Camping Checklist

Your Camping Checklist: What To Bring

The last time we went camping at a state park campground we had just finished our dinner and were relaxing by the camp fire. Then the fun started and we were treated to an amazing show at the next campsite over.

The family rolled up in their SUV and started to unpack and set up camp. We could see right off that they had never been camping before. Most of their equipment still had the Cabella’s tags on them. They were a somewhat unprepared for a campground but they had most of the essentials. Their first instinct was a good one. Set up the tent. The kids had run off to play – the mother was searching for something to eat. The dad was left to raise the tent. Having never done it before we could see him reading instructions and checking over the parts. He had about one and a half hours till sunset. So, after watching him fumble around for about half an hour we got up and offered our help. The look on his face was priceless. A combination of frazzle and gratitude. We helped them a lot over the weekend and I think they had a great time. So what’s the point? We figured out some of the things we do right and were able to witness some of the pitfalls that can come from not having a good camping checklist.

Packing the right equipment

Packing the right equipment can be the difference between having a great time camping, or having a miserable experience. Miles from a store is not a good time to realize you forgot to pack sleeping bags, kitchen utensils, shoes, tent poles, silverware, you name it. A good checklist is not only a time saver but possibly a whole weekend experience saver and a pillow can be the difference between a good night’s sleep and a bad one.

It isn’t necessary to buy a lot of gear to have fun camping. A few basic items, with additions from around the house, can fill out your gear pile well enough to make your experience a good one.  Be creative. What you bring camping, of course, depends on what kind of camping you are going to do. You already have to best item you’ll need – a piece of paper to make your camping checklist. Here we’ll start with four basic camping adventures. You’ll see that the checklists for each start with the basics and expand as your ability to carry additional and more complicated camping gear increases. A canoe carries more than a backpack, a car carries more than a canoe;

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