Thursday, August 4, 2016

Spontaneous Camping Trips and Structure

Last Monday the kiddos asked if we could go camping. It was unexpected, but we were thrilled! We have dreamed of living a life where we could pick up and go camping on any random day off. So we went. And we forgot stuff. Lots of stuff. Important things like most of our cooking gear, kindling, and our rain tarp (the ground was already wet and we had a little unexpected rain). Needless to say, our carefree attitude was a bit humbled.

How could we live without our morning coffee? Who wants to eat cold cheese sandwiches and s’mores? It took us three hours to start a basic fire. In an attempt to cool our jets, we began walking around the lake looking for frogs. Which is exactly the type of thing we wish we were doing whenever we are sitting around the living room at home. We began to change our thinking from what we were lacking to what we got to see and do because of our spontaneity.


Eventually, the fire started (after we had given up and eaten our food cold), laughs were had, and the next day’s activities in nature ended up being phenomenal! What we learned is to add a bit of structure to our spontaneity and keep a checklist of gear we like to have around for a solid camping trip. Here is what we have so far.  

Good to Have:
L       Tent
L       Sleeping bags
L       Inflatable pillows (stuffed in sleeping bag sacks)
L       Tarp (for under tent)
L       Matches/lighter
L       Flashlights
L       Hatchet
L       Propane and stove
L       Cooking pots
L       Utensils
L       Cooler
L       Bottle opener
L       Dishes (plate/bowl combos, hot/cold cups)
L       Tea Kettle
L       Pie iron
L       Instant coffee or French press
L       Pants and long sleeves for everyone

Better to Have:
      Ø  Rain tarp
Ø  Multi-tool
Ø  Mallet
Ø  Camping chairs
Ø  Lantern
Ø  Table cloth
Ø  Doggie bed, bowls, long chain, chew toys
Ø  Bug spray
Ø  Kindling
Ø  S’mores sticks

Top Shelf:
     v  Bikes, scooters, skateboard, blades
v  Hammock
v  Slackline
v  Fishing gear
v  Swimwear for everyone



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