Family camping/adventure planning websites

[diddy]

Good morning, I want to get my two daughters (4 and 7) and my wife more into camping and other outdoor adventures. I'm looking for some family camping/aventure planning websites and I figured this should be a great place to find some help. Any help and advice would be really appreciated.


David

 

[Team Wild]

Heres a start. http://adventureparents.com/

Also check out their facebook page.

 

[Ford Prefect]

I do not personally know of any, but the big thing is to have fun!

Make sure you stop often for the kiddos to run around, and get a stretch. You know your kids, and what they like, just get creative and have fun. If the focus is on their having fun, they are more likely to want a repeat!

You know, burn some marshmallows and things like that!

 

[Riptide]

You know, burn some marshmallows and things like that!

Always a hit! On our big leaf-peeping trip around New England last fall, that was the only thing my little girl insisted on each night. What a hoot - my wife was in the camper with the heat on, and my daughter would be outside in 30 degree temps, huddled by the fire, toasting marshmallows.

She doesn't even like them, really, but she LOVES to toast them for me...

So guess what - I make sure to build a fire every night she wants one. And as a result, all she can talk about is when are we going camping next?

 

[Michigander]

I would be interested in seeing if there are any more websites also. I will be sue to check the one Team Wild suggested.

 

[nwoods]

I wrote a quick article on the subject a while back, hardly an all-encompassing exhaustive article, but its more info if you need it:
http://www.woodsfamily.cc/blog/?p=39

 

[gravedgr]

I wrote a quick article on the subject a while back, hardly an all-encompassing exhaustive article, but its more info if you need it:
http://www.woodsfamily.cc/blog/?p=39

That is a GREAT article. :camping: Do you stow your gear in the vehicle or have a trailer? We are starting to camp with the kids (also 2 and 4), and are trying to get the gear/space ratio right in our Xterra. For instance, we were cot sleepers but have decided to ditch cots & bags for mattress and blankets to save space.

 

[nwoods]

We recently started using a trailer, but mostly just car camp, such as next weekend in Mammoth.

We experimented with various sleeping config's, and have found that a good down or synth down sleeping bag and an REI 1.5" insulated pad for the kids and 2.5" for my wife and I. Reasonably compact and quite warm and comfortable. Pretty much exactly what was in the photos in the article. We cram our kitchen into a medium action packer, and the rest of the gear into another. We use milk crates for food stuffs, and one or two coolers for food and drinks. My wife precooks a lot of meals, and we pack them into the cooler in reverse order so everything stays cold longer. We have an ARB fridge, but we usually camp in bear country with food lockers, so we just use coolers.

Kids are incredibly adaptable, don't worry about them, but focus on Mom, keep her warm and happy, and everyone will have a good time.

I should add, with a smaller SUV like the Terra, you might consider getting a dog barrier behind the rear seat. This allows you to stack to the roofline, and things won't tumble down on the kids. Depending on the barrier, it can also provide additional tiedown points for securing your gear

 

[orionkhan]

My first trip camping with the family was to a campground near Big Bear Lake. It was good to get the wife on board. I went with an established campground first because I didn't want her overwhelmed. It worked out great. Now she's up for anything. And she got a better handle on what to bring and what not to bring (i.e. a bunch of unnecessary crap and way to much food). She made so much food, we were still eating it at home three days later, bless her. But now she's got a much better handle for planning it out. We have a trailer because we usually have 6 or 7 people loaded in the LX so space is still a premium.

As others have said, the kids (mine are 6, 5, and 2) are easy. Just get them out. Kids will find things to do. The kids are constantly asking when we're going again. Mine love to fish. So I usually try to find a place close to a river or lake. One thing I've found very useful is going with another family with kids. Kids just love running around with other kids. And it helps to have another set of parents that are used to keeping the corner of an eye on little ones. Oh, ALWAYS have the first aid kit along. And make sure its restocked after every trip.