Can We Talk About Camping?

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.

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!

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.

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!

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!!

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!

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

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.

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!

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.

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!!!

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.

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!

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!

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.

Do ya'll have a Dutch oven? If so, line the Dutch oven in heavy-duty foil, dump in your choice of canned fruit pie filling. In a large gallon-sized Ziplock baggie, dump in a box of yellow cake mix and one can of Sprite. Mix together then pour on top of the pie filling. Put on the Dutch oven lid and place inside your fire (if you have some charcoal, add some briquettes to the top of the lid). Let bake for 20-25 min or until golden on top. And what do you get? a warm cobbler!

You've gotten a ton of really good advice, so I'll just add a few things:

1. I pack in Rubbermaid tubs, too--I learned this from my mom. (I've been camping my whole life)

2. A nylon shower curtain from Goodwill is a great table cover, and you are re-using something, so it's much more green than buying something new.

3. Headlamps are amazing.

4. Wisconsin's DNR does a special "Explorer Badge" program for kids where they complete the activities outlined in a guidebook (either over the camping trip or over the summer) and earn a badge upon completion. It was really exciting this weekend for the little ones I was with (Two 7 year olds and a 4 year old) to earn their badges. It also gave the families some structure & guidance to answer questions like "What kind of tree is that?" or "what kind of animal left this poop?"

Have so much fun!!!!

We go camping 2 weeks and at leats 2-3 weekend during the summer. Always in a tent and sometimes we do canoing and portaging. Our 2 kids are 9-11. For the kids; head lamps, pails and sholves to play in the sand, a few bug catching boxes, balls, frisbee (anything they play with, games and books. they usually just like to explore. We try to bring books that relate to the nature around them. we go on hikes and identify trees & plants. For night time a map of the sky is perfect.
Food should go in a boox that closes tight so that nothing gets into it. A few extra towls are handy. If you are going with a few friends you could share the meal planning, it's usually more fun that way. Pancake mix for the morning is a big hit and some kind of pasta for supper is usually fast & easy. Keep meals easy and try to prepare some stuff in advance so you can enjoy the time your have with the kids instead of cooking. Bring an emergency kit just in case if you are far it might come in handy.

You have a lot of great suggestions in the comments. I used to camp for a living, and now I own a business centered around camping. We have taken our kids since they were babies.

Since you are camping near a lake, you should really consider a life jacket for Anna. Try to avoid the ones with the large collar (designed to keep the child face up in case they are unconscious in the water). Kids hate them, and they are uncomfortable! A life jacket will give her more confidence and give you a little peace of mind. This is a good option: http://amzn.to/mvk01j

Other people have suggested these items as well, but they are must-haves for our family: headlamps for everyone are a must, they keep your hands free, and the light is always aimed where you need it. Raincoats and rain pants for everyone just in case.

You are giving your kids a great gift by taking them camping. Not only will it create memories that will last a lifetime (as I am sure you are aware), but it instills a love and respect for nature that just can't be duplicated in the backyard.

Have fun! I can't wait to hear how you trip went!

Our family camp here in Australia at least once a year. We do the rural camping with no amenities so we need to take our own toilet and shower.
Main needs : shelter, warmth and food - Tent (halve the number it says it can sleep), mattresses, sleeping bags/bedding, clothes, camp stove (which you won't need if the place you're staying has a BBQ or camp kitchen), dry pantry (I use a large plastic tub) and cold items (we have a 3 way fridge that holds about 40L and runs off a gas bottle - we did the frozen bottles and frozen foods but the most we could get out of it was 3 days and we normally camp for 1 week+).
Chairs and at least one table - we have a concertina folding table that we eat at as well as a stand for the cooker (which has room at the sides to put the wash up bowls and utensils) and a fold up table with canvas storage underneath which is my prep/serving area with the pots, plates, cups, cutlery, etc. stored underneath.
We are able to collect firewood and build a fire where we go. If it gets really cold you might take hot water bottles too.
I pack a kit for the girls to colour/draw in the car and we play "I spy" or other travel games and listen to music.
I can't wait to read about your adventures :)