New to camping..need help!!

[wendy522]

I apologize if this is in the wrong spot and would apprieciate moving this if it is.

My family is new to camping and we need any and all info anyone can give us. I camped all the time as a child, but the adults did all the work. My husband never camped. I have great memories and would love to pass this on to my children.

We just purchased a trailer camper and are very excited. In the mean time I am looking for any packing lists, menu ideas, any favorite travel suggestions in Ohio and any other tips that may help us getting ready or while we are on the road and at the camp grounds.

 

[3boymthr]

We don't live in OH, but we've been there plenty of times visiting relatives. While we didn't camp there I was very impressed with the facilities at Hueston Woods State Park (located southwest of Dayton just outside of College Corner). We've stayed there a couple of times at the resort - they have great facilities and activities. http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/tabid/745/default.aspx

We mostly tent camp but some of the tips are the same:

Pack plenty of quarters so you can use the showers (if your camper doesn't have one), and/or use the laundromat or so you can give the kids a few so they can run up to the camp store and get a popsicle or play the pinball machine.

Get a separate set of cooking gear for camping so that you can store it in the camper and save lots of time packing and unpacking. Savers/Goodwill/Salvation Army and yard sales are great sources for cheap dinnerware - I got utensils for 10 cents per piece, so a total cost of @$5 for all the spoons, knives forks, serving pieces I could need including a can opener. Also get a good whisk broom and a cheap piece of astro turf to put in front of the steps so the kids can take off their shoes and don't track mud and dirt into the camper.

Even camping in a trailer I'd invest in sleeping bags, they're warmer than blankets and they have temperature ratings so you know if you have the right amount of covering for the predicted lows.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

1) Use enough truck - too much truck is better than not enough.
2) On that same subject, if you have anything short of a 3/4 ton truck, do not tow in overdrive with an automatic transmission.

 

[sasywtch]

Bug spray, cards, games, long metal skewers for marshmallows or smores. I found an old coffee pot, one of the dark blue ones with the specks at Goodwill and it just reminded me of campfires so bought it. Hot chocolate mix. We also found 4 tv trays at Goodwill and took those with us. Worked out great for a card game for two, or next to a chair to eat or sitting the campstove on. Something that blocks the sun in the afternoon.

For cooking, my sister liked to keep it simple. She fried hamburger, onion and bellpepper at home and froze it. Took it in the ice chest and cooked it one night with 4 small cans of chili and a can of tomato sauce. No standing over the campstove or in a trailer frying hamburger. Jiffy pop popcorn (if they still make that). We took things to eat that we'd normally not eat. Salami, cheese, crackers.

 

[mamacatnv]

We have a tent trailer (pop up camper)
We invested in a good stove, lantern and coffee pot

We picked up cookware at the Goodwill and garage sales. We also have the basic Coleman set that we have used for years.

We use a 5gl water bag

The camper is stocked with metal plates, bowls and silverware, foil, ziplocks, paper goods etc.
We open it every spring, take inventory and restock for the summer

I use Dawn dishwashing soap, its the best for grease
We have 2 large tubs for washing dishes and a card table to set up a dishwashing station

We take 3-4 coolers depending on length of trip.
1- ice
1-meat
1-condiments, fruit, veggies, milk etc
1-drinks

I have a game bin that has paper, pencils, dice, yahtzee pads and a couple of decks of cards

A bin of first aid, sunscreen and bug spray
A bin of pot holders and dishtowels
A bin of basics - salt, pepper, coffee, sugar, matches etc.

Can't help with your area but I prefer a spot with access to drinking water, potties and if I am really lucky, showers!

 

[sasywtch]

Bug spray, cards, games, long metal skewers for marshmallows or smores. I found an old coffee pot, one of the dark blue ones with the specks at Goodwill and it just reminded me of campfires so bought it. Hot chocolate mix. We also found 4 tv trays at Goodwill and took those with us. Worked out great for a card game for two, or next to a chair to eat or sitting the campstove on. Something that blocks the sun in the afternoon.

For cooking, my sister liked to keep it simple. She fried hamburger, onion and bellpepper at home and froze it. Took it in the ice chest and cooked it one night with 4 small cans of chili and a can of tomato sauce. No standing over the campstove or in a trailer frying hamburger. Jiffy pop popcorn (if they still make that). We took things to eat that we'd normally not eat. Salami, cheese, crackers.

