For someone who has never been camping before, the task of collecting everything required for a “proper” camp out can seem daunting. How do campers do it? How do they get everything together so quickly and with such efficiency that us mortals are put to shame? I’ll let you in on a little secret. Even the best of us campers have had to learn how to make it look easy.
So what’s the trick? Having everything ready to go at a moment’s notice so that there is no fuss about last minute items that might be needed. Okay, great. But what are the essentials? Follow me and I’ll walk you through it.
The first thing you are going to need is a tent. There are numerous tents to choose from, so make sure that you do your research on what will fit for you and your camping crew. My family and I have two tents. We have a small dome tent for short weekend camp out, and a large three-room tent with standing room for those week long trips we like to take once a year.
In addition to this you are going to need sleeping bags for each person in your family. Even if it doesn’t get cold enough to sleep inside them, they will still be used. They make great cushions on the cold hard ground.
The last two items on your list are two of the most important things you will need, wood and a lantern. The wood is only if you are planning on using a fire ring to cook your food and toast those marshmallows. The lantern is to help light up your campsite for the nightly clean up that needs to happen to avoid any unwanted nocturnal visitors.
There is one more thing that I would highly recommend to any camping party. It is a pre-packed tote with all of the odds and ends that every camper needs at some point and time.
- Can opener
- Matches
- Place settings (silverware, plates, bowls, cups)
- Pan with a tight closeable lid
- Tin mugs
- Dish cloth
- Towel
- Large Bowl
- Small container of dish soap
- Serving spoon and/or spatula
- Skillet
- Table cloth
- Skewers or pocket knife to make skewers out of sticks
- Bug repellent
- Aluminum Foil
- Flash light
- Travel salt and pepper shakers
- Small cutting board
- Kitchen knife
- Trash bags
There is no doubt that if you have all of these items ready to go in a pre-made tote your camping trip will be much easier than you could have imagined.
Of course, there are always those little extras that are nice to include: an air mattress, an air pump (unless you have someone who is really long winded to blow up the mattress), a camp stove, a Dutch oven (for those die hard camping cooks), clothes line or rope with clothes pins, and a bug candle.
And the one last tip that I have for you is: You will always forget something. Ever camper does. It’s part of the fun of roughing it. Happy camping!