So. We're going camping. Advice?

[mjbaby]

I'm not so much of a camper and my husband hasn't camped since his scouting days, lo these many years ago.

Any advice on how to minimally outfit ourselves on something resembling a budget? We have a (decent) tent, tarps and sleeping bags already. And I'm game for figuring how to cook and clothe ourselves and so forth. What I can't wrap my Ritz-Carlton-loving mind around is *how* this can be done without dropping $10K on all the fun stuff like campfire espresso machines that I *know* aren't necessary.

I'm thinking...what?...a basic camp stove, our picnic kit, a couple lightweight pots. Am I right? What about basics like salt and pepper, olive oil, etc. How to package them? What else - rice? beans? pasta? I guess I'll need some hand sanitizer? It's all a mystery to me, really.

Share your links and budget advice to a camping newbie?

 

[emilymad]

My first advice would be to invest in some air mattresses. Preferably the kind with the built in pumps. Sleeping on the ground is no fun. I think I got mine at Target for around $20. I also sometimes bring a set of old sheets and make up the air mattress like I would a bed.

As far as other things, some Clorox wipes tend to really come in handy. We normally grill when we camp so we don't have to mess with a stove. In that case you to have to mess with the charcoal though. A rechargable latern is also helpful.

Where are you camping? Are you staying in a camp ground? If the budget allows I sometimes stay at a site that is usually for RVs to have water and electric hook ups. In this case the air mattresses are especially important since the ground may have some gravel cover, etc. I have also been known to bring my George Forman grill to plug in. Way quicker to cook a hotdog this way! Maybe I should have mentioned that a Holiday Inn is usually roughing it for me!! Good luck! Camping can be a lot of fun.

 

[mom2cookies]

first of all pack as much food as you can in throw away containers. Even ziplock bags. They work best because they don't take up much space in the cooler etc. Go for easy meals like sloppy joes, or hamburgers, or steak sandwiches, soup, or pasta dishes. If you make sloppy joes or something of that nature, cook and freeze the meat ahead of time and store in zip locks. Don't forget a dishpan and the necessary cloths and towels and soap. Remember brillo pads!
We would also have a place to put our shoes outside the tent near the door. That way less mud is tracked into the tent. i like to keep a chair and a small tarp or newspaper next to the tent door for putting on and taking off shoes. Just make sure you shake them out in the morning before you put them on!
Put all food in the car or wedge the cooler under the picnic table bench. Raccoons can open cooler lids. Also don't leave ANY food out if there isn't anyone near it. Squirrels and chipmunks are out during the day and they will eat anything that isn't guarded. We store our non-perishables in the car. And either store the cooler there at night or wedge as mentioned above.
There is alot more i could say, but don't know how long a post can be, so i will stop now.
PM me if you'd like. Have fun!

 

[budbeerlady]

We camp all the time. Its a great inexpensive way to get away. You have the basics, tent, tarp and sleeping bags, all you need is a small grill and an extension cord. Thats all we take camping. Pots and pans arent really needed if you use the grill. We just set the cans of corn on the grill and do steak with garlic bread. Breakfast is pop tarts and sandwich meat for lunch with some chips.

If you do need to "cook on something" my mom takes her electric fry pan, we do french toast, sausages, grill cheese, whatever on that thing.

Now my Mom is the camping queen. We camped 4 weeks out of the summer growing up so she has it down to a science. She has a dorm fridge (no messy coolers here!) that she sits next to her camping cupboard. The camping cupboard is a formica covered box that has a hinged door, inside is all the things you could ever need. We use silverware, pots and pans and real plates all stored inside. The top is great for cooking on with the fry pan. We use two electric hot plates plugged into an "outlet bar" and then run the extension cord. The hot plates heat the water for doing dishes. (NO paper in my family I grew up doing dishes on vacation)

So dinner with my parents camping is
- corn heated on hot plate
- mashed potatoes, water heated on hot plate
- gravy from a jar
- steaks on the grill
- garlic bread on the grill
- smores for dessert

Just make sure whatever you use that you tie it shut or like us put the cooler in the car to keep the raccoons out!

Enjoy, we have great camping memories! Maybe try a Yogi Bear campground http://www.campjellystone.com/

They have pools, playgrounds, camp store, etc. DD loved it when we stayed two nights last summer. But usually we stick to the State parks.

 

[KLAIT]

I guess it depends on what kind of camping you do. We camp where there is no electricity so we do all of our cooking over a camp fire or on a small gas grill...the portable kind.

