For many years, my motto was “Have tent. Will travel.” The kids knew that if they wanted to visit new places, they had to be willing to sleep in a tent. They’ve slept in tents in Quebec, New Hampshire, Tennessee, Florida, South Dakota, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and several other states. They even slept in tents when visiting the capitals of both the United States and Canada: Washington, D.C., and Ottawa. And when they wanted to see the ocean? Guess what–they slept in tents in New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia. While our need to cut traveling costs diminished as the children grew older and flew the coop, camping remains a great way to see the country on a budget.
So, what does it cost to camp?
The good news is that once you buy the essentials, camping costs are limited to the gas and tolls to get to your destination and the price of your campsite. I don’t count the price of food because you have to eat no matter where you are. Camp food doesn’t cost any more than the food you’d cook at home in your own kitchen.
Campsite rates vary. Many campsites at state and national parks are free, especially as you travel out west. In Ohio and Pennsylvania, most state park campsites are between $30 and $35 dollars a night. Private campgrounds offer more amenities and are usually a ten to twenty dollars more. The most expensive campground we’ve stayed in is Walt Disney World’s Fort Wilderness. Sites there range from approximately $80 (electric only) to $125 (full hook-ups). Fort Wilderness’s location, a mere boat ride from the Magic Kingdom, makes it a coveted reservation.
Disclosure: Some of the following photos are links to Amazon. If you click on one and purchase an item, I may receive a small compensation. There is no cost to you, and you are not obligated to click or purchase anything.
What do we need to start camping?
1. Tent
The most important piece of camping equipment you will buy is your tent. The type and size of tent you buy depends on your family and how you plan to camp. If you plan to backpack, you’ll purchase a small, light-weight tent. If you plan to stay in one spot, you can purchase something a little larger. Just remember that the bigger your tent is, the harder it will be to set up. And, keep in mind that a four person tent may fit four people, but it won’t fit four people AND luggage.
My tent cost around $60. I actually bought two of the same Coleman tents ten years ago. One of the kids stole (er…inherited) one of them, and the other we still have and use. Check the rating and reviews before you buy. Because we often camp in wooded areas, we always buy tents with reinforced floors. Here are a few of my top picks.
Coleman Sundome Series
At $66.06 on Amazon Prime ($99.99 regular), this Coleman Sundome 4-Person tent is a great bargain. It has a reinforced floor, good ventilation, and is light-weight and easy to set up. However, it is small. The center height is only 4’11”–the average adult will not be able to stand upright once inside.
The Coleman Sundome 6-Person Tent is a little larger and has storage pockets to hold small items. The center height is 6′ which allows many adults to stand up inside. It’s a mere $71.00 on Amazon Prime–less than one night’s cost in most hotel rooms.
2. Cooler
I truly believe that you can camp with just a cooler and a tent. You can even camp without a cooler if you plan your meals correctly. However, it’s nice to be able to bring along food that needs to be refrigerated (i.e. cooled). We had several coolers over the years, but the one that’s lasted the longest is our Coleman Xtreme 5 Day cooler with wheels. Ice does last longer in it if we’re not opening it a lot and don’t have it sitting in direct sunlight. We have no problems buying ice on Friday and having it last the entire weekend. Ours is the larger version.
3. Portable Stove or Grill
While you can always camp without a stove, it’s often much easier to bring one. Camp stoves range from tiny and inexpensive to the Cadillac versions. There are different sizes, different types of fuel, and different surfaces.
This Coleman two-burner propane stove is $55.99 on Prime ($79.99 regularly).
The Guide Series Powerhouse Dual Fuel Stove uses either Coleman liquid fuel or unleaded gasoline. It runs $99.99 on Prime.
The Coleman RoadTrip versions are $168.69 and $229.99 . One has two burners, and the other has three. They both fold up and have two small side tables. that slide in when not in use. We’ve used these for Boy Scout outings, and they are nice if they fit in your budget.
4. Air Mattress, Cot, or Sleeping Mat
If you’ve ever spent the night sleeping on the hard ground, you know the value of a good air mattress or sleeping mat. While my boys did have cots for scouts, the rest of us just made do with air mattresses. Whatever you do, make sure you have a battery-powered pump for your air mattress and batteries! You can find air mattresses to fit any budget.
5. Sleeping Bag
While you can just bring your regular bedding, it is nice to have a good sleeping bag. Some people love mummy bags. They are great for cold climates, but I feel constricted in them. I prefer the old-fashioned rectangular bags. We recently got a nice flannel-lined double bag (featured below). Make sure to check the temperature rating of the bag you choose. If you’re going to be doing any winter or higher-elevation camping, make sure your bag is rated for 20 degrees Fahrenheit or below. We’ve been in Yellowstone in June when it snowed every night.
Fun Extras: Camping Skillets, Pots, Pans, and Dishes
While you can take your everyday kitchen items, I love having dedicated camping gear. We use cast-iron skillets and pots to cook on the fire. A large coffee pot is great for heating water to wash dishes, as well as making coffee or boiling all sorts of food. I’m a sucker for pretty dishes and am really hoping one of our kids gets this red enamel ware set for us for Christmas.
