Tips & Tricks | Five of Our Camping Essentials
Since we are beginning to prepare for our upcoming camping trip to Colorado Bend State Park, I thought I would share five items that I never leave behind when we adventure into the great outdoors. These items are essentials for us regardless of whether we are camping in the teardrop or roughin' it in a tent.
Cast iron skillet
This is an essential for me both at home and while camping. There is nothing like a good, well seasoned cast iron skillet. Lodge is a trustworthy brand. I have three of them, the smallest of which is my dedicated camping skillet. It lives in my teardrop camper, but it'll get pulled out and put into our kitchen tub for the upcoming trip since we're tentin' it (first time in our brand new tent, too! More on that later). Cast iron is the ideal cooking tool while camping because the clean-up is so god damned easy. You don't need water or soap or a sponge to clean it. So long as it is seasoned well enough to be fully non-stick, I just wipe mine down with a paper towel after I have fried up my eggs and it's good to go! If you've got some gunk that won't come off with a paper towel, have some coarse ground salt and steel wool on hand to scrub it off.
Fire starters
So, here's a confession: I suck at starting campfires. I know, I know. I'm the worst park ranger ever. It's just really hit or miss for me whether or not my fire dies out sadly, leaving nothing but thick, eye burning smoke, or it successfully catches and turns into the beautiful inferno that is intended. So to better my odds, I always carry around a pack of fire starters. They're easy to use, don't take up a lot of space, and (almost) never fail to get a great campfire going. We won't talk about our camping trip to Huntsville where we struggled with wet wood and went through a whole pack to no avail. Don't chance it - bring some of these bad boys because camping just isn't camping without a campfire! *Note: please always check with the park or area that you're in to ensure that ground fires are allowed and the area is not under a burn ban!
Wool socks
My dudes, if you have not yet experienced the joy of a good pair of wool socks, you have not lived. Having grown up in Texas, I was late to the game in discovering how wonderful and cozy these things are. My time spent in New England opened my eyes and I am a changed woman for it. Wool socks are perfect for sitting around the campsite on chilly evenings to keep your feet warm. Pair them with a good set of moccasins and you're golden. If it's really cold when we're camping, I will even sleep with them on (sometimes doubled up). I also wear wool socks while hiking because they help to wick moisture away from your feet, which is helpful when you're on a long hike with gross, sweaty feet. They're just so versatile and comfortable... get yourself a pair or five!!!
Backpack
When you go camping, you don't just sit at the campsite all day - you get out there and get hiking! You're going to need a backpack if you want to do any hiking with young kiddos. Snacks are an essential for them (and water, too, obviously), so load up your backpack with water bottles (1L per hour per person on a hot day), some granola bars or mandarin oranges, fruit snacks - whatever floats your boat. I also will throw my cell phone in so I have it for those perfect photo ops or in case of emergency. Bonus - your backpack can act as a trash can, too. Pro-tip: please don't throw fruit peels or rinds on the ground. You may think they're 'natural' so it's okay to toss 'em, but it's littering, plain and simple. And when food related items are left close to a trail, it attracts animals and can lead to increased animal/human interactions. Just put it in your backpack, please! If it's messy trash, bring a plastic grocery bag to pop it in. Pack it in, pack it out!
Quality Cooler
Fuck, there is nothing more annoying than a shitty cooler. I hate when I put a package of sliced cheese in my ice chest as we are departing for a trip, and then less than 24 hours later, melted ice (also known as water) has infiltrated the packaging and turned my cheddar into a wet, slimy mess. It's annoying to have to strategically place items in the cooler - drinks and airtight containers on the bottom, fruit and permeable containers precariously balanced above, just hoping that nothing falls into the ocean of ice melt and gets ruined. Have you ever tried to eat soggy carrots or moist cheese? It's not fun. After years of tolerating a crappy cooler, I recently invested in a Yeti. It hurt to spend that much money on a cooler, but we will certainly get a lot of use out of it and the peace of mind (and food) is worth it.
So that's our list of things we never leave on a camping trip without! What are your essentials when you go exploring?