Being out in nature with your family is very relaxing after a long spell of working, and also the best way to strengthen your family bonds. If you forgot your bug spray or your toilet paper among other items then your camping can turn into something else worse.
To achieve this and have the perfect camping experience, this article has brought together 40 family camping hacks that will enhance your family camping experience.
40 Marvelous Hacks for Family Camping
Here we listed more than 40 tricks for you to spend a wonderful camping trip with your family.
1. Use fans inside the tent
When you are camping during summer or in the warm weather, heat can be an issue for you and your family.
A good tip is to carry your tent fans with you and enjoying the cool experience. These fans will make a huge difference and will allow your family to enjoy a comfortable sleep.
2. For the cold weather use your heater
When you are camping, during winter or cold weather, your heater will be very significant in this situation. Use a small heater when you are sleeping and also, when waking up. It will be easier for your kids to get changed from their sleeping bags.
If you can access electricity, a small space heater is ideal, but if you have no access to electricity, you can use a propane heater.
3. Carry a water carrier
Carry with you a collapsible water carrier to easily dispense water when camping. There are numerous designs from different outlets and some are easy to use compared to others.
Buy one that folds flat since it will save on space, but it should stay rigid when in use.
4. Plan your meals in advance
It is inappropriate to leave the meals to chance mostly if you are on a family camp. It is a great idea to plan an everyday meal and know every groceries that you will need. This will allow you to pick the most appropriate cooking equipment you will require.
5. Use glow sticks as your nightlights
Since this is a family camp, your kids will enjoy using glow sticks the most. They are also a perfect way to give a little light in the tent since it is not too bright for sleeping.
Hang around two glow sticks in the tent and the light will be enough to see even when you want to wake up during the middle of the night.
6. Remove big objects from your tent site
Large objects such as rocks, sticks, pinecones, and more should be removed from your campsite to ensure a flat sleeping area.
When camping in the pines, you can put a layer of pines under your tent to get a layer of cushioning thus enhancing your comfort. This is after you have removed the big objects.
7. Arrive before dark
If you want things to be much easier for you, arrive at your campsite before dark. This will give you enough time to set up your tent as well as other necessities. Besides, you can choose an instant tent to save the setup time.
This will be hard if you try to do it at night. Arrive at your campsite at least 2 hours before the sunsets. This will give you adequate time to complete your tasks.
8. Pack your kitchen essentials box
If you plan to cook during your camping vacation, then make sure that you pack your tools and equipment to allow you to cook. Some of these include pans, kettle, cutlery, stove mugs, bowls plates, and other essentials. Keep in mind the place where you will cook.
9. Buy a decent sleeping bag
When camping at night, you should expect it to be much colder than you might think. Therefore, purchase a decent sleeping bag, and this is a must-have for the best camping experience.
Even if you are camping during the hot season, at times it might get chilly.
10. Kid-friendly sites
The best camping hack for your family including your kids is a campsite that is close to playgrounds, beaches as well as other facilities that will make your kids enjoy camping.
11. Carry a sun shelter
A small pop that shelters your kids from the sun is very essential. This shelter can be used by your kids as a play area while you and your family are camping. Place the sun shelter outside your main sitting area to give the kids enough space to play.
You can even fill this tent with coloring-in books, games, and other things that will make your kids happy.
12. Buy waterproof storage bags
You will not have to be reminded about this if you have experienced damp clothes when you are showering. This hack is for you any other person who does not wish to go through this experience.
These waterproof storage bags allow you to even pack your wet clothes when you are done with your camping
13. Make way for your baby
When you are camping with your family, even your toddler wants to enjoy the camping experience. Create an immediate baby-friendly floor by spreading or rather laying down foam tiles. These will take care of your baby’s knees.
14. Stay organized
If you want to have the best camping experience, you must keep your items in an organized way to avoid the hassles of finding the fine and small things.
Avoid serious kitchen hassles by investing in a decent shoe organizer.
15. Place firewood under the car
It is a great idea to place your dry firewood hidden under your car. When it rains, your firewood will remain dry. It is very frustrating to arise in the morning and you do not have any dry wood to light up a fire.
16. Freeze some water to use as an ice chest
Instead of purchasing a bag of ice for placing in your cooler, you can opt to freeze about two gallons of water and place it inside the cooler. This will last longer than your normal bag of ice and when the ice melts, you have some water to drink.
17. Pack tiny towels
Packing your microfiber towel is a great idea. The towel not only does it fit in your palm but also it is super absorbent and quick-drying too. This allows easy cleanup. You can keep the towels in your pocket or backpack.
18. Invest in bug repellents
It will not be fun dealing with insects such as mosquitoes when you are camping. Ensure that you have enough insect repellents and bugs to cover your entire trip. You can also bring several insect traps and place them around your campsite.
This will ensure a mosquito-free camping area making it perfect for the general gathering area.
19. Protect your gear
Accidents including your kids’ little hand getting pricked are a major concern. Design a safe place where you can place your tent stakes. You can use a piece of cardboard or any other thing that will keep the stakes safe.
