kitchen items..plates, silverware, pots, silverware. broom and dust pan, sewer hoses (get good ones, not the ones that come with new rv's) water hose (get one made for fresh water and non kinkable) patio mat is nice to have, bedding, salt, pepper, toothbrush and paste, soap, dish soap, personal hygiene ...and a note pad and pen for the things you forget and need to bring next time
I agree...camp nearby home where you can either go home for forgotten items or to a Walmart! Have fun
Terryallan wrote: Camp stove. Food, Lantern, Cooler, shelter, Sleeping bags, Matches, and clothes. In truth. that is all you need for camping
And that is how a kid's first camping trip should be - in a tent. They will have fun, and it will help them appreciate a trailer, etc. down the road (and still want to tent occasionally).
Trash bags, lots of them and the "Walmart" shopping bags. Save everyone you can. They comein handy for so many things from barfing in to putting over your head in case you can't go on!!!!!
I agree that more information is needed. The answer will vary widely depending on what you are camping in and your tolerance for "roughing it". We have a long check list we go down for camping in our small 5th wheel sometimes for weeks. It's nothing like what a check list would be for short term tent campers.
i'm suspicious also. the OP has made quite a few posts, offering advice on a number of Camping/RV'ing issues and has a link to a commercial camping website and yet, is now posting as a first-time camper.
Dan- Firefighter, Shawn- Musician/Entrepreneur, Zoe- Faithful Golden Retriever, 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche LS, 2007 Rockwood Roo 23SS w/Equalizer and Prodigy, and 5 Mtn. bikes and 2 Road bikes
martin2011 wrote: What equipment do I need if I want to go camping for the first time? Four of us are planning to go including 2 children under 10. We plan to camp for a couple of days.
money.
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Watch how they start on "Survivor," the reality/competition TV show. You can start with very little, but you can't bear to stay at that level long, if you are accustomed to more "civilized" living.
You will NEED food, clothing to keep you warm and dry (might include a blanket for sleeping, but not necessary), and a supply of drinkable water. At the next level, you will want shelter if it rains, something to start a fire if you want food cooked. Rain shelter can be clothing, something as simple as a poncho for each person.
When you want more comfort, it gets more complex. If you desire food that needs to be kept cold, a cooler. For convenience in cooking, a camp stove or grate for your fire, and pots and pans. To stay dry as a group, and maybe have some privacy, a tent, or something to quickly build a tent or shed-like shelter. If you want to get around in the dark, with more than moonlight or starlight, you need portable fire such as torches, lanterns, flashlights.
My personal minimum is a tent, sleeping bag, small cooler of food, mess kit (cooking and eating implements), 2 quart canteen, a change of clothing, and a flashlight. Car camping I'll carry my campstove, lantern, and fuel. For a group, I have a set of nesting pots sized to cook for more than one person at a time. Sleeping bags aren't necessary, as kids we started with blanket rolls (Handbook for Boys told us how to make them).
I have backpacking friends who will do without the tent (OK if doesn't rain and you don't mind waking up with dew on your face) and food that needs to be chilled or cooked (they live a few days on trail mix, jerky, cereal and nut bars). I've backpacked only to places where I would have shelter.
With two and ten year olds, you will want shelter. If you want them to ever go camping again, you need to feed them above a survival level, i.e. familiar foods prepared in a familiar way, thus needing refrigeration and cooking equipment.
I think a good start for a camping experience with kids that age (assuming no RV or tent yet) would be to book a camping cabin. We have these in our state parks, and you will find them in KOA campgrounds and some other commercial campgrounds. These usually have beds (cot-type frames, you bring your own bedding), table and chairs, lighting, sinks with running water, and a place to cook, although they may not always have stoves.
Commercial parks often have "camping cottages" which are more like fully furnished houses, might have air conditioning and satellite or cable TV. That might not be what you want for camping.
Rental of a camping cabin at a commercial park, a couple days might cost as much as a really cheap four person tent. You don't want to take your family camping in a really cheap four person tent. Better to first find out if this is something you want to do as a family, then decide on a good to better quality family size tent with more room, or at a higher level of comfort, a camping trailer.
My current RVing activity, driving around a house that is nicer and better equipped than the one I grew up in, is not, to me, camping, although for many of the people I go out with, they consider it camping. So what they need is a house on wheels, and that might be what you need, if that is your expectation and lifestyle minimum.
But for a starting, I suggest taking a cooler, food and cooking stuff, and some bedding out to a park with camping cabins, and figure out if that is the camping experience you want. You might want more comfort, you might want more primitive, but I think it is a good middle place for a first experience with minimal investment.
Don't be afraid to talk to your campground neighbors. If I feel like camping, I might be there in my tent; if I am on a road trip, I might be there in my house on wheels. There will be others like me either way, most happy to talk to you about what they are doing and help you find your way.
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, Zoe- Faithful Golden Retriever
, 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche LS, 2007 Rockwood Roo 23SS w/Equalizer and Prodigy, and 5 Mtn. bikes and 2 Road bikes
