Camping for the First Time

I used to live in Park City and liked camping in the national parks: Zion, Bryce, Arches, Snow Canyon near you in S.Utah. It can be hot in summer and Bryce would be the coolest then. Jordanelle reservoir near Park City has a lovely campground and is cool in summer. Make reservations.

If you stay at one of the developed campgrounds, they should have bathrooms with hot showers, and plenty of running water. You can also check to see if they have bbq pits or grills so you can bring skewers to roast hot dogs and make smores.

Some camping tips:

I plan cereal and milk for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch. That way I only have to cook one hot meal a day.

Prep meals at home. It's harder to chop and mix in the great outdoors. Precooked foods like hot dogs are faster and easier to cook than raw foods like hamburgers and chicken.

Paper plates. It's a pain to wash dishes when you're camping.

Freeze a couple of gallon jugs of water to use as ice in the cooler. Pour a little out first because the jugs will expand in the freezer. Once in the cooler, they don't melt as fast as a bag of ice, and you can drink the ice water as it melts.

Some stuff I like to bring: Flashlights and a rechargeable lantern, plastic tablecloth, beach chairs and a beach umbrella, buckets and shovels to play in the dirt but look out for scorpions in the desert, they blend in with the sand. I used to have one of those open canopies that was like a tent with no sides. It gives you a large shady area to sit in during the day.

Don't leave your shoes outside the tent at night. If you do, shake them out first before putting them on to make sure there are no critters in them.

We snack alot when we camp. All that fresh air makes us hungry, so I bring more cookies, crackers and chips than we normally eat.

Freeze a bunch of juice boxes or packs before leaving. It'll help keep the cooler cold and after a day or two, they are a nice slushy consistency.

Keep the cooler in the shade and cover it with an extra blanket for better insulation.

You might want to try a one night practice run with the camping equipment before you go on a long trip. That way you'll see what you don't need to bring as well as find out what else you need to buy to be comfortable for an extended time.

Directions for the closest hospital. We found out last year that came in handy.
EDITED-A nasty fall involving deep cuts/scrapes out in the middle of no where that could be taken care of at home might require a hospital visit because the facilities at the camp site will most likely not be good enough. A running trip while having fun might end up in a broken arm. It doesn't matter how close you watch your kids something can happen.

Other than that REI.com has a pretty good list of what you should bring camping.
You might want to figure out where you will be staying before you pack the shower. Most camps have hot water showers.
Bring some paper and a pen so you can write down everything you forgot on this trip or things you really didn't need.

M. Mom
I have only camped with my kids in a campground with some sort of bathroom facilities close at hand and drive up to the site places. But I have six kids so we need our stuff.
You will still need
hand washing station
cooler ( I bring two one for drinks and other for food)
A few toys for the kids
As for food I bring what we would eat at home and s'more fixings for on of the nights.
Also allow time for food prep so you do not have a cranky, hungry girl on your hands.
sunscreen, bug spray,
two pair of shoes for each person
In your first aid kit do not forget children's meds ie benadryl , sting stop, that sort of thing
remember to have fun.
J.

Unless you are sure that there is no shower in the area, the solar shower is a pain. Your 2.5 year-old will not care if she has a shower. A wash from a bucket would work. Kids don't want luxury on a camping trip, they want to get dirty and sleep outside. I would bring any favorite blanket or toy for sleeping. Flashlights are another necessity!!

I agree to set up your tent and sleep outside at home one time to make sure it all works. Check with your family members about what they are bringing so that you don't bring more of everything than is needed. The two of you won't need a camp stove, if other family members are bringing several, for instance. Especially if you are coordinating meals at all. We usually eat more when we are camping than when we are home, the fresh air makes us hungry.

One tip - if your bring a good sized pot that you can boil water in, you can cook meals at home like spaghetti or chili/soup and put it in freezer bags. Then just boil the bags in the water and you have dinner. Use the heavy freezer bags so that they don't break open. We also have made breakfast omelets in bags - throw everything in the bag that you want in your omelet then put the bag in the boiling water and out comes a cooked omelet with no pans to clean.

