—
A camping trip provides a unique opportunity for a father and son to bond while also encouraging an appreciation for the majesty of nature.
In preparation for your father-son weekend getaway, you’ll want to purchase all of the necessities. Here’s everything you need to gear up for an epic and equally memorable father-son camping trip that you’ll treasure for years to come.
Start with a tent
While sleeping under the stars in a hammock or a sleeping bag can be a relaxing retreat, in the case of unexpected rain or buzzing pests, you’ll want to bring a tent for shelter. You won’t want cold or wet weather conditions to rain on your parade.
A standard two-person tent should be sufficient for you and your son. To avoid any unnecessary or burdensome bulk, you should avoid bringing a tent for each of you, if you don’t have to. It will only take up room add back-aching weight to your load.
Build a sleep system
Now that the tent is up, you’ll need a place to sleep. Arrange your sleeping bags, blankets, and pillows to create an overnight oasis. You can even choose to bring along an air mattress if you’d like to elevate your camping experience.
Bring the right blades
During your camping experience, you’ll need to gather wood to build a fire. Pre-chopped wood may not be readily-accessible, so you might have to chop it yourself. You’ll need an ax to do this.
Besides an ax, you’ll also need a small knife for other practical and protection purposes. Consider a multi-purpose tool that’ll be a one-size-fits-all solution to any of your camping needs.
Stock your camp kitchen
After a long day of searching for an ideal campsite, building a tent, and chopping wood for a fire, you’ll have worked up an appetite. That means you’ll need a stove to cook your meals and pots/pans to cook in. Some campers opt to use use a small grill in place of a stove. Whichever route you choose, look for quality products that are built to last, like the stainless steel cookware you’ll find at Self Reliance Outfitters.
When shopping for your father-son camping trip, don’t forget plates, utensils, condiments, and other cooking supplies. Your overnight stays might even require a cooler to store meats and drinks. As long as you’re within walking distance of a convenience store that sells ice (or just a short drive away), a cooler can keep your food stock fresh and icy cold.
Unfortunately, storing food at your campsite can potentially attract unwanted guests. Raccoons and bears have been known to approach a campsite when they smell food, so be careful and proactively store and secure your food throughout the day, even in-between snacking. When eating, eat quickly, and place any remaining food scraps or wrappers in a secure receptacle as soon as possible to prevent any dangerous encounters.
Remember fire-starting materials
A campsite wouldn’t be the same without a good old fashioned campfire. It can be used to prepare the day’s meals. A campfire can warm up in the brisk morning hours and can even be a gathering place to relax and bond with your son after a long day of hunting and fishing. Not to mention, it’s the perfect site for cooking hotdogs and roasting marshmallows for s’mores.
Because we’ve advanced past our primitive caveman instincts, you probably won’t want to rub two sticks together to spark a decent fire—which is why you’ll need some help. At the bare minimum, make sure you have a lighter or matches on-hand. There are even special tools designed to help start fires that you can purchase at your local outdoor goods store.
Camp mugs for hot cocoa
At night, It can get chilly in the great outdoors. To help keep the kids warm, you should have mugs stored away in your supplies. Nothing says a crisp night under the stars quite like a cup of hot cocoa. Hot chocolate will pair brilliantly with the marshmallows you roast over the campfire. When purchasing a tub of hot cocoa mix, choose a brand that only requires hot water, rather than milk.
Don’t forget the water
You may automatically assume that you’ll have easy access to water, especially if you are camping by a lake or nearby riving. However, that’s not necessarily the case. You need to bring along plenty of water for drinking and cooking purposes, alike.
Whether it’s jugs of water available for purchase at the grocery store or a portable water purifier, you’ll want to prioritize water sources for you and your children.
Camping games
There should be plenty of activities to keep you and your son busy during your camping trip. You can go hiking, swimming, and exploring. However, in the planning phase of your camping trip, you should factor in some moments of downtime. Be prepared with toys, games, and activities, especially if you have young children with you. Your young ones have short attention spans and can easily spiral into boredom in 30-minute spans. So, you’ll want to keep them entertained to make this camping trip the father-son bonding experience of a lifetime.
Flashlights
When camping, you and your family are at the will of sunrise and sunset. If you want to explore the Great Outdoors after-dark, you’ll need a flashlight to see what’s happening around you. In cases of lurking threats like bears or mountain lions, flashlights are non-negotiable.
Make sure you bring along plenty of flashlights (preferably one per attendee) and enough back-up batteries to keep your campsite well-lit and all your children under your careful supervision. If you don’t want to lug around spare batteries, luckily, there is a wide range of flashlights that don’t require batteries. Instead of relying on battery power, these flashlights depend on manual operation and require you to crank them before use.
Camping chairs
You won’t want to spend all day sitting on the dirty ground. To achieve that picturesque vision of everyone sitting around the campfire roasting marshmallows, you’ll need a set of outdoor chairs designed to withstand the elements—in the case of unexpected rainfall.
If you’re worried about your moderately-priced lawn chairs being damaged by dirt, debris, or exposure to water, bring along inexpensive, folding chairs for a place to plant your caboose after a long day. In the interest of storage, you’ll want to bring chairs that won’t take up too much space in your vehicle.
Conclusion
It’s important for your children to connect with nature, especially in this digital age. Take a weekend to go explore the marvels of Mother Nature. Just make sure you have all the necessary supplies, so your trip can be equal parts enjoyable, memorable, and comfortable.
—
This content is brought to you by Jana Gray.
Photo: Shutterstock