How we camp

It's always surprising to me for some reason when people ask me about camping. Of all the subjects in the world, it's kind of one of those subjects that I forget I might actually be considered somewhat expert at... which is, sadly, not my problem for about 43 other subjects I would be well advised to keep my mouth shut about, and do my best to forget that I am a self-proclaimed expert. So, with that in mind, I thought I'd share how we camp, starting from the beginning. Our camping kit is not yet complete exactly as we like it, but every year it gets much closer. Keep in mind that all of our camping is done for backcountry camping. There are things we do that you might not need to if you're camping in a campsite proper. For us, campsites have come to resemble hotel rooms without walls, which is creepy and weird. But, we also say that if that is how you choose to camp, then please don't let our opinion of campsites stop you. Any sort of camping at all is a wonderful thing for families. I should also say that Garrett and I tend to be minimalists by nature when it comes to packing, camping, etc. It's become a little bit of a competition the two of us have with reality to see how little we can get away with packing, while still packing wisely, if that makes sense. There have been just a few mishaps along the way, like the time I decided we didn't need marshmallows or smore's makings, because they weren't necessary, and the children's howls were heard throughout the woods that night, or the time I decided we didn't need any extra blankets along, and the dog's teeth chattered all night long because she was freezing and refused to snuggle with me, or the time we only packed two sweatshirts for Debris, and she fell in the creek first thing when we got to the campsite leaving her only one sweatshirt for the remaining three days in very damp woods--I was so afraid she'd fall in the creek again, stuff like that. No big deal, just things that require a little going without or imaginative thinking to solve.

We started out camping with the very basics. Cheap Bi-Mart gear, bulky bags, denim jeans, etc. Quite frankly we were pretty newly married when we started, and that is all our budget and knowledge allowed for. With what I know now, this is what I would call necessary (for Pacific NW camping) in the beginning:

-Good long underwear, especially at higher elevations. This is something we pay good money for, because we literally use them all year. In the winter they get worn a lot on normal cold days, and since a lot of the camping we do is at higher elevations, we wear them in the Summer too. I will give sources at the end of this post.

-A cheap tent for starting. Write down what you like about it, and what you don't as time goes by, and if you decide camping is for your family, then start shopping for a more expensive tent that has the features you'd like. We started out with a cheap Wenzel. It served us great for the time we used it... two summers worth of camping, we definitely got our money's worth. Now we have an REI two-person tent, and a Marmot four-person tent. These tents should, in theory, last us for years and years. And they are wonderful, the quality difference and ease of assembly is noticeable. We love them. I would also suggest that for basic family camping you do not get a ginormous 2 room monstrosity-it's not that those aren't useful or don't have their place, but the fact is that for a weekend camping trip, you don't want to spend a ton of time rocket-scientist-style putting up your tent and taking it down, and you're not going to spend a ton of time IN it, it's just for sleeping and storing your clothes in. Your tent shouldn't burden you with it's hugeness, is my point, I guess. We have a four person tent, and it's plenty big enough for two adults, and two little kids, and our stuff.

-We started out with cheap Bi-mart sleeping bags... that were rated for as cold as we ever thought we need. When we started camping, we'd just open up an extra sleeping bag and throw it on the ground underneath our sleeping bags. Now we have Marmot sleeping bags with Thermarest pads for underneath. But, we are glad we started out with the cheap ones--because 1) They certainly didn't hurt us. and, 2) now we really know how great our Marmot bags are. We love those bags. LOVE them. The one thing I would get say is to avoid air mattresses. I am of the opinion that air mattresses are a complete waste even though I know everyone but us seems to love them. Here's my reasoning... the air inside them is COLD when it is cold outside. They are a pain in the neck to blow up and collapse. You really do have better things to be doing with your time. They pop. They're not that comfortable... If I have the choice between being vaulted into space every time the person I'm sleeping with decides to roll over, and a tree root in my tailbone, I'll take the tree root, thankyouverymuch.

-Camp Chairs. Otherwise, you're not going to have anything to sit on by your campfire. Also, make sure that you have a table (roll up aluminum, back of truck, picnic table, whatever) because it's hard to cook, etc., without it.

-Cooler. Most of the time you can get away with just one. I have a love/hate relationship with them. I pack them up, and I think, "This isn't bad! Look at the lovely cooler, with the lovely food, and the lovely bags of ice!' And then we get home, and it's all wet and disgusting and gross, and I hate the dumb thing with a fury. Plus, camping with anything that needs cooling past 3 days freaks me out in a cooler, so we're currently working towards being able to buy one of these. We camp enough that it will definitely be worth it, and we'd like to take longer trips. Also, I like to feed my family as healthy as possible on our camping trips so this will make it easier.

