Camping is a real THING here in Boise, likely because of the
ability to drive as little as an hour and a half and land somewhere stunning. While
we dabbled in the hobby as Californians, we weren’t totally into it until
moving here- at least I wasn’t.
Did you ever go camping as a child? Remember how the adults
were always doing a bunch of stuff… and sometimes stubbing their toe while making up the beds?”
Welp, we’re the adults now.
The preparation and work that goes into camping is extensive. I’m referring to camping with kids, obviously.
Everything one could ever do in life is 94% easier without children, that’s a super solid figure of course. If you
don’t agree- let’s talk (and you can tell me ALL the secrets). I’d like to think
that the hub and I, and I suppose the kids too, have gotten into a pretty good rhythm
with all the ins and outs (and whathaveyou’s) when it comes to our camping routine. That doesn’t mean special words don’t get dropped from time to time- I mean, I’m human, and a mom. While we’re on that subject
just briefly, any other mothers feel like since having and raising babies they’ve gotten way crazier? Ok cool, it’s not just
me. I’ve always been a praying woman, but boy do I lean on the LORD these days.
We brought a Honda
90 Trail bike with us this week. Toys like this can be used to check out nearby
sites for future trips, in addition to being purely recreational by the way. I have only taken one ride this week on the
bright orange beast because I prefer to ride on flatter, dryer land. Spring is
a rainy time here especially in the mountains, and Summer weather should be
better suited for my riding needs- I’m a whimp. Because we try HARD to be
intentional about giving each other increments of time away (from chasing
the kids, cleaning up, being social, any other activity that can leave one
needing a little refresh) the husband has chosen to ride…and I have chosen to write. We
stager our times so that our babies don’t get stolen and then eaten by bears, obviously.
For the sake of our family’s processes and perhaps yours too, I figure writing down some of the ways we organize and successfully execute a
camping trip, currently with a 2 and 4-year-old, might be valuable. Notice I
didn’t include “dog” in our list of attendants.
Our cat who stays home alone while we’re out adventuring, barely gets
fed (I’m exaggerating, she’s well fed, don’t call some hotline right now). I am
well aware of my limits in life. There are people I know that have utilized
their pet for helping entertain their small children. They are brilliant. This is not my life. So I will not be
including what it takes (just food I would think, but who knows) to bring an
animal in addition to the humans on your campout.
So…where do we start?
1st- Scope out the nearest motel in the event
your trip is a total failure. Just kidding.
1st- Calendaring and
booking sites. It’s probably not necessary to say too much on this so I’ll
say very little (ok not very little).
You need to book a site most of the time and you’ll be forced
to use Recreation.gov for most campgrounds. When I camped as a kid
“campground” meant white dividing lines on gravel, swimming pools, a
convenience store on site where you bought candy cigarettes (duh), maybe an
amusement park nearby, things of this nature. Idaho confused me at first, in so
many ways but I’ll stick to the subject at hand. “Campground” here usually means…um…the
forrest. Walk-ups (sites that don’t get “booked” but are available for use) can be an excellent way to go but you have
to know the area you’re heading into…verify there’s enough space for your
camper if you’ve got one, check that the “roads” are manageable with your rig,
know how busy it gets during that particular time of year etc. *Did she just say “rig?” Yup. Wow.
We’re fans of arriving to our site, especially when it’s a
walk-up, on Thursdays whenever possible. The very trip we’re on now started on
a Thursday at Sage Hen Reservoir. If
you’re an Idahoan, Sage Hen is well worth the effort it takes to get there, but
a word to the wise- drive through Ola/Sweet, ID. If you go through Smiths
Ferry, a familiar route to get to a lot of great camping, you’ll be sorry. It’s
an off roading-for-way-too-long situation, even in an F250 that your other half loaded up with (ridiculous) wheels and suspension. I love him.
Anyhoo as far as your own planning goes, I personally can’t do back-to-back weekend trips. In
very specific circumstances we could make it work (I’m a flexible wife like
that) but it’s not ideal. As I mentioned there’s a lot involved in these trips
and you want to enjoy your life don’t you? Most campsites we hit open for online
booking around 6 months in advance, that means January... June is about when
you want your camping season to start.
Most years we start sometime around Mothers’ Day and get reminded (every
time) that it’s still very wet. Cold
camping can be fun, just go expecting it-tarps for covering the bikes/toys,
well tested awnings, warm clothes, indoor games etc. When you live in a place with seasons,
planning summer out in January is pretty exciting. You’re just about over
wearing your Sorels and down jackets every day so the thought of swimming in a
lake is just invigorating! It’s fun to plan some group sites with friends too! Some of our favorites have been at
Warm Lake, Ponderosa State Park in McCall and Bull Trout on the way to Stanley.
