Just Starting Out - Gear and Activity Review

[eduelfer]

In what I considered an odd response - my wife completely rejected the idea of messing with the classic s'mores recipe and assembly methods. :Wow1:

In terms of a meaningful update:
1 - Considering the Kingdom 6 over the 8 based on concern over future use and not being potentially limited by the size of the campsite. Will likely invest in the garage in case the site allows for expansion.
2 - Brought my wife and eldest child to an REI Family Camping Basics class (the local store seems to run this one monthly, maybe just during the season). It wasn't groundbreaking, but it did help remind me of a few things I hadn't though about and helped my wife move from "trusting my husband about this" mode to "I can contribute and have valuable thoughts about planning" mode. My eldest, well she didn't really get much from the PowerPoint presentation - not surprisingly.

I was hoping for a sale on the tent and/or a better coupon than I have in my hands (15%) since I wasn't in urgent need. I plan on pulling the trigger on the tent within the week and doing a dry-run in the yard. My wife has her eye on a camp-stove-table-kitchen setup. She loves organization but I haven't seen any I'm in love with. I'm considering this a "grow into" item and perhaps something I'll build myself.

 

[Bretthn]

Some simple advice I wish I had followed a long time ago. Over the last 3-5 years I have started looking at all of the things I carry while camping. If they are unused for two trips they no longer go with me.

Lately I have been looking at how long it takes me to set up, breakdown, pack, clean, and store individual items and found that some of my most expensive gear is the most difficult to pack, store, and set up.

For instance, the fancy REI aluminum roll table that I bought six years ago and have only used once because it is cumbersome to pack, takes 5 minutes to setup, and even longer to break down again and restore it in its bag. I just replaced it with a Lifetime folding table that cost less than 1/3 of the price of the aluminum table and is better in every way. Most importantly, I can pull it out and have it setup in 15 seconds and repack it just as quickly.

Don't be like me and have 5 large totes of camping gear that you never use. Don't try to over prepare and be flexible. It's about the fun and not the preparation.


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[MOguy]

In what I considered an odd response - my wife completely rejected the idea of messing with the classic s'mores recipe and assembly methods. :Wow1:

In terms of a meaningful update:
1 - Considering the Kingdom 6 over the 8 based on concern over future use and not being potentially limited by the size of the campsite. Will likely invest in the garage in case the site allows for expansion.
2 - Brought my wife and eldest child to an REI Family Camping Basics class (the local store seems to run this one monthly, maybe just during the season). It wasn't groundbreaking, but it did help remind me of a few things I hadn't though about and helped my wife move from "trusting my husband about this" mode to "I can contribute and have valuable thoughts about planning" mode. My eldest, well she didn't really get much from the PowerPoint presentation - not surprisingly.

I was hoping for a sale on the tent and/or a better coupon than I have in my hands (15%) since I wasn't in urgent need. I plan on pulling the trigger on the tent within the week and doing a dry-run in the yard. My wife has her eye on a camp-stove-table-kitchen setup. She loves organization but I haven't seen any I'm in love with. I'm considering this a "grow into" item and perhaps something I'll build myself.

Get a tent that is easy to setup and practice setting it up. I now this is wrong but it is funny as hell to watch people set up a tent that they have no clue on how to set it up. I have seen couples fight and even pack up and leave very angry at each other (that part isn't funny).

You have young kids, they will be very curious and want to take off. Give them simple easy task that keep them close to you. Ditch the gas lantern at this time, they make allot of heat and could burn a kid, and are a PIA. Get something you can plug in if there is going to be electricity. A light bulb fixture in a white bucket hung makes a great safe lantern*. Use a bulb that doesn't heat up. Bring and extension cord and a power strip. Even if your sight has electricity it may only have one plug, you will want more.

I would even bring a TV and DVD player or tablet with favorite cartoons. Bring their games. That may provide all of you with a needed break from time to time. It is stressful to have upset kids in the middle of the campground. There is no privacy in a campground esp when you are in a tent.

Make you meals simple. Hot dogs on the fire are simple way everybody can participate in. If you want real meals make them ahead of time so you only have to heat them up. Don't make you wife work more than she has to. Use paper plates and plastic cups at first. I know they are waste full but doing dishes isn't always fun.

Be comfortable, don't try to rough it right of the bat. Keep it as simple and easy as possible this first time around.

