Can We Talk About Camping?
FROM MY ANNUAL COASTAL EXCURSION WITH FRIENDS | SUMMER 2010
The Edwards' family is planning a camping trip.
It's been way too long since we last camped (I think the last time we did was before either of the kids were born) and I would love to read about product suggestions, activities your family enjoys while camping, best tips for camping with a toddler/kids, recipe suggestions, what I'm most likely to forget, etc.
We'll be buying a tent so if you have one you love I'd like to read about that - we're looking for one that has at least two rooms (unfortunately our little two-man just won't cut it anymore).
We're not going into the back country so we'll still have basic amenities. We'll be near a lake. We will be going with some other families so there might be meal sharing involved.
I'm using a basic packing list I downloaded from ListPlanIt.com and I've done a bit of researching online and I've got a general idea of what we need.
Thanks for sharing your experience and suggestions!
One other thing:
Going on your first trip can take tons of prep work, don't let that discourage you from going again! We have worked over the years to make our camping boxes as stocked and ready to go as possible. I even have a set menu that I usually use so I know what to go get. I don't have to pack all that camping stuff up (pots, utensils, first aid, bug spray, tent rug, small broom...) it lives in our camping boxes and is set to go.
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One more thing. If it's going to be chilly in the morning (I saw your long sleeves in your Anna baby book post) put your clothes in the bottom of your sleeping bags. When you dress in the morning your clothes will be nice an toasty from your body heat over night.
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the REI website has some really good advice and checklists about camping ... REI expert advice. the kind of camping we do here in HI is a little bit more low-key (i guess what's called "beach camping"), so a lot of the advice doesn't apply to us but there's an article about camping with kids and i loved printing out activities from the "family adventure program".
and omgosh, i just found this: SO PERFECT for simon.
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If it is feasable, I would consider renting an RV. If not, you will do fine. One good rule to remember, don't worry about lunch, just have snacks, and if they want them good, if not, let it go. Breakfast-snacks-dinner=easier on you.
Don't forget cocktails, and your pillow.
Have fun.
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Looks like you're gotten some great tips already. I'd also add those netted covers for your food on the table. I'm not sure what they are called but they keep flies and bugs off the food you have out. Since you will be by the lake don't forget water toys like floaties and sand buckets and shovels. Also my hubs would never not bring his fishing gear and poles for the kids. It's one of their fave things to do with their dad.
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Like others have suggested -- as much of the food prep before helps. I freeze my chicken breasts in the marinade so they are tasty right quick. You can even cube chicken to easily make kabobs. Pasta salad -- I would keep the chopped veggies separate from the cooked pasta and mix it right before serving.
Like others have suggested - those sandwich irons are cool - we used those to make mini-personal pizzas, grilled cheese, sandwich smores. :)
I like to have extra towels b/c there's something nice about drying off with a clean, dry towel -- and if it rains - things are slow to dry.
If you can bring bikes -- there are often cool paths for bike riding and it's a nice way to get to the camp shop if you needed extra this or that.
A power strip is nice for recharging.
ENJOY!
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These are all awesome! I'm going camping for the first time with kids tomorrow. Thanks for posting this Ali. :)
Good luck on your first camp, hope all goes well.
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We actually bring our griddle because we get sites with electricity. We cook pancakes on the griddle in the morning. Yummy, quick and the kids favorite! We get the mixes where all you have to do is add water to the plastic container. Easy to pack and make!
We just bought our first ever griddle and love it. Thanks for the idea, hope we have room.
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We've been camping forever!! Loved reading through all the comments though, since there are some new things I've never thought of! We're off on our first "camp-out" this coming weekend as we help paint the new Oregon Country Fair billboard - we'll be on site, working in the sign shop, camping in our tent nearby.
Some ideas we do - for ice we freeze water in clean Darimart milk jugs in our big freezer, always available & last longer than crushed ice.
Bring a couple of beach blankets - they're great for on the beach of course, but also back at camp they're cozy to fold & place on the picnic table bench.