20. Freeze your drinks and food before putting them in a coll box
To prolong the life of the cool box, it is better if you freeze your foods as much as you can and then store them in a cool box.
In case you cannot freeze your food, ensure it is chilled instead of storing it in your freeze while at room temperatures. When your cooler is full the more effective it will be at keeping your contents cool.
21. Carry extra blankets
You will always need extra blankets. Whether it is a chilly night and your kids want an additional layer to stay warm, or you want to layout your blanket for a picnic. An extra blanket will always have its use.
22. Carry sidewalk chalk
If you plan to camp in a designated campground that has roads, it is crucial to have sidewalk chalk. Most kids love coloring and drawing on the ground which is a great way to enhance their creativity using their imagination.
23. Make clean up easy
You can use single-use soap leaves. This is made possible by running your vegetable peeler along your bar of antibacterial soap.
You can also rub your soap on a mosquito bite which is an effective way to minimize the itchiness. This allows you and your family to enjoy your vacation camping comfortably.
24. Stack your spices
You can use small and stackable plastic containers to store your spices. This is a great idea since it prevents you from the hassles of dragging your entire rack with you on your camping vacation.
25. Give your kids jobs to do
When you are busy at the camping site setting up, your kids can prove to be a distraction. Therefore, it is nice to give them some tasks to perform so that they will not be under your feet and they will feel like they are offering a helping hand.
You can give them easy jobs such as blowing up the air beds or setting simple camping furniture.
26. Pay attention to how to pack the Suv or car
When packing your car, ensure the items that you will need first when you reach your camping ground are easy to access. Things like peg mallets and tents should be packed last to make it easy to reach them without the need to unpack your entire car.
27. Take fire safety seriously
When camping, most individuals will cook under an awning. They give much higher levels of ventilation compared to inside the cook. Therefore, you should never cook inside the tent.
It is important to carry your fire blanket, carbon monoxide alarm, and a fire extinguisher to make your cooking much safer.
28. Carry lots of baby wipes
It is important to note that baby wipes are typically no meant for babies only, but everything else. You will be surprised to know the wide range of things that you can use your baby wipes for.
29. Carry sunscreen for use
It is less fun dealing with a kid with a sunburn. Your kids will in the sun most of the day. When you use sunblock during the day it will be very useful at preventing sunburn and in turn, preventing complaints that kids make about sunburns.
30. Carry something to charge the electrical devices
Most individuals camp to be away from their mobile phones, but a charged mobile phone can be very useful. It is great at navigation as well as an emergency contact.
If you use your smartphone for camera and music, the power will be consumed much faster thus the need for a solar charging device or a power bank.
31. Bring duct tape
You will be camping in the woods, then there is one thing that will get you and your family out of the woods and for sure, it is duct tape. You can use it as a sudden band-aid as well as a flashlight holder, tent patch, and much more.
32. Use your six-pack holder
After you have stashed your bottles in your ice chest, then you can save the six-pack holder and later use it as a utensil organizer. The six-pack will fold up and also packs away easily.
With your creativity, you can cover it with a fun pattern to make it a bit elegant for your campsite.
33. Plan games and other activities
To make your camping a memorable experience, you have to plan games that will involve all your family members.
A couple of card games or board games that your children will enjoy is a better option when the sun sets and outdoor activities are more restricted.
34. Carry a rolling checklist
When planning on your camping, make a rolling checklist and preserve it for your next camping. It will be easier if you start with what you had on your previous camping and subtract or add from it.
this ensures that you do not forget anything and after several campings, you will have made the ultimate customized checklist for you and your family.
35. Get creative when around the campfire
You can wrap crescent rolls on a barkless Y-shaped stick and then cook it over your campfire. Your teens will enjoy getting in on this since it is typically baking.
36. Carry extra fuel for cooking
If you are planning to cook on your camping vacation, whether on a gas camp stove or an open fire camp, it makes sense to carry extra fuel.
The popular family camp stoves use butane gas, thus ensure that you have ample. Note that not all campsites have camp shops.
37. Manage dirt with your handheld broom and a dustpan
Even if you try hard to keep your tent clean, you will end up with a significant amount of dirt in the tent. Carry a handheld broom and also a dustpan for fast cleaning the traceable dirt.
38. Immediate coffee that does not taste like the parent’s Folgers
It is most likely that you will have the urge to take some caffeine when the sun rises. Pack singles serve pouches of your favorite coffee such as waka coffee.
39. DIY camp shower
This will make one of your best family camping hacks. Design your camp shower or washing station. Ideally, you can use a 2-gallon sprayer together with a kitchen sprayer attached.
To absorb solar heat, paint it. It is much cheaper than buying a new camping shower.
40. Keep your tissue paper dry
Slip a roll of your tissue paper into an empty coffee can that is clean and cover with a lid. This will be so genius of you.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this article has given you all the tips and hacks that will ensure that you have the best camping experience for you and your family leaving memories that cannot fade. With these 40 hacks, you will have a perfect camping experience.