Camping!

[Jenn Lynn]

Next year we are going to start tent camping. Neither DH or I have camped since we were kids. And we defintely have not camped with kids. LOL!

So how did you start camping? Was your first trip close to home? I am thinking about having our first run be at one of our local camp sites for a weekend. However I would like to attempt a longer trip next summer also. It will probably be Devils Lake Park in WI.

Please give me your tips and tricks. What do you do on a rainy day? What supplies are necessary? What supplies are a luxury, but you couldn't live without it?We still need to get a lot of basic stuff so any info. would be great!

Thanks!

 

[LMC]

You need to post over on the Camping forum. But my experience with kids was I don't tent camp anymore. They would never sleep. We now camp in a travel trailer!

 

[Cruise04]

I have been camping for a very long time. Here's some tips:

Get a good tent - one that will give you plenty of room - our last tent was a 3 room but we didn't put the room dividers up, we just left it open. Make sure you also waterproof the seams to help when it rains and leakage. Also remember that you shouldn't let anything touch the sides as that will spawn leakage. Also get good metal stakes. Usually the stakes that come with the tents are plastic and break easily. Also make sure you get a mallot to help put the stakes in - it saves your feet some pain!!!!

If you go someplace that has electricity and it's hot, don't be afraid to take a fan to run in your tent. Make sure you have an extension cord that is for use outside (of course you have to keep the plug in end from the fan to the cord inside the tent.

Make sure you get a water jug to have for handwashing.

Campstove - Coleman is a great company. This will be needed to help cook and to heat water to do dishes if you have any to do. You can also do this over the fire but I didn't like doing a fire in the morning and then again at night.

Tarp for under the tent - this will help keep the moisture out of the tent if it rains.

Mattress for under your sleeping bag - nuff said (If you don't want to go to the expense of sleeping bags, and you are mainly going to camp in the summertime, just use some old sheets and comforters from home. That's what we have used.

Get a screen tent - this will allow to be under some cover if it rains. You can either put your picnic table under it or your lawn chairs. This will also help with bugs. We played cards and games when it was raining under the screen tent. If it rains sideways and you get wet under the screen tent, head for your tent and tell stories or read.

Make sure you have at least one lantern for at night and some good flashlights for the night to walk to the bathrooms or just have fun with. Take a few rolls of toilet paper to have on hand for the bathrooms in case they run out; we've had that happen to us.

Get firestarters and have some newspaper to help light your campfire. And during your campfire - sit back, relax, and enjoy. Another great bonding time.

Make sure that at night you either put your food in your car or you put something very heavy on top of your cooler or box that you have your dry food in. The raccoons will get into them if you don't and they have a good tendancy of taking ALL your food they can get opened.

Rubbermaid totes can be your best friends!!!!!

These are some great things you can put on christmas lists. We got a good portion of our camping equipment when we got married because we put it on our gift registry. It was great.

Have fun - take cards and some games. This is a great bonding time. We have not gone further than about 20 minutes away while tent camping. Now that we have a camper and have broken it in (we just got it in July) we will probably try to go a little further next year. One nice thing about being close to home is you can run home if you forgot something.

I love to camp. I can't find a better way to relax.

 

[tiggger1]

We have a travel trailer. My daughter is 2 and she loves camping. we set up the camper with her own little area and added her toys and she recently got a portable dvd player from her grandmother for her birthday. we bring all her movies and she loves to play in her space.... we also got her a matching chair for sitting outside and we bring her sand toys and bike and let her go to town..........

 

[disykat]

My favorite little camping hint: Buy some of those woven cleansing facial wipes (Dove?), cut them in 1/4's, and carry a couple in your pocket. They're dry, but when you get them wet you have soap. Every time you pop into the bathroom, you're prepared.

 

[OhMari]

Cruise04 gave you a lot of great advice. I saw you want to start camping at Devils Lake next summer. You better make your reservation now. You can only get in with pre-reservations. They are suppose to save a few sites for walk-ins, but those get taken up very fast. Also camping in Wisconsin can be cold. Some nites drop into the 50's in summer and that is cold to me.

If you want to start camping at Devil's Lake, go over to Jellystone at WI Dells, it may cost up to $30 for a nite, but Jellystone's are like the Hilton in Camping, their is something always going on, clean showers, grass area's for tenting.

