Labor Day is upon us and if you have family camping plans, then I am sure that you are looking forward to relaxing at the campsite on the last long weekend of the traditional camping season. Before you go, here are some last-minute items that will help your family have a great experience.

Cutter Citro Guard Citronella Candle

There is no substitute for bug spray, but when you are sitting around the picnic table eating a meal, it is sure nice to keep the mosquitoes from buzzing around your head.

The citronella candles are great for the picnic table because the wide base helps prevent tip-overs. One of these candles will easily last all weekend and they are available at most big-box stores and many local hardware stores.

Note that these are an enhancement to regular mosquito spray and not a replacement. The effectiveness of citronella is limited to a very local area, but that is perfect for campsite meals.

Low-cost LED Lantern

We camped for years without a lantern, but we finally picked one up and now we use it quite a bit for s’mores and card games, after the sun goes down.

While researching this article, I found this LED lantern at one of the big-box stores for only $10. It runs on four AA-size batteries and based on my experience with our LED lantern, it should last the weekend.

One nice use for these low-cost lanterns is trips to the bathroom. Sometimes these facilities are not lighted, and a small lantern is a lot more functional than trying to juggle a flashlight.

AeroBed All-Terrain air mattress

There are a lot of horror stories about cheap air mattresses that seem to sprout leaks at the most inopportune times.

AeroBed seems to be one of the standouts in this category, though. They use a heavier, more puncture-resistant material than the low-cost air mattresses and it really seems to make a difference.

The All-Terrain is available at some big-box stores and includes a rechargeable (make sure you charge it for 12-hours, before your trip!) air pump and a storage bag.

Aqua-Tainer 7-gallon water jug

There is a lot of washing of hands and dishes at the campsite, so having a portable water container is a big plus over running back-and-forth to the water spigot.

Rigid containers, like this one from Reliance, last longer and are easier to use than collapsible containers.

The Aqua-Tainer has an integral pouring spout and a vent, for easy water dispensing.

I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable weekend – be sure to take lots of pictures and I will see you back here, next week!

See also…

• 2010 Ice Chest Survey
• Decent Family Camping Tent for $100
• 5 Non-Essentials to Consider this Summer

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Your family can get a lot more out of the camping experience than just campfires and marshmallows. Spending time outdoors with your kids is the best way to experience nature in real-time, without the electronic distractions of our everyday lives. Here are five reasons that family camping is fantastic. Do you have some others? I would love to hear them!

Time with your kids

When it comes to participating with your children, as opposed to just watching them do an activity by themselves, there is nothing better than family camping. Parent and kids can setup a tent, cook meals, go on hikes and share the outdoors experience together.

Time outdoors

No video games needed, here! Kids love being outdoors

No TVs, no MP3 players and no video games. Will your kids (or you!) be able to survive a weekend without electronic stimuli? You might be surprised to find yourself missing the electronic entertainment, more than your children do.

Kids have always loved being outdoors and today’s youth are no different. They just don’t get as many opportunities, with today’s dual-income lifestyles, shorter vacations and year-round sports.

Rewarding

You may not feel like being challenged, but overcoming challenges is inherently rewarding. It is rewarding for kids and doubly rewarding for you, because you get to experience the parental pride of seeing your children overcome challenges.

Family camping challenges can range from getting the campfire started, to being the only dry family in the campground, after an overnight thundershower. Each time you take your family camping, be sure to look for these opportunities to challenge yourself and your children.

Educational

Vertical rock strata in Henry Coe State Park - no textbook required

Do you remember field trips, when you were in school? I can remember field trips to Alcatraz, a nature preserve and a watershed, when I was in school. Nowadays, it seems like our kids are lucky if they get to visit a pumpkin patch, in October!

Our kids are not getting the “outdoor time” that we enjoyed in our youth, which leaves a void in their educational upbringing. There are a lot of things that you can read in a textbook, that just don’t sink-in until you actually see and touch them, in person.

Social

A makeshift teeter-totter in Lassen National Park

Camping is an inherently social activity and you will meet some great families, who you would have never met, otherwise. It is always a lot of fun when we are camping in Oregon or Washington and we meet another family from the Bay Area, here in California.

