Camping can be hard work, especially when it’s your first camping trip with your family. Getting a reservation, organizing gear, packing the car, preparing food for several days ahead, and making sure there are enough means of entertainment for the whole family are not easy tasks. But having a camping trip is well worth it. You will enjoy lots of laughs with the family, make lasting memories and get plenty of outdoor time. We prepared a camping checklist with useful items to take on your trip as well as some tips that can help you better organize four camping.
Tips For Your First Camping Trip:
Well-planning:
The first step in organizing your trip is to mark down a camping date on your calendar. You need to plan ahead in order to ensure you can get a spot since campgrounds can fill up quickly. It is recommended to try to leave on a day during the work week or on a Friday early in the day in order to avoid commuter traffic. This way you may also get a better chance of setting up your tent in the camp before it gets dark.
While camping with your family alone could be a great experience, you may also invite some friends. Bringing your kids’ friends along or camping with another family can keep everyone occupied and happy.
Prepare essential gear only:
You also need to prepare the gear in advance. Make sure you take everything you need but don’t fill up the limited space in your car’s trunk with anything more than the items of strict necessity. For this purpose, it’s good to make a camping checklist in order to make sure you don’t forget to take anything you need. Check beforehand the tent stakes, tent, lighters or matches, stove, lanterns and vacuum cleaner for working condition.
Prepare the food for your camping trip in advance:
Make a checklist for food as well, writing down the food items you plan to eat for each meal. Then prepare at home in advance anything you can. Wrap the potatoes in foil, cut the vegetables, marinate the meats. This way you save some time and efforts once you get to camp.
Set out apart the foods meal by meal when you pack the cooler. Do not forget the can opener, necessary utensils, condiments, etc.
Get your camping checklist:
A camping trip can become more enjoyable with the help of the check in several ways. In making your camping trip checklist, you get involved the whole family. This way, everyone’s anticipation and excitement will increase. Checklists also help you pack and organize your camping gear, reminding you what to bring along. You can easily see what last few items you need to pick up when you are getting ready to go.
Checklists can help you to not forget any important item that you need to take on your camping trip. It also helps you decide what is not necessary to bring next time. This way you can make even better your next camping trip.
You also need to be aware of the fact that a good checklist may change continually. You will want different items for your camping trip with your family as your experience grows. For example, rather than cooking over a fire, you might want to take a propane stove on your next trip. On another occasion, you might want to bring a Dutch oven to the user over the fire and leave the stove at home.
Type of Camping Checklists:
You can make different camping trip checklists, depending on the purpose and the specifics of your camping trip. For your trip with your family, these checklists can make excellent starting points. You can print them out then, as you plan your trip, delete or add gear on the list:
Car Camping Check Lists
When you plan to camp next to your car, you can make a car camping checklist. At national and state parks, car camping is typical for most visitors. When you are traveling and stop for the night at a commercial campground, you can also choose car camping. You can carry extra gear for fun activities because you have a car nearby. You may also take a vacuum cleaner for keeping your car and tent dust and dirt free. You can also leave some things at home since you can typically ride easily to a store.
Canoe Camping Check Lists
Canoe camping with your family can be an occasion to have great fun. Such kind of camping trips offers more solitude and privacy. Most often, you can also get to observe some wildlife. You and your family can also experience a sense of adventure. Since you are camped far from your car, the canoe camping checklists should include some extra gear. You may also need to add on your camping list some basic repair kits for the canoe.
Day Pack Check List
You need to include on the day pack check some items you could need when you are away from your base camp. You’ll choose the actual items, depending on what you plan to do during the day. For instance, if your hobby is to take photographs, you would certainly take your film, camera, and some different lenses.
First Aid Kit Check Lists
This is one of your most important checklists for a camping trip. The first aid kit checklist helps you prepare for any minor accidents that may happen frequently on a camping trip as well as remind you to pack any personal medication.
Fun and Games Check List
This list includes all the entertainment means for your family. Add music, games for the entire family on a rainy day, games for kids, some toys, and field guides or novels.
Here are some examples of items you may add to your camping trip checklists:
Campsite gear
• Tent
• Tent poles
• Tent stakes
• Tent footprint
• Canopy or extra tarp
• Sleeping pad for each member of family
• Sleeping bag for everyone
• Extra blankets
• Pillows
• Repair kit for tarp, tent, mattress, pads
• Chairs
• Lantern
• Flashlights and headlamps
• Batteries
• Handheld vacuum cleaner
Kitchen
• Lighter or matches
• Fuel for stove
• Firewood
• Stove
• Pot
• Frying pan
• Tablecloth
• Corkscrew
• Portable coffee maker or French press
• Roasting sticks for hot dogs, marshmallows
• Bags, food-storage containers
• Trash bags
• Ice
• Cooler
• Bowls, plates, spoons, forks, knives
• Water bottles
• Mugs, cups
• Cooking spoon, spatula, paring knife
• Foil
• Cutting board
• Dishtowel, dishcloth, sponge
• Biodegradable soap
• Extra bin for washing dishes
• Paper towels
Personal items
• Soap
• Toiletries, toothbrush
• First-aid kit
• Insect repellant
• Sunscreen
• Prescription medication
Other items
• Phone number, campsite reservation confirmation
• Area information, maps
• Toys, bikes
• Camera
• Pet supplies and food
Author Bio
Warren Kuhn is an outdoor and camping enthusiast, always out to seek for the thrill and adrenaline that only nature gives. He even took up survival training to prepare him for the worst-case scenarios while outdoors.