What I find easiest is to make a few foods ahead of time such as sloppy joes or the like and just heat them over the fire of on the little grill.

I agree...pack most food in disposable containers...makes much easier.

My all time favorite camping food are camp potatoes...sliced potatoes, onions, salt, pepper and butter wrapped in alum foil and coooked on the fire...YUM//

And, don't forget the baked bananas....take a banana, in the peel, split in half length wise....sort of push the ends together to make the "pocket" that is created a bit wider..fill with choc chips and marshmallows...wrap in foil and bury in the coals of the camp fire...YUMMY!!!

 

[bonkos6]

A couple of items that I make sure are in my camping supply box are:
clothes line or rope for hanging wet towels
clothes pins
plastic tablecloth to cover picnic table
tablecloth clips to hold it on table
playing cards and other games
canopy - if you are camping in an area that has absolutely no shade, we hang christmas icicle lights around the inside top and it gives great light at night
Off - for the bugs
a container for water
flip flops for the shower

I'm sure there are more items, but I can't think of anymore right now. Hope this helps some.

 

[poohj80]

I second the suggestion of buying air mattresses! My back didn't survive the last camping trip of sleeping on the ground.

And don't forget the marshmallows!

 

[trulygoofy]

If you will be where you have electricity I recommend a fan. We put it in the tent at night if it is hot, and we use it during the day to help with the heat and mosquitos. We take a plastic Rubbermaid storage box with us and pack all of our non-perishable foods in it. For dinner we usually have sandwiches and hot dogs, and we take hamburgers and store them double bagged in the cooler. I bring a tub of potato salad in the cooler also. I have made black bean tostadas and chicken fajitas while camping (I take thawed chicken and double ziploc bag it too).
I recommend a small grill. I love my Weber Baby-Q grill. It costs more than some, but it cooks great and it does not take up much space and it will last.

Have fun!

 

[crazelion]

Don't forget check out the camping board on dis boards

 

[Breakfast@Tiffany's]

We make tacos in a bag - individual bags of Doritos with the tops cut off, add seasoned hamburger, pre-shredded cheese, salsa, etc.

I second the electric skillet, if electricity is available. You can make food for every meal in it if you get creative. Make sure you bring plenty of food, camping makes everyone have an appetite! We also bring a coffee maker and buy the filters with coffee already in them, it's so much easier.

Also, an extra pair of shoes for everyone, a sturdy pair for walking/hiking and a slip-on pair to wear around the campsite. Nothing worse than having to deal with laces when nature calls in the middle of the night!

You really don't need a lot of fancy equipment to enjoy camping, the biggest obstacle, I think, is trying not to pack too much. It's fun to "rough it" once in a while! If it's something that you think you might do more than once, have a list of what you brought the first time and when you get back home, cross off/add items that weren't/would be useful for the next trip.

 

[Chicago526]

I am not a camping expert, nor do I play one on tv, but I saw this on a cooking show once.

If you are grilling anyway, but need to make something in a pot or frying pan as well, you can place the pot/pan on the grill grate and cook that way. You can even take the grate off and put it right on the coals (make sure they're level). No sense in wasting all that heat if you're grilling anway!

 

[pat fan]

Remember, you're camping....food is not meant to be fancy! We camp a lot, and it's pretty much hot dogs or burgers for supper (kept in a cooler with ice), cold cereal for bkfst (milk in cooler) or eggs and bacon back when we could eat that , sandwiches for lunch is pretty much a staple. Anything from p.b. & j to lunch meats. The camp potatoes are an awesome addition to supper, and mac & cheese is a one dish easy thing to prepare on either a small grill or over the fire on a grate.

To cook I'd bring 1 pot,1 large spoon (metal), 1 sharp knife, 1 small cutting board, 1 metal spatula, a pan or bucket for hauling pot etc... to washing station, a small thing of dish soap and a sponge or cloth.And a small gas grill

Paper plates and plasticware is the way to go for eating. Target sells a neat little thing that has salt, pepper and about 8 other spices all in one small shaker. Perfect for camping.Bring a bottle of spray margarine too. If you soak corn (in the husk) all day, you can grill it right over your fire and the spray margarine is way easier than dealing with sticks when camping.

To camp I'd bring a tent, air mattress, sheet and sleeping bag. A fan for us is a must, but I guess optional.BUG SPRAY!!!A medium sized canvas tote for all your bath items. Towel, shampoo, toothpate etc...that way you just grab your bag and head to the showers. Also, camping is just like WDW, someone may get sick at any time. I always pack a kit with Imodium,Tylenol,band-aids etc....

