Ultimate Checklist for a FUN Family Camping Trip

I’m sharing the packing list we had for a fun family camping trip. Matt and I both went camping growing up. We went while we were dating and while married; but this was the first time we went camping with our kids. We have had this two man tent and I guess we could have taken our oldest kid camping when she was younger but I don’t think the six of us would have fit in the two man tent.

So, this past Christmas our “family” Christmas present was a big tent. We got the Core 12 man instant tent. It really is easy to set up. It is huge. We debated between the 9 man or 12 man and ended up with the larger one. It was nice to be able to stand in the tent without hunching over and there was plenty of space for our stuff and laying out our sleeping bags. A gentleman who’s campsite was right next to ours came over to checkout our tent because it was “so big” like a house. I think it’s big but not that big.

For our first family camping trip we chose to go to Hanna Park in March. We made reservations a couple of weeks in advance (and the campground was almost full). We decided we would just go for one night to not rock the boat. It went great and we will be going again. It was nice to get a map when we got to the Park and they had firewood for sale. The weather was perfect it didn’t rain and it was neither too hot or too cold. Here is our camping checklist.

Basics

1. Tent
2. Tarp (have you heard a tarp called a tent foot pad?) (We got one that fit our tent exactly which was so nice)
3. 6 Sleeping Bags
4. 6 Pillows
5. Flashlights/Lanterns (We double checked the batteries to make sure they worked ahead of time)
6. Carabiner (to hang the lantern in the tent)
7. Camping Chairs
8. Pocket Knife/Scissors
9. Air Mattress/Cushion

Food/Water

1. Water Bottles– Our beloved Yeti
2. Firewood (they ended up selling it at the camp site)
3. Lighter
4. Fire starter
5. Cooler (with Ice in it)
6. Foil Dinners (premade and kept in the cooler- carrots, potatoes, onions, Ground beef seasonings, they were rotated from front to back (not flipped over) and over the coals for about 50-60minutes).
7. Smores (Graham Crackers, Marshmallows, chocolate candy we used leftovers from Halloween—yes from Halloween)
8. Smore’s Sticks (The kids got these for Valentines Day this past year)
9. Fruit (blueberries and strawberries)
10. Pop Tarts (made for a fun treat and novelty)
11. We brought some misc nut bars and applesauce packets.
12. Paper Plates
13. Tongs to pick up the Foil Dinners out of the fire
14. Plastic Silverware
15. Grill Plate (we didn’t end up needing this because there was a grill over the fire pit for us)

Clothing/Toiletries

1. Sweaters (got a little chilly in the evening and early morning).
2. PJs
3. Change of clothes/underwear (or not- I mean it was just one night)
4. Deodorant
5. Toothbrush
6. Toothpaste
7. Hand Sanitizer
8. Hairbrush/hair ties
9. Bug Spray (we brought bug repellent bracelet bands, deet bug spray and essential oil bug spray)
10. Sunscreen

Since we only did one night we didn’t shower—otherwise we would need to bring flip flops, shampoo, & body wash.

Stuff For a FUN FAMILY CAMPING TRIP

1. Color Flames My daughter found these at Walmart and I thought why not give it a go. It was pretty neat to watch the fire change colors. I was surprised at home long the colors were in the fire. They didn’t turn the whole fire one color but parts of it for the duration of the fire. We saw blue and green flames.
2. Deck of Cards
3. Uno We needed something to do in the tent before bed. We didn’t bring books to read so we played some card games before bed.
4. We were prepared to tell ghost stories. The kids told ghost stories to each other. None were too scary so no one had nightmares. They were more silly.
5. Fishing License/Gear. We knew there were hiking trails at Hanna Park but we wanted to try fishing. It was our first family camping and fishing experience. Matt got fishing equipment for Christmas. The kids didn’t need a license to fish but Matt got one for himself.
6. Camera/Tripod This is my definition of fun is capturing all the memories we made.
7. Glow Sticks

Other Ideas for Future Fun Family Camping Trips will be to bring:

We had plenty to do but other ideas would be

1. Swimsuits
2. Bikes
3. Telescope
4. Water Balloons

At our campsite there was a playground, large wooden, connect four, and checkers, plus all the sticks, dirt and trees to climb… my kids were endlessly entertained. What did I miss to make a great camping trip?