Planning a Camping Trip
An epic camping trip is whatever you want it to be. For us, it’s camping in a beautiful campsite with easy access to the activities that we enjoy, and that immerses us so much that our only reminder of time is to catch sunset.
We’ve all heard stories of people being unprepared for camping trips—or more likely, we’ve been part of the story. Whether it’s bringing a sleeping bag with zero insulation, or getting to a campsite and realizing you had to bring your own water, or not bringing a rain jacket because the weather was supposed to be sunny...we’ve heard it all and had our own lessons learned along the way!
Camping, like most outdoor adventures, requires some preparation. The key to an epic experience will be preparing enough, but not too much that you don’t go. If you’re planning your first camping trip or want more planning tips, keep reading. You’ve got this!
WHO IS CAMPING
Know who is camping, how many people are camping, and what is their preference for camping style.
Are you camping with family, friends, partner, or solo? It helps to know in advance, who is camping, preferred style of camping, and schedule availability. This will help choose the best campground, number of campsites to reserve, and type of camping that fits your needs. For style of camping, there are campgrounds where you can drive up to your campsite and set up your tent right there. This means you can pack however much will fit in the car. For hike-in campsites, there is extra privacy and can be more primitive without showers, bathroom or water. You’ll park the car and need to carry your gear to the campsite. The hike-in site could be a half mile or a mile from the car for instance, which may not sound like a lot but you’ll thank yourself for packing more compactly like you would for a backpacking trip. That’s why knowing who is going and your preferred camping style is helpful.
CHOOSE WHERE TO CAMP AND RESERVE CAMPSITE
Where you camp will set the tone for the camping trip with its scenery, activities to do, and ease of getting there.
What kind of activities do you want to do while camping - hiking, mountain biking, kayaking? Do you have a preference for scenery like a lush forest, desert, waterfalls or along the coast? What is the farthest you want to drive from your home to the campsite? There are many terrains to explore that open up different activities. If it’s a weekend camping trip, you may only want to drive 1-2 hours away. Knowing the desired activities, terrain, and distance to travel will help narrow in on an area to look for camping spots.
Explore and reserve camping spots at recreation.gov, hipcamp.com or your State and County Park’s website. Recreation.gov provides access to public lands so think of your State and National Parks, National Forests and Bureau of Land Management. Hipcamp offers primarily privately owned campsites like wineries, farms, or someone with acres of land who wants to make their land open to camping. State and County Parks may use a reservation system separate from recreation.gov and can be a great place to find campsites.
If there’s a popular spot that you have an eye on, then mark the calendar to book the campsite as soon as the booking window opens 6 months in advance. Not that much a planner? The good news is there are so many beautiful camping spots that if you don’t plan ahead of time, go check out a place that is less well-known but still beautiful. You never know what hidden gems are out there.
If you come across campsites that are non-reservable, and available only on a first-come-first serve basis, you’ll want to plan to arrive during the least popular days to camp like Monday through Thursday to increase the chances that it is available. People will avoid non-reservable sites, and that can work in your favor if you’re willing to take the chance.
If you’re curious to see photos of specific campsites, check out campsitephotos.com. The site provides photos of each campsite at State Parks, National Parks, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau Land Management (BLM), and other campgrounds throughout the U.S.
PREPARE CAMPING GEAR TO BRING
Tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, food and water are camp gear essentials. Hammock isn’t required, but it sure is nice to have for chilling, napping, and reading.
Now that you have camping plans, it’s time to start packing. For must-haves, bring a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, food, and water. For the complete list of must-haves and highly recommended items to bring, check out the Essential Packing List.
If you’re new to camping and not sure how much you want to invest in camping gear yet, borrow gear from a friend or rent gear. Check out your local REI or a new start up Community Gear Box to rent camping gear.
PLAN DELICIOUS AND EASY CAMP FOOD
Camp stoves make cooking camp food easy because you can control the heat similar to cooking on a stove at home
Camp meals can be just as delicious as your home cooked meals. All you need is a bit of planning, and you’re good to go. If you’re looking for inspiration, check out our Camping Food Recipes, where you will find easy yet yummy meal ideas. When meal planning, it’s better to pack extra food that you think is needed. Last thing you want are hungry campers.
GO CAMPING
Friends packing up the car to drive to camping spot
To make the journey to the campground smooth, we recommend to arrive at your camping spot with enough time to set up while there is daylight. The daylight makes it easier to see what you’re doing, particularly setting up the tent. If possible pack your bags and even the car the day before the trip. These preparations help the day-of travel day go smoothly, as opposed to rushing out the door.
