Monday, August 06, 2018

Camping 101


A couple of you mentioned wanting more info about what camping gear we recommend for those who would like to get started with family camping!

This is just my opinion - I'm betting if you asked another family, they'd say some things the same and some different - take it for what it's worth and leave the rest.

First of all, I love this very inclusive packing list - I use this when getting ready to go and while it includes more than we take, I appreciate the reminders to think through so many areas of what to bring.

Sleeping:
Tent, rain fly, poles and hammer {stick a hammer in for putting stakes in and pulling them out!}
Sleeping bags {one per person}
Air mattress or sleeping mat if desired
Pillows/blankets
Shoe tray {I learned this from my friend Jessica and it works great! Set the shoe tray inside your tent for corralling shoes in the tent and getting the dirt to stay a bit more contained. It works great to slide it under your cooler for travel!}

* One of the best and least expensive camping items we've purchased was an air compressor that hooks up to your car and blows your air mattress up in less than 2 minutes. It is awesome.



Cooking:
I've never gotten the hang of cooking over the fire, but I absolutely love my camping stove! The first year we camped, we borrowed a camping stove and I was hooked. We have this stove. Make sure to bring a lighter and extra propane for your stove!

As for cooking utensils and such - this could get lengthy to list - but I keep a picnic basket with enamelware camping dishes, a ziploc of thrifted silverware, can opener, hotpads, salt and pepper, dish soap, etc. You'll want a piece of rope to make a clothesline and some clothespins to hang your wet towels/rags! Paper plates are also very handy to minimize your dishwashing and clean up after each meal!

Tuck in a tablecloth, trashbags, pots/pans, dish cloths and towels and two plastic bins for washing dishes. I like having a kettle too for heating water - both for hot drinks and for dish washing. I always stick in some ziplocs for having on hand!

Make sure you find out if water is available where you'll be camping and bring plenty of water if you won't have access to a spout.

Cooler with cooking ingredients, dry ingredients in a box or reusable shopping bag and plenty of snacks - it seems everyone is more hungry when out in the fresh air! I've never gotten the hang of the camping coffee pot but a french press also works great for coffee!

I'll do a separate post on cooking prep for simpler meals while camping!



Entertainment:
Lantern/flashlights and extra batteries
Card games
Hammock
Books to read
Glowsticks

Other:
Chairs
A few towels
Camera!
Empty jar or vase for collecting wild flowers
Ax or hatchet for splitting firewood
Toilet paper/paper towels
First aid kit
Medications if needed

I'm positive this is not exhaustive, but this is what is coming to mind right now. Of course I have not addressed clothing - you'll want to think about where you'll be going and what weather and situations you may encounter.

If you've been camping before - what would you add to the list?

*affiliate links above

4 comments:

Leanne said...

this is just an FYI if you don't really want to tent camp, but you want to camp, but don't own an RV or pop-up.... there is a great website called outdoorsy.com .... you can rent campers/RV's just like you rent homes through airbnb.com .... We're doing this for a camping trip over the Labor Day holiday! Campers come in all price ranges... Just thought I would throw that out there if tent camping isn't quite your thing! :-)

Jackie said...

Good morning Monica. Pets, bottled water or what you bring for yourself for drinking. Sometimes drinking water from other states can cause "tummy" problems until your body adjusts. Leash, collar, rabie tags, document with rabie shot. Some camp sights might not let dog in without the document receipt from vet would probably work since it has the date of the shot. of course their food, something to sleep/sit on and something that has a strong scent of you for them to have when you go somewhere without them during vacation or if they get lost. If they get lost, set item outside of tent or where you last saw them. Often they will return to it.

Mrs. Chrissy T said...

Thanks for information.

Mrs. Chrissy T said...

Monica...thank you!!!