Okay so you’re booked out (through September if you don’t have school-aged
kids!) now what…
2nd- Linens
& Apparel…One to Two weeks before your trip (prior to getting the RV
de-winterized, opened up and in your driveway, all man jobs in my opinion)- This may mean taking things out of the
attic, pulling fleece blankets off the beds (it’s getting warmer anyway YAY),
grabbing sheets out of the spare bedroom, whatever! Gather all the linens: sheets
(I pack flannel and microfiber so we have options based on weather), blankets,
pillow cases, hand towels, showering and swimming towels, kitchen towels. If
you need to purchase these things so that you’re not stripping all your beds
and bathrooms at home, I recommend Amazon Basics and Walmart! Say what you will
about Walmart but it comes in pretty clutch for camping. I put all these items
in a humongous sturdy bag from World Market that they gave me when I bought two
wreathes last winter (strategery). The
point is have them all in one place, keeping all the sleeping quarters in mind.
We give each kiddo their own space to sleep... I’m not
looking for a situation where one wakes up the other, resulting in a child
crawling into MY bed. So, Charlotte (age 4) sleeps on the kitchen table that
converts into a bed and Bailey (age 2) is on the couch that pulls out to a bed,
both in the main living area of our camper. Until this season, we had Bailey
sleep in a “Pack ‘n’ Play.” I picked up one specifically for camping (it’s not
as heavy as some and can stay stowed on the RV). Our slide-out creates enough
space to accommodate it. If you’re tenting, there are typically dividers where
you can separate people (kids from adults, whatever), OR you can just plan for
each air mattress/pad. I’d have egg crates in there too! Pack ‘n’ plays can be
small enough to fit in a tent, or maybe a “rock n play,” whatever kind of
“play” your baby prefers to sleep in! I always bring each kid one of their
blankies from home and a stuffed animal so there’s some familiarity in their
camping bed. Since you’re limited on toys to entertain them when they’re inside
(like when it’s raining for example) the stuffed animals are great for that too.
This weekend Zebra and Bunny have been majorly up in the mix.
I like to pack our pillows from home the morning of, and I
throw the already aboard “camping pillowcases” on them so that 1) our
pillowcases from our bed at home aren’t camp-ified and 2) they match the sheets
on the RV- very important. Since our kids are small I can get away with one big
beach towel for them to share for baths (yes they get bathed when we camp) and
one for them at “the beach.” Beach = Lake or Reservoir in Idaho, in case you
didn’t know. The hub and I share for each situation as well, and for good
measure I pack one extra totaling 5 towels. Are we getting niddy-griddy or
what? So that in the future of this post I don’t go into too much detail, I’ll
say this now: Less is not more. Don’t
be ill-prepared…it’ll make you less
comfortable, or cold, or hungry, or ill. None of these are good.
#notcampinggoals
Apparel…for everyone
Because you know you’re packing the kids and husband too (I better not be the
only wife that packs everyone, or else people are getting yelled at). I have
“camping clothes” for each of us that stay on the RV. If you camp in a tent I
recommend a large plastic tote for clothing storage. Once it’s in your tent, you can stack stuff
on top of it too, you got yourself a shelf. John and I each have a small closet
and the kids have drawers and a cupboard each. We all have a waterproof vest, fleece,
jacket, beanie, hat, sandals and boots stored. The kids have full-on outfits
ready to go too since they are such growers and it just makes sense to put
some of the outfits you know they’ll outgrow come fall on there. Remember
changing into “play clothes” after school as a kid (maybe not, that’s fine) Well, play clothes = camping clothes. The kids each have some sunglasses stored
too. I don’t want to pack ALL the things every time we camp and they have
multiples of everything in their world because of sweet grandmas that buy them
too much stuff.
In general, the things I pack in addition to what’s already
ON include:
2 outfits per day for everyone (Layers, layers, layers)
2 jammies per night for kiddos (in case people pee through or
something, who knows) They also love to be in footsie pajamas with crocks or
tevas on over them for campfire/smore time. Do your thing weird children. An
extra pair of jammies ensures that if they get dirty during this final portion
of the day, they have a clean pair ready to go.
I don’t like dirty jammies (or feet) getting into beds. OCD mom. John
and I can do just fine with way less than them. We don’t usually pee our pants or anything like that.
Camping swimsuits (think “play clothes” again) and I’ll
admit- I pack cute swimsuits if we’re with friends and it doesn’t seem like too
messy of a camping/swimming situation. C’mon I have really cute little girls, I
wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t show them off.
