Camping with kids 2.0: Hacks and things

19 Jan

Camping as a family has allowed us to go on regular holidays, reset with nature and each other and build resilience.

We aren't the flushest of families, financially speaking. And before we started camping, we would rarely take holidays - because it costs a lot to stay in a hotel and eat out all of the time.

Last year we just started to have a go. When we first went, we had my in-laws old giant 10 person tent that took the boys hours, and many beers to put up. We had things that didn't work and nothing we really needed. We didn't know how to shop for food. Our kids were cold. We were uncomfortable when we slept. But we had to start somewhere, right?!

Now, we've got the gear (and mostly still no idea). We don't feel overwhelmed when we know we are going away - things are packed and ready to go in the flashest of flashes. We still don't get it all right, but we've definitely learned some things along the way!

If you're just starting out, make sure you head to my original blog post on why you should try, and how. You can read it here.

Now for our tips and tricks, V2.0; here are a few things that have uplevelled our camping game. We are still in a tent (*one day* we will have a caravan) and we have the OzTent RV-5. Can 10/10 recommend this tent - the quality I think is better than anything out there. It was exy but 100% worth it for us.

Stackable drawers. We have 6 of these in the back and they are just one big #organisastionstation. They are from Big W - find them here. We have three of them ready-packed in the garage, and the other few we use for food and things. I write lists of things we need AFTER we come back from a trip, while it's still fresh as to what we were missing or could have used.

Swag bag. We have always struggled for space in our car, but since we have chucked all of our clothes, towels, sheets and sleeping bags into this swag bag from BCF and chucked it on the roof, our car space is so much more manageable. We just take it straight from the roof and into the tent and back again for pack up. It fits sooo much! LINK TO SWAG BAG HERE

Kids' car seat organisers. We got these from Kings and the kids love having their own space for their toys and things. We did a big trip recently from QLD to SA, and we stocked up on activity books, fidget toys etc from Kmart before the trip and each night would update the surprises in the organiser for them. It has a drop down tray so they can do colouring and building and things, and you can put snacks in there of course. It was awesome for the days driving. We also had a tablet/phone holder from Kmart to put on the headrest so they could watch things together too (I am not about to pretend that my darling children just did wholesome drawing and building for a 3 day road trip). LINK TO KIDS CAR SEAT ORGANISER HERE

Some fun things - you can get powder that you throw into the fire that changes the colour to rainbow. I got them from a cheap shop but I have found them on Amazon HERE. Make sure you read the cautions!

Bed hack - we use a self-inflating camping mattress (like a dune mat) but we only brought a double with us- being a family of four this was not an exciting realisation. But we turned the double on it's side so it ended up being a king width - it just meant that my husband's feet hung off the end when he was stretched out but being so cold at night we were all curled and snuggled up anyway!

Every morning when we are getting organised I get everyone's pyjamas out and put them at the end of the bed, including fresh socks and jackets (it was so cold by night time!). This is heaps easier than when we start to think about pyjamas and it's already dark and hard to find everything.

This won't be approps for everyone - but our best camping pals also happen to build 4WD for touring and ordered us this drop down thing for the back door of our car. It's been so much more handy than we ever thought it would. LINK HERE.

On the way down to this recent camping trip, we were tense. Our eldest just wanted our phone to watch videos or play games, and he was upset we didn't bring the ipad. My husband was anxious. There was a rupture. On the way back, no one mentioned screens. We were playing games together. Everyone was relaxed, connected, reset. Our kids went to bed easily at 730 that night (they also woke up at 430 but will leave that bit out).

So let this be your sign! Do the camping or whatever sort of time away you feel most comfortable with. And let us know how you go!