What are your Top 5 things you always do when you go camping?

I have noticed that many people do the same routine things them they go camping. What are the top 5 things you do everytime you go camping?

For us, we always:

1. Go Fishing
2. Go swimming
3. Make a campfire
4. Cook on the campfire
5. Make Smores with the kids

 

Aside from setting up, we always make a campfire. Can't do smores anymore, but I'm working on that. Just need to find a graham cracker substitute... Since I found a safe marshmallow recipe. Yes, I'm that hardcore that I will make everything at home except the chocolate bars so we can enjoy making smores again...

Other than that, I can't really think of stuff we always do. Sometimes we hike, sometimes we kayak and fish... I don't think we've ever went swimming, though.

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...I raise my flag.
Clean up the camp site. Set up my tent, dinning shelter and grey water pit, build the campfire and veg. [Veg. meaning - swimming, cooking, reading, drawing, animal watching, canoeing, playing, relaxing, sky watching, hiking, sleeping and napping, listening, and doing nothing.]

 

Well, I think we also pretty much do the same thing every time we go camping. We would mostly hike to our camp site, rest for awhile upon getting there, eat our packed food, set up our tent, search for some wood to use for our camp fire and cooking, prepare our food for the night, eat dinner along our camp fire, then we chat and tell stories in front of the camp fire before we go to sleep. The next day would be a very busy and adventurous day.

 

Besides setting a tent and light sources? I always cover myself head to toe with some mosquito repellent, go to a lake or pond to swim, hiking the environment, explore a bit more and further until sunset kicks in, then now is time to gather up everybody around a bonfire and hear some stories about heinous creatures roaming the wilderness that might leave you restless for the rest of the night

 

Half of the fun is in the planning and the packing.
I haven't gone more than like twice a month in the summer and I plan the menu and the activity items. Check over the gear, fixing and replacing as needed. Decide who I am inviting. Check the weather forecast, tide schedule, local events.

I rotate camping locations, river, forest and ocean and what I pack reflects the temperature differences, amenities (or lack) and what I will be doing.

Swimming, reading, walking, cooking and being with my friends.

 

I'm surprised that half of the fun is in the packing. I agree that planning is fun since our imagination runs wild sometimes but packing? That is the most tedious task for me especially now that I am already a senior. Fortunately I have a family that handles the usual necessities for camping but I still do the preparation of food and that includes packing. In fairness to camping it is not anymore very primitive like before since we now bring some comfort and convenience like a cot or maybe a tv set?

 

I enjoy the anticipation, the planning, camp fires, being outside, limited or no deadlines. I love seeing the sun rise and sun sets.

 

Well I don't enjoy the unpacking. It I feel satisfaction when I put things away so it is easy next time. I guess it's strange but the anticipation is fun.

 

...I started unpacking Monday from last week's trip and hope to complete the task sometime today. The first thing always completed is the wash and the drying of the tent or other pieces of equipment.

What I have done to help myself is to package my equipment in such a manner that I know where everything is and where it goes. My universal list permits me to organize myself in a quick and lively fashion. No need to think about what I'm taking on any trip - I just check off what I'm taking and throw it in the van. Like my "CAMP POX"; a box that contains all the small items. It has a handle at each end and is easily managed and is placed in the van or tent.

CAMP POX
Two Primus Lanterns
One Primus Stove
Dry Towels
Various Batteries
Hatchet
Saw
Clock/Thermometers
Table
Bear Spray
Whistles/Screamer Whistle
Fire Starters
Necklaces
Cameras
Pencil/Paint Brush Case
White/Black Paint
Barbeque Lighters/Matches
Three Motion Detector Lights
Guyline Markers
Zipper Markers
Hunter's Knife
Headlight

​

 

Exactly! If I'm organized, it increases my chances of going more frequently. How do you clean your tent? Hose and hang?

 

I'm very careful about cleaning tents because of the material. I usually follow the manufacturer's suggestions if I need to. I prefer to hang the tent when not in use but for me, the problem is I have several. I very definitely vacuum the inside to get the grit out, check for wear and tear and look for any insects that may have decided to make it their home.



This is my winter Alacknak [with wood stove and all] at Arrowhead Lake last week.