-Your good attitude. If you're going to be a camper, you have to be prepared to be cheerful in the face of adversity. Things are not always going to go smoothly. Things are not always going to be fun. Weather will not always cooperate, you will, at some point, forget the marshmallows. Suck it up, and tough it out with confidence and cheer. Obviously, there comes a time when you might have to go home early. But, I would encourage you, especially when camping with children, to ALWAYS be cheerful, and refrain from whining. Keep your can-do attitude. I should say I have an extremely low tolerance for whiners, especially adult whiners, so I might be a little biased in what I say here, however, I think kids really learn from our attitudes, especially in situations like camping. One bad camping trip should not non-campers make. Get home, reevaluate, figure out what you hated about a camping trip, and what you liked, and figure out what needs to be different to make it better--a different spot, different weather, better gear? (We know someone who agreed to camp with her husband if he would buy a shower... good! So get a shower! Happy Camping, and Family time ensues. For the record, my kids call this family "the clean family" to this day, haha!)

-Most of our camping trips are long weekend trips. That means that it is my job to pack for them as much as possible so we can leave when Frank gets off work, and get to our campsite before dark. I've got it down to less than an hour, thanks to this particular bit of genius. I keep all our basic camping gear in a Pelican case. I never need to unpack stuff other than to clean it, and I rarely have to add to it--if I do have to add to it, I add things when we get home from a camping trip, not as we're leaving for the next one. This holds:

Garbage Bags
Salt/Pepper/Garlic Powder I can make food taste good with just those things.
Matches (we keep these in a few spots, so if one gets wet, we have backup)
Soap (have used Mrs. Meyers biodegradable dish soap in the past, I'm getting Dr. Bronners Unscented for this year, as we've been camping more and more where bears reside.)
Mosquito spray/Sunblock/Snakebite Kit/Anti-bacterial goo/wetwipes/bandaids--so we don't get in the habit of pulling out our first aid kit for silly things.
All our dishes/frypan/wooden spoon/knives/cups/bowls, etc. These remain in this always, I wash them when we get home, and put them directly back into this.

Usually I add things like chips, pita bread, tortillas etc., which also fit in this for each camping trip.

So, when we pack, I just grab what we need from our camping/fishing shelf in the garage, stack it up next to the Rover, and we're ready to go. Our sleeping bags hang in our closets, so those get grabbed too.

Another tip that really really really will make your camping trips much more pleasurable is to do your food prep at home. I always chop/grate/cook meat, etc., at home before we leave, and bag it up individually. This makes for a lot less cleaning up and a lot less time spent doing food prep in awkward situations. One thing I have learned is that anything that can be eaten in a tortilla or pita bread makes good camping food. Some of our camping standbys are: Breakfast burritos, Fajitas, tacos, pita with canned tuna. We sort of go back and forth between your usual camping fare of hot dogs, and tending more towards well prepared meals of the gourmet variety. I love the awesomeness of preparing and eating an amazing meal out in nature, but at the same time, the ease of hot dogs just can't be beat, so usually we have a bit of both. I would say to never underestimate your snacks. Being in nature is hard work for children, and they eat to prove it.

As time goes by, you'll develop your definite likes and dislikes. We choose to never buy anything full price, so our gear is carefully shopped for, and we buy when the deals come along. Over time, we've developed a definite affinity to Marmot... we simply LOVE all our Marmot gear. However, we have some great gear from all the big gear brands, and the quality of it all just can't be beat. We especially appreciate all of it because we started out cheaper gear, which is life experience we appreciate so much.

This is some of our favorite stuff that we pack every time: Sadly, I am not being paid for any of these links, we just love these products/places.

Pelican Cases

We love these things. They're airtight, watertight, and you'd have to try REALLY hard to ruin them.

Anything Fleece/Nylon: When packing for camping, especially with kids, keep in mind that "dry time factor" for all clothes you pack for them. Fleece will dry a lot faster than a cotton sweatshirt, and nylon pants will dry a lot faster than denim. We got our kids Fleece sweatshirts from Campmor, paired with good long underwear, (I get my kids the thermaskins from Land's End, I can't find them right now on their webpage, sorry! But we've been so happy with them.) and rainwear, and they're set for any weather conditions--rain, wind, light snow, just plain cold.

Don't take cotton long underwear. That stuff is no good. Get good polartec/thermaskin style long underwear. It will make a huge difference in your warmth. My very favorite piece is from Marmot. Cabela's has some that are better than cotton, but the fit is still a little off--they're cheaper than the Marmot/The North Face stuff though. For great comfort, go with a good high quality brand.

Don't forget the hats and gloves! These can make a difference between misery and comfort, really. Having a hat and gloves will keep you so much warmer than just a jacket.

A lot of the stuff I have I'm not able to provide links for, because they're past season pieces, so if you want something similar you can just check out the departments with similar stuff from these websites, where we shop for all our outdoor gear.

Backcountry.com

Department of Goods

Sierra Trading Post (these guys email great coupons that equal HUGE discounts on stuff combined with their already great prices.)

REI (we only shop clearance... but we dream through the whole store!)

Campmor

If you decide you like camping, definitely make an Amazon.com wishlist for your family's camping, and add to it as you think of things you'd like to have. Then, when you have a little extra money to spend, you'll be able to pull up your wishlist and know exactly what you want to do with it.

Don't hesitate to ask me any questions you might have!! And, share your adventures and stories, we love to hear them. I'm sure I've forgotten many vital things that could be included in this post, so feel free to chime in if you can think of one of those things.