Need help for camping rookies! *Updated to include our "trip report"!*

[pjlla]

I'll try to be brief. I have only camped one other time in the last 29 years and that was last year with my DD on a Girl Scout weekend. We had so much fun , that for our Mother/Daughter weekend this year we (read as SHE) decided we will camp out! (Even after I offered a nice hotel with a pool, nice restaurants, manicures for our weekend!) So the plan is that we leave this coming Friday night for two nights. I have the basics, but wondering if there are some experienced campers out there with some great tips.

Here are our basics.... we have a 4/6 person tent that I do know how to set up. It is new since the one that we bought for GS camping last year didn't even withstand the weekend (it was an Eddie Bauer brand from Target). We have two good, new sleeping bags that are rated for 25 degrees. We have several tarps and I know about putting a ground cover under the tent, etc. I will bring a couple of old unuseable sleeping bags for padding on the bottom of the tent. We will have a couple of flashlights and one battery powered lantern.

We are not planning on using a camp stove, since we don't own one and we really want to try to (kind of) rough it.I do know how to start a fire and I understand we will have to bring our own wood.

I will bring our two large 2 gallon insulated jugs of water for drinking/dishes. We will use our large cooler for food and I do know to lock it in the car at night so as not to attract bears and other creatures.

I'm not concerned about things like clothes....I'm sure I can figure that all out !

I will bring a first aid kit, rope for clothes line, hammer/mallet for tent pegs, bug spray, sun screen, fire extinguisher, cell phone for emergencies, fishing equipment.

For food the plan is to prepack a couple of those tinfoil packet meals (chicken, veggie, potato) to cook at least one night, hot dogs cooked on a stick another night, smores at least once, yogurt, fruit for breakfast. ANY OTHER GREAT CAMPING FOOD IDEAS??

ANY HELPFUL HINTS WILL BE APPRECIATED!! Thanks all.....P

 

[The Mystery Machine]

You need charcoal and possibly a grate (maybe?) or do you have a "smokey joe" bbq grill? They are not that expensive and very portable.
That way you can cook meat/veggies evenly without burning.

Definetly bring the charcoal however.

 

[HollyJoy]

You didn't mention seating. Are you planning on just sitting on the ground or bringing camping chairs? Oh, and how about your camera to preserve the memories!?

 

[pat fan]

I would not try to cook anything (other than the dogs & smores) on the camp fire. Please consider bringing some sort of small grill with you. Charcoal tastes great, but takes a long time to get to temp. & then a looooonnnngg time to cool down so that stray fire isn't an issue. You can get a small portable gas grill at Target/Walmart for around $20 that would be fine for you. If you are packing a cooler with ice, pack some eggs and bring a loaf of bread. My kids love fried eggs on toast when we are camping. They'll eat it for b-fast or lunch, either one.All you'd need to bring extra is a small griddle or frying pan(also cheap at Traget/Walmart).PB&J is always a good standby, and we like to bring pretzels or goldfish to nibble on. Throw some corn on the cob in your cooler so it can soak in the melting water for a day, then roast it(in the husk)on the grill.Yummy.Have fun!

 

[AMClvsMKY]

What about cooking utensils, extra foil, ziplock bags, rain gear, lighter fluid. That is all that I can think of for now.

 

[Barb D]

I would REALLY, REALLY recommend bringing some air mattresses and a pump. You'll sleep so much better, and trust me, you'll still be roughing it.

And I second the suggestion to bring a gas grill or a little propane stove. A fire is fun, but when you're starving you might want to get the food going quicker. And again, you'll still be roughing it.

 

[msdznyduck]

Originally posted by pjlla

We will use our large cooler for food and I do know to lock it in the car at night so as not to attract bears and other creatures.

Don't forget about your garbage as well........if you don't walk it to the trash receptacles, lock it in your car for the night as well.
--One night DD and I were awakened in the middle of the night by "something" going through the trash that we both thought the other had taken care of. Since we had hung it from a tree on a small broken off branch, it was okay during the day, but not at night. Probably only a raccoon, (if they can climb trees, but I don't want to think about what it was if they can't!!).

 

[pjlla]

Originally posted by Barb D
I would REALLY, REALLY recommend bringing some air mattresses and a pump. You'll sleep so much better, and trust me, you'll still be roughing it.

Point well taken, but I actually slept just fine last year on our GS weekend, so I am not overly concerned about this. And I don't really want to go to the expensive of this, since we are not really "camping people". (DH's idea of "roughing it" is a hotel without room service and a heated pool! )..............P

 

[minniepumpernickel]

Okay, I grew up camping all of the time. Don't forget lots of spare socks if your feet get wet, you'll need them. Maybe some type of blister ointment too. Rain gear, of course.

keep the food out of reach of racoons, and bears of course. Not sure what area you are in.

Have fun.

Oh yeah, bring small hiking packs too, for the trails.

 

[sha_lyn]

instead of regular tarps under the tent I linke to use disposable painters plastic tarps. I just toss it in the trash when finished. I think a pack of 3 at walmart runs about $1.50 Do not have the edges of the tarp stick out from under the tent. If it rains the water will puddle on the tarp and soak into the tent


Buy a can of tent seam seal and spray all the seams when you put the tent up.

below are several cooking tips....

