New to camping, or have never been camping before? Follow these essential tips for the beginning camper and you’ll handle everything like a pro even if it’s your first time camping.
If you’ve never been camping before or have only gone camping once or twice it can be daunting when your kids talk you into planning a trip to the outback. Here’s your essential guide so that you don’t screw everything up and be the person that ruined camping for a new generation of kids.
Cheat Sheet
Essential Camping Gear
Walk into the camping section of a sporting goods store and your head will spin trying to take in all the gear that you can buy. Do you really need everything on the shelf? Quick answer is no, longer answer is wow, that would be cool to have all that! You can get away with a pretty basic list and be comfortable.
For a comprehensive printable list of essential camping gear click here!
Tent
This is the big one and sometimes it’s hard for the beginning camper to grasp exactly what they need. Well, it depends on how many people that are going to be participating in the activities. Most dome tents will fit the bill for whatever you want to do, they come in 2 people up to 12 people. Look for one with more headroom if you’re taller or want to stand up in the tent. If you have older kids, you may want to get one tent for the adults and one tent for the kids.
Sleeping Bag
Sleeping bags come in different “seasons” and sizes. The season of a bag refers to what temperature it’s good for, usually three or four seasons. Any three-season bag is good for most camping in the spring, summer and fall. Don’t forget the pillows either.
Don’t feel like buying a sleeping bag? Old sheets and blankets work just as well.
Air Mattress/Pad
Either one is good, if you’d rather camp with all the comforts of home, get an air mattress (preferably one that fits in your tent). Make sure that you have power where you’re going to be camping or bring a portable battery pump. If you’d rather have the whole “roughing it” camping experience, then get a mattress pad. The goal is to get something between you and the ground.
Cookware
You can get a lot of fancy “made for camping” cookware, or you can go with the O.G., a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. Add a pot and a percolator for coffee to round out your collection.
Plates/utensils
Buy a reusable set and forget about it, or, pick up paper plates and plasticware when you’re at the grocery store.
Camp Stove
You can choose to wait around until the campfire is ready to cook on, or you can set up a propane camp stove and have your coffee ready 10 minutes after you wake up. If grilling is your thing, then you can buy a portable grill relatively cheap.
Cooler
Unless you plan on catching and trapping your meals every day, you’ll want a cooler to keep the food cold and the drinks chilled. You don’t have to buy the top of the line Yeti, a 50 quart cooler from Target will do. Bonus tip – buy one cooler for food and a smaller cooler for drinks.
Lanterns/flashlights
Yeah, these will come in handy when you’re trying to find the way to the bathroom at two in the morning. You can pick up a propane lantern, or the modern LED equivalent. Headlamps are convenient for hands free illumination.
Storage Bin
Pick up a storage bin to store your cookware, plates, matches, bug spray, etc. It’s easy to transport and it’ll keep your campsite organized.
While this isn’t a comprehensive list, it’ll get you headed in the right direction, and you can add as you see fit.
Want to see a more comprehensive list with actual equipment recommendations? Then get to clicking right here.
Entertainment
Some people are content with just hanging around the campfire at night. Some people go from sun-up until sun-down and spend very little time at the camp site. You might like to sit around the campfire reading a book. The kids might need more than that, in that case you can bring table games, cards, or even beanbag toss to occupy some down time.
Now Put it all Together
Don’t make a beginning camper mistake and wait until you get to your destination to find out that the bargain tent that you bought “on sale” was on sale because it was missing the tent poles. Head out into the wilds of the backyard and set everything up like you would be if you were camping. The kids will love it, and you’ll know which “tab A” goes into “slot B”.
Try out the camp stove, turn on the lanterns, and fill up the air mattress. You’ll be familiar with the equipment, and you’ll avert the rath of your spouse when you find out that the air mattress leaks before you’re miles from nowhere.
Where and When to Go
National parks, state parks, or even just a KOA are all options. Once you’ve decided what area you want to visit, check out their webpage and see what amenities and facilities they offer. You’ll want to know if the campgrounds are open, if they’re near the attractions that you want to see, or even if they have showers near the campsites.
You’ll want to make sure that when you want to go is compatible with what you want to do. You don’t want to find out that the reason the campground reservations were so wide open is because you decided to go during the rainy season.
