Getting Ready To Base Camp, For Beginners

If you're new to the base camping scene, it can be a little overwhelming. The bright side is these days, if you forget something, you're usually too far from a store that you can pick up a forgotten tube of toothpaste or a spare poncho. Base camping basically means turning your campsite into a mini-home outdoors, while spending the day doing fun activities in the area like hiking and fishing.


A few days before you plan to leave on your camping trip, you'll want to make a list of everything you'd like to have with you. Check ahead for the weather - even though it could change, and you really should have a few things for any change in weather such as those ponchos and rain flys for your tent(s), for the most part during the Summer, the weather should stay basically about what it's predicted. After you've created your must-have list (including everything from a tent to your evening snacks), sit down with the family and have your helpers round up everything, and be sure that the list has everything that your family needs.

Next, you'll want to choose your destination. With a bevy of National and State Parks, to campgrounds like KOA, you'll have plenty of choices no matter direction you decide to head out in. During the Summer months, most campgrounds can be very busy, so I suggest that you make reservations for the first few nights. If you are planning a longer trip, you can always decide whether you want to stay at that particular site upon arrival, or if you'd like to move on to another campground. Weekends are usually the busiest, so if you plan to arrive on a Friday or Saturday, reservations are usually a must unless you are camping at a very out of the way place.

After you've decided where you're going, take a moment to Google the park. Some allow pets, some don't - and some campgrounds that are attached to RV parks may be for the 55 and up crowd. You'll also want to find out whether you can bring in firewood, or if there is a ban on bringing wood from outside the park due to pests - or even if there have been problems with bears and cougars recently! Most campgrounds and parks will have all this information available on their website. If a burn ban is in effect, be aware that you'll either want to have an alternative way of cooking besides a campfire, or plan on no-cook meals.

Bring a pop-up trashcan and trashbags. You'll need a place to dump your trash throughout the day, and not all parks will have trashcans very close to the tent sites, simply because of wildlife. Having the pop up bin means you can easily take it to the dumpster or trash can just before dark. It's a convinence item for base camping as it's called, but it comes in handy - especially with kids.

Don't forget your paper map of the area. GPS's can be wrong, and sometimes they don't work. Having a paper map and a compass could help save your life!