I love love love getting out in nature and stargazing around a campfire. We go camping multiple times every summer. It’s an easy and quick get-away that we can do that doesn’t cost a ton, and gets us out of the house in the summer. We are lucky to live in Utah where there are plenty of campsites within a two hour drive of Salt Lake City. There is also a good variety of desert type camping and forest camping.
We have a small trailer, but are very experienced in tent camping. We swore we would never get a trailer, but it eventually happened. We did go small though for ease of towability and parking it places. The mistakes I’ve made camping mostly relate to tent camping though so this is good info for those who are beginners to camping and who will be using a tent.
Mistake #1
- Not bringing warm enough clothes. When camping up in the mountains, due to the elevation gain, it gets cold at night. At least it gets cold at night for most of the months of the year with the exception of maybe July and August. We like to camp in spring and my husband hunts during the fall. I have failed to bring warm enough clothes camping more times than I can count. So my tip is to always bring a hoodie/sweatshirt, jeans and thick socks. Also pack layers so you can build up as the sun sets. If you are camping in early spring or late fall you might also want to bring a coat.
- I like high quality materials like non-mulesed merino wool shirts, and wool socks for warmth and breathability.
Mistake # 2
- Inappropriate Shoes. I have been known to bring flip flops or cute sandals camping and have always lived to regret it. Camping is not really a fashion show, it’s all about comfort. I have since bought a nice pair of Merrill hiking sandals that I will bring, and a pair of sneakers as well. Sometimes I will bring a sturdy pair of slippers to wear at bedtime. The key with slippers is to make sure that you have a hard sole on them, so you aren’t stepping on sticks and branches in a soft slipper bottom.
Mistake #3
- Buying New Gear and Not Testing it First. I don’t know how many tents we have gone through in all our years of camping. So Many! We have made the mistake of buying a new tent on the way out of town, and not having all the pieces in the box, or not having the right equipment to set it up. So if you are new to camping, you will definitely want to set up your tent and mattress pad before you go.
- Set it up before you go, and make sure to bring all the right gadgets with you, like tent stakes
- Don’t forget batteries. We have brought a battery powered air pump for our mattress and forgot to bring the batteries for the air pump. I will tell you that blowing into an air mattress with your breath, to get it full enough to sleep on will leave you light headed and winded!
Mistake # 5
- Kitchen Gear. I have forgot a spatula, serving spoon and sharp knife I don’t know how many times. While you can certainly cook with plastic spoons and forks in a pinch, they do melt real easy. I also like to bring cast iron pans camping. Cast iron pans are really durable and non-stick when seasoned appropriately. Also you can use them to cook over the camp fire without worrying about ruining them. Just rinse with water, give them a bit of a scrub to remove food particles and you are good to go. No need to use soap on a cast iron pan, in fact you really don’t want to use soap because it can break down the seasoning on the pan.
- Do bring a Cast Iron Pan or a Cast Iron Dutch Oven
- Spatula– A metal spatula works best for cooking over a fire.
- Knife: I own this foldable knife, which folds up to keep the blade nice and sharp
- Big spoon- I like a silicone spoon for camping
Mistake # 6
- Don’t base all your cooking off a campfire. This one really depends on where you live. In Utah we have fire restrictions most of the summer months, and sometimes you can’t have any fire at all. So make sure you are bringing a camp stove to cook on in case you can’t have a fire. This is also helpful for breakfast. It doesn’t make sense to start a fire in the morning to cook on, then have to put it out and wait for it to cool down before you can leave the camp for the day. See my below for my all time favorite dutch oven camp recipe, King Ranch Chicken, which is like a mexican lasagna.
- Make this recipe in a large dutch oven
Mistake # 7
- Book in Advance. I have found that ever since Covid, you have to book campsites months in advance. Luckily we live in a state with a lot of public land and you can camp for free on BLM land. The caveat to this is you don’t have running water, trash or hookups. So if you are looking for a built up campground with amenities you will likely have to book months in advance. I have found that we do a mix of public land boondocking and campgrounds. So early spring I will log onto recreation.gov and book a couple of weekends throughout the camping season, in advance. The rest of the time we will camp on public land, without hookups.
Mistake # 8
- Forgetting a tie up for our Dog. We of course take our Weimaraner camping with us everytime we go. Campgrounds require dogs to be tied up, and we have forgotten a tie up countless times and had to use a leash. A leash just isn’t long enough for our big boy to move around camp on. So now I have several tie-ups and keep one in our trailer and usually my husband also has one in his truck.
Mistake #9
- Not putting away camp gear in the same spot. I love big plastic totes for storing all of our camp gear in. This keeps everything you need in one place so you are less likely to forget something. I have a camp knife, and kitchen gear all just for camping and store it all together. If I am washing items when I get home I will keep them all in a pile until I’m done cleaning, then put them away at the same time.
- I also make a list when we are camping of items we need more of for the next trip. This list you can store with your camp gear so you will know what you need to buy before your next trip.
Mistake # 10
- Forgetting Bug Spray and Sunscreen. I get eaten alive by mosquitos, so this is a big one for me. Never underestimate the power such a tiny little thing has to make your trip really uncomfortable. Bonus, bring citronella candles for dusk, when mosquitos are at their worst. These citronella outdoor insense sticks will also work. Or you can sit in the smoke of the campfire as well for some bug protection, but a spray is where it’s at. If you live in an area with ticks, a DEET bug spray is your friend. I like the smell of the natural bug off oils but they don’t really work at keeping bugs away.
- Suncreen is another big one. Being at higher elevations and being outside all day means sunburns happen much quicker. I like to use this sunscreen, it is from Australia, and recommended by dermatologists that I know.
Bonus Tips
- Bring a tarp and tie ups, you never know when it might rain or even snow on you and a tarp comes in handy for shelter. We have been camping in the late spring and had it snow on us overnight, luckily we had a tarp strung up and it saved our camp chairs from being buried under a blanket of snow.
- Pop-up tent canopies are also really nice to have, but they are big and heavy and take up room in your car, so if you are limited on space a tarp is a good backup.
- Make a list of all the things you will need so you don’t forget something.
- Bring more ice than you think, it tends to melt fast. Also store your cooler in the shade during the day to minimize the meltage.
- Set your tent up in a spot with morning shade. You will thank me when the sun comes up at five am and starts heating your tent up. I have woken up so many times thinking that I was in the bowels of hell because the inside of the tent gets so hot!
I hope this helps, and happy camping!
- Beck
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