We just wrapped our fourth camping trip of the season. And while I also love Fall camping and have an entire post about the merits of camping through September, we are not likely to do that this year. At the end of the season we clean and put all of our camping gear away. It’s a good time for us to assess what we have and what we want or need next year.
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Our fourth trip of the season was a fun weekend despite the rainy weather. Our final Labour Day visit was a three night trip to MacGregor Point Provincial Park. MacGregor is one of our all time favourite spots to go. Love their hiking trails and the private little beaches at the park itself.
I am not a lifelong camper. In fact, I thought I hated camping and resisted entirely until the pandemic and then because we needed activities we could drive to and I was trying so hard to keep everyone here from losing their minds, we decided to try tent camping.
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Camping Kids Prevailed
The kids, after all, had done years of overnight camps and day camps and on one outback trip to Camp Queen Elizabeth Payton did portaging and much more. So, they had the skills and they asked often if I’d take them camping. The answer was typically along the lines of: “Afraid that’s not the life for me, I would rather stay in a cabin, a cottage or a hotel room.” Until it wasn’t a good answer anymore. At that time, the list of places that people could visit dwindled to within driving range. So I figured what the heck, we all needed something.
The chirping crickets, the screeching loud Blue Jays and even the crazy 3 a.m. scavenging of racoons scrabbling down the trees and chasing each other through the park, can’t keep us away. Falling asleep to the sounds of crickets and sometimes the waves of our gorgeous Ontario lakes lapping the shore is healing and restful and glorious. Nothing quite like that.
Our Beginner Tent
In 2020 I bought an inexpensive Walmart tent which was basically a popup ( as in easy five minute set up ). After we borrowed some camping gear from a friend and off we went. I mean a few years before that my family had worked with Ontario Parks and we had their adorable RV that we drove around the province to five different Ontario Parks locations. The whole family had so much fun documenting the experience. That one sponsored adventure set us up, showed us that we actually love the outdoors in all seasons. And frankly with the right camping gear we realized we could extend our season. Feeling well protected from the elements meant being able to camp into the fall and early in June.
So, we’ve been doing this ever since with a tent and a van that’s loaded to the teeth. And with good quality reliable camping gear we have enjoyed a lot of days and a lot of our provincial parks.
We have learned a few things about camping gear we love and can’t live without. Since people often ask me on TikTok what I recommend I thought I’d share that post here too. Most of these things are items we own or have borrowed and use all the time. Where there are some recommended items I have noted that they are products we don’t yet have or would recommend if our kids were younger.
Main Camping Gear
We Travel With These Two Tents
Our food tent is used maybe 75% of the time we camp. It is super easy to set up and take down. It collapses into a small carrier bag and fits easily into the van.
Our Food Tent
Our Coleman food tent above is vital especially in July and sometimes August to keep the bugs out when we hang out or when we are cooking and eating. We actually bought this at Canadian Tire but this Coleman food/ bug tent is available on Amazon if you prefer. It’s actually much cheaper on Amazon.
While this tent has been a dream, it just recently started to feel like maybe we have graduated and perhaps we need a bigger sized food and bug tent. I’d suggest this is the beginner level/ intermediate camping food or bug tent. It is excellent but it’s not that big. There are times when you might want a bit more shelter from rainy weather. This Coleman is sturdy and I love the ease of use but it is starting to show its age.
Our Coleman Dark Sky Eight Person Tent
We started with a basic tent from Walmart as I mentioned. Honestly if it is ever just me and Noah camping then we grab it and go. It sets up in five minutes locks into place and is so easy. But while it says 6 people can fit into it, that’s a stretch. That might be two kids under 8 sleeping with feet to head while parents are the opposite direction. So, when Payton decided to spring for this eight person Coleman tent which has a small vestibule that is covered to keep the bugs out when popping in and out throughout the day, we were thrilled. I mean when she moves out she will take it with her as she always reminds us. But until then it works wonders for all of us. I love the extra space. Frankly, we all like that we can stand up in it and we have a covered entry space for shoes. Your shoes will be fragrant when camping and you do not want those inside where you sleep. Trust me on that one.
