Camping Tips for Families
New to camping?
Need tips on what to get and how to plan your next family trip?
It can be overwhelming to get started. Truthfully, Traveling Trio Family made their share of mistakes buying camping gear. We went through the phase: I need to be able to fully stand in my tent with enough room between cots to being able to carry all the gear we need on our own backs. Would we be able to get to the backpacking size right away? Honestly, with our “state of denial”, probably not. Did we have fun? Absolutely!
Essentials for Cooking
You will need camping stove. If you are car camping, Coleman 2 burner stove is what we use, and it works very well!
If you are backpacking, we chose MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe (comes with the igniter).
You will need a cooking pot. For boiling water, you have a few choices. Stanley Adventure Camp Cook set comes with the pot, lid, and 2 ceramic cups.
For our backpacking trip, we also purchased a titanium pot by EVERNEW. It is pricy, but it is extremely light and has silicone covered handles. We love it!
Of course, you will need spoons, to enjoy your culinary creation outdoors. We would recommend TOAKS long handle spoons, they are lightweight and have long handles, which would allow you to use them easily if you pack any of the freeze-dried meals with you.
We usually pack at least a few packs of freeze-dried meals along on the trip. Several come as certified gluten-free. Our favorite flavors included: Mountain House Rice & Chicken, Chicken Teriyaki, Pad Thai with Chicken. Some of the other flavors we haven’t tried yet, but they have multiple that are gluten-free.
If you going to cook on the trip or warm up food, you would want a bigger pot and a pan, do look for a set that stacks with folding handles. Set from MalloMe comes in different sizes that range from 1 to 3 liters (depending on the size of your family).
Essentials for Sleeping
For sleeping, you have multiple choices.
For car camping we use our iKamper. It is a full size iKamper that sleeps 3-4 people. We absolutely love it, because our setup and teardown are literally minutes. If you love road trips, iKamper is incredible!
For our backpacking trips, we use our Nemo Aurora 3 person tent.
For backpacking, we love Nemo brand. They are lightweight, comfortable, warm, and have lifetime warranty! We got Nemo Aurora Backpacking tent for our backpacking adventures. We pair it with the Nemo Tensor Insulated sleeping pad (Regular Wide) and Nemo sleeping bags.
Nemo Fillo pillow is very comfortable. Initially we tried the luxury version, but it was too long, didn’t fit in the hood of the sleeping bag (where we like to put our pillow, so it does not slide away) and didn’t feel comfortable. Regular Fillo pillow was much better for us.
To get light into the tent, we use inflatable solar light by MPOWERD (Luci).
Additional gear you need for comfortable family trip
You want to bring camping chairs, so you can use it around the fire or to eat a meal. Originally, we bought full sized folding chairs, those are too big if you want to take them backpacking. If you are looking to keep the weight down, we recommend Nemo Moonlite Reclining Chairs. Despite small size, they are extremely comfortable and stable.
No camping trip is complete without roasting marshmallows. We pack the foldable campfire sticks that can work for marshmallows or sausages.
When you cook, you need to wash dishes. For road trips, we always take wash basin, so dishes can be washed and dried easily.
After our trip to Yellowstone National Park, where we got caught in the rain in flip flops, we never leave home without crocs. That is our camping shoe choice for road trips. Their platform is tall enough to save your feet from puddles or dew, that is priceless!
Hot shower is not always available in the campground, so keeping fresh is essential for familial balance in close quarters, so we recommend aluminum free natural deodorant.
If you like to eat well, you will definitely pack some fresh and yummy food with you. To keep it fresh, we pack food in RTIC hard cooler. It keeps food cold, and we only need to add ice every few days. Originally, we were looking to get 65-quart cooler for Yeti, but it was on backorder, and we would not get it for our trip. If you are in the market for the cooler, do look for a reputable cooler!
Hammock makes the trip more enjoyable. You can lounge, read, and it is a great entertainment for the kids and adults alike.
Yeti 30 oz tumbler to keep your drinks ice cold or piping hot! You will appreciate how wonderful it keeps the temperature. We take ours on each camping trip to keep our coffee in the morning hot or ice water hot in the heat.