catcountry Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 for the first time. We have a new-to-us kayak and bikes and the place I chose will give us the opportunity to be waterfront. =) Asside from sleeping bags and a tent...what are some of the essentials. We will stay 3 nights. Would love any tips any of you have to offer to make this a great time.....I've always wanted to take my her camping and I want us to love it because it is a great and inexpensive get away. Link to comment
BellaDonna Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Insect repellent lanterns I always bring my grill....and an air mattress for my tent lol. I could make a really long list....but I once brought a hairdryer camping so I probably am not the best person to answer this because my idea of "camping" is probably not the same as others. Does the campsite have bathrooms with running water? I've never truly roughed it out. I always stayed on grounds that had a camp store and other amenities. What you bring camping depends largely on where you stay and what's available there. I should add- I have a 3 year-old. I would not take him camping without having a portable potty handy. I usually bring the one from my boat. -Because the idea of waking up in the middle of the night to contend with him needing the bathroom is not a fun prospect. It's convenient to take that along. Even some older kids are afraid to walk outside of the tent in the dark to go to the bathroom. I remember my friend's 8 year-old daughter being scared about that. I'm not sure how old your daughter is. Also as for having fun, if you light a fire and cook over it most kids will be in their glory. Especially if you make "smores". Link to comment
catcountry Posted May 31, 2011 Author Share Posted May 31, 2011 Our camp site is very close to bathrooms...that was a must. I figured I'd get one of those things that sit over the camp fire to cook dinner....breakfast and lunch could be easy things like muffins and sandwiches. I'm really excited about this and want us to have a good experience. Bug stuff is #1 on the list and found a great air mattress on amazon. =) thanks for your reply Bella! Link to comment
catcountry Posted May 31, 2011 Author Share Posted May 31, 2011 BTW...my daughter is 12. Link to comment
BellaDonna Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Another thing we always bring is a tiny tent, just to store food in. You can't leave anything out at all. It has to be securely zipped into a tent so critters can't get in. If your tent is large you can keep it all zipped up in a bag inside your tent too. (Assuming there are no bears in the area) The only animals we had to worry about were pesty raccoons, birds, and chipmunks. Raccoons can remove lids from containers and coolers easily. I learned that the hard way one year when I thought my stuff was safe and it opened a container, stole my gummy bears, and was eating them up in a tree....occasionally dropping a few. Maybe get your daughter her own little fun lantern or flashlight of some sort. I also find I need additional blankets and that a sleeping bag is not all that warm. It can get really cold at night. Link to comment
catcountry Posted May 31, 2011 Author Share Posted May 31, 2011 I plan on getting a tent that is quite large....more than enough for the two of us. If we like it, I don't want to have to buy another tent down the line so we could keep the coolers in that with us. I just can't wait! lol Link to comment
Hurting85 Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 I bet she'd love s'mores. We always had a little gas grill thing too. Bacon and eggs. Maybe fishing poles? Link to comment
Anthropic Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Keeping food in a tent is a bad idea, racoons can claw their way through a tent with no problems. I once woke up to a racoon sitting on me because a friend decided he would keep granola bars in the tent overnight. It shredded my sleeping bag and made another rip in the tent when my friend woke up and screamed bloody murder, still managed to take a granola bar with it too. Ask the campsite office what to do with food, they sometimes have special critter-proof containers to store your food. When I'm out roughing it in the wilderness we don't store anything with a scent in our tents (that includes sunscreen, toothpaste, etc.), we hang it out of reach in a tree away from our campsite. Never underestimate nature's furry woodland creatures, even the car isn't safe as bears have been known to break into cars for food. Link to comment
JonasWaingaro Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Dunno if you're in a rainy area or not but a tarp with some line is good to have. You can make a dry area around your campsite. A small Coleman stove is nice for heating water for hot cocoa and such. Have fun! I hope she really loves it and it becomes a life long thing. Camping really is awesome in the modern move too fast world. Link to comment
ferna3069 Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 honestly it sounds like fun. if you show a kid that nature can be fun it will be a time to remember Link to comment
Wingsong Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 With car camping you can pack a bunch of stuff. I retired some of my old pots and pans to camping gear and I bring some silver ware. Don't forget a can opener if you are bringing canned goods. Spatulas also seem to be important when forgotten. I like to have plastic dishwashing bins and I pack these with a table cloth, a couple old towels and a small jug of dish soap. I guess you could say I take the kitchen sink You will like to have collapsible camping chairs if you have them. I do have an air mattress, and the pump requires batteries. Sleeping bags, tent, warm coats are obvious. We usually leave most of the food in the trunk of the car and have not had trouble with critters opening coolers but if you leave stuff out unattended on the picnic table the birds and squirrels will get into it and get muddy footprints and bird poop on your stuff. We finally got a propane stove but I like to cook over the fire. I have the stove and the marshmallow sticks and all the camp dishes in a special bag now so that when I get home I wash everything and I am good to go the next time. Bring soap, towels and small shampoos if you will have showers there. You can buy wood at the campground so that is $8 or $10 and can be expensive. But bring an old newspaper and a lighter or matches or else you will be inconvenienced and have to go hunt this down at your neighbor's camp site. A flashlight or headlamp is essential. I am sure I am forgetting stuff Just whatever you think would make it fun and comfortable. Don't forget a camera. Some places have wi fi now so you can bring your laptop. Also a book or whatever for relaxing. A deck of cards is fun. Some of those dumb plastic bags that we pile up for groceries to have for trash. I like to pack my clothes in a cloth laundry sack so that when I am done I just put my dirty clothes in the sack. I don't bother with tarps. definitely insect repellent and sunscreen. One time we forgot the bug spray and it was miserable to get bitten and so expensive to buy at the resort. Link to comment
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