Camping Tips for Teens, Dates, and Families
Camping. Almost all of us have done it at some point. And almost all of us have stories where it didn’t go so well. Millions of Americans decide camping isn’t for them after a negative experience.
Our team here has been camping our entire lives and have had those same experiences. Many happened when we were kids and our parents didn’t have all the equipment options we have today. Others happened after a big change in our lives like camping with new partners, new pets, or new kids, that all require different mindsets and gear. Let’s break it down.
Teenager Camping
Advice: Keep the trip short
A lot can go wrong when heading out for an adventure for the first few times with friends instead of parents. Thankfully, as a teenager, it doesn’t matter.
Have lots of beer but just a bag of Doritos? No problem. You’ll find some food on the drive out the next day.
Forgot a pad to sleep on? You got this. You’re not too far from your childhood days when you spent the night on the floor at sleepovers.
Did you stay up really late only to be awakened by the hot morning sun turning your tent into a dutch oven? It’s ok. You still can sleep in so well that you can probably snore right through it. Just drink some water as soon as you get up.
All in all, if you keep the trip short, you’re going to come back with many more great memories than bad ones.
dating Camping
Advice: Pre-made food, warm gear, and bug spray.
Generally people are on their best behavior when dating. But it’s hard to find a faster way to see someone’s true colors than when spending time together outdoors. If camping is important to you, we recommend you and your romantic interest go on a trip as soon as possible to see what kind of potential you have.
Everyone has different camping styles. Thankfully, though, when dating, good food and drinks go a long way. Bring pre-made dishes that you choose together from the store that you can throw in the cooler and eat cold. If you like to imbibe in nature, leave the beer behind (because ice), and instead bring low maintenance twist-cap red wine. Good food with minimal effort is the key here.
We can’t stress warmth enough. Whether you’re hiking, sitting next to the river, or sleeping at night, if someone’s not warm, someone wants to go home. Bring extra everything — sweatshirts, jackets, hats, gloves, and blankets. Keep that dating fire burning, even in cold conditions.
The fastest way to end a camping date is bugs. Minimize risk by camping in areas with relatively few of them. Bring bug spray. And if all else fails, get ready to spend most of the trip in the tent, which might not be a bad thing.
Be careful, cover your bases in these areas and your relationship might get a whole lot more serious.
family Camping
Advice: Plan, plan, plan.
Family camping can be the most satisfying of them all, but requires the most planning — by far. Just the larger number of people adds risk of problems. But with some planning, these can be minimized.
First off, have a reservation. Once you have kids, doing the “find something along the road” or first come first serve route gets a lot trickier. Know where you’re going and how long it’s going to take to get there and everyone will be a lot happier.
Next, snacks. Lots and lots of snacks. The fastest way to fill a kid up and keep them content is with snacks. Just buy whatever they like — 99.9% of the time you’re doing a great job giving them healthy food at home.
Finally, let them sleep when they sleep. We’ve all worked hard to maintain a sleep schedule at home and understand the benefits of that, but when camping, we’ve found it much easier to let them run and laugh and get dirty until they collapse. You’ll only be out there a few days, why spend a lot of it trying to calm a kid down who’s nature senses are on overload, which in our opinion, is a great thing.
Keep these tips in mind, and your camping adventures will have a much better chance of success.
