*Disclosure: Affiliate links may be included. All opinions are my own.*
So – I have a secret…or a not really secret but I’ve never really camped much. I did a little before I had kids but I don’t remember much beyond the fact that we camped in a tent a few times. Then, over the last few years, we’ve been so lucky to have a camper to take across the country on some trips. We went to the Grand Canyon where we stopped at Mesa Verde, the ocean, Yosemite and Sequoia and a ton of other stops along the way. The next year, we went to Montana and visited Glacier and also into Wyoming to see Yellowstone and Grand Tetons. The next year, we went to Michigan and stopped at pretty much every single beach or swimming spot of any kind that we could find. We made up the entire trip on the way and it was so fun! Well, the camper isn’t an option anymore and I’m a single mom so camping in a tent is what we can afford to do if we want to keep traveling – and we do! We actually have a trip planned to go out to Ohio next year and we are so excited about it! In the meantime, I’m over here gathering some necessities.
To start with – if we want to tent camp – we need a tent, right? Well, a client gave us a tent and a camp stove earlier this year. We had the opportunity to try the tent out recently. In October, my daughter and a friend both turned thirteen and they wanted to take the horses camping for their birthday celebration. We made it happen and it was a blast! I was a little intimidated because I had no clue if I could figure out how to use the tent but we did it! I packed up a ton of blankets to make sure we didn’t freeze since none of us had any sleeping bags. We stayed warm enough and had an absolute blast! The best part was – the kids woke up the next day and excitedly said, “We want to do this again next year but for two days with all of the same people!” 
So, now I’m shopping for a few more things to get us ready for our trip. Working on some sleeping bags for all four of us, some sleeping pads, and a cast iron pan for cooking over the fire. That’s what we are getting for Christmas this year, camping gear!
If you are a camping family – what are your must haves or tips to make this a fun and memorable experience for us? Any must see places in Ohio? We are for sure going to Hocking Hills but after that, not sure what all we will do yet. I love the Roadtrippers app so what do I need to add to our things to do on vacation list?
