CAMPING WITH KIDS
Written by CampingEarth staff writer, Shelly Maurer.

We began camping with our three young children about 8 years ago. Our camping ventures all began when we were offered a 1978 Palamino (pop-up) camper by a relative. It was the same relative that took me camping when I was a child.

We began to camp at State Parks only because you couldn’t beat the price! We started out camping at parks that were not far from home just in case it wouldn’t work out with the children. Little did I know that this first venture would be something we would continue to do for years to come several times a year!

The first few camping trips I packed everything you could think of…mind you the camper came with several items…silverware, pots & pans,…even lights to hang! I packed several toys for our kids to play with and lots of extra clothes. For a while the toys would get played with by our youngest daughter, especially on those camping trips where buckets of rain fell as we sat inside our pop-up. Board games were always a good thing to have along.

As years went on and we purchased our first “new”, like brand new, 1999 Camplite pop-up, my packing went down quite a bit. I have learned to ALWAYS have enough extra clothes and shoes for the kids. On several occasions, my son has gotten quite wet while walking on logs in the swamp/woods.

I no longer take along the bags upon bags of toys for the kids. Although they have gotten older, they still like to have some things along to play with but their favorites are outside games although we still have a cupboard in our camper for the decks of cards, badminton, bocce ball, jump ropes, and sidewalk chalk.

Our favorite find is a can similar to a gallon paint can that has playground games inside. Inside this can there is a ball pump, a playground ball, sidewalk chalk, four rubber bases, and the can may also be used for Kick the Can. It also came with a book of suggested games to play with these items….kickball, four square, kick the can…All of this in one can for just a couple of dollars! Yet it is compact enough to fit in our game cupboard.

We have added Washer Toss (Washoes) and Ladder Golf (Blongo Ball) to our list of games that we bring along on each trip. There are times that these games go untouched for the simple fact that the kids think of their own things to do with their time. They hike in the woods, ride bike, build forts, or just sit by the fire and whittle sticks. They have learned how to carve bow & arrows with their pocket knives. It is so enjoyable to see them use their imagination and come up with things to do outdoors.

On a recent camping trip, we ventured for our first outing of Geocaching. With our Garmin GPS unit in hand, we made our way to our first cache. The kids were excited to find it and even more excited to see what “goodies” it had. We managed to find 6 of the 10 at the State Park we were at (surprised to see how many were in the park) and had all we could do to convince our eager son, who wanted to keep going and find them all, that we wanted to save some finds for our next trip there in August.

The kids are very excited to teach and show their aunt and uncle the fun in Geocaching when they join us on our next camping trip. Not only are the caches fun to find, since they range in size and shape from a film canister (which usually just has a paper for you to log your find) to an army box, but the time spent getting to the cache like the walk on the trails through the woods and conversations with kids along the way, make the trip all the more memorable and special.

Oh and if you intend to give Geocaching a try, stock up on those little toys from cereal boxes or toys from kids meals at restaurants. When you get to the cache, you date and sign the log book and then you may exchange one of your goodies for one inside. Just remember that some caches may be in the smallest containers so it is best to keep your goodies to trade on the smaller side. It is also suggested to bring your own pen/pencil since some caches are so small they wouldn’t fit one in there for you…….A camera would be another item to definitely bring so you can take pictures!

For us, the best thing about camping and enjoying Geocaching is you are outside taking in all that fresh air for the entire day…hours! Nothing beats bedtime when all are tired from the fresh air and venturing all day.

With gas price at all time record highs, I thought it’d be good to give you some easy ways to save money on gas while you’re camping so I called up Gary Ruplinger of FuelSavingZone.com and asked him what he’d recommend people do to cut down on gas usage – here’s what he had to say…

Before you leave

When you’re packing for your camping trip, ask yourself if you’re going to really need all that stuff you’re packing. I know that I’ve found I’ve taken a lot of things camping that I never even thought to use. Every extra 100 pounds you pack into your vehicle or camper can reduce your mileage by up to 2%.

Also, now’s the time to check your tires on both your vehicle and your camper to make sure that your tires are properly inflated. It’s been estimated that up to 80% of people are driving around on underinflated tires which can reduce your gas mileage by another 2-3%, and if you’re towing a camper, that number goes up since you have more wheels on the ground.

If you have a roof rack or anything large on the outside of your vehicle or camper that you’re not going to be using on your trip, then take it off. Roof racks have been known to reduce fuel mileage by up to 10% since they mess with the vehicle’s aerodynamics. If you’re going to use it on your trip for your bike or kayak or whatever, then by all means, use it, but if you can do without it, then take it off, or switch to a rear mounted rack instead.

While driving to your campsite

When you’re driving your camper, take it easy. It’s not only safer to drive slower when you’re pulling a camper behind you, but it’s going to use a lot less gas. That means keep your top speed lower than normal, try to anticipate when you’ll need to break ahead of time, and accelerate slowly. Driving conservatively versus driving aggressively can mean a 35% improvement in your gas mileage.