A cooler is a necessity and it needs to be put away at night, depending on what animals you have there. A water jug, but not too big to carry, is a good idea. Extra bags, for garbage, for gathering dirty clothes, etc.

Camping in Arches is fun.
You can even get a campsite with flush toilets. Good for little kids.

We take a camp stove (karosene) but do most of the cooking on the fire grill many places provide. A cooler for perishables (meats, dairies, etc). We usually have pancakes or french toast one morning, with bacon, sandwiches for lunches, hot dogs or hamburgers for dinner. Have snacks like granola bars and juice boxes available, stuff easily packed for a short hike. We don't bother with the shower - if your only camping for a couple of nights you can do without.
Don't forget sunscreen, bug repellent, and allergy medication (benadryl). Oh, and marshmallows to toast are a must!
Have fun :)

My husband and kids go camping. i have only been twice, because it is just not my thing. However, to make me feel more comfortable these are things I remember him having while I was there. Of course they use them too when I am not:

battery powered ceiling fans
battery powered fans
Coleman auto drip camp stove
portable toilet (so any "midnight" needs do not have to go far
cots with think mattress and springs

These are things they usually have with them

fire wood
cooler for beverages
cooler for food
a lot of ice
hiking gear
camping stove
chairs
matt for outside tent to help keep inside of tent clean
broom
tarp to put tent on
games
glow sticks - great to keep track of kids at night!
flashlights
foil, paper goods, plastic utensils, etc.
camera
bath towels if there is a shower
extra clothing and socks
marshmallow sticks

The food they bring:

Breakfast:
eggs
bacon
pancake mix (we've found the kind in a whipped cream can)
butter
syrup
rolls
hashbrowns

Lunch
lunch meat
bread
condiments
fruit
veggies
chips, pretzels

Dinner
hamburgers, hot dogs, buns
steak
veggies

Snacks
fruit snacks
graham crackers
marshmallows
hershey bars
cookies

That's about all I can think of.

Hope it gives you some ideas! Have fun!

don't forget to pack up your food at night in sealed containers so critters won't come around.

I don't know how long you're going for but we go regularly with three kids under 5 and bring: a tent, some sleeping bags, pillows, and some hot dogs and marshmallows, graham crackers and water. We bring them a couple of changes of clothes and a toothbrush.
You don't really need anything else, if you watch your kids closely they are not likely to get hurt or injured, (although it's a good idea to know where the nearest hospital is , in case) and they will have a great time. If you have a cast iron pot you can sit it directly over the fire and make oatmeal or something, but we usually just eat canned veggies and cook meat on the fire with sticks. :)
You really don't need much-- that's what camping's all about. Have fun!

I scanned some of the other posts, and you have some great tips and ideas. If not already mentioned, briing Benadryl, Caladryl, Ibuprofen band-aids and tons of wet wipes. Also put tweezers in your first aid bag(spinters).

ONce you get to the campsite and see what you have available as far as showers, cooking spots, etc. you can always make a quick run to the nearest store to grab anything you may need and forgot. Bring some large baggies or tupperware-type containers(I use the rinsed out plastic from lunch meats,etc). Bugs like to snack just as much as humans :) Plus, the humidity can spoil chips and buns quickly (although not sure how humid that part of the country is)

Have fun!!!

so fun! dinners we always do hotdogs/sausage on the fire, s'mores for dessert. we did bring a cooler for breakfast items - if you have room, maybe throw in sandwich making stuff too. don't forget a big tub and some dish soap. i have honestly never camped where there wasn't water lol. so all the recreational stuff we do is water-related!

Have you checked out Hovenweep (sometimes spelled Hovenweap)? *Amazing*... it's abutting some ancient Puebloan ruins and there are rangers who give talks each night. It's not terribly far from Mesa Verde, but is much less well known and so is less crowded. They do have the amenity of potable water and (nice) bathrooms, but no showers.

One cooler for the essentials (eggs, bacon, any uncooked meat... bring that frozen), and be prepared to travel to get ice if you're going remote.

