27 Jun, 2009
What to pack for a family car camping trip (warning: long and listy!)
Posted by andrea tomkins in: Easy ways to make kids happy|parenting|travel talk
I just just poking around some old camping files and found a photo of Emma that was taken in summer of 2004 at the *exact* moment she realized that I wasn’t actually trying to trick her and that her inflatable arm floaties ACTUALLY KEEP HER AFLOAT.
Imagine her saying: “Look mummy! I’m swimming!”
I love that photo. It’s just one of many excellent camping memories.
We booked our camping spot many months ago. This year we’re going to be staying in a yurt! (Which I’ll be writing about later.) It is a little annoying to have to book your site so far ahead of time (you have to book five months to the day if you want to snag your favourite spot), but it’s also oddly reassuring. It gives us something to look forward to, especially now school is out and everyone is talking about summer plans and looking ahead to the coming weeks.
Camping is a pretty special thing in our family. We’ve been going camping almost every summer (sometimes even twice a year) since Sarah was about two, so I’ve posted about it a lot. As a result I get lots of hits from people who are looking for information about:
“car camping” and “camping with kids”
“outdoor camping” “family”
“what to pack” + “camping”
“food” +”camping”
and “am I crazy going camping with little kids?” ;)
Clearly there are a lot of questions about camping out there.
I once outlined some tips in an article for SavvyMom (some good stuff in there, go see!) but I thought it might be handy to compile a listy-type post with the nitty gritty details.
First, let’s talk about what you need to pack. You will need to bring …
… everything.
Ha ha. Just kidding. Don’t pack everything. It’s physically impossible to pack up your entire household and drive it to the closest campground. And if you overpack you will feel tired and overwhelmed even before you pull out of the driveway.
This is why I don’t like to go camping for any length of time under two days (or over five for that matter.)
Traditionalists will no doubt pooh-pooh my lists. i.e. why bring roasting forks when I can just pull a branch off a nearby tree? CLOTHES PINS?? Why not just drape wet bathing suits over a bush? etc etc. I can practically HEAR THE EYEBALLS ROLLING.
In provincial campgrounds you’re not allowed to strip branches off trees. What would the forest look like if everyone did that? And I’m perfectly aware that I can make do without BBQ utensils by just using a combination of rocks, sticks, and my bare fingers to turn my burgers over before they get burned, but I do like to make my life easier. This is car camping. It’s allowed. Besides, I wouldn’t take the same things if I was planning to portage.
So here’s my checklist (which I keep as an MS-Word file on my hard drive so I don’t have to do this every year). Feel free to cut and paste and use it as the basis of your own.
Kitchen supplies (we keep all of these things packed in a large lidded container which we just grab and go)
- sharp cutting knife
- basic BBQ utensils (spatula and tongs)
- thin/flexible cutting board
- cooking pot
- flat cast-iron pan
- kettle for boiling water
- plates/cups/coffee mugs
- knifes/forks/spoons (don’t bother buying ones made for camping, just buy some second-hand cutlery)
- roasting forks for hot dogs and marshmallows (we have long ones, but they’re bulky. Retractable ones would be better.)
- dish towel
- paper towels (somehow we always manage to go through a whole roll)
- liquid dish detergent (look for something environmentally-friendly)
- lightweight plastic dish pan, dish scrubbing sponge
- small condiment containers (so you don’t have to bring entire jars/bottles)
- salt and pepper
- collapsible water jug with handle for carrying
- plastic tablecloth and table cloth clips (I used to shun the idea of bringing a table cloth but it’s actually pretty handy. And once it’s clipped onto the table it also shelters our chairs from rain in the evenings.)
- BBQ lighter
- can opener
- small scissors
- French press (for coffee)
- shortening for frying
Other stuff
- workgloves
- tarps (one for under the tent, one for over the tent, a third for covering the wood)
- nylon rope (to tie up the tarp and to hang our wet towels and clothing)
- clothespins
- toilet paper (you never know)
- cooler, packed with freezer packs and food
- matches (I recently read that tealights were good for firestarting. I might try that this year.)
- bugspray
- sunscreen
- first aid kit + calamine lotion (oh god, the calamine has saved our skins. DO NOT LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT.)
- lantern (we have this one, it’s lovely) and wind-up flashlights (perfect for kids)
- portable Coleman stove (please don’t use a stove which uses disposable fuel canisters)
- beer (better to bring cans, not glass bottles)
- tent, sleeping bags, pillows, inflatable mattress (you can thank me later)
- dustpan
And then there’s the food.
Dry non-perishables are kept in bags and bins, and we use two coolers. One is reserved for food, the other for drinks (which is accessed more often). We freeze some of our food ahead of time to help keep the other stuff cold. So for example, the juice boxes and carton of orange juice are frozen solid as rocks to help keep the hamburger patties and butter from warming up.
We also use reuasble ice packs. When these melt we replace them with bags of ice we buy at the camp store. (Before you go camping you should find out if there is a place to buy food/ice/bugspray nearby.)
I have a menu and shopping list document I pull out every year. Some people go all gourmet when they’re camping – i.e. roasting peppers on the fire and breaking out the artisan cheeses. This is not exactly our camping style (as you will see).
Our camping menu
Arrival day
Arrival snack – Foil-wrapped English muffins with ham and cheese, with butter smeared on the OUTSIDE of the english muffins which I make ahead of time. Mark toasts them on the Coleman stove. This has saved us from starving on many occasions.
Dinner – Hot dogs/sausages/buns, veggies and dip (bring ketchup, mustard, S&P), green mixed salad
Dessert – Roasted marshmallows/Rice Krispie Squares
Day 1
Breakfast – Bacon, pancakes and syrup, orange juice/coffee
Snack – pita/hummus/cucumber slices
Lunch – Toasted bagels/cream cheese/ham and swiss, potato chips
Dinner – Hamburgers, carrot sticks, cucumber salad
Dessert – Banana boats
Day 2
Breakfast – Mini cereal boxes, orange juice/coffee
Snack – Fruit & yogurt
Lunch – Campfire pizzas
Dinner – ham/pineapple kebabs, green salad
Day 3
Breakfast – cereal/toast, orange juice/coffee
Snack – fruit & granola
Lunch – hot dogs
Snack – melon
Dinner – linguine with pesto, garlic bread
Day 4
Breakfast – Toast and Jam/PB
Snacks – Fruit/cookies
Lunch – individual chicken noodle cup soups and toast
Dinner – whatever’s left!
Day 5
– whatever’s left!
Re: clothing
I’m not going to make a list of clothing, but I will say that (a) it pays to be prepared for all weather (b) you need to accept that sand and dirt will be a major part of your life for the duration of your stay. Footwear is important. Comfortable shoes are a must for hiking/exploring/scampering around the campsite.
We don’t bring any toys with us. When the girls were very small (between 2 and 6) we brought a few things to keep them busy in the car but otherwise we made a point of bringing very few toys with us to our camping site. We always bring buckets and shovels, one year we brought marbles, we always bring UNO and a stack of books in case of rain, but that’s pretty much it! Everything else stays at home. Camping isn’t about toys, it’s about rock and bug collecting, swimming, picking berries, catching fireflies, and building sand castles with moats. There is more than enough for children to do at a campsite.
Anyway, I bet I’ve forgotten something. I will add to the list if I think of it.
If you have any questions now is the time to ask!
Camping has been a wonderful part of our summers, one we look forward to every year. It’s funny how it gets easier and more fun every year.
I would love to hear about your camping experiences. Is it something you enjoy, or shy away from?
