Camping supplies on a budget?

[nilseks]

We are making our first foray into camping with our 2 boys this summer. I have already purchased a tent, one that was top rated on Amazon and I paid for the whole thing with my Discover rewards, yay!

I've been looking around at garage sales and haven't really come across any camping supplies. I'm trying to buy the bare minimum of things we will really need and use. Right now we have...
-Tent
-Lantern that was an odd choice of a wedding gift but will now come in handy lol
-A cooler
-campfire forks
-Air mattresses

That's about it! I don't want to go overboard with supplies that we won't use, but want to make sure we are properly prepared. Right now I have enough Discover rewards to buy a small but highly rated camp stove off Amazon. We'll be camping at a state park that has pretty decent amenities--bathrooms, water, electric etc. Would love other ideas to make our trip a success. Thanks!

 

[limace]

Sleeping bags are the only essential thing I think you're missing. Can you borrow these? We lend ours to friends occasionally-just wash em at a laundromat.

One pot and a frying pan, spatula, cheap cutting board, cheese grater, salt pepper and a couple spices, plates and utensils. Couple Tupperware containers for washing dishes and faces. Hot pad. Bug spray. Foil. Matches. Dr Bronner's soap for hand and dishwashing (its biodegradable)

Most this stuff you should have already. We actually have a stock of camping cooking stuff all in one big Actionpacker, ready to go. Picked it up at garage sales.

 

[Jedana]

Don't skimp on the tent. A good tent can last years--our first tent was a Coleman and we used it for 15 years. Only reason it was replaced was the bottom was wearing thin. Replaced it with another coleman.

Air mattresses are not a necessity for some, but I prefer them. I'm old and creaky and I don't like the hard, lumpy ground. I like the "double high" ones, they are easier to get off of. Make sure you have a sheet, they get slippery with sleeping bags, even the ones with a nice top on them. The air in them gets cold, so I use a mattress pad on it)

A good cooler, with wheels and a handle, if you can get one. Those things get heavy! (All food goes into ziplocs before in the cooler) I have 3--one for meats only, one for drinks, and one for other perishables. (We usually goes 3 days to a week, and only run to get ice). The meats stay frozen pretty well in the one cooler; the perishables, like cheeses or frozen milk (usually thaws completely in 4 days) aren't at risk for cross contamination. having the drinks in a separate one means it is okay for that lid to get opened and closed and opened and...


Lanterns: We have 3. 1 propane (20 years old and still is great) and 2 electric (rechargable--not battery operated)--I like the old one the best; it's still on it's original bulb. I keep them charged up for power outages at home also.

 

[Jedana]

The rest of my camping list

Sleeping bags. If you live somewhere hot, get the ones with the liners. We've used just the liners before, during the early fall/late spring/summer campouts.

Big bowls (mixing, washing dishes--Walmart--plastic)

Silverware/cooking utensils (I upgraded my kitchen, and use the old ones here)

Knives (Old set, still good, just not as good as what I have in the kitchen now)

Mugs (I use car mugs, they hold the heat better)

Coffee pot (perkolater) and French press (new addition to my gear this year)

Glasses/plates/bowls/cutting boards (plastic, Walmart picnic section--cheap to replace)

dish soap/sponges (new sponges each trip, I prefer dawn because it seems to get the grease off better)

Camp stoves (I have 2 2-burner propane, and use both--one to heat water while I'm cooking on the other) + stands (if needed)

Pots and pans/dutch oven (cast iron and a few old regular pans--I use the regular ones to heat water for dishes while cooking in cast iron)

Big tub (all the above kitchen stuff goes into one big tub--has wheels, handle, and a locking lid, and I cannot remember where I got it, that was 20 years ago and it still works great).

2nd Big Tub for Food (all non-cold food goes into Ziplocs, and then into the tub)

Pillows/blankets (only used for camping, washed)

Swimmers towels--they dry very quickly and do a great job wiping things down.