As far as the cooler, do a light research ahead of time to see where get ice if needed.

*bucket light:

 

[Kgh]

Take a Sharpie and label everything on tent. On my Big Agnes, the color codes matched the directions, but no colors where the poles attached to the tent, just black nylon. We number coded the poles and the connectors they fit in. And Big Agnes Flying Diamond is a great tent, I have to be able to stand!

Large outdoor rugs that either fold or roll are good to keep the kids halfway clean.

Sounds like you have a solid plan.

 

[getout]

SNACKS! Lots and lots of snacks. Make sure you've got plenty on all your hikes, when driving, around camp, etc. My wife is great at this. It doesn't all have to be junk (in fact, it's better if junk is kept to a minimum...but we still like our licorice). Snacks make the difference between crying and happiness. We use them as incentive to get somewhere while hiking (when we make it to XYZ, we can take a break and have a snack). We've done 6+ mile hikes with our 4 and 6 year olds walking the whole way (because we've carried the 1 year old most of the way and the 3 year old intermittently).

Camping near/around water and dirt is always a plus for our kids. Creeks, lakes, etc. You've got to keep a better eye on them in those situations but they're pretty entertaining to watch anyway.

We started making some videos of some of our trips if you're looking for ideas: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6qDP_g5bqAS1yjL6plOH6w

 

[Kerensky97]

1. Rolla Roasters. These are excellent compact, well made cooking forks that extend super far (almost 4 feet long) and have a little thumbwheel at the top of the handle that allows you to rotate the marshmallow for a perfect golden crisp. I HIGHLY recommend them. They come two per pack, and we have dozen of them because families always want to use ours whenever we break them out. Available most anywhere for under $15

OMG! Those have been around forever, I remember using them when I was a kid.
They work great but the thumb spinner ended up gummed up with marshmallow goo. Then you had to rotate the whole thing like a normal stick. Good times.

 

[99Discovery]

Just skimmed everyone's respones, so sorry if my take has been posted before:

1) No age is "too young". Granted, when they are in diapers and/or need bottles your journeys will most likely be shorter. Worst thing I did was sell my ZJ Cherokee when my second was born "too young to go jeeping". When the third was born, I bought the Disco 2 and haven't looked back.

Likewise, in my experience, there is a "too old" age where daddy's ideas of overland camping are "lame" and they'd rather spend time on their smartphone. Get them addicted young. Get them addicted ASAP. If you don't brainwash your kids, their friends at school will. .

2) Make it fun/easy for your wife! Every woman needs a different level of comfort. My wife grew up camping, but then she got degenerative disc in her back which caused me to re-adjust the gear around her. Most women LOVE a toiled and some running water. You don't need to do the PanAmerican Highway on your 1st outing. We had a truck, so we bought a small camp trailer. Problem solved.

Sure, Overlanding isn't "RV-spot camping", but going out on adventures is. Our kids are young and it is EASY to RV-Park camp (and let them watch a movie at night), while spending a week in Moab or Colorado and see all the sights.

3) I disagree that kids get bored so you need to make it "short". You might need to make frequent stops to let them get out and explore, but if you are overlanding/camping you should be hiking/exploring anyway. My kids are now 7, 6, and 3; and this past year we did Moab for a week and Colorado for a week among other trips. This year we did NOT get out the DVD-player in the car once. We didn't listen to their music. We just drove and explored, and had audiobooks on the interstate (my oldest LOVES the Harry Potter audio books).

Kids get used to what you give them. My kids enjoy looking out the windows and driving is now part of the experience. So if my youngest (3) can handle I70 from Utah to Ouray without Disney movies, I'm pretty sure other kids can too. Heck, my youngest was stuck in my wife's ride which didn't even have Harry Potter.....he was stuck listening to unabridged Jane Eyre!

4) Agree on snacks. Your rig will get filty. Just vaccum it when you are done. I prefer crumbly foods, such as cookies, over sticky ones that can melt in the heat and be a pain to clean up!

5) JUST GO. We've even had "camp-outs" in the back yard of our house. Any adventure is fun for a kid, especially if Mom and Dad act like they are having fun (c'mon, getting your gear out and the after-cleanup for a backyard camp isn't exactly fun....nor would it win you a Cooper Discoverer contest!).