Don't forget the most important things....Smore makings! That includes sticks for cooking the marshmallows as most campgrounds don't let you cut any of the trees....and matches for starting the fire.

Now I want go camping!

 

[Chickysmom]

We use Chops ahoy cookies to sandwhich cooked marshmellows between for making smores...it's a little easier than the regular way.

bring your extra soaps, shampoos, lotions, conditioners from hotels and use them for camping.

bug spray! sun block! and maybe one or two of those bee catchers! there;s nothing worse than trying to cook/eat and having those bees and yellow jackets take over the place!

 

[OhMari]

If you are at a national, state or county park, you have to haul your own garbage out.

Camping is hard, especially trying to sleep, you hear every little noise, especially animals that walk outside your tent and try to find food, i.e. chipmunks, squirrels, racoons, skunks, etc. Everyone that stays in a tent, looks at the nice campers and vows to upgrade to those next. If it rains, everything gets wet. My younger kids ask me why we don't camp anymore in a tent-we upgraded to a 36 ft trailer-with a bathroom and shower. My roughing it days are over.

I don't mean to be negative, but the only time anything goes right it when you are totally prepared and organized. Camping is not a vacation to me, it is pure work. One person gave you the link to Jellystones, they are probably the nicest campgrounds. State and National campgrounds are nice, but those are usually booked 1 year in advance and it is pretty hard getting in.

 

[pat fan]

BTW, if you are looking for somewhere to camp, KOA's are the nicest CG's I've ever been in. They not only have tent/camper sites, but cabins also. They cost more, but for your first time out, it may ease the pain of not being at the Ritz!

Just go to www.koa.com , they have CG's all over the USA and some in Canada,too. They also have tons of tips. Everything from recipe's to special deals at certain CG's. have fun!

 

[crisi]

Rent or borrow what you don't already own. Camping gear can get pricey and if you never use it again, you could have taken a hotel vacation for the investment in gear. I know REI rents gear, and I'd expect other places do as well. - Tents, lifejackets, groundclothes, campstoves, water bottles, air mattresses - if you can rent or borrow you will probably come out ahead. If you LOVE camping, you may regret renting, but then you'll know what came in handiest and what you didn't need at all.

 

[trulygoofy]

Camping is hard, especially trying to sleep, you hear every little noise, especially animals that walk outside your tent and try to find food, i.e. chipmunks, squirrels, racoons, skunks, etc. Everyone that stays in a tent, looks at the nice campers and vows to upgrade to those next. If it rains, everything gets wet. My younger kids ask me why we don't camp anymore in a tent-we upgraded to a 36 ft trailer-with a bathroom and shower. My roughing it days are over.

We started "camping" in a motorhome and I always felt sorry for the tent campers when it was really hot or rainy out. That was until I tent camped for the first time. Then I understood why people like tent camping. We have a travel trailer now and we still tent camp. I love it. I like hearing the critters. Maybe it is because we have 5 kids so what's a little more noise?
But, like OhMari said, camping in the rain is not very fun. We always check the weather before we go. If it is going to storm, then we will postpone the trip. If you have a tarp over your picnic table it keeps it from getting wet and give you a dry place to hang out. We also take a blanket in case it gets cold at night.

One other thing, try to keep your sleeping bags from touching the sides of the tent. Condensation can build up and the sleeping bag can get damp where it touches the tent. I found this out the hard way.

 

[ohiominnie]

Our favorite camping food is the pie mold. Of course, I might be a bit biased b/c my dad makes them, but they are WONDERFUL when you are camping. Easy to cook with and virtually no clean up. And the possibilities are endless for what you can cook in them! We actually have them about twice a month in our own back yard!
www.minutepiemold.com

 

[Kay1]

Not to lead you astray but a small pop-up camper doesn't cost that much if you end up loving camping. You can buy one for only a few thousand and skip buying the other stuff. Ours has two double beds, a sofa that makes another double, a sink with running water, heater/ac, fridge, and a double burner that works inside and out. It's light enough to be towed with many vehicles, and it fits inside our garage. I also like having it in case of emergencies or power outages.

 

[rparmfamily]

Pop-ups have A/C??? OMG...I may put this on my list for to save up for! I wonder if a Honda Element can pull one.

We are going camping for the first time in June with my sisters. They camp a lot, so I'm sure what I forget they will have. We have most of the main stuff, aero-bed, huge tent with attached screen porch, sleeping bags, laterns,etc.