Our Camping Abode & Guide
Camping has become a summer must do for us. Since we got married in July of 2015, we bought a tent & started these transitions. Weekend getaways that we hope to one day bring our kids with to enjoy as well. Growing up, my family had a cottage, so camping wasn’t the most familiar concept. However, the outdoors was. Tenting is just much more feasible then an entire house - I would say. We have shared our Pop Up camper we had a few years back, & long time followers know about our RV living days. Well, here are the tenting days! A downgrade to some, but never to us. Here I share all the must knows, tips & our favorite reminders when it comes to sleeping on the ground.
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In this blog post you will happily find…
+ why we started camping & why we make it cozy
+ What we look for in finding & booking a campsite
+ tips & recommendations for your next camping trip
+ links to our favorite items we bring camping
Camping is our summer home away from home.
It has been such a blessing to have a relatively in expensive outing to look forward to each year. Something we have enjoyed with family & friends. Its become important to us to narrow down our camping gear list not only to make storing more effective, but packing & setting up as well. The downside of tent camping is the amount of stuff you need (or more want) to bring, but there is a way to keep it as minimal as possible yet still being comfortable.
I do go a little above & beyond when it comes to the “glamping” side. However, it has made our weekend getaways so refreshing & truly feel like we are still at home. Over the years there were a few things that bothered me, so the next year we added or switched up our gear to make it better for us. We started with a smaller tent, one that would fit 2 queen mattresses. This was good space for the two of us but no room to grow & no room to stand up. Those hot summer days were so uncomfortable trying to change in such a tight space. Another thing that got to be was sleeping on the ground with all the bumps & lumps. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that IS camping. I will argue though & say I put my time in, having a bed lifted off the ground is not only more comfortable but it does save from extra messes with dirty floors, potential flooding & the stress of picking the perfectly flat layout.
Below I share what we did to fix these issues & a few more things we splurged on to make our camping weekends a luxury event. Keep scrolling to find the exact links of our recommended items for camping as well!
What we look for in searching for a campground & campsite for tenting.
Camping now looks a bit different for us now that Luke’s family joins us with all their campers! Prior, we stuck to the cheaper, primitive sites that are usually a bit more “nature-y” & so simple for a tent set up. Now we are tacked onto one of the rv site with a camper which hasn’t been a huge issue. The biggest thing is finding a flat area that offers some shade between the concrete pads. We have yet to not be able to find an ideal place to pitch a tent! Just do a quick sweep of rocks & sticks before you put the tent or tarp down & if there are big roots, just keep that in mind. Those won’t be a nice pillow to use & could cause tripping hazards in the tent.
Finding a good spot to pitch a tent is pretty possible at almost any campsite, some better than others. Finding a good campground, however, is a personal preference kind of thing. We have found that you really cannot have it all. We prefer to have a more private spot within the woods, more trees then open land. This helps with shade, weather protection & just over all beauty. Another thing we look for is somewhere semi close to the bathrooms. Long walks in the morning with urgency are not a good time. Being neighbors, however, with the toilets is something we have not quickly signed up for. There is a happy medium. Amenities to look for depend on what your interests are. Some are into beaches, some more fishing. We look for hiking trails & a good camp store. It is good to make sure there is a close by back up in case there is something you need like trash bags, ice, bug spray , or common food items. The sites that have been the most beautiful & private, tend to have the nastiest bathrooms. It just is what it is.
Our camping favorites to bring, eat & do.
What we bring : Our new larger tent that has room to walk around, change, store things & has an extra room that we use for a bathroom. That is right! We have a camping toilet. It is so similar to what we had in the rv just a smaller concept. It helped up so good this last summer & has been a blessing for us to have when the campground bathrooms aren’t the most clean. Our cot is also a must. This allows us to sleep off the ground, leaving it more comfortable & safe from weather or dirt issues. Another thing I love to bring is our house welcome mat. Instead of spending the money on one just for camping, just take yours from home. This helps keep dirt out of your tent & honestly makes it really cute. Lastly, I would say our bikes! Daily bike rides, a quick trip to the camp store or even if there are special trails, it is so nice to have another means of transportation around the campground. There are amazing site to see that we have been able to enjoy because we brought our bikes!
One more tip for packing : get the same totes. We get our from target, not too big not too small. Easy to carry & cannot get too heavy. But having everything in the same totes making it easy to store & stack. We just grab our bins when the weekend comes & toss them in the truck - ready to go!
Things we like to do are hiking, fishing, sitting in the hammock, anything with the campfire & explore the local town. I would for sure recommend finding campgrounds near cute, small tourist towns where you can shop & taste good treats!
As far as food at the campsite, anything that can stay in the fridge or a tote (in your truck at night away from raccoons). We pre make a lot of our food & put them in tins or baggies to then head over the fire or a grill. There is the obvious burgers & hotdogs, but our go to meal for camping is walking tacos. Just heat up the meat, grab your chips & toppings & your set! Yummy & so easy. Another thing my sister in law got me hooked on was bringing those Starbucks coffee drinks. Yeah, you can be real outdoorsy & make coffee over the fire OR you can pour yourself an iced cold latte & call it a day!
My prayer is that camping is something we always make a priority for our family. As our family grows, we adapt & make memories. Maybe another camper is in our future, but in case it is not, tenting has been a great memory making learning experience. Each year we find better places to stay, yummier food to bring & a fool proof packing routine.
Here, just below, I included some of our camping must haves. Yes, the toilet is on this list. I hope to grow this list each year but at the same time keep the packing to a minimal. Its only a couple days of nature freedom, you will really start to figure out what is needed for comfort & what can stay back at home.
