Family camping starter essentials

Getting started camping with your family isn’t as involved as you may think. And you really don’t need as much stuff to get out there either. You will be surprised at how much gear you'll be able to borrow from friends and family or find at a thrift store.

For your first few camping trips as a family, I recommend starting with basics or easy alternatives. This way you can give yourself some time to decide if you even enjoy tent camping, and avoid over-buying a bunch of gear you don't actually need. 

Before you make big plans for back country camping, I recommend doing a couple test campouts with your kids in a close-to-home park or even a familiar place such as a backyard or a friend’s backyard. We did test camping overnights with our boys when they were young, probably around 3-5 years old, in my parents backyard. This way if they decided that they couldn’t do it or had a meltdown, then we could easily abandon the tent and go into the house. We did this probably two or three times before we went to our first campground. 

Test campouts also give you the opportunity to try out the gear you gather to make sure you have the key essentials to have an enjoyable experience.

For a basic family camping trip, you don't need to spend a bunch of money on fancy new gear from the outdoors store, and you really need less stuff than you think you do. In the beginning, I recommend that you just borrow gear or purchase second hand. Who knows, you may enjoy camping a few times one summer, and then decide the next it's not for your family. So let's start simple, then if you love it, you can expand from there down the road.

Here’s a list of basic necessities you need to get started for a family camping trip:

• Sleeping:

  • Tent

  • Sleeping bags

  • Bring your own pillow (wait to invest in a special camp pillow) 

  • For the kids, have them bring their favorite stuffy or smushmellow 

  • Tarp (big enough for under the tent plus additional just outside the door of the tent)

• Kitchen/eating:

  • Medium sized pot with a lid; ideally cast iron

  • Cooking utensils = knife; large spoon

  • Pot holder

  • Hand towel

  • ‘Mess kit’ for each person; plate and silverware: not necessary to buy a special kit, you could start with (compostable) paper plates and silverware; cheap options to get you started would be a couple plastic plates and individual silverware from your local discount retailer

  • Dishsoap-filled wand; scrubber 

  • Empty jug for water (spigot water for washing dishes and hands)

  • Aluminum foil (heavy duty)

  • Oil for cooking 

• Utilities:

  • Fire starters (little box of starters or even a fireplace wrapped ‘log’)

  • Lighter

  • Matches

  • Flashlights and/or headlamps

  • Roll of toilet paper + compostable/flushable wipes (must haves in case your at a primitive campground without a fully stocked bathhouse)

  • Roll of paper towels or a few cloth napkins/towels

  • Hand sanitizer

  • Bug spray + citronella candle for your picnic table

  • Small hatchet 

  • Garbage bags (a small package of them or a handful from home)

• General:

  • Hard-sided cooler - again to get started you don’t have to invest in a high rated version, you could try a hand-me-down, thrift shop or basic option from a big box store

  • Medium sized plastic storage bin with lid (sealable) for dry/pantry food storage

    • This is important so that items don’t get smashed and to keep your food safe from bugs and critters (and an extra layer if you are camping in a bear area)

      
      

• Safety essentials:

  • First aid kit

  • Bear spray and/or pepper spray

  • Whistle

  • If you are going to be somewhere without a cell phone signal, check out purchasing or borrowing a Garmin/satellite phone

• Nice to have if you have already or if you can borrow, but not necessary at first:

  • Camping chair = not necessary but nice to have for the campfire

  • Propane camp stove or jet-boil = Not necessary to start, because you can easily cook over the campfire, but if you have access to borrowing it’s a great back-up option in the case of inclement weather.

  • A picnic tent or shade tent = Nice to have in case it rains, you can set it up over the picnic table and still enjoy meals or game time. 

Take this basics list and add anything specific for your family that you'll need for your camping trip. We like to add in a fun outdoor game (like lawn darts or king-cub) and playing cards, so that we can play at our campsite or in the tent at the end of the day.

Once you've gathered your gear, I recommended organizing the smaller items by type into storage bins or tubs. This will help in packing and unpacking the car, and for finding items you need easier.

Let the outdoor adventures begin! Happy camping!