Camping Mamas - it's finally spring! - Page 2

[Close2Me]

Huge fans of camping and we love our North Face tent, but the 2 things I always schlep from my kitchen is my cast iron pan and my Italian Coffee Maker : http://www.amazon.com/Bialetti-Expre...ef=pd_sbs_k_15

Have not been camping with my 10mos old but my 7yr old loves it as long as we bring his bike! We have all our bikes with us everywhere!

[MollySunshine]

I grew up camping and then camped all through single-hood.
DH and I love to camp. We had DS in April - so we are very much looking forward to introducing Jonah to the joys of camping.
We tent, but I'm sure we'll be moving to a pop-up one of these days in the near future.
I'd love to join this group!

[jenP]

Originally Posted by MollySunshine

We tent, but I'm sure we'll be moving to a pop-up one of these days in the near future.

Hi and welcome, Molly!
We have a tent trailer and I love it. But for our first and so far only camping trip this season I went tenting with the kids. It was really fun and I do love tenting BUT 3 nights with three people on that air mattress was getting to be no fun - I missed the nice bed in the camper! Also having so much room in the camper is great on rainy days.
Anyway, as far as the tent trailer goes, I do wish I had gotten one with a bathroom. Dragging the porta-potti out of its cabinet and closing all the curtains a dozen times a day to pee does get old. Integral graywater and blackwater tanks might be nice too.
Also I wish I had gotten one with the big storage trunk on the front. I would put my outdoor kitchen stuff in it. I don't even use the kitchen inside - I didn't go camping to be inside!- but it does make set-up and tear-down longer to get out and set up the kitchen and then tear it down and stow it away.
We are going to get out camping at least one more time this year - and we're going to take the camper next time too!

Jen

[jenP]

Originally Posted by Close2Me

Huge fans of camping and we love our North Face tent, but the 2 things I always schlep from my kitchen is my cast iron pan and my Italian Coffee Maker

Oh yeah, gotta have the stove-top espresso maker!
DH had never camped before he met me, and the thing keeping him from getting really into it was the lack of a decent cup of coffee. We tried so many different ways and the coffee always sucked. Then we found the Italian stove-top espresso maker and he's been a happy camper ever since. In fact it is what we started using at home so it is now the only way we make coffee, home or camping.
Love me my cast iron, too!

Jen

[jtbuko]

joining the thread, and will come back again soon...

In the meantime, in the answer to the pp w/ 9 month old... my son escaped from the tent at that age... it was our first time camping w/ a mobile baby and we did not think to close the zip up high. he was only about 10 ft away before my sleepy self missed him, but it FREAKED ME OUT. Its on my list of lessons learned re camping w/ kids, and I would totally dig it if those of you with advice for other folks camping w/ kids could add to the comment section!

For back country food: couscous takes less water than pasta and does not waste any!

We have had a lean camping year so far, save for a couple nights in tent cabins in the grand tetons (best thunder storm ever) in July. We are headed to the shores of the Allegheny river in PA in the fall, but may cheat and sleep in mobile home. We hope to do some VA, MD and WV weekends over the next couple months, but our crazy life keeps getting in the way!

[Close2Me]

We call Camping "Pretend Sleep" jokingly!!!
Love it anyway!

[Subhuti]

OK, we're pretty lame since we had kids. So far we've slept out in the backyard (complete w/black bear sighting in the morn'). This summer my closest gal pals and I are taking our five year olds to Jelly Stone Park campground. I have no clue what it is except we'll be in a tent, near water and there's actually facilities. Me? I prefer to pee in the woods....

Anyway ... can't wait!!

If my daughter's inspired, we'll try a more rustic camping spot ... on some remote land down the road from us.

Liz

[~*max*~]

Woohoo! We can't wait to begin camping this year! Usually we have started by now, but dh is recovering from back surgery, so we have to wait a couple more weeks until he can be back to normal activity.

We also have a pop up camper & love it. It's fully equiped - potty, sink, oven, fridge. There are 6 of us plus a dog, so we like the space. We really only use it to sleep & rest in, and it sure is nice & cozy for rainy days.

One trick we've learned is to dress the kids in "camping clothes." After showers at night they wear sweats, t-shirts & sweatshirts (if needed) to bed. Then when they get up in the am they are all dressed and ready to go out to the campfire. Another time & sanity saver is after washing the girls' hair I put it into braids. They sleep in them & keep them in the next day. It keeps their hair neat, out of the way, and I don't have to deal w/all the snarls & wild hair camping would usually bring. And for down time at the campsite, I try to pack an art craft or two when they need some entertaining. Modeling clay is very portable & the kids incorporated some nature themes into it. Painting rocks & sticks is fun & the mess stays outdoors!

