Preparing for your first family camping trip? You probably know to reserve a campsite in advance, pack the car with camping gear and brainstorm some fun family activities to pass the time. However, there are probably lots of little things you’re forgetting. Read on for must-know tips when taking the whole family to the great outdoors.
1. If you’re packing a lot of your food into an ice chest, get the most out of it by pre-cooling it for a minimum of six hours before you load it up. When you’re ready to add food and beverages to it, replace the ice with a fresh block. Don’t use cubed ice because it’ll melt quickly. Make sure to only put cold or frozen foods into the ice chest. If you put warm foods in there, it’ll quickly melt the ice.
2. Don’t have a big enough tent to fit everyone? Want to break up the family into a few tents? You don’t need to spend a bundle on a brand new tent for just one camping trip. Consider camping tent rental this time around. If you’re going to make frequent camping trips, you can always buy your own tents later on.
3. It’s tempting to cram as much clothing into one bag as possible, but each family member should have their own bag to make things easier. When it comes to dirty laundry, though, everything can be tossed into the same garbage bag or laundry bag.
4. Even if it doesn’t rain a drop during your camping trip, the grass will be dewy when you wake up. If you leave your sneakers outside overnight, they’ll be wet in the morning. Keep a storage bin next to your tent so you can toss items in there that you want to keep outside but that you also want to keep dry.
5. Whether you have your own tent or opt for camping tent rental, you’ll want to keep it clean and protected. Put a tarp or large piece of material on the floor of the tent. Also, keep it zipped up so that insects and debris stays away. If possible, set it up in a shaded area to protect the exterior of the tend from UV rays.
6. Unlike your tent, you’ll want to keep your sleeping bag unzipped during the day. After sleeping it in all night, it’ll need to air out. Sleeping bags easily absorb moisture from your body throughout the night. When the sleeping bag is moist, it won’t insulate as well as when it’s dry. Let it dry out during the day by unzipping it and spreading it out in your tent.
