Growing up, I believe I remember camping exactly one time, maybe two. Trips as a child were often only to visit extended family not for the pure enjoyment of travel. Fast forward to married life and a husband who loves to camp. By association, I am loving it too. We have camped in tents, pop ups, fifth wheels, and bumper-pull campers. Currently, we own a pop up camper. To fully appreciate camping, there is some preparation that needs to take place. Follow along in this post to gain knowledge on what to do and bring when camping.

Camper

After selling our last camper, we have camped mainly in tents. Due to our desire to be outdoors but not totally roughing it, we purchased a pop up camper towards the end of last fall. With all the quick-fix and easy application materials available in today’s market, camper renovations are wildly popular. This Instagram feed is full of camper reno inspiration! To join in the fun, I have given our camper a little refresh. In order to fully appreciate it, you need to view the original look of our camper. Thankfully, there was nothing wrong with our camper and it was maintained by the previous owners in near perfect condition. Aesthetic changes were all that was needed for it to truly become ours.

Our camper can sleep six comfortably. One pop out side holds a king size bed, the other pop out side holds a full size bed, the dining table converts to a twin bed, and the L-shape couch converts to a twin size bed. Since we do most of our cooking and hanging out outside our camper, once we updated the look, we keep all its beds ready for sleeping.

Now, for what activities we like to participate in while camping, places we like to go, and what products I believe make camping more enjoyable, read on. I’ll intermingle pictures of our updated camper throughout.

Activities

On our most recent camping trip, we went tubing at Big Wills Creek Campground. Any type of outdoor activities multiply the fun of camping. Fortunately, our campsite was situated next to the creek and made for an easy commute from camper to tubing trail. Other activities we enjoy while camping are: sitting around the campfire, riding bikes, making s’mores, playing card games, and hiking nature trails. When visiting a campground, check out their website or their front office. Plenty of activities on site or nearby will be advertised. Many campgrounds include playgrounds, community activities, and nature programs available to participate in.

Campgrounds

In addition to Big Wills Creek, we have visited several campgrounds nearby that do not require long hours on the road. Our longest road trip to go camping thus far has been to Grayton Beach State Park. The good news of owning a camper? Air conditioning! I’m uncertain I would camp anywhere without a little air conditioning running in the background (and a heater in the winter). Grayton Beach has some of the best trails to go biking due to its connection to all 30A communities.

Tannehill State Park is another favorite campground of mine as well as Guntersville State Park. While Tannehill has a beautiful creek and a cool trade day once a month, plenty of deer can be seen typically at Lake Guntersville. Obviously, Alabama campgrounds are what I am most familiar with; however, your vehicle can take you anywhere you want to camp.

What to Bring

Time and experience has helped me accumulate a nice little “Must-Have” list for camping. I am all too happy to share my knowledge with you. Here are nine items that I feel make our camping experience a little more enjoyable. These items are linked in my LiketoKnow.it link included in the right sidebar.

Must-Have List for Camping

1. Solo Stove – Jeff received this for his Father’s Day gift this year and I must say, I am loving it! It is light weight, easy to get a fire going, and once it is cooled off and emptied, it can be carried in its own carrying case. Perfect for a cozy campfire or some impromptu s’mores.
2. Shoe Rack – Camping attracts a lot of dirt and debris inside a camper. To reduce the amount of dirt, I do not let my crew wear shoes inside the camper. Instead, shoes are housed neatly on a two-tier shoe rack.
3. Outdoor Rug – Isn’t it rough to step out of your camper onto the ground with no shoes on? Good question! Me and my crew do not have to experience a rough or dirty ground when we come out of the camper and put our shoes on because we have a nice outdoor rug placed in front of our door.
4. Mini Fridge – Some people say this item is cheating on camping and if that is true, I am totally okay with it. Jeff picked up a mini fridge at Bargain Hunt and at first I thought that was crazy because we have a tiny one inside the camper. Boy, was I wrong! This mini fridge has been amazing. Jeff simply plugs it up and sets it right outside our camper. It has been the biggest help with meal prep and storage.
5. Stringed Lights – You know how amazing it is at Christmas time when you can drive around and see all the beautiful lights on display? I’m telling you, you can experience the same thing in a campground. Each camper, RV, and tent seems to have its own calling card when it comes to outdoor lights. We like to string one set of our lights inside our pop up tent where we house our table and another strand of lights around the awning of our camper. I’ve linked up an extra long set so you might want to get a shorter length but I think the long string looks better.
6. Folding Table – A totable, folding table comes in handy while camping. We mainly use ours to house our microwave, toaster, and coffee maker. Hey, we never said we were roughing it while camping!
7. Mini Keurig – As mentioned above, we place a coffee maker on our folding table. Jeff purchased a mini-Keurig for me when I was teaching a couple of years ago. Now that I am back at home with the kids, we use the mini-Keurig on our camping trips. I love it!
8. Plastic Totes with lids – Storage totes are a huge help while camping. I like to use the ones that have a lock on the sides. We place storage totes under our camper in order to clear up space inside the camper. Non-pantry items such as ziplock bags, citronella candles, marshmallow skewers, tablecloths, aluminum foil, and so on are stored in one tote, another tote holds pantry items that we do not want racoons or other critters getting into, and another tote holds extra bedding. Thankfully, our camper has storage under all the seating areas to hold cooking utensils, small appliances, pots, and pans.
9. Wedding Tent – Why my husband and I call our outside tent a wedding tent is beyond me. Maybe it’s because it looks like one of those tents you would see at an outdoor wedding. Jeff sets up this pop up tent right beside our camper and we call it our “living room.” It holds our folding table, small appliances, and camp chairs for us to sit around and hang out.
10. ****BONUS**** I did not list this item on my LiketoKnow.it link but one item that Jeff purchased this year that has been a game changer for the middle aged woman that I am is… a portable potty. This may sound unpleasant; however, a portable toilet keeps you from trekking across a campground in the middle of the night to find a bath house.

If you have never attempted to camp, I hope this blog post has peaked your interest. If you are already a camper then I hope I have given you some ideas on how to improve your camping experience. Did I miss anything? Is there another facet of camping you would like to know more about, comment below. I would love to hear from you! And if you would like to read more about our travels, check out my blog post here for our recent trip to 30A!