Everything You Need to Bring on Your First Tent Camping Trip With Your Family

One of the first questions new campers will have is about what items they need for their first camping trip.

Some items you will need for your first camping trip include basic gear like a tent and sleeping bags, cooking supplies and a campstove, clothes and personal items, and first aid supplies. You will also need food and drinks for each meal and snack.

• Tent
• Sleeping Bags
• Lighting and fire-starting supplies
• Camp stove and cooking utensils
• Food and drink
• Clothes and personal hygiene items
• First aid supplies

Planning for Your First Camping Trip

Basic Camping Gear for Your Family Camping Trip

Basic camping gear is essential for camping comfortably and enjoying your time. This gear can be pricy and will make your first camping trip more expensive, but it doesn’t have to be too expensive. Later, if you deciede you want to go camping freqently, you can

Tent

Your tent is important, but if you’re a first-time camper it doesn’t make sense to spend a lot of money on the best tent out there. Instead, focus on finding a tent that meets your needs. Your first tent should be easy to set up, waterproof, and large enough for your family and your stuff. While you won’t be storing all your belongings in your tent (no food in the tent please!) you will probably want your clothes and personal items inside with you. In general, a family of 4 will do well with a 6- or 8-person tent.

Sleeping Bags

Sleeping bags are the best option for sleeping arrangements on most camping trips. While you can use ordinary blankets in warm weather, sleeping bags are usually easier and more efficient. If you are camping in higher elevations or in the shoulder seasons, make sure that your sleeping bags are rated for the temperatures you will encounter. In the arid west, you can expect it to get cool or cold at night, so be prepared for this with warm sleeping bags.

You should also bring sleeping pads of some kind to cushion the ground, smooth out any lumps or hard spots, and help keep you insulated from the cold earth. Options include inflatable mattresses, inflatable sleeping pads, and foam pads.

Insider Tip: If the ground is cold, consider using a reflective sunshade designed for car windows. These make a great barrier to help keep out the cold.

Stoves, Grills, and Cooking Supplies

Plan your many around the cooking supplies and heat source you will have available. I have gone on many camping trips where we cooked everything over the fire. This is fun, but probably isn’t a good option for first-time campers. Instead, it’s easier to bring a camp stove or grill. Practice at home before you get to your campsite.

Also, bring whatever supplies you need for cooking: pots and pans, ladles, spatulas, and oven mitts. I plan my camping menu to use as few cooking utensils as possible. This way I can pack less and wash less! Don’t forget eating utensils, plates, and bowls. We usually use disposable items when possible. We rarely use these at home and we save water not washing up, so I don’t feel so bad about the waste.

Insider Tip: Check for campfire bans before you head out. Some bans also include grills and other open flames so make sure you're prepared.

Meals and Snacks for Your First Camping Trip

One of the best ways to make your camping trip easier is to carefully plan your meals. Make a menu for your trip, planning what to eat and when you will eat it. Make sure that you have everything you need for each meal, and go back over your plan while you are packing to double-check. Don’t forget things like seasonings and oil that may not be in your recipe!

Insider Tip: Plan meals that contain more perishable foods, such as raw meat, earlier in your trip so there will be less chance of spoilage. 

Packing Camping Food

Make sure that you pack cold food right before you leave, so it will stay as cold as possible. After I have made my menu and went shopping, I separate all my camping food in the refrigerator, placing on it’s own shelf or section. This helps keep other family members from accidentally eating your camping food, and it helps make sure nothing gets left behind.

I also pack up non-perishables as soon as I get home from shopping, to keep little hands (and bigger hands!) from snacking. I pack non-perishable camping food in plastic totes or cardboard boxes, along with paper towels, eating and cooking utensils, and other supplies. Keeping everything together helps the campsite stay organized and clean.

