Camping for Beginners (Our 5 Best Tips) + Print Your Camping Checklist

Last updated on December 22nd, 2024 at 02:17 pm

Looking for ways to spend more time outside? Camping is a great option!

If you’re new to camping, check out our camping for beginners tips and free printable checklist.

Camping might not be for everyone. But, if you’ve been looking for ways to get your family outside, it’s an excellent option!

It’s not complicated. Part of the beauty of camping is the simplicity. But as a beginner, camping can feel like quite the feat.

A little bit of advice from veterans like myself and others around the ‘net will go a long way in making your first camping adventure a successful one!

Camping for Beginners

Start Simple.

You haven’t gone camping before, or maybe you haven’t since childhood. But now you’re excited to embrace the rugged life!

Before you go buying all the high-end gear, draining your bank account for a pastime you’re not even sure your family will enjoy, start simple.

Borrow basic supplies from your outdoorsy friend — tent, sleeping bags, foam mattresses, a tarp, flashlights, fire starters, camping utensils, etc.

Go for a Trial Run.

A week away in the wilderness is not the way to introduce your family to camping. Especially if you have littles with you, keep your first (and maybe second and third) camping trip short and close to home. In fact, the backyard is a great place to start!

Practice setting up the tent, starting a fire, and cooking over the fire. Sleeping all night in the tent without sneaking inside at all hours is something worth practicing, as well as surviving without the electronics for a time.

Scope Out Campsites.

When you’re ready to dive in to some more rugged camping, make sure you know where you’re going. There are so many fun places to camp with kids no matter where you live. 

Choose a campsite that fits your family. Is it kid friendly? Pet friendly? What type of facilities does it offer — toilets, showers, playgrounds? Is there a lake or hiking trails?

As a beginner, you’ll want to make sure there’s a town nearby in case dinner over the fire doesn’t turn out, or you need to grab some extra supplies.

You’ll also want to take note of the way the campground is set up, as some have the campsites very close to each other while others may have you hidden in the woods.   

Plan Your Meals.

Hopefully, you’ve practiced cooking some meals over the fire at home. As a newbie, keep the meals simple — ramen noodles, hot dogs, oatmeal, scrambled eggs.

But just because you’re camping doesn’t mean you can’t eat well! Check out this list of mouth-watering campfire dishes when you’re ready to tackle a more elaborate meal plan. To simplify your camp cooking, grab something like this Primus Stove to take along with you. You’ll be grateful for camping cookware as well.

Make a List.

Like any trip you go on, you’ll want to make sure you have everything you need. Here’s a list to help you out. We’ve left you a few blank lines to add in your own items. 

Just click the image below to print the page (letter-size) on cardstock, or use your printer’s settings to fit it to your page. (You can use the setting “fit to printable area” or set margins to zero/borderless printing to get a perfect fit.)

To make these pages reusable, just print, and then laminate the pages with a laminator like this one. Then use dry erase markers.

Now Go Camping!

The best way to graduate from novice camper to veteran is to go camping! It’s an adventure for the whole family that is worth embracing.

Happy camping!

Do you have any other “camping for beginners” tips to share? Leave us a comment below.

Photo credits: Leon Contreras on Unsplash and Jonathan Forage on Unsplash