Seven Tips for First-time Tent Campers
If you’re a first time tent camping couple, let us show you the ropes! We absolutely adore an easy-going camping trip—sleeping in the woods, hiking some good views, and cooking simple meals over the fire. Here are a few tricks and tips we’ve learned along the way so you don’t have to learn them the hard way:
Buy firewood, don’t bring it.
Most campsites recommend that you buy firewood at the site (or at a nearby gas station) rather than bringing it from home. No, this isn’t a marketing scheme to make money off of you—it’s actually for environmental reasons. Bugs, fungus, and disease can live in the wood you bring, and when you’re transporting it from state to state, you could be spreading those diseases in a new environment. So, best practice is always to buy local wood to avoid harming the trees!
Book a campsite with a shower house
This of course isn’t a must-have. Maybe you want to go all in with this camping thing and you’re okay with a weekend without showering! Personally, we like to have the option, so we always prefer sites with available showers. And most shower houses are nicer than you’d expect, especially at national parks.
Take notice of “hike-in” sites vs. “drive-in” sites
We learned this the hard way. We booked a hike-in site, expecting that we couldn’t park near our site, but didn’t think it’d be too far off. However, it was between a quarter and a half mile walk to the site through the woods, and in the mud because the cistern at the top of the hill would get left on by other campers. We made due, but we also didn’t bring sealed bins for our food, so we had to haul our food back and forth from the campsite to our car every time we wanted to leave (so the critters/bears would stay away). Long story short, pack for the the type of site you book! We always prefer the drive-up sites so we have easy access to the car in case of a storm.
Bring sealable bins for your food
Like we said, sealable rubbermaid bins (on wheels if possible) are best for storing your food so you can leave it out at night, as well as a sealed bucket to keep your trash in if you don’t burn it. Having a yeti cooler on wheels is also a huge plus.
Invest in a car topper if you plan to camp a lot
We absolutely love our car topper (we thrifted it on Facebook marketplace for $40)! Packing in your topper will keep your car spacious incase you need shelter. We camped in South Dakota a few years back, and for two nights in a row strong thunderstorms came through the area. We didn’t have a car topper at the time, so we had to pack all of our gear into the front seat so we could sleep in the back of our Ford Escape with the seats down. It was a tight squeeze, but we made it work. The topper would’ve made it much more comfortable and saved us a huge hassle!
Don’t be afraid to invest in good gear
We love the idea of packing as minimally as possible, but there are a few items we’ve come across over the years that truly make camping a breeze. Check out some of our favorites here:
Leave your scented products at home
If you’re camping in the mountains, bears will be able to smell your food, and even the lotion in your hiking pack from far away. Try to avoid bringing fruity or flowery scented toiletries, perfumes, or lotions to prevent attracting visitors to your campsite. And regardless, just to be safe, it’s always good to invest in some bear spray just in case!
Check out our ultimate camping packing list here.