Family camping, packing it right

Previously I wrote about some lessons learned and fun things to do while camping with the family (here). This time we are going to go over some tips on what to pack and how to pack. Sometimes how and what you pack or don't pack can make a great trip a less enjoyable one.

Personally, I have driven and camped with everything from a small '96 Mitsubishi Galant to a large '92 Dodge Caravan to my current '09 Subaru Forester. All of these vehicles allow for various amounts of stuff which heavily dictates where I am able to go. Most families I know generally have a mini-van or a SUV/crossover and this is where I will be making certain assumptions on what and how to pack.

What to bring (the essentials):

1. Food. Food is absolutely important. And making sure you have a cooler that is sufficient in keeping everything cold or frozen is essential. My family uses a Coleman cooler that is rated for 5 days. Take the rating with a grain of salt. But regardless, have a good cooler that fits your need.


2. Clothes. Dress for the weather. Summer tends to be pretty warm or down right hot in the day but come nightfall it can cool down pretty quickly, especially if you are in mountain country.


3. Sleeping bag and mattress. For mattress, we prefer air, they get the job done. It's relatively comfortable, compact to pack and provides sufficient insulation from the chill coming off the ground. As for sleeping bag, theWife and I prefer down. They pack small and provide lots of warmth. However, for the kids, we prefer to give them synthetics. That way, they are quick to dry in case there is an accident at night and also easily washable when we get home.


4. Tent. A shelter over your head is one of the most important things when camping. And having it appropriately weather-proof for your climate is an absolute. If you are in a dry and hot place, make sure it has sufficient air flow and circulation. If you are in a damp and humid place, make sure it has sufficient mesh for the moisture to exit and not create condensation within. And if you live in a wet and rainy climate like I do, get one that is going to keep you dry. Most of the time, you get what you pay for. And last thing, make sure it's big enough for your family to move and navigate and be comfortable in. Meaning, for my family of four, we have a six person tent.


5. Cooking things. This would include utensils to eat with, your plates and such. Bring what you need. Just make sure it isn't too easy to break. I generally prefer plastic or metal but that is a matter of preference. As for what to cook with, I highly recommend the Coleman combo unit. It has a BBQ to grill and also a stove to cook and boil your food. This saves you from needing to bring both a BBQ unit and a stove unit. Saving on space is always good. For fuel, I have done both the one-pound propane unit and also the regular 20lb propane tank. My preference is the 20lb. It's refillable, cheaper and you don't have to worry about running out.


6. Light. Gotta have light. For the kids, I give them the IKEA hand-crank unit, they are LED and sufficiently bright and battery-free. As for myself, I like to bring both a headlamp for the times you need hands-free lighting, a lamp to hang inside the tent and also a hand unit with a 100+ lumen rating to see with. I can't stress how important having a light is, especially if the kids need to make a trip for nature's call at night.


7. Power source. This is probably the most controversial one. I'm not saying power source in the sense to power your portable video gaming devices and media devices. I'm talking about a source of power to keep your cellphone running. Cellphone, especially smartphones, have come to replace our line of contact in case of emergency, it generally has a flashlight, and it's also a source of knowing where you are, AKA the GPS. I would say keeping that phone of yours powered is essential nowadays, not so you can play games or watch videos or listen to music but rather as a way to contact the world and get yourself out of a pickle when you are lost or in an emergency.

What to bring (the fun stuff):

1. Food! You can never have enough snacks and s'mores. Always bring more than you think you need. But try to keep it healthy too. Don't want the kids to start getting a bad habit with junk food.


2. Games. Board games and card games are a staple for camping. Bring what your family will like. Although, I would caution against anything with small pieces. Those buggers are hard to find when it gets dark.


3. Bikes. There is nothing like cruising through the woods and mountain on a bike. Or at least I can think of very little. The kids love it and they can spend all day on it.


4. Bring a soccer ball or football. Play a friendly match with your camping neighbors or just as a family. Nothing like sport and competition to bring the family together and to make some new friends.

Now comes the question of how do I get all my crap into the car. It is a common question many of us have. But I would say the answer is dependent on your car and what you are bringing aside from the essentials. It's very personal topic but I will try my best to give some pointers and tips on how I have done it. As a note, I am used to packing light due to my old backcountry backpacking days and from packing to hunt, which would be light, functional and minimalistic. Anyhow on to the tips and pointers.

How to pack it all:

1. The Primary: start with the big and heavy. The big and heavy forms the foundation of my packing. It stays on the bottom and near the back. I try to keep the weight as low to the bottom of the car as possible. In this case, for me, it would be the cooler with the bulk of the food, the tent and propane tank (if I opt for the large 20lb tank) and also anything that comes in a box.


2. The Secondary: These are things that are semi-stuffable and stuff that fit well around and between stuff. This would be the rest of my food and my duffle bag/packs for clothes along with the sleeping bag. The food will generally have their own small bags (I prefer the fabric type). However, a freebie tip here is that if you want snacks for the ride, stick them in the front with you, the kids will love you.


