Summer has officially arrived, and it’s time to plan those family camping trips! But camping as a family (especially with little kids) can take extra planning. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite camping gear for families to make your camping trip easier!
Favorite Camping Gear for Families
Insulated Cooler
Camping, especially in a tent, means you’ll be using coolers to keep allllll the things cold during the heat of summer. We love a large, insulated, locking cooler because they keep food and drinks cold for even longer (sometimes for days!). This means less trips to the store for ice and less worry about spoiled food.
Headlamps & Lanterns
Keeping your hands free when possible is a must when it comes to kids. Using headlamps and lanterns to light up those dark tents at night or make your way to the wash house will free up your hands to carry towels, toiletrees, or even a kid or two.
Sleeping Pads
Kids are pretty resilient (plus can take up a lot of room!) so we suggest getting an easy-to-inflate sleeping pad for the kids to sleep on (and mom and dad, too, if you can). They don’t require electricity to inflate, they take up less room in the car and in the tent, and they deflate and pack up easier than large, bulky air mattresses.
Camp Grill & Stove
While many campsites still come with the cook-over-the-fire grills, we can’t recommend a tabletop stove, grill, and griddle enough. You can change up the variety of foods you cook (hello, mac-and-cheese!), and they are easy to store and clean.
Laundry Reel/Line
You’ll have plenty of towels, swimsuits, and damp clothes you’ll want to keep dry while camping, and having a laundry line with clothespins is an absolute must! We love how this one is retractable so you don’t have to mess with a tangled clothes line in your bags.
Washable Shoes
We’ve made the mistake one too many times of having the kids wear their nice tennis shoes camping. They will get dirty, muddy, and worn out from all the outdoor wear. We love having Crocs or KEEN for the kids to wear for easy wearing and washing. Plus, they last long!
Reusable Picnic Table Cover
Having a clean table spot to eat is a must when eating camp meals 3 times a day. This reusable cover easily covers the table without needing clamps, and cinches up for easy packing.
Pop-Up Trash Can
If your family is like mine, your garbage fills up within a few days at home. So you can imagine it’s the same at your campsite! We love this pop-up trash can for our camping adventures to keep the garbage at bay. Plus, it’s easy for the kids to help clean up rather than trying to get garbage into a loose garbage bag hanging on a tree. It even folds up for easy travel and storage!
Camping Table
While your campsite will most likely be equipped with a picnic table, it is so helpful to have another table for your equipment, dining accessories, food, etc. to sit on. We bring reusable dishes and wash bins and set-up a wash station with ours, or you can simply use it to store paper towels, paper plates, sunscreen and bug spray, or any other items you want easily accessible.
Throw Tarp or Outdoor Mat
As much as we love our kids to explore and get into the dirt, it’s nice to have a spot outside the tent or camper to keep the toys, shoes, and even kids off the ground. We use a throw tarp or outdoor mat since they are easy to sweep during your trip, and wash/rinse off when you get home again.
Looking for more camping gear for your next trip? Our partners at SCHEELS have everything you need to make those outdoor memories under the sun and stars! Their staff are experts in everything camping, from clothing and camp gear to the best hiking boots and more.