Wire racks (to put hot pans on)/heavy bar towels (I use for oven mitts even at home, plus for drying dishes, etc)

Table (folding table, can use for prep or sitting at, not for cooking, since it's plastic) + chairs (folding, canvas)

telescoping forks for hot dogs/marshmallows

Ponchos ($1 walmart--I have 20 or so on hand all the time)

Flashlights! (1 per person, plus 2 backups plus batteries)

battery operated alarm clock

Matches/long lighter

Trash bags---and the trash gets taken out every night!

Stuff I bring from home each time:
Seasonings/food
Bug spray/sun screen/toiletries (baby wipes are awesome; dry shampoo for me is a must)
clothing/extra shoes!
Toilet paper/tissues
Lysol wipes (or Clorax, whatever's on sale) to clean tables, etc
propane--I don't keep that on hand in our "off season".
Camera, books, toys for DS, games (a couple board + cards)

Emergency radio (kept in our bedroom)

 

[nilseks]

Thanks so much for the responses! The tent we purchased is a Coleman Red Canyon. It has great reviews on eBay and I hope it will last a long time. Our cooler is a MaxCold that holds ice for up to 5 days. My boys have sleeping bags so I just need to find 2 for DH and myself. I have some of the things you guys listed, and will keep scouring garage sales for some of the other suggestions. Love the idea of putting everything into a Rubbermaid tub! Can't wait for more suggestions. Thank you!

 

[2goofycampers]

Here is a camping supply list from the camping board.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1115732

Happy Camping !

 

[MichelleinMaine]

Coleman stove
Sleeping bags as said
cards or a couple board games (in case it rains!

I find it easier to have a separate set of couple pots/frying pan/mixing bowl, dishes, etc for camping. Yard sale or goodwill- and, as said, keep in a Rubbermaid tote. (Along with trash bags, plastic bags, dish soap, paper towels... keep a set in a tote so you dont need to pack those each trip.)

Don't worry too much about extra little dodads. Basics will get you by. When you're camping, you'll figure out "oh I wish we had....". Also, chat up with your neighbors and see what sort of things they bring to make their trips more enjoyable- and see if they might apply to you.

 

[vickalamode]

Am I the only one here who doesn't bother with sleeping bags? When I go camping I just bring an air mattress and old bedding from home that I don't care if it gets dirty from being used in camping. I've never had a problem doing this...

 

[princesspwrhr]

Some of the items listed may be unnecessary for your first camping trip depending on what you're cooking - or you may want to borrow before buy. For example, I think a good dutch oven in practically indispensable when camping, but I rarely use it at home so I wouldn't suggest someone buy one for a first time out. For your first trip out I would also suggest precooking and prepping as much as possible at home. It's amazing how long a "simple" meal will take to cook and clean up at the campsite. If you end u p doing it all yourself it will feel like that's all you're doing.

So for your first trip, go easy on yourself and the family. You can work into cooking fully and washing every dish. If you're having something like spaghetti or tacos, precook the ground meat. (Walking tacos are great fun to have camping) You can premix pancake batter in a gallon size bag and then snip the end off to cook. One less thing to wash. But having your own plates/cups/bowls/silverware is definitely preferable to having paper toss away any day on camp trips.

You said you're camping at a state park - does your site have a grill or just the fire ring? You'll want charcoal if you plan on using it to cook, or buy/borrow/bring a propane stove. Don't bring in your own firewood - buy it at the park. I've found all the parks we've camped at to be reasonable in price, and you lessen the worry of contamination of living trees from fungus or bugs that aren't "native"

Oh - string. or twine. It's amazing what you'll need this for while camping. And duct tape and ziploc bags. Just things to have on hand. Most state parks also have a laundry. Bring a roll of quarters. If you get rained on or your tent leaks you'll want to be able to dry your stuff.

 

[Jedana]

Ah, I forgot the duct tape and twine.

Also a handaxe for breaking up wood.

Mallet for pounding stakes

Tarps. We use one under the tent, one under the 'pop up' shade

small doormat. I put it outside the tent door, and all shoes have to be taken off before stepping onto it (so they take one shoe off, step on the mat, take off the 2nd, and shake the shoes out) Mine is one of those fake grass looking ones--a bit poky but it really catches the sand!

 

[AntePrincess]

I grew up either backpacking or car camping, so we never needed a lot of supplies.