Reserve a Spot
Depending on what time of year it is, you can make reservations at some campgrounds the week before you plan on going, other places there might be nothing available for months in advance. The more popular the area that you’re going to, I’m looking at you National Parks, the more advanced notice that you must give so you’ll want to reserve your spot as soon as possible.
Most places have online reservation systems so you can easily select your dates and campsites. From the portal, you’ll be able to see pictures of the actual campsite that you’re looking at, also if it’s near the bathroom, or if it has electricity, or water. They’ll also have any notices posted that you might need to know, such as closures or even if campfires are allowed.
Where’s an easy way to find available campsites you ask? We say the NPS Campground Locator of course.
If needed, you’ll want to see if pets are allowed and what areas they’re allowed in. Some places allow dogs, but they’re not allowed to be left alone for more than 30 minutes, and they may only be allowed in the campgrounds, not on the trail. So, make sure to check so you’ll know if you have to leave Rusty at the dog sitter.
If you’ve decided where you want to go and there aren’t any spaces available, you can call reservations to see if there are any cancellations, or you might need to expand your advanced search time, or area. Don’t despair if you can’t find something right away, lot of the more popular national parks and state parks will have privately owned campgrounds outside of the park boundaries that might have openings.
Preparing to Go
You’ve made your reservations and it’s finally time to pack for your trip. Do yourself a favor and make a list of what you want to take, including groceries. You don’t want to leave everything on the to do list and packing the family truckster for the morning that you plan on leaving because, guaranteed, you’ll leave later than you planned, and you’ll forget something.
When making a grocery list try to preplan all your meals and snacks. That way you’ll buy just what you need, and you won’t have that ten-pound watermelon that you bought on a whim taking up all the cooler space. Speaking of coolers, if you can, freeze all your meat, that way it’ll keep longer and will help cut down on the replacement ice needed.
Bring resealable quart and gallon bags for leftovers, and to put snacks in for when you’re out and about.
Hydration (Water)
Bring plenty! Don’t fall into the buying a couple of cases of .5-liter bottles trap. That’s just a waste of money and plastic. Pick up water in gallon jugs, not as much waste and you can fill your hydration bladder with them more easily.
In an emergency it’s always good to have some type of water filtration device handy.
At the Campground
You’ve arrived at your destination on time and during daylight because you took the above advice about packing before the morning of and you’re ready to set up camp. Now’s the fun part.
Setting Up Camp for the Beginning Camper
Try to get there as early as possible, no matter how many times you’ve set up your campsite, it’s always easier to do it during the daytime than when it’s dark. Look for a level, rock free area to place your tent, that way you won’t have your spouse rolling into you and forcing you into the corner all night. It also protects the bottom of the tent from damage.
Set your chairs, camp stove, bedding, food, and lanterns for ease of access. It’ll make your stay more enjoyable if you’re not fumbling around in the dark looking for the matches so that you can light your lantern.
Cooking
Some campsites have picnic tables and grills already there (you’ll know if they do because you were able to see it in the pictures of the campsite when you booked online). If not, lucky for you that you brought your camp stove or portable grill. Grab your cookware from your neatly packed storage bin and commence to prepare that feast.
Just remember to check with the rangers or hosts to make sure that open flames are allowed.
Food and Garbage Storage
Where there’s food and scraps at a campsite, there’ll be critters, raccoons, skunks, even bears. Don’t make a beginning camper mistake and feed them, it’s not good for them, and they won’t want to stop at that one marshmallow that you threw on the ground. Keep your cooler within sight, and if you’re going to be away for a while, put it in your vehicle. Don’t think that because it’s hard to open they won’t be able to get in it either, unless you have a padlock on the cooler, they will get into it. If they’re big enough, they’ll just tear it apart, so much for that $500 Yeti.
Store all garbage away in the campground garbage cans. If you’re in bear country, they will have bear proof receptacles, use them! The last thing that you want is a bear rummaging through your camp at 2 AM like one of your drunken hockey pals looking for the leftover chicken wings.
Pack it in/Pack it Out
Be a good camper and clean up your campsite. Whatever you brought with you, load it up back in your vehicle. If you have garbage cans available, then use them. If not, pack it out with you. Leave your campsite at least as clean as when you got there. The rangers/hosts with thank you and the next camper will thank you.
