Tent Camping

#1hoosierfan

DIS Veteran
Joined
Mar 27, 2010
I want something to do with the boys this summer since pools and probably our local theme park will remain closed. I bought a tent, and would love tips and tricks you have learned thru camping.

I have purchased the following:
12 person tent with an air conditioner flap. We have a small room air conditioner I plan to use with it.
air mattress
Lanterns
Pot and pan and a few utensils
Dad is giving me small propane stove
Small camp tables
Collapsible tub to wash dishes
Chairs
Rubbermaid tub to keep things like can opener, paper towels, trash bags, paper plates, etc.... in
Collapsible laundry hamper for dirty clothes.
 
We have a 2 small outdoor rugs. 1 is just outside the door for taking shoes off before entering. We leave shoes outside during day, unless raining. The second drug is inside and off to one side for shoes at night.
Have an easy way to transport dirty dishwater to dispose of it. You dont want to dump on ground by you campsite. Not only is it unsanitary, the food particles attract animals.
Collapsible trash container.
 
You ah e great ideas so far. My tips! We pay for electric sites or a true RV site every time. Without electricity it’s too rough for me. Multiple coolers. One for food and one for drinks. Tossing around the food to find a certain drink is my main frustration. I also love my open campfire grill/grate for cooking, a propane stove is great but I often use both burners, my extra single propane burner and the open flame to make a meal. Air mattress pump that is battery operated, can’t find that, then electric pump. Car powered pumps are another frustration. It sucks stripping the bed and dragging the air mattress out on day 2 cause it’s low on air..
 


Bugspray, bikes, frisbee, sidewalk chalk, flip flops for the showers, flashlights. Fishing supplies if you're near a lake - our kids used a stick with fishing line and hooks and actually caught fish!

Camping is so much fun!
 
Bugspray, bikes, frisbee, sidewalk chalk, flip flops for the showers, flashlights. Fishing supplies if you're near a lake - our kids used a stick with fishing line and hooks and actually caught fish!

Camping is so much fun!
Most shower facilities and playgrounds at campgrounds are closed through the summer (they are here, anyway), which is why tent camping is being discouraged. Only self-contained units (RV's) are being allowed at most campgrounds.
 


Games, cards, DVD player, whatever is fun for your family around a fire or picnic table...
 
Since you have electricity, depending on how long you are going for (and how good your coolers are) you might want to consider a dorm size fridge for your perishable food. It will save you making trips for ice.

My kids love their camping hammocks, my oldest won't sleep in the tent with us and they are nice to hang out in during the day. ENOS are nice, but there are plenty of cheaper ones on Amazon that work just as well.

Consider getting a mesh tent thingy to go around the table you eat at. It is nice not to have to be constantly shooing bugs away from your food.

A good flashlight is a must for late night bathroom visits. You can also find instructions on pinterest for bucket lights. I think they work better for overall lighting that lanterns do.
 
Hey you know you have to do what works. Tent camping with kids is rough. I actually corrected it once, didn't catch that autocorrect struck again.

When I went camping with the Boy Scouts, I brought wine in a water bottle. Called it "Mrs. Teller80's Special Kool-Aid". It went well with Tylenol PM, which said, "alcohol may intensify this effect".

As much as I like camping, if I don't sleep I'm crabby.
 
You are going to want a length of rope for hanging wet dish towels and swimsuits on. Make sure you have clothes pins as well.

The ground can be hard and cold, so in addition to sleeping bags and pillows, you will likely want mattresses as well. It is standard measure to place a ground cover (plastic tarp) underneath your tent before you set it up. This will help keep you and your sleeping bags dry.

Depending upon where you camp, the nights can get cold and a "regular" sleeping bag is never warm enough for me with its nylon interior. I often lay a twin flannel sheet that has been folded in half inside my sleeping bag. Sometimes I even step it up to a fleece blanket inside.

Bring way more drinks and snacks than you think you will need.

Have a medical kit, antihistamines (especially since you may be around unfamiliar to you allergens), matches, firestarter (even just some old newspaper, etc.), foil, can/bottle opener, roasting sticks, oven mitt, and plastic tablecloth with clips.

Keep your meals simple and prepare as much as you can ahead of time. I used to make things like barbecue beef at home, flat-pack freeze it, then toss it in the cooler. For dinner, all we did was heat it up and put it on buns. I would also make chocolate chip cookies to bring along, pre-sliced watermelon, pre-cooked bacon so it only needed reheating and we weren't dealing with all of the greasy mess, and pre-measured pancake mix into a Tupperware bowl, so all I needed to do was add water and stir.

Take a hammer along to pound in tent pegs and a pair of pliers for pulling them out again. You may need an axe.

Stick a Sharpie marker in with your plastic cups so everyone can write their names on them and you don't waste so many.

Editing to add one more thing that I forgot...make sure everyone has two pairs of shoes. In a rainstorm, campsites can be a mucky mess and you don't want to be sitting in wet shoes for the rest of your trip.
 
A good flashlight is a must for late night bathroom visits. You can also find instructions on pinterest for bucket lights. I think they work better for overall lighting that lanterns do.
Headlamps. You might really want to have your hands free. They also come in really handy if setting up a tent late at night.
 
I haven’t been camping in a while, but back when I did camp often we would keep our food in our car overnight to avoid the chance of animals getting into it.
 
Most car camping tents suck. I’d set it up in your backyard and see how it handles a rain storm. I usually opt for heavy backpacking tents for car camping.

I’ve never used an AC unit with a tent. I wish you the best of luck.

Camping is fun if your gear is dialed in and your meals are planned out.
 
Get a wasps sting kit they can be very handy if you get a stinger.
And if your going to use a cooler buy a good one
I know over the years a cheap one will run through ice fast
We used to have two on hand one for just drinks and such the other for food
 
When I went camping with the Boy Scouts, I brought wine in a water bottle. Called it "Mrs. Teller80's Special Kool-Aid". It went well with Tylenol PM, which said, "alcohol may intensify this effect".

As much as I like camping, if I don't sleep I'm crabby.

sshhhhhhhhhh....I'm secretly stashing this idea away for next fall. :worship: 1 more year of cubscout camping. Our boyscout troop won't let Moms go camping (I'm NOT complaining).
 

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