Camping with kids

A long time ago, I was a wild and carefree camper. I ventured into the farthest reaches of wilderness areas, canoed wild and rapid-filled rivers, and spent many a night in a snow-covered wilderness camp. Then one day, I woke up and realized I had two children, and we needed to go camping together. I had wilderness and car camping down, but how does one successfully take kids camping? (To clarify: car camping is when the car transports the camping gear to the campsite, and backwoods camping is when people transport the gear} Camping with kids became of my best camping experiences. With peak camping season beginning it's time to plan some car and backwoods camping trips with kids. 

Successful camping trips with kids requires good planning whether the trip is to a state park or to a wilderness area like the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness{BWCAW}. The trips should be short and simple. There should be multiple options for activities while on the trip, and the kid or kids should be able to help in deciding what activities that will occur while camping. It's also important to keep to the routines that the children are used to at home in terms of eating, napping, and bedtimes. Car camping and backwoods camping with kids are very similar in structure and organization, but backwoods camping requires more detailed planning and logistics since everything gets carried in and out by people and the remoteness makes emergencies more complicated. 

When taking kids backwoods camping, the parent takes on a role more like a guide than a co-equal member of a wilderness group. Trip planning with kids requires considering their needs and abilities at their age. Both of my daughters traveled to the BWCAW when they were five years old. Planning these trips began two years prior, when Marissa, my oldest daughter, toddled up to my dad and me as we were loading our gear for a BWCAW trip and asked, “When can I go to the Bounty Waters?” I replied “That’s a good question.” After a bit of thought, I told her "when she was five years old". It proved to be a good choice. Before Marissa's first trip, our BWCAW trips were travel-oriented affairs with lots of paddling and portaging with a new camp every night. For this first kid trip, we planned a trip with one portage, a short paddle across a smaller lake, and a base camp. The area also had several hiking trails and a waterfall to play in so we had a variety of potential kid-friendly activities. We also planned a three days/ two nights in the BWCAW rather than the seven to ten-day trips we usually spent in the backcountry. 

In addition to having a kid-friendly trip, we also wanted Marissa to be a participant in the trip and to learn skills that would then be used in future trips. This is where knowing the child’s skills and ability levels is really important. Marissa got two packs to carry on portages, one contained her rain gear, water bottle, and some small items like skeeter spray and a head net. The other larger pack held her sleeping bag and sleeping pad. She was able to carry some necessary gear while contributing to the workload on the trip. When we got to the portage, and were unloading our gear, Marissa immediately put on her packs and took off by herself down the trail. We had to call her back so we could accompany her on the portage to make sure she didn’t get lost. 

The following year, my youngest daughter, Elise, turned five years old and also took her first trip to the Boundary Waters. The previous trip with a kid was so successful that again Grandpa and I went to the same put-in point and camped on the same lake as we did with Marissa. Having two adults and one child on these trips was great as one adult could attend to camp chores like cooking supper over a fire whilst the other adult engaged with the kid. Being engaged with the child could mean playing a game, helping them gather firewood or pine cones for doing dishes, or just watching them explore the surroundings. One camp task Elise worked hard at was helping to hoist up the food bag on a tree branch to keep the red squirrels and bears out of our food. 

Prior to going to the BWCAW, both girls had been on many car camping trips and numerous outdoor day trips. On the car camping trips, they learned that setting up camp had to be done before it was time to play. When they were toddlers helping set up camp meant handing out stakes for the tent or carrying light things into the tent. As they got older camp chores became more extensive. The girls set up cots, organizing the inside of the tent, while the adults set up the outside gear and cooking area. The ultimate payoff came on what has turned out to be our last BWCAW trip together. (College and careers have gotten in the way}. On the portages, all I had to carry was the canoes, and in camp, my daughters told me to go gather firewood while they set up camp. They even did some of the cooking over the fire. 

Food is a very important consideration in any backcountry trip and especially so with kids. When car camping, loading up on snacks, and s’mores to keep little tummies happy is easy. When venturing into the backcountry, the ability to carry foods is limited so getting the right foods is critical. I went on a hike as a backup group leader with a group of late elementary-age kids and some parents. I wasn’t involved with the planning. For snacks/lunch food, the kids filled their pockets and packs with candy. Lots and lots of candy. The kids on the hike were soon into the sugar buzz/crash cycle and had a very difficult time completing the hike. Fortunately there are some time-tested foods that are perfect for backcountry dining and day grazing. On our trips, breakfast with kids consisted of instant oatmeal and tea. The flavored oatmeal means a kid can find a flavor they like. Lunch/ grazing time foods usually included trail mix, homemade jerky, dried fruit, and granola. These foods were always available during the day and the kids could snack when hungry. Suppers were freeze-dried camping meals or more often boxed foods like beans and rice. 

Kids have routines for eating, sleeping, and napping. It is important to keep to these routines as much as possible when camping, even if some activities have to be delayed. Tired hungry children will not have fun camping, and neither will the parents. If one or more kids are still in diapers a system for handling diapers must be worked out. This is especially critical if taking the child on a backwoods trip since Leave No Trace means the diapers must be packed out at the end of the trip. Small stuff can make a big difference in the comfort of the child. Bug spray, sunscreen, sting ease, a few favorite toys or small stuffed animals can help to increase personal comfort and a sense of security on the first few camping trips. 

The main goal when taking a kid or kids camping is for the kids to have fun. Keeping trips short, having choices for the child  I.e. do you want to go for a walk, go swimming, or look for butterflies after breakfast. The adults need to be flexible. Sometimes a hike may turn into a chipmunk or turtle-watching session that takes up most of the morning or afternoon. 

Hiking, canoeing, and other outdoor fun day trips, before a camping trip also help kids adjust to camping even before the trip. Another fun activity is to pitch the tent in the yard and let the kids play in it so they are familiar with being in a tent. The first night of sleeping in a tent can be scary so familiarity is a good way to make it less scary. 

Finally, normal rules and discipline procedures apply to camping trips. It was somewhat rare, but occasionally one or both of my kids had a time-out while camping. The rules and discipline are critical to protect the health and safety of the child. Adults will recognize dangerous situations before the children and the kids need to listen when being told no. One of my daughters was swimming in a very cold lake and having a super fun time. She was getting so cold her lips were getting a blue tinge. She refused to leave the water when requested multiple times. I playfully waded out and picked her up, and sat her down on the beach. She was then informed that she was in time-out until she warmed up.

Some of the greatest family times have been on camping trips with my daughters. The right planning and having the goal of the kids having fun and helped to make these trips very memorable.