The National Wildlife Federation may have dropped the "Backyard" from the name of this annual event that was traditionally held on the last Saturday of June, but all of us at Alpine Shop and The Pathfinder have decided we're leaving it in there - especially this year.

We're big fans of camping out. That's kind of obvious, I guess, being a camping store. But there are so many things to love about a good old-fashioned backyard campout. For families, you don't have to worry about loading everyone into the car and discovering later that night that you forgot something. You can just walk back into the house and grab the missing gear. And if the weather takes a surprising turn for the worse and one of the little ones gets scared, again, you can just take them back into the house.

It brings all of the enjoyment of camping - being outside, making a campfire (where allowed in your neighborhood!), talking with one another, seeing the wildlife around your house - and makes it easy to handle any problems that might arise.

But don't just take our word for it. Get out there and give it a shot this weekend. Join folks around the country getting outside this weekend for the Great American Backyard Campout!