Camping is a lot of work, it can be fun, but I wouldn't consider it a vacation for you. I think that is why people start out with tents, go to pop-up's, and end up with travel trailors'.

 

[Jenn Lynn]

Cruis04-Thanks for the great tips!

disykat-I use those facecloths everyday! Thanks for the tips.

OhMari-You're right that I need to make my reservation now!

Camping is more for my family than for me. I like the outdoors ok, but DH and DD LOVE it. So I will do it for them.

 

[hercamore]

Hi,

A pop up tent tailer might be a good investment for your family. Sounds your DH likes the outdoors and it would help you tremendously with two little ones.

I like being up off the ground while camping and high and dry.

We have never made res. at any state parks. We've been camping for 25 years. Best night to start a camping vacation is sunday night, when everyone else is heading home. Parks will be empty.

We have camped at Devil's Lake at it is beautiful.

As someone mentioned, rubbermaide totes are awesome store units and they stack well in your vehicle. I store towels and rolled blankets and jackets in them and extra changes of clothes and leave those in the van. Get a cheapie plastic table cloth for the picnic table as tables are usually not so clean. small duffle bags and backpacks work well for clothes, too. Target, and Walmart have good camping supplies selections. Get good quality flashlights and a lantern for the table is nice, too.

We just camped up north along the north shore two weeks ago and had no reservations. It was fun. First time w/o kids. That was different.

herc.

 

[MagicalMom]

We just started tent camping last year. We really enjoy it. We chose our first campground at a Jellystone Park a few hours away. The Jellystone campgrounds are great for kids & very comfortable for camping. The facilities are clean, there are lots of fun activities & anything you may need can be found in their shop. Have fun!

 

[hercamore]

PI forgot to mention the #l camping fun food my kids loved was those little individual cereal boxes. Pricy, but worth it.

herc.

 

[goofyfatherof2]

2 more suggestions

Invest in one of those self inflating matresses. We bought 3 and they blow up in 1 minute. Much more comfortable than sleeping on ground.

Bring an extra tarp for over the tent. We bought a new tent from Coleman- no water leaks promised - not! We had to set up in the rain and it continued to rain that night and we did have leaks. We bought a tarp, put it over the tent(like alot of other people) and it stopped the rain leaks. It also stopped all the other stuff from falling on our tent, plus it made it stop raining! Before the tarp - rain, with the tarp - no rain.

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

My first time camping was over Labor Day weekend with my b/f (now ex) whom I'm still sad over, so I'd rather not talk about it. I had lots of fun though.

Have a great time!

 

[RobinMarie]

It's amazing how getting a tarp for the tent makes for no rain!

Tent camping forum: http://www.rv.net/forums/index.cfm/fuseaction/listings/forum/14760807.cfm

 

[ksjayhawks]

We take air mattresses to sleep on. They don't take up any more room than a sleeping bag and we have double high ones. Ours have a built in "pillow", so we just take little travel pillows, twin sheet set and a blanket and we are set!

We usually get electrical hookup, so take a griddle along to cook on. Also take a small pot to do sides and heat water for later and a older style coffee pot for coffee and hot water. We pack our stuff in three storage containers that are found in the auto section in Walmart, etc.

We packed all our tenting stuff plus towels, water shoes, games, etc. in three of them and shipped them to FL this summer where we camped for 12 days. I have a heavy duty luggage carrier that holds all three to pull them around. They worked great!

Screen tent is a must have as are tarps for underneath and on top of tent. We also take a small fan and small shoe box containers to keep cooking utensils, toiletries, first aid, misc stuff in.

We started with a tent, then went to popup, and are now back to tent. We actually have two tents--one big one for driving distance tenting and one smaller one that we ship, like this summer, and for use on scout outings.

Have fun!

 

[funhouse8]

Put a tarp under the tent too and don't put anything up aganst the sides of the tent this can cause leakage if it is raining. My number # tip - watershoes for the shower and two toiletry bags for the bathrooms. One for the woman and one for the mensroom so you both can shower at the same time. We tent camped when my kids were younger and now have a pop-up. When someone wants to know what the best thing I ever did for my family It's camping. It has made us so close! Have fun.