The season

Going on a family camping trip should be planned many months before hand, part of that planning is deciding what season to go in, the season that is right for your family totally depends on your family so I will list some of the good and bad points of all four seasons so that you can choose the right one for your family.

Summer:

Good:

• Hot for most of the day and night so probably will not need to wrap up, very good for kids that do not like the cold or rain.
• It will stay lighter for longer so you and the kids can enjoy the light for that little bit longer then in any other season.
• Perfect weather if there is a pool or lake near by to go swimming in.

Bad:

• The hotter weather means a high chance of getting sun burned
• Most people will go camping during the summer because that is when the kids are of school so if you are looking for a quite get away you will probably be out of luck
• There are more bugs out and about when the weather is hot.

 

Winter

Good:

• Less people will be going camping because of the weather
• Perfect if you children like the cold weather or snow

Bad:

• Most children will not like the cold weather
• Some camps close in the winter so phone ahead
• Gets darker quicker

Spring-autumn:

These two seasons are in the middle for nearly everything, they are cooler then summer but hotter then winter (most of the time) and the days are longer then in the winter. Plus they are not as popular as summer so the camp grounds will not be as packed.

After you have decide when you are going to cam you should look into buy the right family tent so that you can enjoy your trip to the full.

 

Getting the right family tent

Picking the right tent for your family is going to make or break your camping trip so pick wisely you don’t want your kids to be complaining the whole holiday because there is not enough room inside the tent and your are all sleeping on top of each other. When buying a tent buy one that sleeps at least 2 more people then you are planning to take so if your taking 4 people along get a tent that is made to sleep 6 or more people, because when they are measuring how many people can fit inside of a tent, they measure using average sized people and with them sleeping as close as possible to each other. The extra money spent on a bigger family tent will priceless when it gives you and your kids all the extra room so they are not crammed in like sardines. A bigger tent will also come in handy for when it rains, you and your kids are going to want to stay inside if it rains hard enough and that extra space really becomes noticeable when the whole family is trying to live in a tent. A good tip for buying a tent is to get the store owner to set up your ten before you buy it so you and all the family can get in and try it out or even go as far as renting the tent for the weekend if there is somewhere in your local area that allows you to do that there is nothing that can beat getting in the tent for the weekend to see if it is the right one for you.

 

What equipment to take when camping

Having a good check list when planning to go camping is a good thing, so that it reduces the chance that you are going to forget something, this is my list of the essentials you can change so that it suits your families needs you might not need some stuff on the list or you may need to add some extras in. Just make sure to write it all down and check it off as you pack it, so anyway this is my list:

 

Cooking Equipment

• Matches/lighter
• Stove, barbecue kit Stove or cooker, (if you are not planning to build a fire everyday)
• If you are planning on taking a cooker or stove, make sure you pack fuel if not take what you will need to build a fire
• Pans, pots and cooking utensils
• Plates and cutlery including cups
• A tin opener (really bad if you forget this)
• Bin bags
• Kitchen foil (has too many uses to list)

Tent and sleeping equipment including:

• A mallet
• Sleeping bags
• Groundsheet or blow up mattress
• Pillows

 

First Aid

• Plasters/bandages
• Sun cream
• Insect repellent
• Antiseptic

And the rest

• Personal hygiene products including soap, shampoo tooth brush etc.
• Toilet paper (you really do not want to forget this)
• Torches
• Mobiles phone (just in case anything happens switch it off when not in use to save battery)
• Duct tape (can repair a lot of things)
• Spare ropes and poles for your tent

 

This is not by all means all that you will need everybody is different but this is a list of essentials that most people will need to survive while camping out with the family.

 

Check out Pike Trail for more articles about camping.