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Now that I’m in my 40s and have a family, I’m less inclined to rough it when camping and more inclined to make it as comfortable an experience as possible.
When I was a young pup, I’d sleep in the back of my car, in a bivy sack on the side of a forest service road, or simply out under the stars. But that’s just not going to happen anymore, so why not make a campsite more like home?
I’m not suggesting you bring your king-sized bed and put it inside a tent the size of a tiny home, nor am I suggesting that you set up a giant screen and projector to have movie nights in the forest. But there are a few small things you can do that will make your campsite more comfortable during your stay.
Create an Outdoor Living Area
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One of my favorite “campsite more like home” hacks is to create an outdoor living space where we can hang out without worrying about getting dirty or getting a thousand mosquito bites.
I picked up an outdoor rug where we can put our camp chairs without kicking dirt all over the place. I added a quick setup gazebo with mosquito netting so we can concentrate on our card games without having to constantly swat mosquitoes away.
Add in a couple of camping side tables where we can put cold beverages, a battery-powered fan for those hot afternoons, and some solar-powered fairy lights for ambiance, and you’ve got yourself a fun place to hang out!
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How to Make Your Campsite More Like Home: Bring Games
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We often have family game nights on the weekends and we all really enjoy it. So taking game nights on the road only makes sense!
Whether it’s chess or checkers, card games or board games, charades or hide-and-go-seek, playing games in the great outdoors can be even more fun than playing games at home.
The combination of the fresh air, beautiful scenery, and crushing my kids in Monopoly is truly exhilarating!
If you’re in an established campground or you’re dispersed camping but have close neighbors, just be mindful of making too much racket as you enjoy your games. This is especially important as the night drags on – be a good neighbor and maintain quiet hours from about 10:00 pm until 6:00 am.
Cook Good Food
When I was growing up, my dad would take me camping and he would make incredible meals – like fresh-caught rainbow trout over the campfire.
Of course, there were also times when we had to eat hot dogs and Vienna sausages when we didn’t catch any fish…
If you really want to make your campsite more like home, plan to cook some good food. Heck, you can even cook it at home and simply warm it up on the fire once you get camp set up!
I published an article just the other day about the top ways to cook while overlanding, which offers some insights into practical, functional, and easy-to-use cooking tools for camping. You might check it out if your campsite cooking game is a little weak!
A Campsite More Like Home is a Campsite More Enjoyed
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There are many other ways you can make your campsite a little more homey. Bring a tablecloth and set up a nice dining space on the campsite picnic table. String up a hammock between a couple of trees for a great spot to relax with a good book. Bring your Bluetooth speaker so you can jam out to your favorite tunes (albeit, quietly!). The list goes on and on…
Though many folks think that camping should be “roughing it,” – which is totally fine – I’m fully on the “make it as comfortable as possible” side. If you’re with me, give these tips for a campsite more like home a try on your next trip!