We rarely use a camp stove and never bring charcoal.
The key to cooking over a wood fire is to cook over the coals not a flame.
Make sure you start the fire at least an hr before cooking and that you have enough room to pull the coals to one side (alternatively if the pit is big enough start the cook fire off to the side).

there are several site that go into great detail on how to build a good cook fire.


do a lot of the prep work at home. For scrambled eggs (omlettes etc), break the eggs into a ziplock and add all your other ingredients. seal that up and then double bag it. Make sure all the air is out of it or you might end up poping it open in the cooler. Our cooler has a removable bin in it that we place all the bags in so they don't get popped open.

for biscuits (pancakes etc) measure bisquick and powdered milk inot a ziplock and write on the front how much water you will need.

Make hobo meals... foil packets with an entire meal inside. There are several recipes online.

There was recently a foodnetwork special on cowboy/chuckwagon cooking cookoff. All cooking was done over wood fires. I just found this site which sounds good... http://www.chuckwagondiner.com/

 

[Pop Daddy]

dont go, het a hotel

 

[sha_lyn]

Ooops hit send too soon... LOL

Here is a site with links to several other camp cooking sites

http://www.mikebentley.com/camping/cooking.htm

We use sandwich/pie iron all the time for camping.

My fav it to make grilled cheese in them. We usually serve it with canned tomato soup. The chuckwagon cooking site listed in the previous post has a whole section of pie iron recipes.

here is another site I found http://camping.about.com/cs/campingrecipelinks/l/blrecsub.htm




Now back to non cooking stuff....

A battery powered fan... Depending on where/when yo uare camping you might need it to help dry out the tent. Around here the humidity is usually so high that the tent gets very moist on the inside. The other option would be to air it out with a fan when you get home.

self inflating air mattresses.... you probably won't want to spend the $$ on them, but thought I'd mention them. They self inflate instead of needing to be pumped up, and they are very compact when deflated.

 

[AboutTheMouse]

One other thing that we always pack is a door mat for in front of the tent. It keeps out the dirt, mud, sand, etc. and gives you a dry place to take off your shoes.

Also, a deck of cards or other small games in case it rains (don't think rain, ever!!).

Duct tape - fixes almost anything that breaks or leaks.

Clothesline in case you need to hang something to dry.

 

[luvdisney81]

Ok I have ROUGHED it for a week in the Rockies. We had nothing nice. You will need the following...

Bottle of Iodine...in case something happens to your drinking water. 7 drops to a liter of water. Wait 30 minutes before injesting.

We had easy things to eat. Chili with frito chips and chese is good, fast and easy. Tortilla shells dont get squished like bread, with some canned chicken and ranch dressing powder, maybe a mayonaise packet it's gourmet! and no fire needed

Sears sells little metal standing racks to cook on. It sits over the fire and is sturdy. Folds flat and about 15$.

Tents often have floors to them, see if yours does. You may not need that tarp.

A small AM/FM radio

Water proof matches, again at Sears and Target.

Baby wipes, great for everything

 

[sha_lyn]

Tents often have floors to them, see if yours does. You may not need that tarp.

many people use tarps under the floor of their tents. It helps keep the bottom of the tent clean. It helps to keep water out, and it helps protect the floor from anything that might damage the floor.

 

[Barb D]

Originally posted by pjlla
Point well taken, but I actually slept just fine last year on our GS weekend, so I am not overly concerned about this. And I don't really want to go to the expensive of this, since we are not really "camping people". (DH's idea of "roughing it" is a hotel without room service and a heated pool! )..............P

We use our air mattresses at home for sleepovers, etc. too. Helps to justify the expense.

 

[pjlla]

THanks so much for all of the great responses and concern! I hope I wasn't too misleading when I talked about "roughing it"! We are going to a camp ground about 40 minutes from home... we will have a bathroom and running water within walking distance. We aren't exactly going to be "hiking the trails" and things like that. We will probably walk leisurely around the campground and fish in the pond there. Mostly this is just a "reconnect" trip for my DD and I. And we may have the first step in the "birds and bees" talk. I was just looking for a way to spend time with her without the distractions of TV, the mall, things like that..... just her and I with nothing to do but talk!! (Hope we don't want to kill each other by Sunday!). The weather report is looking better, so it looks like this thing is a go! I'm heading out to the stores today after I take DS to the doctor to see if he has an ear infection!! I'll be sure to take all your great suggestions along as I shop!.......Thanks all!................P

 

[pjlla]

Thanks again to everyone who shared their camping knowledge. I checked out the links provided and the information was great. DD and I have our weekend menu planned and the shopping list is written. Firewood is loaded in boxes ready for the car. I've started packing up misc. gear and will finish it tomorrow. Laundry is all washed so all I have to do is pack. Weather report is looking pretty good. I'll let you all know how it goes when I return!....P

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

Don't forget some newspapers, or other type of paper to help start the fire.

I rough it all the time in the summer and if you are up to the challenge what we do for a fun snack is tie one of the stove popcorn things onto a big stick and we shake it and make popcorn over the fire. It takes a lot of work, but it is so much fun. You have to tie the popcorn onto the stick with a metal tie so it doesn't burn in the fire. Everytime we go we have to make a challenge to complete. We have done some very weird things with food that you never thought was possible over a fire!!!

 

[ckmommy]

One of my favorite camping foods are bisquits on a stick. You would need to make a fire in the morning for this. Buy refrigerated bisquits cut each in quarters. Take one quarter in wrap around marshmallow stick from night before. Roast in fire. Take off stick and place in melted butter, then roll in a mixture of sugar and cinnamon. Yummy!!