Camping Tips for Newbies

A couple weeks ago, my husband took our daughter camping, just the two of them! Bella was no interested in going to the daddy/daughter dance at her school this past school year. Instead, she made a deal with her dad to take her camping, just the two of them. This was totally OK with Zack and I. We are NOT campers! Being the great daddy that he is, he was very excited to take her camping and make it a fun trip that the two of them would remember forever and want to repeat every summer! However, we’ve never really camped before. So I’ve put together some great camping tips for newbies! You will want to keep reading. Especially at the end. I have a free camping meal planning printable for you!

Camping Tips for Newbies

First and foremost, if you do not know what you need to take with you, Google is your friend! We did a Google search for “tent camping” and it immediately pulled up a list from the REI website with a checklist of items you need with you. Now, mind you, that list is VERY thorough and some things are definitely things you would not need, but you will be able to figure that out…it’s pretty obvious! A few items I want to point out that you need to take with you, besides the obvious things like a tent, sleeping bags, food, bug spray, etc are:

• Tick Remover – This was one of the first things I purchased for their camping trip. I also made sure to remind Mr. DGoddess to check her over daily!
• INFLATABLE LOUNGER – Sounds silly, but my husband said EVERYONE had them and raved about them. Personally, I’d probably camp if I could sleep in one of these! No joke! They are on a super sale right now…
• Coleman Quad(TM) LED Lantern – This is the lantern they bought and took with them. The nice thing about it is that you can take one of the lights off and use it by itself for trips to the bathroom in the dark, etc.
• First-Aid Kit – Seems rather obvious, but Mr. DGoddess would not have brought one had I not put one together for him and they needed it the day Bella cut her finger with the fish hook.

Number One Tip

One thing Bella and her dad took with them was The Itch Therminator. I was really excited to try this. Bella seems to be a magnet for mosquitoes and when she gets bit, they swell up really big. One thing I always have her do is take a spoon, run it under really hot water and press it on to the mosquito bite. It helps take the itchiness away. However, you know as well as I do, you don’t always have access to hot water when you get bit buy mosquitoes. The Itch Therminator is your solution!

The Itch Therminator fits in any first-aid kit and it is definitely something you want to have on hand. When you get bit or stung, simply press the end of The Itch Therminator on the bite and press the button. As you are holding the button down, The Itch Therminator will heat up and neutralize the itchiness! As you can imagine, Bella got bit many times on their camping trip and she was very thankful to have this nifty tool in the first-aid kit!

Besides having all the things I mentioned above, you also want to plan out your food. I put together this free meal planning printable for you to make it easier to keep track of what you need and buy at the grocery store!

Download your FREE Camping Meal Planner HERE

So…I told you the items I felt were important to make sure you took with you camping, whether you are a newbie or a camping pro. What items do you never leave at home when you go camping??