Why This One?
We love this tent. It is HUGE and perfect. There are some organized pockets where you can place your keys or wallets at night and it has a great rainfly. It worked perfectly this past week when we had significant rainfall overnight on night one. Other tents might be water repellant which is not the same. For instance, our old beginner tent will let rain in if it pools on the campsite. The Coleman Dark Sky doesn’t let rain in.
Inflatable Mattresses
These have come a long way! Inflatable mattresses will probably be the first thing that you have to replace so keep that in mind. These need to be strong enough but easy to set up and take down. They also have to be simple to store over the winter. Last year, Payton bought me a new mattress for Christmas. It is this one right here and I love it. The price is great and it inflates and deflates with a USB charger. That’s easier than using your car chargers/ outlets and dragging it back and forth to the tent from the car.
Sleeping Bags
The sleeping bags we have are all different. Mine is a cheap old one that I bought at Costco years ago. It does the job. Noah and Payton both have exceptional sleeping bags built for sub zero temperatures. As mentioned they both did sleep away camps and had some outback trips where they needed really good sleeping bags. This Marmot sleeping bag is Noah’s which is excellent. What’s so good about it? It is sturdy and will keep you warm even in -11Celsius weather. The Marmot is high quality and we got in on sale for half off at the end of the season one year. This sleeping bag has been back and forth to Muskoka many times and it has weathered a lot of inclement weather.
Camping Stove
Can’t believe I almost forgot to include this. It is our good old standby and it was leant to us by Margarita Ibbott whose family used to camp. So, it is well seasoned and it is compact and it works like a dream even still. So reliable and great quality. Of course it is a Coleman cooktop stove.
Camping Games and Activities
Having a few nature-focused games and activities handy is a lifesaver to keep everyone happy.
One of our favourite games on the beach is Bocce Ball. It is so portable and easy to play together. Along with bocce ball, we also have a corn hole game that disassembles. We also have a few easy card games.
You can also print out any of my camping printables and take them with you. Camping Roll a Story for instance.
BUGS
NAT PAT bug patches and bracelets are a staple for us now. Love the gentle patches that we can slap on everything and the citronella scent repels bugs. There might still be some on the tent actually. Will see next season I guess. We often take citronella candles with us too. Pick up a few of the citronella bracelets for each of your companions on the trip too.
You will 100% still need Bug Spray regardless of where you are camping. Just buy one now because it will cost you later. And never leave home without After Bite. Bites will still happen. Pack this in the car or the camping first aid box as soon as you can.
New Favourite Card Game for Older Kids
Last year we bought Cards Against Humanity and it is a hoot. We haven’t laughed so hard in years. We also have an add on the 90s pack. There are many great add on packs. You think you have enough cards but after playing just one season, we found we enjoyed having the variety of the add on packs.
Devices
You want a couple of these but pick and choose. To me a huge part of the joy of camping is being off tech and unreachable for the most part. Having no service in the park about a week or two ago made me happy actually. Nobody can call and ask me for anything. Wahoo.
Chargers are SO Helpful
Listen if your phones all die a slow death and there’s an emergency then you are not in a good or healthy space. So chargers are vital. We carry multiple with us as a family. But as long as one person has a rechargeable, reliable charger it’s all good. Also frankly if you travel with teens, they are going to want to connect when you drive to town or anywhere with wifi. Not my priority when camping but just know that you avoid a lot of fights if you pack and carry a charger always.
Walkie Talkies?
Motorola rechargeable long range and waterproof walkie talkies. Best walkie talkies around at a decent price. You can find cheaper ones but they won’t last and I assure you that they will lose or break one of the cheaper ones at some point so pay for these ones instead. Worth it. I don’t use these because our kids have phones obviously. They are over 20 now. For little people though walkie talkies are perfect. Let them be independent and hop on a bike and explore with their siblings then if they get separated they can connect via these.
