Camping makes the best memories that are worth telling to your grandchildren decades later. If you’ve never gone camping before, you must check out these 20 tips we’ve learned from our regular camping trips.
20 Camping Tips for Families to Create the Best Camping Memories!
1. Pre-Cook Your Meals
Barbecuing is fun, especially when you’re on a camping trip; however, it’s time-consuming. So, unless you want to spend the entire time preparing your meals, it’s best to pre-cook as many meals as possible.
Also, carrying all the necessary tools for cooking different meals isn’t convenient. Not to mention, there’s the chance that you might not pack enough food to cook on your trip. So, it’s a much better idea to pre-cook your meals.
2. Plan Games and Activities
Planning your games is necessary to take all the board games, balls, ropes, and card games you’ll need. After all, the last thing you need is to have nothing to do while you’re camping in the middle of nowhere. So, schedule your activities, and bring the necessary equipment on your trip.
3. Don’t Forget Tent Fans and Heaters
The weather is one of the most challenging aspects of camping, so be prepared for the extremes. On the one hand, It can be so hot during summer that you might find it hard to go to sleep.
On the other hand, it can get extremely cold in winter, so you might need an electric heater. If you don’t have access to electricity, you can still use propane heaters. But don’t forget to bring a carbon monoxide detector to be on the safe side.
4. Use Sunscreen
Experts recommend using sunscreen regardless of the weather. So, as long as you’re spending time outside, you should wear effective sunscreen to avoid sunburns and dangerous skin conditions.
5. Bring a Bug Repellent Spray
An insect repellent is a must-have on every camping trip. Not only is getting bitten by a mosquito gross, but also some bugs can cause severe allergies. Not to mention, some insect bites might require immediate medical attention, so you’re better safe than sorry.
6. Store the Food in the Car
You must keep your food in a safe place from bears, raccoons, squirrels, insects, and other animals that can eat up everything you have and leave you starving till you get to the nearest market.
7. Get a Pop-up Screen Tent
You never know when it’s going to rain or how sunny it’ll be the next day. So, it’s always a good idea to invest in a pop-up screen tent that you can stay in without having to deal with the weather or the insects around the camping site.
8. Bring Some Glow Sticks
Glow sticks are the best if you have kids. They’re fun and catchy, and they don’t shine bright enough to keep you up all night. Still, your kids won’t be scared of the darkness if they have a couple of glow sticks.
9. Take a Medical Kit
You never know what might go wrong while you’re camping. Even if it’s as simple as your kid falling to the ground and cutting themselves slightly, you’ll need to make sure the wound stays clean to avoid infection. And if you or any of your family members take regular medication, don’t forget to bring it with you as well.
10. Keep Your Clothes Sealed
If you’re camping for more than a couple of days, make sure to keep your clothes, pillows, and sheets sealed away from moisture. Otherwise, they’ll feel damp, and they might have an unpleasant smell.
11. Bring Earplugs
If you don’t want to wake up first thing in the morning to the sound of birds chirping, you’ll most definitely need earplugs. They’re also quite handy when you want to go to bed early but the rest of your family want to stay up late chatting.
12. Keep the Dry Firewood Under the Car
Sudden rains can be quite problematic. Were you planning to keep the firewood out in the open? It’s much safer to keep it under the car so that it doesn’t get soaked.
13. Carry Extra Gas
Ever got lost while going or coming back from a camping site and ran out of gas? We’ve been there. And as funny as it is looking back at it now, it wasn’t all that fun when it happened. So, make sure you have extra gas for your car.
14. Don’t Forget the Fire Distinguisher
Campfires are so enjoyable. But just in case something catches on fire, you better keep the distinguisher around to put out fires and avoid anyone getting hurt.
15. Make Your Own Shower
Don’t want to go skinny dipping? Make your shower with a 2-gallon sprayer and a kitchen sprayer. Admittedly, it’s the oldest camping hack in the book, but it’ll save you some cash because camp showers tend to be expensive.
16. Pack Solar-Powered Lights
Many campsites don’t have access to electricity, so you can always use solar lights to light up your tent at night.
17. Take Extra Rugs
Dirt is a serious issue when you’re camping, especially if it rains. So, make sure to keep some extra rugs around in case someone forgot to take off their trainers before going into the tent or your kids wanted to play card games outside.
18. Keep a Portable Potty Around
What if your kid needed to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, but it’s dead quiet outside? Just have a portable potty right outside the tent.
19. Extra Blankets
Whether someone needs an extra layer to stay warm or you need to lay out a blanket for lunch, it’s always better to have an extra blanket at hand.
20. Make a Checklist
Now that you’ve planned everything, don’t forget to make a checklist with all the items. This way, you don’t forget anything back at home or the campsite. Also, you can keep note of all the things you could’ve brought with you, so you don’t forget them next time!