The Family Camping Trip Does Not Have to Cost a Fortune

Taking your family camping should not be some dream that you keep saying, "some day we are going to go do this with the kids." If you keep doing that you may find the "kids" will have kids of their own before you get the chance.

There are many reasons why families put off the family camping trip but time and money are probably the two biggest ones. Families either never have the time or never have time together. Money, of course, is self explanatory. Few people have extra money nowadays. Yet these reasons are not good enough excuses to justify squandering your little one's childhood years.

Half the problem is that most people seem to think they must have all the luxuries of home when they go "camping" and they spend money accordingly. Many "campgrounds" have become nothing more than trailer parks where people drag small mobile homes around to or drive large monstrosities into. Gee, you wonder why you cannot afford a vacation when what you are driving gets half a mile to the gallon going downhill.

Even those who "rough it" in tents tend to start thinking they have to have a lot of expensive luxuries. After all, we simply must have a campsite with piped in water so we will not have to carry it from somewhere else, now don't we? Oh and there has to be electricity so that we can recharge the cell phone, lap top computer, and power the air conditioning unit for the tent (no, that is not made up, check the Cabela's catalog, they do have tent AC units). Those little utilities cost extra at most campgrounds but oh well, it's just money. Not to mention the cost of a tent AC unit to begin with.

Then we have the propane powered stove/oven/coffee maker. You will never actually use half of the crap on that thing and it cost $230 but it sure looks good. Of course your tent has to have a screened porch and three separate rooms. Don't forget the "gear loft" and plenty of hanging pockets, you might want to stuff all your trinkets in every single one. You will have to have a propane powered mosquito repeller, those cost about $120. Better yet go for the electric bug zappers. Why not, you are getting the campsite with electricity for your cell phone, lap top and AC anyway. What is one more convenience?

Inside the tent you are going to need either folding cots, the kind with mattresses or why not just go with an inflatable bed? Sure you will have to bring an air pump which will be loud as a Boeing 747 on take off but who cares, just turn the portable TV your kids brought up to cover it up. You don't want to be uncomfortable. Of course those cots cost about $50-$80 each and the airbeds will run you around $100 but hey, it is just money, right?

Wait, we forgot cooking, wouldn't want to cook outdoors would we? Nope, have to have a separate screened enclosure for the cooking area. Those run between $75 and $200. You will need to buy a special set of "camp cookware" at the wholesale membership club. It cost you $130 but you bought it at the membership club so it simply must have been a deal, right? (Yeah, and I have some nice ocean front property to sell you in Nevada!)

You now have all you need for your family camping trip only you cannot afford to go because you are flat broke! Good job buddy. Oh, you will need a tractor trailer to haul all of it, if you try to pack it into the family minivan you will not have space left over for your children.

Here is a little secret, you do not need half that junk. Camping can be simple and relatively cheap. The three biggest expenses are food, gas, and the actual cost of the campsite. Remember, it is about having fun with your family not about upstaging the neighbors. You will need a few basic items, a good, basic tent, sleeping bags and some basic cooking supplies are really about it. Remember the KISS principle, Keep It Simple Stupid. Unless you are camping in some unusually hostile environment it really is simple.

This is the first of several articles I will be writing on family camping. Each one will look at a different aspect and give some helpful advice from a long time camper, both campground/family and backpacker. The first key rule I can give you is this, "money never replaces common sense."

Good luck with your family camping and I hope you find these articles useful.