 90-degree weather.  When you sack out in [ 7 ] EMS&amp;#039;s Solstice Switchback Sleeping Bag ($79), you get two bags in one. One side up is comfortable for 25-degree weather, the other side is built for 45-degree nights. Nothing says &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m roughing it&amp;quot; like a frozen daiquiri.  [ 8 ] GSI&amp;#039;s Vortex Blender ($70) has a two-speed hand-crank drive that fits inside its pitcher for transport.  The [ 9 ] Slumberjack Mesh Quad Lounger ($80) is where the camp chair meets the La-Z-Boy. It stretches out to support your whole body, then packs down into a stuff sack.  Using a propane tank and rechargeable battery, [ 10 ] Coleman&amp;#039;s Hot Water on Demand ($180) heats aqua up to 100 F in 5 seconds. Temperature adjusts for lukewarm dish duty or piping hot coffee.  [ 11 ] Gerber&amp;#039;s Sport Utility Kit ($299) is a portfolio of camping essentials including a multitool, flashlight, folding spade, hatchet and saw, all in a compact case.  BACK-COUNTRY Taking it Further When you&amp;#039;re carrying a week&amp;#039;s worth of supplies on your back, you need to pack light and pack smart. Liz Tuohy, from the National Outdoor Leadership School, adheres to the ABCD method: A=Accessibility to water, snacks and outer layers; B=Balance the load from top to bottom and side to side; C=Compress the load tight and close to the back; and D=Keep things dry by storing clothes and sleeping gear in trash bags. The Gear: The [ 1 ] Gregory Escape Series Baltoro ($269) is 4300 cu. in. of roominess, with dual pivot points on the waist belt so the pack moves with you. [ 2 ] CamelBak&amp;#039;s 70-ounce Unbottle ($30) is made to slip into or strap onto almost any pack. [ 3 ] Princeton Tec&amp;#039;s Genesis LED Handheld ($85) offers lots of torch in a little package--the flashlight has a light intensity of 50 lumens. The [ 4 ] Sierra Designs Baku 2 Tent ($290) keeps it simple and lightweight (4 pounds, 7 ounces) with sewn-on door rainflies and a single-wall, waterproof body. The [ 5 ] hand-pump MSR MiniWorks EX Filter ($80) can purify 1 liter of water per minute. The [ 6 ] Marmot Oracle Jacket ($150), at 1 pound, 3 ounces, is made from waterproof, breathable PreCip fabric.  SKILL Quicker Fish Fillets Illustration by DOgo You landed the big one. Now what? Following the advice of Maine fishing guru Blaine Miller, owner of Allagash Guides, you&amp;#039;re just a few deft knife strokes away from a meaty, bonefree fillet. Here&amp;#039;s how: Place your fish on the blade of a canoe paddle. Using a good filleting knife, make a vertical incision behind the gills. With this method, there&amp;#039;s no need to scale or gut the fish. Slice toward the tail and peel the fillet away from the rib cage. With trout, the fillet is ready for frying. With bass, walleye or other game fish, remove the skin as described below. Leaving the fillet attached at the tail, flop the fillet onto its skin side and make an incision just above the skin layer. Then, pull the meat with one hand while cutting and holding down the skin with the knife blade.  BASE CAMP Some Patches of Paradise Require a Little Exploration Camping by boat or ATV will get you further afield than your standard park-and-play site without the austerity of hardcore backpacking. But being this far from civilization comes with its own concerns. First, water is both your best friend and your worst enemy. You&amp;#039;ll need a quality filtration system to render suspicious streams potable, and plenty of wet-weather gear is essential. Second, you&amp;#039;ll want to prepare for Mother Nature&amp;#039;s little demons by replacing your favorite cologne with eau de DEET. Finally, if you&amp;#039;re packing a boat, you&amp;#039;ll want to take the advice of Oregon fishing guide Ken Streater, owner of Destination Wilderness: Keep clothes, tents and sleeping gear in dry bags, food in ice chests, and to keep things stable, &amp;quot;distribute the load evenly and with a low center of gravity.&amp;quot; The Gear: [ 1 ] Katadyn&amp;#039;s Base Camp Filter ($60) uses gravity to force found water through a glass-fiber filter, screening out microscopic bugs. To ward off bugs of a different sort, the fabrics of [ 2 ] ExOfficio&amp;#039;s Buzz-Off Convertible Pants ($79) and Wicknit Hooded Sweatshirt ($69) are treated with insect repellent that lasts for dozens of washings. [ 3 ] St. Croix&amp;#039;s Premier Fishing Rod ($150) and Spinning Reel ($60) offer a combination versatile enough for bass lakes, trout streams, panfish ponds and everything in between. The [ 4 ] MSR Mutha Hubba ($400) is a three-person tent with a unique pole configuration for maximum interior space. Guard your stuff from dunkings with [ 5 ] SealLine&amp;#039;s TieDown Dry Bag ($50).   The [ 6 ] Backpacker&amp;#039;s Pantry Outback Oven ($68) lets you bake everything from brownies to pizza pie in the backcountry; and it works well with the versatile [ 7 ] Primus Gravity MultiFuel Stove ($110), which runs on anything from propane to unleaded gasoline. [ 8 ] CamelBak&amp;#039;s Bottle ($12) integrates the company&amp;#039;s famous no-spill bite valve and an easy-to-grab handle into a durable plastic container. The [ 9 ] Brunton ADC Summit ($159) collects barometric data and uses it to predict weather for the next 24 hours--it&amp;#039;s pricey, but it works. The pocket-size [ 10 ] Magellan eXplorist 500 GPS ($350) has a color screen, SD-expansion slot and 17-hour battery to help you find your way back home. [ 11 ] Buck Whittaker&amp;#039;s Summit ($70) has a 2.5-in. blade, corkscrew, bottle opener, screwdriver and nothing else to weigh it down. For emergencies, the [ 12 ] Adventure Medical Kits UltraLight &amp;amp;amp; Watertight .9 ($36) has enough supplies for four people for four days. No matter if your next step is in water or on dry land, [ 13 ] Keen Boulder Sport Sandals ($90) prepare you for both.  SKILLS  The Surefire Campfire Illustration by Dogo A good campfire should start with a single match. Suffocation and overfeeding are primary combustion killers, says Dara Johnson, an instructor for the Appalachian Mountain Club in Pinkham Notch, N.H. We asked her for tips on how to get that healthy glow. First, make sure there is no ban on building fires in the area. Then gather downed tinder and sticks as you hike (birch bark will start right up even when damp). Lay out fuel in four piles: tinder, pencil-size sticks, carrot-size sticks and logs no thicker than your wrist. Build a teepee with small sticks. Place tinder in the middle and ignite. When the fire catches, slowly add progressively bigger sticks to the teepee. Use your lungs like a bellows. Purse your lips and give a long, steady blow to the base of the fire. Don&amp;#039;t forget to starve the fire an hour before bedtime. Burn all logs to ash, and douse with water to make sure it&amp;#039;s completely out.  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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