 

[estherhead]

Two suggestions

1) Hocking Hills State Park in Logan, Ohio is wonderful. It's a great campground and beautiful waterfalls and walks through the woods.

2) Visit the camping board on here. It has wonderful tips and even photos of people's campsites. Great packing lists. It's main focus is Ft. Wilderness, of course, but they camp all over the place and they know TONS!

 

[bigredbill]

Here is a link to a great resource site and forum: http://www.trailerlifedirectory.com/

Also, try selecting the Camping at Disney World forum here on DIS. Lots of good folk there that provide great advice.

Enjoy!

 

[NaLisa]

You've gotten a lot of great advice here already! Definitely do shop at thrift store and yards sales for a separate set of cookware, dishes and utensils for the camper (not breakable).

For the kids, take bikes, scooters and helmets. Razor scooter take up almost no room. We usually put together a scavenger hunt for the kids and they always love it. We've also camped several times on Easter weekend, so we have a bunch of plastic eggs in our camp gear and the kids have egg hunts nearly every camping trip.

And don't forget flashlights! We got a couple of Petzel headlamps for the kids and they're awesome.

Other items I'd suggest--folding camp chairs, string lights and/or a good propane lantern, dish towels and pot holders, stackable cups (we have plastic, stackable coffee cups with handles in several different colors, so each person has their own colored cup for the entire trip), plastic horseshoes, dice and cards for games, clothesline, an axe, small cutting board and kitchen knife with sheath.

We try to keep it simple for food and prepare things ahead of time as much as possible. Burgers are always great, and we usually get pre-formed patties. Lots of snacks (granola bars, fruit, cheese, baked crackers, yogurt) for active kids. Oatmeal, grits and cold cereal for breakfast. Sandwiches for lunch. We usually have fruit cobbler (made in Dutch oven with just pie filling, white cake mix and butter); it's messy but a yummy tradition. S'mores.

One family we camp with usually cooks a big breakfast one morning. They use precooked bacon, Egg beaters and a pancake mix shaker (just add water) and cook on a griddle over Coleman stove. They throw the breakfast together really fast!

Have a great time in the great outdoors with your family!

 

[TTFN]

We get a lot of great campground information here. http://www.rvparkreviews.com/ You can search for a particular campground, or search for campgrounds near a city.. Most have very recent reviews. Have fun!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Echoing other posters, look on Craigslist, flea markets/swap meets, and go to garage sales. You can get things free or next to nothing as you build up your "camping gear".

And I have to pass along my lastest find with wasp/bee stings. Get some meat tenderizer!!! Put that in your first aid kit.

You add a few drops of water to make a paste and then apply it right on the sting sites. It is messy however it works like magic.

The papin in the meat tenderizer breaks down the protein enzymes in the poison.

My 21yodd got stung on Sat. and I used it. Worked like a charm.

 

[Buckeye Princess]

Depending on where you are in Ohio, Minister Creek in PA is a reasonable drive. It is one of our favorite family camping spots. The trail loop is beautiful and varied but short enough to do in a few hours.

 

[AboutTheMouse]

For trailer stuff, I might add a basic tool kit. You never know when you might blow a fuse, have a leak, need a hammer, etc. We keep basic tools, duct tape, WD 40, a box of fuses in our trailer. If it is broke, use the duct tape. If it is stuck, use the WD 40

Make sure you know how to change a tire and have the proper lug nut wrench (experience talking here). The one for your car may not work (experience, again). Always check your tire pressure and make sure all tires, including the spare, are in good shape. They tend to deteriorate over time.

I have a very detailed packing list for the things we bring with us when we camp in our pop up. It has things we pack and things we leave in the trailer. I would be happy to share if you PM me your email.

Happy Camping!

 

[Jennasis]

1) Use enough truck - too much truck is better than not enough.
2) On that same subject, if you have anything short of a 3/4 ton truck, do not tow in overdrive with an automatic transmission.

Okay, you got me (I've got no mechanical know-how but always looking to improve)....why?