Protection from the Sun and Rain
An Umbrella or Two
For in the car, near the RV and by the tent.
Prop it outside your tent or in the corner of the tent if it is dry. Why? So you can run to the restrooms or the vault toilets in the night when your kiddo or your bladder wakes you up.
A Beach Umbrella
I’ll be honest we cheated here and still have one teeny beach umbrella that we got in Port Stanley years ago for $30. But honestly nobody uses these anymore. People bring the big umbrellas for a day at the beach and a family to fit under and be safe when the sun is overly hot.
Wagon
Listen I didn’t even realize I needed one of these until my family gave it to me for one of my birthdays about 5 years ago. Now, this wagon goes everywhere with us. It collapses, so that is invaluable. The camping wagon also can sit on top of most of the other items in the gate of the van. So functional. Often we walk from the campsite to the beach and set up for the day. WE try to minimize the number of times we need to race back to the site. I mean you will always have bathroom trips too so you don’t want to spend the entire time running back and forth fetching things and visiting restrooms.
With the wagon, we can drop our cooler bag, chairs, towels, sunscreen, umbrella and snacks into the wagon and make one organized trip to the beach. Our wagon was a gift but I am certain it came from Costco not Amazon. So keep an eye out next spring for a good Costco version. You can use these for so many purposes.
Comfort
You cannot simply sit at a picnic table all week or even all weekend long. So, you need to have a few reliable portable pieces for your regular camping gear setup.
Camping Couch and Chairs
Our chairs are ancient. In fact, we inherited our four family camping chairs from Jim’s Mom and from my Mom. To this day, we still use them all the time. My green chair is slightly nostalgic and the kids love that these are reminiscent of the days when we could camp together or stay at the cottage with grandma. So, buy something sturdy and light. You will carry them everywhere. They don’t need to be fancy. These 20-year-old chairs that we have lasted insanely well. Pretty sure the original price was under $20.
One thing I did invest in a few years ago when it was on sale at Costco was this love seat. We call it the camping couch. Easy set up and take down and the cushions are so comfortable. It is my favourite way to wake up. I grab a coffee and sit on the couch with a library book or a birthday novel while the rest of my travel buddies sleep in. Bliss.
My Camping Wishlist
Every year as the season wraps, I hunt for sales. There are a few products left in the camping section of Walmart and other stores you frequent. But don’t just buy it because it is on sale. You will almost always need any least one reliable camping tarp in the event there’s rain. You will often need more portable propane canisters and sturdy rope. Sometimes you might want to upgrade the camping dishes. But generally you don’t want to overspend on any of this stuff. All of these dishes and pots and pans get dirty and sit all winter in boxes waiting to be sprung out again, so choose reliable and sturdy.
This year we scooped up another heavy duty tarp and some twine so we can set up a fast A frame over the love seat and the chairs. Truthfully, I wanted to see if there was a big food tent on sale at all. But no luck this time.
The Portable Kitchen
This Coleman Kitchen camping setup has been on my radar for a couple of years now. Typically we do the dishes lowkey with a washing bin, soap and a dish drying rack on the picnic table but the height is completely wrong for our backs so that ends up doing Payton and I both in over the course of a couple of days. So my dream is to own this super functional portable and parkway kitchen set.
A Portable Change room
A Popup change room could be helpful when camping and it doesn’t take up much space. That said, it isn’t 100% necessary. We take turns changing in the tent and there are many discreet ways to change when you are travelling. Not crucial but a nice to have maybe if the price is right.
You Don’t Need a Lot to Get Started
Really and truly you don’t need that much to get started. If you are new a solid tent and dishes and something to cook on should suffice. Of course sleeping bags and mattresses are essential too. Add on as you go. Be sure that you also get rid of the old broken things but buy quality products first. Like our chairs that we inherited, if you find or inherit old camping gear that lasts it can be a staple and it will also enhance your adventure.
Happy Camping! Is there anything we missed?
