great smoky mountains national park
We dropped everything last week and took a week-long camping trip to the Great Smoky Mountains.

I’ve seen quite a bit in the news lately about more families going camping this year due to the economy. It is an inexpensive way to vacation … if you already have your camping gear.

You might want to borrow some or most of what you need if you are trying it for the first time — or you might find you spend just as much! Some universities and camping outfitters rent gear, and Craigslist is a good resource for finding used tents. You don’t need much — err on the side of less and take an overnight trip to see how it goes!

Here are a few of my tips for camping with kids:

Kid Gear. Make sure your kids have versions of all your gear. Unless you enjoy walking through the woods looking ahead at your children wearing and carrying all your stuff. I have no trouble differentiating between photos of the beginning of the hike and the end of the hike; I simply check to see who is wearing my hat.

my hat .. my jacket .. my kidI am not willing to buy my children outdoor gear the same quality as mine. I will be wearing my fleece jacket for years to come. (When they’re not wearing it.) They will wear theirs one season. By the time they pay attention to labels, hopefully they will be old enough to get a job and buy their own stuff.

Forget about the Sponge Bob flashlight; your child would rather have the flashlight from the dollar store that looks like a “real” one. It’s cheaper, too.

(In fact, the dollar store is a treasure trove of “looks like mom and dad’s”. After finding atlases there, I realized I would never again open mine to negotiate a tricky detour only to hear a chorus of “CAN I SEE THE MAP” from the backseat.)

The boys do carry their own bags to entertain themselves in the car — see them here and here.

bug huntIf you are camping with other families, you may be tempted to do typical adult math like so: “Let’s see, we have seven kids so I will bring two bug nets, two flashlights, four bottles of bubbles…” However, camping is not like running a daycare. If one kid wants to catch bugs, they *all* want to catch bugs. Right now. I would rather have seven bug nets and fewer alternatives. This isn’t the time to teach kids how to share. Instead, appreciate how much they learn when they are all sharing the same activity together. (Also, so much more peaceful — especially if you remember to bring an extra one for when the inevitable occurs.)

21-month-old hiker with stickThe best camping toy is free and available on site; it is called “stick”.

Packing. Like most journeys, the advice stands: When you’re done packing, halve your stuff and double your cash.

I keep a camping list (it is a matter of fact that even disorganized people enjoy making lists that pertain to a favorite hobby) and I ruthlessly cull things we didn’t use on the last trip. All the stuff you don’t use is just keeping you from easily putting your hands on the stuff you do.

As it turns out, we need very little. Our outdoor toys are down to a collapsible nylon kite, a Nerf football, and a tennis ball.

Indoors, we entertain ourselves with travel Scrabble, travel chess, a deck of cards, and a single read-aloud book for the whole family.

Most of the time, of course, we are communing with nature. You won’t need to bring along too many entertainment props — most of the time you’ll be busy doing things you can only do while camping.

When packing clothes, eschew the normal “Mom’s bag, Dad’s bag, Jimmy’s bag, Susie’s bag” formula and pack like with like. One bag for swim stuff, one bag for cold weather gear, etc.

I pack cheap lightweight duffels with three outfits for each person. Pulling one bag out is immensely easier than four.

exploring a creek

State of Mind. The point of camping, in my opinion, isn’t to “rough it” but to realize what is essential and what is not. Don’t make the mistake of sacrificing comfort. Being cold, wet, and tired doesn’t make for a fun, memorable trip. Make sure you have something warm to wear even in the summer — mountain summits and early mornings are chilly. Make sure you have comfortable bedding and a good pillow — a good night’s sleep means a great day tomorrow.

Don’t treat necessities as luxuries — if you have to have hot coffee in the morning in order to be pleasant and enthusiastic about the day ahead, for goodness’ sake, make sure you have hot coffee!

Finally, to increase your enjoyment, lower your expectations. Lower them as much as possible. If you can, let them rest on the ground.

Much like the child who ignores the expensive toy and plays with the cardboard box it came in, children will enjoy themselves doing the simplest things. If you keep trying to force your idea of the experience on them, you may miss watching them make their own experience. Relax.

catching minnowsIf you are a camper, please share your tips in the comments!