 

[1Grumpy9]

My family has a 5th wheel camper and we have a checklist on what needs to be done for set up and tear down for when we arrive and leave a camping spot. If you do have a bathroom in your camper and you need to go to the dump station after your fabulous camping trip, make sure you have heavy duty gloves to handle the black water hose.

If you have the space and some extra money, go get an elevated fire ring. We have one that we love to make marshmellows on and sit around at night without having to worry about fire being on the ground.

If you have to use a campground shower, make sure you have shower shoes...You never know what is on those floors. I use Crocs for my shower shoes. I also have a shower caddy to carry all your shower needs (like the ones you see for college students).

If you are also looking for cheaper plates, look at Wal-Mart or Target at the picnic area for the plastic plates and cups. They are lighter and easy to clean, plus they have are cheaper and if something happens to them you aren't out a lot of money and they are easy to replace.

If I think of anything else, I will post them.

 

[minkydog]

You need to go over to www.rv.net and go to their forums page. It is a wealth of information. I agree with a previous poster who suggested getting more truck than you think you'll need. The reason is, if your trailer is meatier than your truck it's going to push you around and be unsafe. You can find out what your tow vehicle's weight rating is by looking inside the driver's door. Usually it is posted right there. Ignore the "dry weight" rating on your trailer. No trailer goes off the lot "dry" (meaning, without water, gas bottles, air conditioner and any other add-ons.) Go by the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating *GVWR* That tells you how much the trailer can weight, maximum. You want to stay at around 80% of your tow vehicle's weight rating. If your truck can pull 6500-lbs max, then you need to keep the trailer weight around 5200-lbs. If your truck can pull 9,000-lbs, then you need to keep the trailer around 7200-lbs. Can that truck tow at max weight? Maybe. But if your weight is maxed out, I can guarantee you won't enjoy the ride. I have some experience with this, BTW. We once flipped a tow vehicle with trailer attached because of weight & length issues. We were lucky to walk away with our lives! We bought a smaller, lighter weight trailer after that incident and our truck is a bit beefier too. We can't even tell we're towing now.

We've been towing for about 12 years, everything from a pop-up to a 30ft trailer. We have enjoyed camping tremendously. In fact, it is the one recreation activity that everyone in our family can participate in. We find it very relaxing, especially when we went from tent camping to RV camping. As someone else pointed out, make sure you have dedicated equipment so you don't have to raid the house every time you go out. I'ts much easier to pack up and go if you already have your linens, pots & pans, bug spray, flashlights, etc stored in the trailer. You should only have to pack your food and clothes each time.

Like I said, check out Rv.net. There are people on that site who are so knowledgeable they should have a PhD in camping

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Okay, you got me (I've got no mechanical know-how but always looking to improve)....why?

Trucks were originally built to haul a load. It was unusual in those days to use a truck for anything BUT work. The overdrive gear was added ~25 years ago in an effort to improve gas mileage when driving the truck empty - which is something many people do nowadays. But, because of the extremely high (tall) ratio in the overdrive gear, your truck will want to downshift at the slightest incline and then upshift again, back down, then up, then down, then up. This builds heat & heat is the enemy of automatic transmissions.

Granted, there have been big improvements in the cooling capacity in modern trucks, but I still would not trust a light-duty transmission in overdrive with a load behind it. Say a full-size 1500 truck with a popup is probably fine. But, a hard-side travel trailer is just too much load for overdrive in a light-duty truck. Odds are, you'll get just as good of gas mileage w/o using OD & keep your transmission happier in the process

The 3/4 ton & 1-ton trucks use a much beefier transmission than "half tons" and typically have more aggressive gearing, so that's why it's "okay" to use overdrive in those trucks. Just as an example, my 1-ton truck has a 4.10 axle ratio & .75 overdrive ratio making my "final drive" ratio 3.075 (which means that the driveshaft rotates 3.075 times for every one rotation of the rear tire). A half-ton of the same year would have a 3.73 axle ratio & .69 overdrive ratio for a final drive ratio of 2.57. That has the engine operating at a much lower RPM than my truck meaning the 1/2 ton is much more likely to downshift on a hill than my truck. If you find your truck downshifting frequently, you are probably in the wrong gear.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

If your truck can pull 6500-lbs max, then you need to keep the trailer weight around 5200-lbs. If your truck can pull 9,000-lbs, then you need to keep the trailer around 7200-lbs. Can that truck tow at max weight? Maybe. But if your weight is maxed out, I can guarantee you won't enjoy the ride.

