Family Camping Tips-panergy

CAMPING TIPS FOR NEWBIES

1. Start small. Borrow someone’s gear. Make a weekender trip of two or three nights. That way if you hate it, you’re home soon and haven’t invested a ton of money.
2. Tag along on someone else’s camping trip (but get your own spot) so you can learn from them. Although in other vacation settings, tagalongs would be frowned upon, campers generally like a group.
3. Make a detailed packing list. Then par it down as much as you can. You will NOT read all those books and magazines. The kids don’t need fifty toys (they’re supposed to be outside, remember?).

CAMPING TIPS FOR NEWBIES

1. Start small. Borrow someone’s gear. Make a weekender trip of two or three nights. That way if you hate it, you’re home soon and haven’t invested a ton of money.
2. Tag along on someone else’s camping trip (but get your own spot) so you can learn from them. Although in other vacation settings, tagalongs would be frowned upon, campers generally like a group.
3. Make a detailed packing list. Then par it down as much as you can. You will NOT read all those books and magazines. The kids don’t need fifty toys (they’re supposed to be outside, remember?).

FAMILY CAMPING TIPS -- SETTING UP!

1. Bring a kid-sized rake. It’ll look absurd, but when you can’t sleep for all the hard lumps, you’ll wish you had! Use the rake to clear the ground of small rocks and acorns before setting up a tent.
2. I recommend an easy 1-minute pop-up tent. Ours takes a solid 20-30 minutes to set up and only because we’ve been practicing for years!
3. Arrive early enough to set up before dark!
4. Do not rough it on the bedding. Go for the double height inflatable queen mattress, cots, sleeping bags, and yes, pillows from home.
5. Bring extra sheets and pillow cases because bedding absorbs moisture from the forest at night, and you may not have good weather to air these out during the day.
6. Keep clothing and linens sealed. Use large zipper bags or plastic totes. The moisture makes everything feel damp, which will totally make your trip fall into the “hate-able” category.
7. Bring rope or a foldable drying rack to hang wet clothing.