Pack For A Camping Trip To Reveal The Perfect Tiny House!
There's a lot of conveniences that come with living in a standard house or apartment. For one, there's no rifling through the trunk of a car looking for that one thing that always happens to be hidden under pretty much everything else. And most definitely, a fridge isn't going to be there to provide munchies when those midnight snack cravings start kicking in. There's going to bug bites galore. Also, almost everyone's experienced sleeping in a tent at night without being prepared for how cold it gets at night.
But there's something charming about camping that keeps us going year after year despite all the inconveniences. Something about 'unplugging' and enjoying nature and the company of others. Cooking hot dogs and marshmallows on an open fire.
Tiny houses are kind of the best of both worlds. Tiny houses will have heating and electricity and other utilities that camping tents typically don't have. They'll also let one de-clutter, since the storage in a tiny house is very obviously limited. Finally, a reason to throw out those 'maybe' still working batteries that have been in the kitchen drawer since 2005. If being off the grid sounds appealing, tiny houses are potentially a good solution for that.
Pack for a camping trip and we'll reveal the perfect tiny house to live in.
How long will the trip be?
First things first, you have to decide how long you're going to be on your camping trip. Three days versus 2 weeks is a huge difference in planning and packing! It's never a good thing when you're in the middle of the trip and run out of something because you didn't think you'd need that much.
What kind of bedding?
There's a few options for bedding you can take on your camping trip. If you want to pack light, sleeping bags might be the best fit for you. If you're more concerned about comfort, there's a wide assortment of portable mattresses you can take with you.
Snacks?
No good camping trip is good without snacks. You'll need them during the drive to the camping site, when you're actually camping and for when you drive back. No one's a happy camper when they've got the munchies!
Pick something extra to bring!
Pick something that's not essential to bring on the trip with you - it can be anything you like. It could be something to do during your camping trip or basically something that reminds you of home. Anything works here, but remember to consider the size of the item(s) you're bringing.
Entertainment?
You'll want something to do during the day. There's not much point to camping if you're just going to sit on a chair in the campgrounds all day! There's never nothing to do - otherwise there wouldn't be anyone going camping every year!
What to live in?
Camping doesn't need to be all about tents. You could live in an RV or even a cabin out in the woods. Checking the weather forecast before you go is a good way to decide what you should live in.
Which toiletry is most important?
When you're out camping, your access to toiletries is pretty limited. If you forget something at home, you're pretty much out of luck unless there's a town within quick driving distance. Which one of the following is one you absolutely couldn't go without?
Pack for canoeing?
Camping comes with a lot of great activities you normally can't really do back home - canoeing is one of them. Solo or paired, it can be relaxing to drift around on a lake. Or to race your friends and end up getting soaked in the process.
Pack for hiking?
Often, camping sites are situated near trails that are perfect for hiking and exploring nature. You might even see some wildlife, like caribou or bears. Pro-tip: always keep your distance, always be loud! Bears are faster than you think and herbivores can be meaner than you think!
Get some lights!
This might be an easy thing to miss - lights. It might be summer and bright until 11 p.m., but it never hurts to have some lighting on hand. A campfire is great for warmth and lighting up the immediate surrounding area but you can't take a campfire without to the outhouse at 3 a.m.!
Prepare to meet a bear!
Hopefully, you won't come that close to a bear but it happens. If you're aware of your surroundings as you walk through nature, bear encounters shouldn't be an issue. Nothing in life is guaranteed though, so it's best to have a plan in case you do encounter one.
Night 1: What's for dinner?
You're probably going to be pretty hungry after being on your feet all day, unloading your gear and stuff. Hopefully you'll have remembered that you need to eat and have brought supplies accordingly. Pro-tip: cans are pretty much useless without a can opener.
Choose a fireside drink.
It's probably been hard work setting up your camping space and driving pretty much the whole day. Finally, after hours of being on your feet, everything seems to be done. Time to kick back and relax by the fire - what kind of drink do you want to kick back with?
Going fishing?
Fishing can be a pretty fun activity to do on a camping trip so be sure to pack some rods if that's your sort of thing. If you're short on food, catching some river fish can help with that. Make sure you get a license for fishing, though!
What about water?
Wherever you go on your camping trip, there isn't guaranteed to be potable water. No worries though, there's a number of ways around this - make sure to read up on the advantages and disadvantages of each before you go on the trip.
Night 2: What's for dinner?
So now that you've got the meal you're having for your first night camping settled, it's time to plan ahead for future nights. Eating mushrooms you found on the ground probably isn't the best idea, so be sure to bring enough food for however many nights you'll be staying.
What to eat for breakfast?
Though some of us are happy eating the left-overs from yesterday's dinner as breakfast, some of us might want something a little bit lighter. Take into account how quickly perishable foods will go off and eat this first if you plan to bring any!
Pick the most important item to bring from these choices.
Different people value different things. All of these items are useful in one way or another, but definitely reveal where your priorities lie! Of course, there's no reason why you can't bring all of these but just choose the one that pops out at you.
How about sunscreen?
Generally if you're going to be camping, you're probably going to be in the sun a lot. So then, is sunscreen something you want to bring? If lotion based sunscreens aren't your thing, sunscreen spray is a good solution for that - it gets your hands less gunky!
How about packing for bird watching?
Depending on where you're camping, you might want to bring a pair of binoculars and a camera to take pictures of birds. It might be boring for some people, but with enough patience, you can get some amazing shots in.
How to keep the mosquitoes away?
Mosquitoes are one of the more unpleasant aspects of camping. You never seem to notice that they're biting you until too late. Luckily there's a few different ways you can repel them so that you're not going to be itching and scratching all day and night.
How to deal with trash?
Here's a thing a lot of people don't remember to think about - you're probably going to make at least a bit of trash on your camping trip. Anything from empty soda cans to paper plates and empty tins. How're you going to deal with that?
Choose a late-night activity.
Just because the stars are out and it's dark out doesn't mean you have to go to bed just yet. Take the opportunity to do things you can't while you're in the city! There's plenty to do after dark - just watch your step.
Where to camp?
Camping isn't limited to just in the middle of forests, there's plenty of other camp sites that are situated near oceans and the like. Changing up camping locations is a good way to get a breath of fresh air from doing the same thing every year.
Pick a dessert to cook by the fire
Just because you're not at home with an oven doesn't mean you can't have dessert. If you can cook dinner outdoors then there's no reason why you can't cook dessert. You can surely work something out with a huge fire and some metal pans, right? Careful not to burn yourself.