Like I mentioned before about crocs and tevas…have some sort
of shoe that works in water for swimming/hiking around lakes etc. On this
particular trip I think some galoshes would’ve been nice too! I have a pair of
ridiculous looking sandals purchased at Boise’s Costco (because they know what’s
up for every season and every area of your life) and they’re so practical and
comfortable…I even wear them with wool socks in a group site scene. #whoamI?
The more you can have on your camper or in your bin, the
easier each trip is. You can do your laundry when you get home and put it
immediately back on/in. It’s convenient if
you’re willing to wear the same outfits on multiple trips. I’ll switch it up
here and there but there’s enough to think about so keep it simple.
Which leads me to an
important tip, let’s call it the 3rd one-
When you’re done camping (for RV owners) bring your camper
home for 24 hours. You can do any cleaning
up you missed during the packing up phase (I clean inside while John does the
outside stuff before we leave our site), you can throw on that load of laundry
and put the dirty clothes back on clean for next time, slowly take off the
food/drinks etc. If you have dishes you want to run through your dishwasher,
you can do that too. Sometimes getting chili off a spoon is tough, ya know. This
plan requires an early Monday morning (typically) drive to RV storage but your
hub can do it on the way to work, he doesn’t mind.
4th-
Dewinterize your RV if you live somewhere that has real winters. I don’t do this part
and I don’t really care to have a conversation about it so I can learn….so I won’t
go into detail. I know one thing- after winter the water comes out pink until
you’ve run it for about a minute. And that’s the extent of my knowledge on this
topic.
5th- Cooking:
The more you can do outside, the better
We have a full kitchen and sometimes I use the oven to make “break
and bake” chocolate chip cookies but for the most part, our kitchen is my dishes
and coffee making station. We’re purists and love the process when it comes to
coffee (without sounding like total hipsters) so I grind beans at home, pack a special Tupperware filled with those grinds, and use an AeroPress on our trip. We have travelers on the
camper so that the delicious beverage stays warm if you drink it outside-
although I tend to finish it inside, from a real big mug, while the kids play
and Daddy makes breakfast. I prefer taking my mornings
slow if you know what I mean.
WATER…bring lots of it. You know those orange construction site
igloos? Get one of those, fill it up at home with ice and filtered water, put
it outside on your fold out “prep” table (not the picnic table) and have all the
hydration you need. We have water bottles on the camper to fill for hikes and
of course cups to fill for drinking with meals, at the campsite. I have acrylic
cups, plates and bowls so that they’re light but sturdy. You can find cute
patterns and even wine glasses that’ll fit in your space and make you feel
right at home-in the middle of nowhere.
For our outside cooking set up (an area for John, not me, I
feed us Monday-Thursday so meals while camping are his thing and he’s great at it) Ooni Woodfire Pizza Oven which makes a mean homemade pizza and plenty of other
things + Camp Chef 2 burner stove with skillet (because you know you’re making
bacon on Saturday morning while camping). Between these two set ups- we’re set.
We have a red copper pan, a large pot, sauce pan and colander inside and always stock up on spray oil (We like avocado, but there are plenty of choices and this isn’t a
cooking post). I picked up a wooden spoon, spatulas, knives and tongs at Walmart and
they live on the RV. I don’t care to pack (or let’s face it, forget) all these things for all our trips. Again, if tent camping, all this can be in a
tote- along with one of those circular plastic bins (that had handballs in them
at PE) for washing dishes! And most importantly-don’t forget your checkered
vinyl table cloth and metal table cloth clips for your picnic table. I mean, are
you really even camping without those? No, you aren’t.
Also- you think your kids ask for snacks often at home? Take them camping.
BRING LOTS OF SNACKS.
6th-
Keeping it clean
Large Astroturf rug outside of your camper or tent, small rubber mat for
wiping your feet at the steps of the door, and a cute “Welcome” mat for inside the door, along with the “No shoes inside” rule should help keep your sleeping
area whether RV or tent as clean as possible.
I mentioned our kids get baths,
we have a unique shower/bath situation on our RV but even if you don’t, find a
way to creatively bathe your kids. They’ll get calmed down at the end of the
day and sleep better. Plus sometimes they're just gross.
Some RV’s have an outdoor shower head that comes out of
the rear (we use that bad boy often!) or you can use a second handball bin paired
with a garden sprayer for a make shift tub. If all else fails…baby
wipes. Because baby wipes are magic.
There are plenty more areas to cover but since I’ve been
working on this for a few weeks here and there, I think I'll call it here for
now. Ya’ll know I’m not touching it tomorrow night- The Bachelorette is on, I’ll
be very busy.
Happy Camping (or Glamping)
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