A "Typical" Camping Trip

Is there really such a thing as a typical camping trip? Not really. Many times, each and every trip is a unique experience. For the sake of argument, lets take an example of what a fictitious, pretty routine family camping trip might be like.

A More or Less Typical Camping Trip might be a family trip to a local campground or state park. Popular places may require advance reservations. Plan your departure so you arrive in camp before dark. It is much easier to find your space and set up camp if you can see where you're going, especially if its your first time going there! You can spend your weekend in your tent or or RV. Both offer pleasant, albeit different, camping experiences.

Set up your camp as soon as you arrive in your spot. Park and level your RV and make any connections to camp hookups that might be available. If you're tent camping, clear a spot and set up your tent. If you have a canopy or dining fly, set it up.  If you have an RV with an awning, open the awning and lay out your awning mat. Get out your camp chairs and arrange them under your awning or canopy or around your fire pit. Set up any other equipment, such as dining flys, umbrellas, and camp kitchens. Prepare your fire pit so it will be ready to light when the time comes.

Your first time out with your family, you make get some resistance from the kids. Little Johnny may complain about being deprived of his favorite video games and your teenage daughter is likely to be pining for her boyfriend and her cell phone. They may even make a valiant attempt to convince you that taking them camping constitutes child abuse! But don't give in. Eventually they will come to enjoy your camping trips, especially if they include OHV or other fun and exciting adventures! At least that's how it worked for us. Dirt biking proved to be an excellent family activity, one that met the needs of 4 boys and 2 girls with a fourteen year age spread. Whatever you choose for activities, try to make them interesting and rewarding for the kids. Camping can give you chances for one-on-one time with your kids that is often very hard to arrange at home. Before you know it you'll all look forward to your camping trips as treasured family time.  Try to find out what they would like to do.  You may be perfectly happy playing Jermiah Johnson for the weekend, but they might prefer swimming, hiking, or OHV activities.

Plan your menus ahead of time and purchase appropriate provisions for all meals. Keep meals simple. Cold cereal is always an easy breakfast. Switch to hot cereal during cool months (use instant hot cereals if you have a microwave and power to run it or just boil a pot of water on the camp fire). We sometimes get lazy and bring donuts or breakfast pastries for the first breakfast in camp. Sandwiches or hotdogs make good lunches. Add some chips and deli salad, some BBQ beans, and a soft drink and you've got a pretty satisfying afternoon repast. Plan on making dinner a little more of an event. Hamburgers grilled on the campfire is always something of an adventure and gives them a special camp flavor. If its within your budget, fire up some steaks and bake some spuds in the coals. However, I probably wouldn't plan on grilling burgers or making ash cakes if my fire consisted of dry cow patties or buffalo chips although American pioneers and Native Americans cooked many a meal on buffalo chips! Oak, hickory, pine, or cedar make a far more appetizing cooking fire. By the way, cow patties or buffalo chips are mostly just undigested grass so they're not as gross as you might think.

Plan some simple afternoon activities your family enjoys. A little flag football, soccer, softball or just tossing a frisbee around can be done pretty much anywhere you have a little open space. Easy nature hikes can be fun, relaxing, and educational. Bike rides are good exercise and you can cover more ground than walking.  Riding your OHV is always a fun thing to do.   If you are camping near a lake or stream you may be able to go swimming or fishing.  In remote areas where shooting is approved, a little skeet shooting can be fun.  Just make sure you have a safe backstop and keep other campers out of your "shooting range".

Have a campfire. Campfires are the very heart of camping. You can sit around and swap stories, get out your guitar and have a sing-a-long, or just sit and enjoy watching the dancing of the flames.

Star gazing is often much better in camping locations than at home, especially if you live in the city or the suburbs where light pollution hides much of the night sky. Desert or beach camping gives you the best view of the sky.  Mountain and forest sites often have obstacles that limit your view. Just looking at the stars can be fascinating, but I find it even more fun to be able to locate and identify specific constellations. Sometimes, with a little practice, you can even locate planets. A small telescope may give you a better view of planets. Even binoculars can bring the moon in closer. Be careful using any kind of optics to look at the moon. Remember, what you are seeing is reflected sunlight and through just about any kind of magnifying optics it is bright enough to hurt your eyes. You may need a filter to cut it down enough to be able to see things clearly and comfortably. Star gazing is especially good during desert or beach outings. Too often trees get in the way when you're camped in the forest.

Enjoy a good night's sleep. Most campers will be fairly tired by the end of the day, having engaged in more physical activity than many people normally get. Being away from the stress of modern living can make you more relaxed that you are at home but you will be in a strange environment so you may need to be prepared to make some adjustments and get used to unfamiliar sounds and smells.

Repeat for as many days as you are able to devote to the trip. Keep things fresh by varying your activities and your menus.

Plan for appropriate indoor activities in bad weather. We always bring an assortment of favorite movies on our RV trips. I like to include subjects that may be relevant to the outing so we don't depart TOO far from the planned experience. Since we are dirt bikers and most of our outings are dirt bike outings, it isn't too surprising that the base set of DVDs in our motorhome are dirt bike related.

When it comes time to go home give yourself enough time to break camp and drive home without breaking a sweat. Choose a departure time that will avoid traffic if possible.   Disconnect your RV and retract any leveling devices. Gather up your equipment and properly stow it for the trip home. Police your site to make sure you have gathered up your stuff AND all your trash. Schedule your departure so you can reach home comfortably at a reasonable hour and, if possible, avoid heavy traffic that could spoil your relaxation.  Then go through your post-trip checklist and get everything put away safely  to await your next trip.

Camp out!