I'd suggest tarps and tarp rope. We get these at IKEA for $5 for a tarp and $2 for 33' of rope. If you already have an air mattress, I'd use whatever old linens you already have on hand.

We brought some sort of tinderbox (waxed matches, magnesium bar for rainy weather, that sort of thing), you can get kits of these in any sporting goods store for well under $10, and we'd cook over the fire in a standard mess kit. There are also instructions on line for making a very simple, very effective soda can stove fueled by Everclear or similar high octane booze.

Definitely get iodine pills and/or a filtering canteen that will filter out everything up to and including giardia. And a great first aid kit.

I'd splurge on a really good cooler if I'm car camping, because I prefer fresh food to freeze dried.

Have fun!

 

[jessica52877]

I too would skip the sleeping bags, especially camping in the summer. Sheets work just fine. Usually it is so hot I just toss one on the mattress and that is all we use.

 

[nilseks]

Thank you for all the GREAT suggestions! Good to know that some just use sheets and we can get by with that on the air mattresses. My DH runs hot allll the time and we are going in July so I think we can make do without the sleeping bags.

Love the walking tacos idea, yay! I am definitely thinking basic stuff like hot dogs, PBJ, etc. We will be camping in a somewhat touristy area and hitting a theme park one day, so we'll be having some meals out, too. Not exactly roughing it.

 

[PennyInPink]

To organize my camp-kitchen stuff, I use 2 sets of plastic drawers that we picked up at Family Dollar, but I know that Walmart, etc, has them too. One drawer is for silverwear, knives, can opener, ect. in a dollar store silverwear tray. Take along some plastic stuff for quickie snacks. Another holds the spices...ones from the dollar store, like salt & pepper, garlic salt, dehydrated onions, bacon bits, etc. A larger bottom holds the dish pan, dish cloths, towels, Dawn, table cloth, etc. One is just for playing cards, first aid kit, flashlights.etc. One is for bug spray, citronella candles, campsite spray. One is for plates, bowls, etc. ake sure to take a supply of ziplocks for leftovers. I keep these stocked and ready to go all the time. We use a short rubbermaid tub for the "utility box" that holds a tarp, rope, duct tape, matches, hatchet, small throw rug for in front of the tent for shoes, whisk broom and dust pan for the tent floor, dry newspapapers for starting a fire, stuff like that.
organization has made our trips so much better.

 

[Sheaboys]

We use a rubber maid tub for our snacks (chips, crackers, marshmallows, poptarts, coffee etc). Then one with camp fuel, matches, batteries, flashlights, headlamps, long toasting forks, dishes, ziplocs, trashbags, tablecloth, dishsoap, dishcloth, bug repellant etc.

We also bring our camping stove, perculator, lanterns, tent, popup/ez-up for over table, dish bucket (to wash them), sleeping bags, air mattresses, bikes, fishing poles, broom (little one for in the tent).

Enjoy! We love camping!

 

[Ashlander]

Check out Sierra Trading Post - they always have good deals. I just bought pans, lanterns and bug spray from them last week for our weekend camping trip. You need to sign up for their e-mails though and be patient. They send out so many codes that it takes some trying before you find the code that gives you the best deal.

A must have for us to sleep if it is hot is a fan!

We just got home from camping this weekend. I think I am good for another 2 years...lol. Camping is a lot of work!

 

[MolonLabe]

Some regular items you can use later in your kitchen are often over looked. Before buying from the camping section, try the home and kitchen area. You might just spend a dollar more, but get something you can no longer live without in your kitchen, lol.

Check out some of the other links provided and don't be afraid to make normal house hold items pull double duty.

At a state park you wil lprobably have a fire pit with a grill over it. If so, you can skip the camp stove. On our last trip I tried to use that as much as possible. It takes a special skill to master cooking over an open flame or letting the flames die down to use the coals (wood not charcoal) but it's pretty fun.

In that case, take the money saved from the stove to buy a good set of cast iron pots and a skillet. I got myset from cabelas an after the sale and coupon wound up spending about $10 per pot/skillet. I think I saved around $150 from sticker price.

Good luck and enjoy it, there is nothing like the great outdoors!