Speaking of that picnic table, we like to bring 2 plastic/vinyl/oilcloth tablecloths - one is never big enough. We usually sweep off the table with a little whisk broom before laying on the cloths. One end of the table is usually where we put our camping stove, with the cooler underneath. Works for our family of 4 but when we're with more people, it means people have to eat in shifts around the table, or utilize the camp chairs, leaving the table for the kids.
We have 2 dishwashing tubs - they nest together, and one is used for soapy water, the 2nd for rinse water. This chore was always given to the kids - when with a big group, it can rotate between 2 - 3 kids at a time. At first they might grumble, but kids love playing in water, so if you start them early, they'll probably enjoy the opportunity---and it can keep them occupied for a while as they play, wash, giggle, & chat together!
One year my husband brought a rope & made a zipline for the kids using climbing harnesses & attaching the rope on a slope. Lots of supervision during the use, but tons of fun memories!
We also brought scads of "inflatable plastic" (floaties) & would pile them all into the back of a pick-up to take to the beach/lake. This way you don't have to deflate them each day!
We also don't worry about laundry, letting the kids wear the same things as long as they were dry.
One more idea - make hard boiled eggs ahead of time - easy quick protein snack for everyone.
You're going to have so much fun introducing your kids to camping - so many great memories to make! We squished our family of 4 into a 5 person tent - which we're going to use again this coming weekend. My "kids" are 22 & 26 now, and still love camping. We had a blast backpacking with our 22 yr. old daughter last June and all 3 of us squishing into our 2 person tent... What a luxury to have a 2 room tent!! You'll love it!
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We always bring books to read in the evening around the campfire. One camping trip we were in the Chronicles of Narnia series. We were by ourselves as a family so after dinner we dug into the book we were in the middle of. It was a great evening.
Meals: Hobo type meals are great. But I love going camping and having a big cooked breakfast too. We usually bring on the eggs, sausage, and cheese and make burritos. We let go of 'diets' when we camp and go ahead and have hot dogs on sticks and of course s'mores.
We have a big 10-man tent so hubby and I would put two cots together with a mattress on top for a nice double bed. The kids always got cots too (if we go as a family). If the boys rough it for scouts they take smaller tents and just sleep on the ground.
We always make a big batch of trail mix (the kids mix it up) then divide up into bags and they go in the cooler so nothing chocolate melts.
Hope the tidbits help.
I love the idea of having a book to read as a family - wonderful idea - thank you.
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I love camping too, but not as much as my husband. Here are a few suggestions for camping food.
1) Cheddar Brauts (Hillshire Farm) are a must. There is just something about the fire-cooked taste of them, plus they pop while roasting!
2) Omlets in a bag. Super easy breakfast that everyone can personalize. Just use freezer bags (quart size, plus they are thicker than the regular sandwich bags) and pour in your egg mix and anything you want in it and place into a pot of boiling water until they are cooked through (about 7-10 minutes). And a bonus is NO CLEANUP!
3) Baked Apples. Core out the apples and add in butter, cinnamon and sugar (or whatever you like), wrap in foil and put into the hot coals of your fire. Approximately 45-60 minutes later they are super soft and ready to eat! Top with whipped cream.
4) Popcorn. This is a fun thing for the kids. Just buy the old-style popcorn in the foil pan to cook over a small fire.
5) Fire Starters. If you have time to make your own fire starters, it will save you lots of time (especially in the wet and humid Northwest). Just take clothes dryer lint, candle wick, and melted wax. Combine into a mold (mini icecube molds work awesome for this) and let set. Light and go. Serious time savers!
And Don't forget to pack twine for a clothes line, extra toilet paper, baby wipes, insect repellant, sunscreen, hats, lip balm, matches, etc.
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You ladies are hard core campers! I love it!! I am bookmarking these comments so that I can make some revisions/additions to our camping list. Maybe I'll have to add more pages :-) Thanks, Ali, for being a part of ListPlanIt!
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Dutch oven cooking is the best! Our kids even help out with the desserts. We have a 12 qt. dutch oven for 6 people and it's perfect! The kids LOVE monkey bread and we use the Krusteaz blueberry muffin mix to make a blueberry coffee cake (you only have to add water to the mix). You put 18 briquettes on the bottom and 12 on the top and let it bake.