Conclusion
With these camping essentials, your family can have so many adventures. The tent, of course, is the most important part of your gear and should be your first purchase. Once you have your shelter, work on obtaining other items to make your camping trips easier. You’ll have so much fun in the great outdoors!
Headed out on a road trip? Click here to find out what our family takes when we hit the road.
I am not so outdoorsy but the husband is! This post is helping me prepare so that I can accompany him.
What a great list for those who starting to camp for the first time!
Love your camping essentials! These are the things that we pack too when spending the night outdoors. One of the memorable experiences that I did with my family. Number one priority is definitely tent!
I really love your slogan, have tent will travel. It really is a cost effective way to do things on a budget.
Great guide for camping, my bf is into camping very much, he always does it with his friends
How I miss camping. I pitched my tent yesterday just to get that feel but the cicada sounds were missing.
these are all essentials. i did a lot of camping last year, and im planning to do again after the pandemic ends… btw, the dog is so cuuuuuuute!
We love camping, thanks for these great recommendations!!
Reading this make me want to go camping! I can’t wait!!! Thanks for listing down the important camping stuff to bring, because I have this tendency to overpack. 🙂
This is a great check list. I’m so ready for some camping adventures.
I like all the camping option products you share! Great to know!
I love this post. I go camping often, and I notice some people tend to overpack. My uncle won’t leave the house without a fully stocked RV, while me and my dad will hack it with a backpack, cooler and tent. Enjoy the simple things!
It’s been some time since I last went camping. There is something special to it, being close to nature. Well, it helps to know how to get organised for camping.
This is the perfect idea of adventure tourism. I always wished to try camping when traveling to certain destinations. But my co-traveler my wife has never been too excited.
Your list is absolutely complete for a family getaway. For me tent and sleeping bags are more then enough to have camping night
We love to camp. We also try to keep it super simple so we don’t have to bring our whole life with us!
I think camping is a good way to spend some quality time with you family. So many great lessons to learn. Love the tripod grill. Going to add that to my wishlist.
You would be surprised to know that I have never camped but we are soon planning a camping trip. And this post is my checklist. 😊
This is a great list of camping gear, I especially love the grill tripod. One of the best parts of camping is cooking over an open fire, but not all fire rings have a grate that you can use for cooking. Since I don’t have a portable grill I usually plan to cook dinners in foil packets next to the flame, but the tripod would give me so much more freedom with my camp meals.
We have a travel trailer, but your list is still helpful. We love camping with the family!
So enjoying moment. I sleep in tent when I was a scout. Thank you for sharing.
This post brought back good memories of camping at Disney! (We stayed at a KOA campground because everything else was full).
Nice one this is what I was looking for my first camping trip in coming Summer. I have got few of the essentials and need to get rest of them. It is so wonderful experience to spend time in nature and with family and make amazing memories for life time. Thank you for sharing this.
I miss camping! Do you have a preference of mat vs air matress? I never feel like I sleep that well when camping
We use an air mattress because we aren’t backpackers. I’ve tried cots, but they are too hard for me.
This is such a great informative post. I went camping for the first time as an adult last summer – we only went overnight and holy cow! I had no idea I needed so much gear. Saving this list to help me on my next camping trip!
Camping is the best! Just love cooking over a campfire with cast iron pots and pans, somehow everything turns out so yummy. That cooking rack with a stand looks amazing, and would come in handy, I must check that out!
35$ a night is amazing + sounds like you had alot of fun with the family!
Children and holidays in tents is so much fun, and while we are not traveling a good excuse is to sleep outside in our tent in the garden during summer time 🙂
Awesome compilation of must haves. We are still in the early stages of starting a family so saving money is on our minds always. This list with links makes shopping around a breeze. The pictures are adorable as well 😍
Love these camping tips! We are heading up to the Asheville area next weekend. The tripod grill is awesome, i’ve never seen one before!
Asheville is such a beautiful area. We were there two years ago (hotels that trip though).
Camping is the best! Nothing beats spending time out in nature and all that fresh air. There are so many great lakes to camp at around where we live, we haven’t tented for a long time though, prefer a hard roof over our heads. Spoiled campers, I think it is called ‘glamping,’ lol.
We keep looking at campers. If the right one comes along, we may upgrade. It’s getting harder to sleep on the ground as we get older.
you should make more cmaping blogs im going camping this weekend
Love you list of supplies and the burger rack is super cool. I bet that makes campfire cooking super easy, I could see that being really useful.
i would suggest bringing hatchet/axe incase there isnt any resonable sized sticks on the ground,some camping lights,portable battery,a pocket knife,bug spray,water bottles,stuff for the kids to play with,an emergincy phone, hiking sticks,and books
Five years ago we started only with a tent, air mattress, and sleeping bag. I think that the grill and the camping skillets are not so necessary to start camping 🙂 The most important is the desire to do that :))))
Honestly, that’s the way we did it too. My oldest son and my daughter-in-law asked for camping gear for wedding gifts which was a great idea. I actually should have put a cooler on the list. I may have to go back and edit!
Great camping checklist! This makes me miss tent camping which we did so much growing up. Then I met my husband who has never tented… only camped in trailers. Well there went me kids sleeping in tents dream. Lol. I’m sure when the kids get a bit older we will get them in tents. I can’t wait! ❤️