Easy Camping Meal Ideas

First-time campers, especially those with kids, shouldn’t try to plan elaborate or difficult meals. Camping should be fun and relaxing, so plan easy, fast, fun meals and snacks. Here are some of our favorite ideas:

• Walking tacos (my kids’ perennial favorites)
• Hamburgers and hot dogs
• Orange-peel cinnamon rolls
• S-mores (You can’t skip s’mores. Here’s how to make them if there’s a fire ban.)
• Hobo meals
• Baked potatoes and chili
• Scrambled eggs (with all the goodies)

Snacks and Drinks

Water is one of the most important things on a camping trip. Make sure you have several gallons of water with you if you are going to an established campground (with water facilities). If you are going to a dry campground (without water facilities) bring about a half-gallon of water per person per day, or plan to go get more at some point.

Bring plenty of snacks and drinks for your family. In my experience, kids eat a lot more when they are outside. Not only are they running around and playing more, but simply being outside seems to make kids hungry. We always take healthy snacks such as fruit and nuts as well as fun options like fruit gummies and cookies.

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“If you’re in bear country, put your cooler in the car so the bears don’t get to it. One time when we went camping a bear got into our cooler and ate all our peaches, and put holes in our cooler.”

— 11-year-old camper

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What Clothes to Bring For Your Kid’s First Camping Trip

For the most part, your kids don’t need special clothes for camping. My kids usually bring their ordinary play clothes. Make sure you bring clothes that can get dirty and stained, and that you have extra items, especially socks, in case they get wet or muddy. Avoid bringing clothes that are uncomfortable, fragile, or hard to run and play in.

Remember, if you overpack your trip will be harder and less enjoyable. Stick to the basics and double up on important items like socks. Some things, like jeans, can often be worn for more than one day. My typical list looks like this:

Personal Hygiene Items

Personal hygiene items are easy to forget, so make sure that you add them to your packing list. Some things, like toothbrushes and pillows, are especially easy to leave behind because they can’t be packed ahead of time. If you are leaving early in the morning, make sure to have a plan for remembering these items.

Safety and Survival Supplies for Beginning Campers

All campers should be prepared for small emergencies such as injuries and bad weather. These situations can make camping less fun or even downright frightening for beginners. Being prepared can help give new campers peace of mind and protect their family in the case of emergencies.

First Aid Supplies

The most basic supplies that you will need for emergencies are basic first aid supplies. While a small first aid kit will not provide the equipment that you will need in the case of a true emergency such as a broken leg or a deep cut you will be prepared to deal with less dangerous situations such as scrapes and bruises as well as insects things and other injuries your kids are likely to encounter while camping. You can either purchase a ready-made first aid kit or put one together yourself. They’re advantages and disadvantages to both options.

Already made kit is easy and we may include items you hadn’t thought of and are likely cheaper. Building your own first aid kit might be slightly more expensive and bulkier but you will be able to and ahead for your own family-specific needs and have a more customized kit. For example, I have kids with a lot of allergies and we have to take Benadryl cream when we go camping which isn’t usually found in most first aid kits. Even if you use a ready-made kit make sure that you add anything additional to your kit that your family will need.

Survival Items

Finally, you will want to bring some survival items on your camping trips as well. You will want a way to start a fire (if permissible), such as matches or a lighter, dry tinder, and newspaper. You may also want a variety of other items like basic tools, a multi-tool, a knife, handwarmers, solar charger, foil blanket, hatchet, and more.

When you are considering what supplies you need for your first camping trip, consider the area you are camping in, how remote it is, and your skill level. Also try to keep things simple- packing items you don’t know how to use or will never need is stressful and makes things more difficult.

Fun Things to Bring on Family Camping Trips

Make sure that you bring fun things on your family camping trips to Stave off boredom both in the kids and the adults. There is a huge variety of fun things you can bring from outdoor activities to sports equipment to board games. Make sure that when you are planning for your camping trip you bring items you already know your family enjoys. While camping is a great time to enjoy new activities, you should also bring tried and true favorites for your family.

Printable Camping List

If you are just getting started with camping, it helps to have a packing list. This list is easy to print off and has extra space for you to add items you need to bring. I hope this list is helpful to you and simplifies your camping trip!

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