I also highly recommend the glow sticks to keep track of the kids and keep them entertained at the same time. Bubbles are also a big hit. I also love taking bikes/scooters with us. The sense of independence the kids can have by riding around the campground is great.
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What a great idea to gather all these suggestions! We went camping over Mother's Day and stayed in yurt and my 5 yr old had a blast roasting marshmellows. Also made Campfire Mac & Cheese which was big hit :http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/campfire-mac-n-cheese-687708/
Have fun and can't wait to see pics!
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We camp as a family and love it!
My kids are 5,3,1. Here are some of our camp activities. If the weather is good, we do scavenger hunts (I make them up based on the campground and what I think we will find there), we bought some bird books and look for birds, we typically bring a "riding" toy (bike, scooter, etc), ball, frisbee, Bubbles. I also have a small craft bin, pipe cleaners, google eyes, glue (we collect sticks and make stick bugs), bendaroos, different color books and markers. We also have built fairy huts under trees, collected things in nature and constructed a little fairy hut. I have a tote with toys they don't play with ever - that way there are new treasures! $1 store toys are the key element in the bin so if they get trashed no harm.
I know others may scoff but I do bring a portable DVD player. This works for bedtime when I need them to relax and calm down - tunes out the funny new noises outside. OR if we get in a really bad rain storm it helps.
Everyone elses snack tips and dinner prep is great - I learned some new things too!! Can't wait to hear how it goes!!
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You have tons of great advice so I thought I'd just support a few of the other comments! We've been camping with Grant and Cole a few times this year since moving to Texas.
First off, I agree with one of the first comments if you haven't done it letterboxing really is so much fun for grown ups and kids! My boys love it and I'm guessing Simon will too. It's also a fun way to document all the places that you will camp or hike. You can look up and see if there are any in your area at letterboxing.org it also explains the process. Basically you create a hand carved stamp out of and eraser and create a name for your family. Then you get a clue from the website and go on a treasure hunt for a box that will contain the creators stamp and book. You stamp your stamp into their book and then you stamp your own notebook with their stamp and the location and date.
Secondly, we decided we would camp enough that we just wanted to have plastic bins with all our gear, i.e. one for cooking supplies, one for sleeping items and so on. That way we don't use any of our pans or dishes from home and we can just put them right back on the shelves in the garage when we get home it makes it really easy to pack and unpack. I also like to keep one empty plastic bin to wash the dishes in while we are camping.
For Food:
Tin foil dinners are my boys favorite and I like bringing them as well because you get to make them ahead of time and just add them to the coals to cook as you are setting up camp. That way you have a quick dinner.
Walking tacos are really easy and don't require a lot of dishes because you just make the taco salad in the fritos chip bag and the kids think that is really fun!
Hot dogs are easy and again the kids can make them themselves on a stick and they think that, that is great.
French bread pizza is also super easy and the boys love it.
I always bring lots of easy to eat fruit like grapes, bags of apple slices and berries for snacks and sides as well as trail mix and Mark loves beef jerky. Again, I keep all that in a little plastic box so no animals are tempted by them!
We always bring Dickens(our dog) with us. Most parks allow dogs on leashes just be sure to check a head of time. Dickens is kennel trained so we just bring his kennel with us and he sleeps in the tent at night. I wouldn't leave him outside alone. I think he loves getting out into nature as much as the boys do.
Be sure to bring bug repellent. I like to have the spray and some candles in areas that we are going to be sitting a lot. Like by the campfire or at the table.
Hope that helps!
Just have to say that I miss you and love reading your suggestions!
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I haven't read thru all the comments but here's my 2 cents off the top of my head
Inflattable mattress for you and Chris
Egg crate mattresses for the kids
Flashlights for everyone - there are some cute ones out there just for kids
YOUR own toilet paper (you just never know!)
You said CHris is the pancake maker in your family - make a batch ahead of time and freeze them. Then rewarm in a pan along with some precooked frozen sausage. A great hardy meal before a family hike or walk.
bug spary - not only for people but a fogger to spray around your tent
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I have been camping since I was three months old, my son began taking trips at 6 months. It is a wonderful way to connect with family and the outdoors. It is wonderful.