As for meals, we do one breakfast with bag omelets (beat raw egg(s), put in a ziplock bag with seasoning, cheese, veggies, etc. and toss in a pot of boiling water. Use tongs to squeeze instead of stirring or flipping). Everyone's eggs are done at the same time and to order. Bacon over the morning fire (in a pan, lol). We premake spaghetti and sauce and heat it up for dinner. Usually grilling for at least one night.

When we go with my brother's family or with friends, each family is responsible for a certain number of breakfasts and dinners; lunches are on your own.

Have you been camping before? You need the same items when taking a child as you would camping without a child.

Kids don't require "luxury" items...given them a bucket, shovel, a couple tonka trucks and dirt pile to play in. We also take my son's wagon, scooter and either his bike or his power wheels tractor.

We have a travel trailer and stay in campgrounds, but we've been taking our son camping since he was 5 wks old. He LOVES camping!

My husband and I are also Marines but love to go camping in a more comfortable setting! I hear you on the air mattress! If you are going for several a days definitely take a cooler. Plan your meals and prep everything you can ahead (chop veggies, measure ingredients into baggies). I usually bring very easy breakfast and snacks like bagel/cream cheese and granola bars, stuff for sandwiches for lunch etc... but we like to cook a real meal for dinner at least one night. Great end to the day after hiking! Just plan well and think about how much access to water for cleaning dishes you will have. If you are extremely limited you might go the dehydrated food route. The only entertainment we bring our kids (2 and 4) is shovels to dig. Other than that the world is their playground. We bring glow sticks or headlamps to put on our kids after dark so they can't elude us and put them between us to sleep so they have to physically climb over us to get out. Have fun!

We used to go camping in a tent a few years ago, but we bought a camper last year, but either way i would never forget bug spray or citranella (spell) candles, lanterns (replacement kerosene tanks) and flashlights, battery operated fan, Aloe Vera!,and toilet paper! and depending if u get an official "campsite" w electric hook ups or not, i would recommend a generator, that just how i roll!!lol :) as longs as i have those things im good!

I don't know about primitive sites, I personally would prefer a toilet and running water when camping with my 2.5 year old. We tried to camp at Calf Creek Campground outside of Escalante before my son was born. Beautiful campground, but I don't think it takes reservations (didn't then anyway), and we got there too late to stay there. There is a lot of primitive camping out that way though, off Hole in the Rock Road and in that area. You could always contact the Ranger Station in whatever exact area you wanted to go in, they could probably give some advice on good places to go primitive and away from people. Hiking is the thing to do when you are camping in the desert, and make sure you bring extra blankets/clothes, it can be very cold in the desert at night.

Lots and lots of paper towels, paper plates and plastic utensils. :) Doing dishes at the campsite is a HUGE pain! I found that out the hard way :D

The other stuff really depends on a few things. Is the campground you're staying in primitive? You can get sights with electricity and bathrooms. In my opinion, that's the way to go! :) When we went we didn't take a camp stove. Our fire ring had a grate and we just used that. We were only there for 2 nights, so it wasn't a big deal. We also weren't sure if we were going to be camping again, so I didn't want to invest in a camp stove if the whole thing was going to be a bust.

I'm a planner, so I made a menu plan for all of our meals. We did cereal for breakfast (my kids aren't big breakfast eaters), hot dogs for lunch, and foil packs and pudgie pies for dinner.

In our cooler we had milk, juice, water, meat for the dinners, lunch meat for sandwiches, and fruit.

If you go to a campground, they'll more than likely have activities you can do during your stay. Look around and find an attraction you would like to see and find a campground near that.

Have fun and happy camping!

Tin foil is very handy you can wrap food in it for cooking on a fire. lots of baggies for leftovers etc. extra trash bags good if things get wet or to keep things dry etc. We bring a campstove and a coffee percolator because we NEED our coffee. First aid kit including tweezers for splinters. I dont know about the weather where you're going but sometimes its cooler in the mornings then I expected, and we need long pants and warm sweatshirts.

Hi Cori,

You can email me at ____@____.com and I'd be happy to email you our family camping list. It's a bit, um, intensive (smile), but you can take from it what you need and ignore the rest. It's in an excel spreadsheet and ridiculously organized.

Best,
S.