Brittany On our journey to become Ultimate Outsiders, we’ve had to camp a few times. We do not have a fancy camper or RV, nor do we have any plans to purchase one. We tent camp. It takes a lot of planning, so I decided I’d help you out a little with a list of some of our favorite things to use, as well as other items that we plan to buy soon to make our experiences a little better.
Not only do we enjoy camping, we are millennial dog parents to our golden retriever Ruby. To answer questions or assumptions we get every time we take Ruby out. First off, she’s a girl so no she’s not a “good boy”, she’s the very best girl! Yes, she’s a golden not an Irish Setter. Yes, she’s “so red”. Yes, we did name her so perfectly. Yes, goldens are the absolute best dogs. So not only do we have camping things, we have camping with dog things.
On to the list. The most important thing is a tent. The one we use is excellent, it’s a four man tent which gives us plenty of room for two humans and a dog. It has screened in porch area before the sleeping part. We keep our shoes and a towel in that part to wipe off dirty feet and paws, so we don’t track in a lot of dirt to our sleeping area. It has a rain fly that came in very handy when it rained during our camping weekend in Devil’s Fork State Park. Since South Carolina can be super hot during the summer, we do not use sleeping bags. Rather, we use a mattress topper, with regular bed sheets, pillows, quilts, and blankets. That way we can layer covers for more warmth or have less for those toasty evenings. Because we use regular pillows, we actually forgot to pack them for our most recent trip. I plan to get these inflatable ones and keep them in our totes so they’re always ready to go. We have a fan to keep us cool on those extra warm summer nights, but it has to have a constant supply of power. This lantern and fan combo can be hung in the middle of the tent and is rechargeable.
Outside of the tent, we like to have a canopy to keep it shady if there aren’t a lot of trees. It was also a lifesaver, when it rained. Folding chairs are a must. We have a table, and we’ve used it and then brought it and haven’t needed to use it. It depends on how portable the picnic tables are. This folding one is very easy to work with. We always use the picnic table, but I won’t touch it until I cover it with these covers. After reading about people putting their poop tanks and sewer hoses on picnic tables, I will never touch a camping picnic table again! Putting the picnic table covers is the very first thing I do! We also bring a bucket to hold water so it’s not running all over the place and to help with dishwashing, at the end of the night we pour it on the fire before we head to bed. Another must is an extension cord as well as a surge protector or some type of plug that has multiple outlets.
For kitchen supplies, we bring an electric griddle, a single burner, french press, and a camping cookware. Those are the essentials, besides a good cooler. It’s also good to have a sturdy tumbler.
We keep most of our camping gear packed away in totes. We have one for kitchen supplies, and another for bathroom and miscellaneous. In our bathroom box, we keep quick drying towels, however these can be too small, so I’ve also packed Turkish towels. They’re lightweight, quick drying, and big. I pack all of our toiletries in a small container that we can take to the shower with us. All of my clothes go in the same sturdy canvas bag that I use as my beach bag, but I don’t want to lug that to the showers, so I put what I’ll need in the bathroom in a drawstring bag. We keep a first aid kit in our bathroom box, because accidents happen. We also bring hammocks in case we end up with some free time to rest or read. For nighttime, this lantern set is awesome.
Ruby has her own personalized bag for her camping supplies. It was ordered from Etsy, it is also a sturdy canvas material. We bring her normal slow feeder bowl. It brings her eating time from about 30 seconds to about one minute and 30 seconds. I wish I were kidding. We also pack her normal water bowl. We like to keep a portable bottle filled with water for when we go on an adventure (hiking). Since we order the large bags of dog food, a plastic cereal container is a handy way to transport dog food. We like to keep her in a harness when we’re on trips like camping. It’s safer, as she gets excited and pulls. It’s also safer for longer car rides, she has a seatbelt for car rides. Poop bags are a must, this pack has lasted us a while, and is still going strong. Since Ruby has longer fur and grass and leaves stick to her, I like to bring her brush. It was very helpful during our most recent trip as she was also shedding. We were able to get out the grass and dirt as well as the extra fur. Our parks allows dogs on a leash. Ruby is pretty good about staying in our campsite, so we bring a long lead and tie it around a tree. We just have to watch to make sure she isn’t too close to the road or bothering other campers. We have dog shoes and we have put them on her before (in an area with sand spurs) but we try not to unless the pavement is hot. We know that one way dogs cool themselves is through their paws, and we don’t want her to get overheated, but we also don’t want her to burn her paws. She is a great sport when camping, so we usually reward her with a bully stick during our trips. It must go in her bully stick holder, since they can be choking hazards when they get eaten down.
I think that just about covers it for us when we Goforth and Explore. What do you like to use on your camping trips? Did I leave anything out? I hope this list helps for your next camping adventure.
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