If you really want to save money on gas, ditch the camper entirely and pack only tents. Pulling a camper can reduce your gas mileage by 15-40% depending on the size, weight, and aerodynamics of the camper you’re pulling.

While camping

While you’re camping, ideally you shouldn’t need to use any gas. Park your vehicle and leave it where it is for the duration of your trip. This does mean you need to come prepared with all the food and supplies you’re going to need, but if you’ve been camping a few times, this should be no problem.

At most campsites you’ll be able to get things like ice which you may run out of sometime during your trip without needing to drive anywhere.

Instead of driving, take your bicycle or walk. You get a much better feel for nature when you experience it by walking or biking through it rather than driving through it anyway.

Plus, I think we could all use a little extra exercise.

If your budget is really tight, then you could look for campsites that are much closer to home. Instead of driving across the country to go camping, you could drive across the state. Instead of driving across the state, you could drive across the county. You don’t usually need to drive too far to feel like you’re away from it all and you can just relax and enjoy your trip.

Bonus: Advanced gas saving tips

For most people, these tips aren’t going to apply, but if you’re in the market for a new camper or tow vehicle, here are a few bonus tips.

If you’re purchasing a new camper and fuel economy is an issue, you have plenty of options. If you’d like to be able to use a fuel efficient car or small SUV to do your towing instead of a full size SUV or pickup truck, then stick with smaller camper. Popup campers are especially good choices because they’re compact when travelling, and expand into good sized campers at the campsite. But you could also go with a teardrop camper which is know for its excellent aerodynamics or buy an ultralight travel trailer which will get better mileage when towing than a regular travel trailer since ultralights weight significantly less.

If you’ve got your heart set on a full size camper, then go with an Airstream which is far more aerodynamic and easier to tow than regular travel trailers or get a fifth wheel.

If you’re going to be towing a big camper like a fifth wheel or a large travel trailer, then make sure your vehicle is diesel powered. Not only are diesel trucks better suited for towing larger loads, but they’re more fuel efficient than their gasoline counterparts, especially when towing a load – that’s why all the semis and farm equipment you see are diesel powered. Same thing applies if you’re buying a motorhome – always opt for the diesel powered motorhomes verus the gasoline powered ones.

Now quit worrying about the gas prices and get out and go camping already.

Now that camping season is starting to gear up in many areas, here’s a few of my own personal tips for choosing a campsite. They are things I have learned from the dozens of times I have gone camping at various campgrounds.

Because I didn’t think about some of the things listed below I have had some “not so fun” camping experiences, so I’m sharing them with you so they don’t happen to you too (I also did a video on this topic too, so if you’d rather watch than read, feel free).

1) Campsite Length - Make sure the campsite is long enough to accommodate your camping vehicle. (this is self explanatory, right?)

2) Bathroom location is important; especially if you are like me and don’t have a bathroom in your camper and have kids or if you yourself need to visit a bathroom frequently. If the bathroom facilities are modern a site right next to them is great. If the bathroom facilities are more primitive then you still want to be close to the bathroom but not right next to them - especially during the warmest months when a “ripe” smell can be prevalant. A camping trip can turn miserable in a hurry if all you can smell when sitting at your campsite is the bathroom odors from next door.

3) A RV or tent on corner campsites or at “intersections” of the campground often have the glare of headlights shining on them at night. After my family spent one camping trip having headlights shining in our camper as vehicles turned the corner on the busy road in the campground we were staying at, we learned to avoid campsites on corners of campground roadways and instead look for ones more towards the middle.

4) Be aware of the location of dumpsters. Being near dumpsters is convenient when you want to dispose of your garbage, but these can also be smelly so try not to be too close to them. Many campgrounds have dumpsters located away from the campsites but some have them nestled among the campsites and I can personally attest to the horrible odor a person has to put up with if their campsite is really close to them. Plus, if the dumpsters aren’t properly closed after people put their trash in them they are a magnet at night for wild animals looking for a bite to eat.

5) I like camping in state parks because the sites are typically larger and more wooded then private campground campsites. But, that also means some of the campsites are located near steep dropoffs and/or near standing water or swampy areas that are a haven for insects. One of my favorite state parks has campsites where the camper pad is less than 50 feet from a steep dropoff. The view is incredible; but it’s not the type of site I would choose if I had small children camping with me. Standing water/swampy areas are bad for me because I have allergies to insects and stinging bugs swarm around those areas in droves at dusk and dawn and sometimes even in the middle of the day. Call the campground before making a reservation to inquire about specific campsites before making a reservation, especially if you reserve sites online.

6) Shaded or not shaded? I like shaded campsites; otherwise the interior of my popup gets beastly hot during the middle of summer days. I have a sister-in-law however who prefers sunny sites without trees because there are typically less bugs.

Do you have other tips and things to consider when choosing a campsite? If you do, please write a note in the comments section to share it.

Happy Camping!