3. The Auxiliary: These are all the fun stuff or the non-essentials for camp. Place these wherever you have room in the car and trunk.

Tips on organization:

1. Place everything in bags or boxes. The last thing you want is to have things littered everywhere and you having no idea where it is. Also boxes and bags are easy to get in and out.


2. Be consistent. What I mean by this is to pack the same way you do all the time. Create a system for what you are doing and how you are doing it. A systems helps. It allows for you to focus on the trip and also on what you may be missing.

I hope this covers most of the fundamentals of camping and packing it right for the family. In essence, go have fun and spend some time together as a family outside. The take-away is to make a system that works for you with the things that you need to make it all fun.

What tips and systems do you and your family have? Would love to hear from you.

Summer family camping fun

Camping. Time in nature. Man, those are things I love. Those are things I grew up with in the 80s. Running through the woods without a care in the world. Roasting marshmallows over a wood fire. Sleeping in a tent. Those were the days growing up.

And that is the hobby and life that I wanted to pass down to the kids. Both theWife and I are pretty big campers. We have car camped and we have backpacked, and I have done mountain backpacking hunts. In essence, camping and the woods are elements of what makes me run.

We have camped in prior years with the kids. With the LittleBoy, we started him off a little before his first birthday. We went out for a one night trip. However, the next time we camped wasn't until the LittleGirl was almost one and the LittleBoy almost four. We camped for a night in our backyard. And then we went on a longer four day, three night trip with our parenting group. (More about this group in another post)

This year was the first time that both kids got to experience more of what camping is and it was great. We were able to go on three separate trips, each being four days and three nights, with one of them with the parenting group that we're a part of.

In the course of these three trips we learned some lessons. And we learned some ways to have fun that I would love to share with you.

On with the lessons:

1. Always write down anything you may need. Yes, we had a list but we took some things for granted and didn't bother to write them down. And guess what? We left them at home.


2. Plan for a variety of weather. We live on the West Coast of Canada, a place where weather is unpredictable and generally wet. It can get wet fast and camping wet ain't very fun.


3. Bring more snacks. I can't emphasize this enough. Kids love to snack and eat. And they tend to snack and eat more when they are out and about and being active little munchkins.


4. Just relax. No really, you really do just need to relax. You are on vacation. You really should just sit back and let the kids run wild in the camp.

Fun things to do that we want to share with you:

1. Bring your bikes. There is nothing more fun than just riding around the whole day. Cause you have a lot to explore.


2. Go on a hike. Pick a trail that is simple and easy for the whole family and just go. Best to pick a place you don't know, that way it's an adventure and experience.


3. Try Geocaching. There is always excitement when it come to scavenger hunts.


4. Make some s'mores. Yea, this one is a classic but it's a much loved classic.


5. Just run around in the woods. You never know what you may find and discover in the woods. Just make sure you know how to get back to camp or at least the kids know how far is too far to explore.

Hope this gives you some ideas and directions as you start dreaming of family camping trips. Also, stay tuned as I will be posting more about family and camping and how to pull it all off smoothly.

Our first sensory friendly movie experience

A couple weeks back, I realized that we had some movie vouchers coming up to their expiration. Watching movies as a couple was never really a big thing for theWife and I, although I do love watching a good movie every so often. Either way, with two young kiddos we have always struggled to make our way to the theatre. To make matters more complicated, the Little Boy has a huge fear of watching movies (can read here to catch up on possible reasons).

Even when we are at home, the Little Boy would either run away in fear, break down or have some other similar traumatic experience when we attempt to watch a movie. With this in mind, we generally just avoided TV and movies in general.

However, with the vouchers expiring, theWife and I decided that maybe if we brought the kids to the theatre, it would be a slightly better experience. So we searched the listing for possible films. We found that Cineplex has a special program every other month catering to people or families suffering from sensory sensitivity or autism. This was a special pilot program in partnership with Autism Speaks Canada. (More info here)

In learning about this program, we jumped on it. We hyped it up with the kids that we are off to see a special show. The Little Boy didn't seem to figure out it was a movie until part way through.

So how was the experience? Personally, I didn't feel it was much different than a normal theatre experience. I was expecting the lights to be dimmed but instead it was off as normal. However, I did feel that they toned down the speaker volume, which is good. Overall, I think the best part about the experience was the fact that there were no lines, no hustle and bustle of a normal theatre, translating to a smoother experience for the kids who may otherwise have been overwhelmed. Also, during the movie, it was comforting knowing that talking and kids' noises are tolerated and allowed. It was awesome being able to talk throughout the movie with the Little Boy and explain to him what is happening on the screen and calm any fears he may have.

Overall, it was an enjoyable experience. I think it is a great way for families to have a more casual viewing experience, akin to a home theatre. It is an excellent place to ease in anyone that may be uncomfortable with crowded and busy places, as theatres are prone to be. And it is awesome to see the staff so friendly to people with life challenges that are a bit different and willing to make accommodations. Hopefully this pilot program will continue and it will be rolled out to more theatres.