What Are Your Favorite Things to Take Camping?

Bug spray, sunscreen, bikes, card games, lighter fluid, water shoes, camping chairs, hammock.
One year, my 4 year old was really scared of firefighters, so we took a book about them and showed her the pics and spent the whole evening talking about what to do/what not to do should there be a fire and she really got it. It was an amazing night until she went to sleep and I got too drunk and got wrapped up in my chair somehow and fell into the fire, lol. Ah, memories!

Fishing gear, sunscreen, glowsticks, and vodka ;)

bubbles
playing cards
benadryl and also some kind of anti itch lotion because invariably someone is going to get bit by something
batteries
radio/boom box
word searches
bottle water
first aid kit
peanut butter
trail mix
pretzels
flip flops

My motor home.....so I have an option!

Blessings....

Here is my list... it is long but I live by this list when getting ready to go camping. I do delete/cross off items that I will not need on a certian trip.

Shelter and Bedding
__ blanket
__ chairs
__ mallet/hammer
__ mat/air mattress
__ pillow
__ rug
__ sleeping bag
__ small folding table
__ table cloth
__ tent/poles/stakes
__ tarp

Clothes
__ hat/cap
__ jeans/pants
__ laundry bag
__ rain poncho
__ shoes/boots
__ shorts
__ socks
__ sweater/jacket
__ swim suit
__ t-shirts
__ underwear

Personal Hygiene
__ toothbrush
__ toothpaste
__ washcloth
__ towel
__ soap
__ comb/brush
__ nail clippers
__ razor
__ toilet paper
__ insect repellent
__ sun screen
__ tissues
__ chap-stick/lip balm

Food (keep all food in the car locked, helps keeps animals away)
__ cooler
__ bread
__ butter
__ cheese
__ fruit
__ ketchup
__ meat (sandwich, hamburger, brat and so on)
__ mustard
__ snacks
__ vegetables
__ water/juice/tea/coffee
__ ice (Freeze water in empty water bottles and plastic milk cartons. Be sure to only fill each container 3/4 full because of expansion. Place the frozen containers in your cooler to keep your food fresh, and when the ice starts to melt it can be used for cooking and drinking)

Cleaning Items
__ small broom/dust pan
__ dish pan
__ dish soap
__ dish rags
__ pot scrubber
__ paper towels
__ plastic trash bags

Chuck Box Items
__ salt and pepper
__ seasonings
__ cooking oil
__ pot holders
__ can opener
__ matches/lighter
__ tongs and spatula
__ aluminum foil
__ measuring cups
__ plastic silverware
__ paper plates/bowls
__ plastic cups
__ pie iron(s)
__ hot dog sticks
__ zip lock bags
__ knives
__ cutting board
__ bottle opener/corkscrew
__ knife
__ big spoon
__ grill & propane

Miscellaneous Items
__ binoculars
__ bird guide
__ bungi cords
__ camera
__ candles
__ cards, games
__ cell phone
__ clothes pins
__ compass
__ duct tape
__ fishing gear
__ flashlight/latern
__ Frisbee
__ pen and paper
__ rope
__ whistle
__ first aid kit
__ sewing kit
__ clasping backpack
__ radio

An AC pump for inflating the air mattresses, along with an extra long extension cord so I can easily add air to the mattresses as needed. Also a collapsible trash can (folds flat for easy storage in the camp bins & pops right up), a rubber door mat for in front of the tent (the heavy duty kind that won't get kicked around & dirt falls thru), and last but not least, an assortment of s'mores ingredients. Reese's PB cups are my fave, a close second being chocolate graham crackers & Andes mint thins.

Ear plugs! For those weekend nights were people don't know how to be respectful of others! I have a dehydrator so my meals are more creative and similar to what I would make at home. Of those there are a few that are asked for every time. Books! New ones the kids haven't read before. (my kids are big readers) Right now new games, kids are hitting an age where we need to upgrade to harder older games anyway so it has worked out well. A leatherman all purpose tool, new to the list is a tarp for firewood and scissors for the kitchen. Extra Batteries for cameras and flashlights. Tylenol and Ibeprophen.....so you can alternate doses if you need to. We car camp so I always bring way to much. We just came back from a trip, our first one with the kids were we weren't camping with friends who also had kids. And we hiked the whole time. So good hiking shoes are a must and sandals for airing out those piggies in camp! Make lists of everything! Just thought of one more must have! My husband's EPI Pen! And Protien bars are great for easy to carry extra calories and carbs to keep you going.

I don't take meat or fish with me. Raccoons and bears. Raccoons are the worst. For them I bring bear mace and spray when they attack our campsite.
They don't come back nor do their friends.
I take a couple of books for the children and a deck of cards. We have been rained out a couple of times. The worst in the San Juans. We have had the kids fish for dinner more than a few times.
We hike and do nature walks. Plant identification because it's a teaching experience. You don't say where you are going. We do different things in the desert, the mountains and the shore.
Each child gets a backpack as does each adult. Inside is an emergency blanket. That is a large metalic one with a colored side and a silver side. Two large black plastic bags, a lighter, two candles, a metal whistle. I teach them how many times they should whistle for a signal if they get lost or are in danger. The whistle is around their neck the whole day every day.
Never take pork as it is a magnet for bears who'll break your windshield or claw your car to bits to get at it.

My must haves are my camera and my pillow.

Foodwise; BLTs are just special camping. NO idea why. Oyster Shucking gear for coastal camping. Challah. Everything else is negotiable; but BLTs and Oysters on the half or BBQ'd open are required. Banana boats (bananas in tinfoil with marshmallow, chocolate, coconut, etc... stuffed into the hot ashes of a cooling fire to turn into melty deliciousness). MREs for emergencies.

Safetywise: Med kit, diving knife, bear mace, sat phone, maglight. Backcountry I bring firearms. Kid camping I don't.

Games: mancala, kites, climbing rope, henna, buckets, bacci

Our head lamps!! My husband, myself and my daughter all have headlamps.... we just wear them around our neck most of the time... but they have been a lifesaver sooooo many times. Having some light on your person is invaluable.

I like to get the plastic glow bracelets at the dollar store (the kind that you break and they light up). Always a hit with the kids!

Non stick spray for the grill.