Anyone else have any tips to share?

Would folks like to share your favorite camping meals?

[~Trinity~]

Our family loves camping too. I don't think we will have a chance to camp until August when DH will be using some of his vacation time.

We had a hard time last year because our daughter was almost 18 months old. She loved camping, except for sleeping in the tent. At night she would run around inside the tent, cry and finally fall asleep. She just wasn't used to sleeping without a "bed". Now that she is older I'm hoping she has an easier time sleeping in a tent. : )

[onlygirls]

We used to be tent campers until we had our 2nd daughter. Last summer we drove from TX to CA and camped by the beach in our travel trailer for 3 weeks. I don't think I could have handled tent camping that long with 5 people.

This summer we will probably not camp that much because TX summers are BRUTAL. There are no mountains to make it cooler. I am a CA transplant so I am not cut out for the heat.

[SamB64]

Hi,

I'm a newbie single mom of two, who's delighted tohave found a tribe. I've always loved to camp but I'm delighted to say I took camping to a new level this year by buying a bivy bag.

Camping is great but there is nothing like the interaction with the environment that bivying brings.

My first solo bivy was little nerve racking to say the least- something very primeval about the feelings that came up (for the first time I appreciated why people moved into caves) but the feeling of peace and connection that flowed through me as the night ran on has stayed with me since.

Oh, and that first sunrise

Sam

[nwinnieway]

I haven't been camping since I had my little ones, but I would love to go again. How do you all deal with camping as a family unit?

[applecider]

I was looking through all of the tribe groups and none of them fit me...until I found this one! I am such a camper gal, I even lived in my tent one summer in Alaska pre-kids. DP and I lived in a camper one summer as well. Oh, we also camped across the US in a VW bus another summer. I can't WAIT to go this summer. My youngest DS will be 2.5 so it seems like now the fun can begin. I don't have to be quite so vigilant with him and he and my older ds have such fun playing together. Plus, they are both getting into bike-riding. My DP works 4 10s so we get a three-day weekend every week. I totally envision us going camping every other weekend. We are going to invest in a nice tent (car camping) and one more sleeping bag. We may even do a very short backpack this summer. I think we are also going to do a week long trip somewhere, not sure where yet though. Maybe Eastern WA/ID? Or I was thinking Northern CA would be fun too, we would drive like heck to get there and then just check out the redwoods and coast. I love camping...

[A&ZMom]

Although I grew up camping every summer until I was 15 I haven't taken my kiddos yet.  We are planning our first tent camping with our 3 yr old G/B twins this summer.  Can't wait!  They are going to love being outside all day long.

[crunchyveganmom]

I grew up camping almost all summer when I was a kid. I would go for awhile with my dad, sister and his new wife, and with my mom, and sister, and then another time during the summer with my sister, my grandmother and my uncle would go sometimes we would go in a camper and sometimes we would use a tent (when we went in a tent it would always rain). This year will be the first time we take the boys camping we are soo excited my dh is taking me first so that we can check out the camp ground and then we are taking the boys...! I am a little nervous because this is the first time and they have never slept outside at all. Was it easy with all of you all with your kids and if not what did you do to help them not be soo scared (just in case they get scared)

Krystal

[kimkim]

Any ideas for tenting with a 9 month old? Its still cold here at night...we usually just curl up in the mummy sacks on a thermarest but she wont fit in one with me...are there baby sleep sacks like sleeping bags? Or a family bag anyone likes?

Sent from my Nexus One using Tapatalk

[jocelyndale]

Originally Posted by kimkim 

Any ideas for tenting with a 9 month old? Its still cold here at night...we usually just curl up in the mummy sacks on a thermarest but she wont fit in one with me...are there baby sleep sacks like sleeping bags? Or a family bag anyone likes?
 

I have seen sleep sack style sleeping bags for toddlers, but I can't find any links right now.  Kiddo just curls up next to me in a family sleeping bag these days.  When he was younger, he refused covers, so I put him in layers and he slept next to me with the sleeping bag unzipped and just pulled over me.  He didn't sleep in any temps below 55F like that, though.  At 4y, he has his own short self inflating pad, but we still share a family bag most of the time.  The coldest I've camped with him is mid-40s.  I was grateful for his warmth that night!

[kimkim]

We bought a double sleeping bag and its perfect except now our tent's too ssmall for all 3 of us to be in (we have a 2 man backpacking tent....time to size up! Anyone have a family tent recommendations?
So far we've camped twice and its been great. We were supposed to go this weekend but it's pouring! So much for summer.

Sent from my Nexus One using Tapatalk

[applecider]

We just got a Marmot Limestone 6-man tent and I love it! Plenty of room for 4 of us and our stuff. Plus vestibule on both sides.