Agreed. My truck is rated to tow 10,000lbs at the rear hitch or 12,000 with a gooseneck or 5th wheel. I frequently tow 6-8,000lbs at the rear hitch & feel 8,000 is about the most I could comfortably tow despite the 10,000lb rating.

 

[JCJRSmith]

I apologize if this is in the wrong spot and would apprieciate moving this if it is.

My family is new to camping and we need any and all info anyone can give us. I camped all the time as a child, but the adults did all the work. My husband never camped. I have great memories and would love to pass this on to my children.

We just purchased a trailer camper and are very excited. In the mean time I am looking for any packing lists, menu ideas, any favorite travel suggestions in Ohio and any other tips that may help us getting ready or while we are on the road and at the camp grounds.

I grew up in Solon and spent many a weekend camping with my parents. We especially liked the Loudonville area - there are some great campgrounds around there. Mohican State Park had an incredible campground and there was a canoe livery across the street for canoing on the Mohican River.

So, you have a new camper...what do you do next?

1. Learn that camper inside and out. Practice hitching and unhitching in your driveway and do it together with your husband. BOTH of you need to learn to do it so you can do it together as a team and individually. Take the camper to your nearest office/industrial park and practice driving with it around there. Set up cones in a parking lot to represent a campsite and practice backing up the camper from both the left and the right.

2. Invest in a good set of extended mirrors and install them on your tow vehicle and ALWAYS be aware of what is behind you and coming up to pass you. Getting passed by a truck on the highway at speed can be a nerve-wracking, white-knuckle experience if you are not prepared for it. When the truck comes up to your camper the "bow wave" caused by the truck will push your camper to the side of the road and if you aren't prepared, it is REAL easy to over-correct your steering and cause a fish-tail on the camper. Invest in a good anti-sway bar for your rig to help. After the back of the truck passes, there will be a vacuum behind it which will want to pull your camper and vehicle into the lane next to you. Again, if you are prepared you will handle it easily. Always, always, always know what is around you when driving.

3. Campers, for the most part, are some of the friendliest people you will meet and if some see you pulling into your campsite and having difficulty, the will usually come over and assist. Don't be afraid to ask questions - we love to help.

4. The local Dollar Store is a great place to find stuff to stock your camper. Plates, flatware, cups, bowls, cookware, towels, sheets, etc.

5. Good websites: www.rv.net, www.irv2.com, www.woodalls.com, www.goodsamclub.com. Also, check with your RV manufacturer - many of them sponsor owner's clubs and websites with LOTS of helpful info about the brand and model of the camper you own.

6. Learn your RV systems inside and out - know where your fuse panel is, learn how to winterize/dewinterize your rig, how to hook up power/water/sewer, how to properly empty your holding tanks, extend your awning and put it back. Know how your water heater works and how all your appliances work. When you bought your rig, you were given a HUGE packet of material about your rig and its systems. Spend time going thru that and organizing that info and alway know where the documentation is. Do your homework.

Every one of us who owns an RV has been where you are now, and if we can do it so can you. There is a great camping board here on the DIS that is very helpful. I will tell you there is no finer campground in the country than Disney's Fort Wilderness. I will also sen you a PM with more info.

Welcome to the great outdoors!!!!

 

[PennyInPink]

Food! The best part of camping! A couple of our favorites, great for newbies:
1. Hobo Dinners (made these alot in Boy Scouts)
For each serving (my boys ca eat 2 or 3 ) you need: A big square of tin foil, a hamburger patty (made ahead then frozen) and about a cup of your favortie canned veggies; sliced potatoes, corn, carrots, etc.; set out a sliced onion. Each person assembles a paty, fav veggies, then drop a couple of tablespoons of cream-of-whatever soup. Season with salt, pepper, season salt, etc. Fold up, throw on the fire for about 20-30 minutes.

2. Banana Boats: take a banana, cut a vedge down along the banana, remove the wedge, but keep that peel. Fill the ditch with mini marshmallows and chocolate chips, replace the peel, wrap in foil and set along the edge of the fire while you eat your dinner. Uwrap, pul back that peel strip and eat out of peel with a spoon.