Things that make it more wonderful - headlamps. It is great to be able to wear your flashlight. Everyone in our family has one. The kids bring their scooters and waterguns. We also bring extra bags to pick up trash and give back to the place we are staying. Finding "treasure" is fun and provides a great way to encourage family service projects. We all love it.
Have a wonderful time.
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The two items I found to be most helpful (and also that I did not think of beforehand) are: 1) Glow sticks. We hung one from the tent at night as the kids got scared in the pitch blackness (with weird noises). And 2): Tablecoth clips to keep it secured. A must!
Have a great time!
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A 2 room tent with headroom is key. We have the Columbia Cougar Flats II Tent (10x15) which is awesome, though feels embarrassingly large when you first set it up. Embarrassing or not, having all of that 'indoor' space with the little ones is definitely worth it. The thing I like best is that ours has a front room and a back room, meaning that there is only one entrance in the 'front room' - we make the back room our sleeping space and use the front room for all of our activities and gear. For the most part, we are able to keep the dirt in the front room...or at least that's what I tell myself :)
Thanks for the post and to all of the folks commenting - so many great ideas, I'm thinking I might be brave enough to camp this year with a 1 and 3 year old after all.
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What we have done is made a list on the computer of things we always need when camping. So when the next camping trip comes up we just print another copy and mark things off as they get packed.
It always seems like our kids lived in their swimsuits when we went camping. The only time they take them off is when they showered and put their PJs on at night.
For meals I figure out how many breakfasts, lunches and dinners we will be eating then made up a menu plan for that many meals. I try to make some things ahead and freeze in Ziplock bags so all I have to do is pull out a bag and heat it up (like sloppy joes, chili, jambalaya).It also helps keep the cooler stay colder longer with frozen food. I always make a tuna salad for our first lunch and make that up before we leave.
We usually keep drinks in a seperate cooler from the rest of the food. Just makes it quicker to find the drinks and helps keep the coolers organized.
Don't forget sunscreen and bug spray along with sun glasses and hats and of course you will need sweatshirts, jackets and pants for the cooler night temps.
Don't forget extra batteries for anything that has batteries and books and other reading materials are good for downtime.
Most of all have fun!!!
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Don't camp but those glow bracelets are in the Dollar Spot at our Target -- 15/$1
I've brought them to several gatherings with friends with kids and they had a blast. Cheap entertainment!! Going to buy more to have on hand and also using them for prizes at our library's summer library program.
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We had a sun shower bag. Fill it with water in the morning then let it heat up in the sun. Before bed, a quick shower gets rid of bug spray and dirt. So nice to be clean before bed. Have fun!
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I am not much of a camper but I do have this awesome and easy s'mores recipe: http://got2havefaith.wordpress.com/2010/07/05/easy-smores/
This on impresses people every time!
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WOW ALI, I'VE JUST READ THRU ALL THESE COMMENTS SO FAR AND LOVE THEM. YOU GUYS ARE SERIOUS CAMPERS, THE FOOD IDEAS WERE AMAZING. WE JUST DO BORING HOTDOGS/HAMBURGERS/PANCAKES/SANDWHICHES/SMORES. I HAVE BOOKMARKED ALL THE LINKS AND THE NEW IDEAS I'VE LEARNED HERE. MY FAVORITES WERE THE HEADLAMPS/GLOW STICKS/ FREEZING SCRAMBLED EGGS???DIDN'T KNOW YOU COULD DO THAT. I'VE SHARED SOME OF THESE WITH MY HUBBY AND WE ARE SO EXCITED AND CAN'T WAIT TILL WE GO CAMPING THIS SUMMER. ALL YOU READERS ROCK, GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU AND HAVE FUN AND BE SAFE.
P.S. My hubby just reminded me of one of our rules, the kids know they can't leave without one of us (adult) and we tell our kids where they are allowed to go, like say from this tree to that tree and to that tree and that's it. Since little Anna is used to a fenced in yard this will help her know. Good luck and can't wait to hear about it.
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