6) Make memorabilia for the kids. Take lots of pictures and videos. I edit my own videos that are essentially family versions of what Expedition Overland and others do. Except this time, my kids are the stars. They love having a 30-minute video about each and every camp/trail/adventure we go on. Sure, it takes time, but I've found it is easier for The Wife to give her blessing on drones and camera toys if you are making home videos. And edited home videos in a documentary/mockumentary format are infinitely more enjoyable than just watch raw footage on a Sunday afternoon.


I didn't read the listing of all the gear you have. Someone says you need a tent. True. "Gear" is the toys that we stress/stew over and love to acquire. But we need to remember that it's not about the gear, but about the journey. Just go, and the gear will come!

 

[eduelfer]

First Family Camping Adventure: Generally successful!

We did a one-nighter that was two hours from home and did a walk-in at Dingmans Campground in the Delaware Water Gap (PA) park. We went to Bushkill Falls early Saturday, where we did a hybrid hike of the several trail options they have. The two year old was in a carrier and the five year old walked. We had hoped to bring lunch along to have a break (and thus hike longer) but they don't allow food on the trails. Came out and picnicked at tables by the parking lot, then did a "gem mining" where the five year old got to sluice a bag of dirt - not bad, they put some decent stones in there. The weather threatened so we left slightly earlier than planned to get to the campground, chose one and settled up with the front office. Mote detail on camping experience continues below, but to continue the overall timeline we set up camp, waded in the river (so shallow we could have walked across it), had dinner and smore's, and went to bed (a little rough). We weren't able to leave the campground the next morning until noon because of a triathlon closing the road (no hate, I'm a triathlete myself) so we had breakfast and did some hiking. After packing up and leaving, we went out to lunch, then to Dingmans Falls (much smaller and far easier) to bookend the trip, then drove home mid-afternoon.

Camping Detail

What Worked Well:
Smore's (duh) with the extendable roasting sticks
Games, coloring, etc.
Hiking (within reasonable distances), wading in the river
Adult sleeping conditions (cots next to each other with self inflating pads over, then 50 degree sleeping bags zipped together)
Propane stove and kitchen setup (propane cooked fast, nice to have heat away from the table where the kids were and a clean, dedicated area - tables are dirty)
Water containers
LED lanterns (and the propane one also, but no flame in the tents)
Screenhouse and chairs
Planning meals / snacks ahead of time
Luggable Loo (wasn't on the original list and was shockingly a family favorite for not having to walk to the bathrooms in the middle of the night - next up is a shower)


What didn't work so well:

Mostly a list of things we didn't bring:
Forgetting the frozen food items - just a function of where the piles of food were, running around before waking the kids, and not checking the checklist. So we had to make a grocery store trip at dinnertime
Swimsuits - also could have used water shoes
Tongs and a spatula for hot dogs and burgers in a pan
Table cloth
More bugspray (but it's ok because we were forced to go to the store anyway)

Also, the kids sleeping arrangements need to change. The Pack & Play is fairly awkward in a tent but until the little one is out of a crib, we'll have to deal with it. The five year old got my pad on the ground and I took a thinner pad meant for her, but it wasn't enough. She needs a pad and sleeping bag upgrade, potentially a small cot. (I like the idea of going electric free and generally hate air mattresses).

There were several changes from the original plan and I’ll update the first post accordingly, but as it is I’ve done this thread a disservice: I drafted this response a couple weeks ago and still have not posted it

I do love the home video idea – I thought of making a digital scrapbook of each trip (which this post was meant to be part of).

And we're planning another, longer go at it for the middle of September. I'd like to go again sooner, but we're not yet at the point of grabbing and going (that's the ultimate goal) and it still requires a bit of planning and arranging competing schedules.

Awesome feedback all, thank you!

 

[Honu]

at least ya did it and are going again

for sleeping IMHO get good pads !!!!
I prefer the more modern inflatable that are insulated !!! the key being insulated as your bag compresses no insulation is left so you need a insulated pad !!!!
why I prefer the small modern inflatable are tough as nails and small pack size when we have kids more pads = less room for us and other things
good bags are key you can always vent off heat but its horrid when you cant get warm

we only sleep in our hammocks these days but the big agnes system is something to look into as you never slip off the pad and my kids still use them for sleep overs and other things
and not ever slipping off the pad is really nice