Different people have different ideas about what camping is. Some travellers love the idea of roughing it with just the essentials, while others pack their cars with all the comforts they can think of. For a weekend outdoors, one should like to find a good balance between the essentials and a few comforts, like a chair for stargazing, a soft pillow, and maybe a delicious hot meal for making the perfect camp breakfast.
Even if you just drive to a campsite instead of hiking or biking there, you’ll still need a tent, sleeping bag, warm clothes, food, and a way to cook everything. But you have enough room to bring more than just the essentials. Use this camping prep checklist to make sure you bring everything you need and are ready for your trip.
1. Prepare Your Campsite
You’ll always need shelter, a sleeping bag, and a sleeping pad to set up your campsite. Other things, like chairs and pillows, make it even more comfortable. Also, before you pack, check to see what the campground has to offer. Most campgrounds that you can drive to will have a picnic table and a fire pit, and sell firewood from the area.
2. Bring Your Grill on Wheels
The size of compact portable barbeques is one of their best features. Small and easily fitted in the trunk of a car, they’re perfect for your summer road trips. They also weigh less, which makes them easier to move around. You can take your portable bbq grills to the beach, the mountains, or your small backyard to make the most of the space you have.
A portable bbq is smaller than a regular grill. It only has a few parts: the bottom, the legs, the grate, and the lid. So, it’s easy and quick to put together. Portable barbeques are also easier to clean and take care of because of the fewer parts. The only part that needs the most care is the grate, which needs to be replaced every two years. But this depends on how often you use the grill and how clean it is. Reliable portable barbeques are the best choice if you want to cook for a smaller group of people on your camping trips. With their smaller size, you can save fuel and serve your guests perfectly grilled food at the same time.
3. Plan Out the Food for the Whole Camping Trip
Once you know how many campers you’ll have, you can make a menu for each group meal. Here, it’s important to think about dishes that can be made in large amounts. For example, if you need to, you can make spaghetti for 25 people in two big pots. Another factor is that it is easy to make. You can grill vegetables for a big party over an open flame, and it’s just as easy to grill meat for burgers. A breakfast buffet with tacos, burritos, bacon, and eggs is a great way to start the day.
4. Choose a Place with a Wide Range of Things to Do
Depending on the time of year, your group might like to kayak or canoe on a nearby lake. Or, maybe the people you’re travelling with are passionate cyclists, fishermen, or rock climbers. If your group does a lot of night photography, look for a place far from cities where there isn’t a lot of light pollution. In other words, choose a place that will be perfect for the activities you want to offer.
5. Make Reservations and Delegate Responsibilities
If you need a group campsite at a public or private campground, you should book it at least a few months ahead of time. But if your participants will be making their reservations, give them a deadline as early as you can. And if there are 10 people or more, it will go much more smoothly if everyone knows what they are responsible for. In this case, it might be helpful to have some kind of spreadsheet or form that lets you keep track of the teams, payments, food needs, and what each person is bringing to share with the others (i.e., sports equipment, coolers, grills, group tent).
6. Have a Safety Plan
Put together a first aid kit before you go camping. Include the usual bandages, antibiotic creams, cold packs, aspirin, tweezers, and sterile bandages. If you can’t get an Epi-Pen, bring Benadryl. Add a first-aid app to your phone along with the emergency number for a hospital near the campsite.
And then you should also get ready to navigate and properly light up the campsite for everyone’s sake. Make sure you have a map, a compass, and a clear idea of where you are. And in order to keep everything fun and safe when doing something like backpacking, where people move at different speeds, stay together as a group or set up specific places to meet along the way.