Likewise, we meet a few families every year, here in California, from our home state of Oregon. We have seen a tremendous amount of social development in our kids, and we attribute a lot of that to learning how to “break the ice” with other kids, when we are camping.

See also…

• Planning a Great Summer Family Camping Vacation
• Make Your Next Family Camping Trip Better
• The Camping Gear List

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There is still a lot of great camping left this year, but with the days getting shorter it is time to take-stock of your outdoor packing list and evaluate what needs to be added, in order to account for the changing season. Here are a few items I ran across, last week, that add a new twist in utility, size and water repellency – important considerations for fall camping.

Seattle Sports H2Duo

H2Duo 2-Piece Water Bottle

Seriously, Roy, another water bottle? I know, I know, but the H2Duo from Seattle Sports really does add a new twist to the water bottle paradigm. The entire upper-half of the bottle unscrews, making the H2Duo infinitely easier to clean, than any other water bottle I have used.

This is a big deal for those of us who sometimes use our water bottles for (ahem) beverages other than water. I also like the idea of being able to unscrew the top and just use the bottom-half like a regular mug. The top, also, doubles as cup – though it looks too small to be of much use, to me.

The 1-liter stainless steel H2Duo is available in several different colors for $19.95.

Kodack Mini Video Camera

New Kokak Mini Video Camera

I am seriously video-challenged, when it comes to recording our outdoor memories. Our video camera is bulky, so if I even bring it on an outdoor excursion, it is relegated to the daypack which means I miss a lot of opportunities.

The new Kodak Mini Video Camera is the size of a credit card and takes full 640×480, 30 fps video, just like my bulky camera. And, at $99.95, it is less than half the cost of my unit.

It also has several smart features that I look for, in my digital products. For one, it is completely waterproof, so I do not have to worry about shooting video in the rain. Also, it uses SD memory cards, just like my digital camera and the netbook that I use for editing, on our trips. The icing on the cake is that the Kodak Mini has a flip-out USB port, so you can charge it and download it without packing an extra cable.

Patagonia Torrentshell Jacket

Patagonia Torrentshell Jacket

A lightweight rain jacket is invaluable in the backcountry – in fact, I had to break mine out during two hikes, this summer. At $119, the Patagonia Torrentshell provides all of the functionality you would expect in a lightweight, breathable, jacket – but at a very reasonable price.

The 13.7 oz. Torrentshell packs away into its own storage pocket, so it is easy to keep with you, wherever you go. It uses Patagonia’s polyurethane breathable barrier with a nylon protective exterior. Because it can breathe, the Torrentshell will be infinitely more comfortable on the trail, than low-end rain jackets.

REI Hobitat 6 Tent

New REI Hobitat 6 Family Tent

The new Hobitat 6 tent ($299), from REI, looks to build on the solid reputation of the Kingdom series, with an additional eight inches of headroom and a larger vestibule (optional: $89). Unchanged are the features that make REI tents standout from the crowd: beefy aluminum poles, two doors and a full-coverage rain fly.

See also…

• 2010 Ice Chest Survey
• Small Sleeping Bag, Smaller Price
• Merrell Intercept Gore-Tex Hiking Shoes

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The Camping Equipment Company Discount camping gear!
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After buying a 2 person tent, it was used once and only once. There was no room for any of our items, so we bought our next tent knowing we would have kids eventually.

We purchased a 6 person tent and it feels like a mansion compared to the 2 person tent. Great idea Christian I will try that out next time we go camping.

Where did the summer go? It seems like just a few weeks ago, when we were making plans for spring camping and, now, here we are with the kids heading-off to school! For the majority of family campers this, along with the upcoming Labor Day holiday, marks the end of camping for the year. But, you do not have to hunker-down for winter, just yet. There is still a lot of great camping opportunities to be had, particularly since a lot of other families have already rolled-up their sleeping bags, for the year.

Quick weekend getaways can be just as rewarding as longer trips

School Calendar

There are certainly additional challenges to planning camping trips when the kids are in school, but the one of the best places to start is with your school district’s calendar. In addition to the standard holidays, there are teacher in-service days and school half-days that present great opportunities for getting away for a family camping trip.

Even though the prime camping season is over, it is still important to look at the calendar and make reservations as early as possible. This has the added benefit of setting a definitive date, rather than making a last-minute decisions and rushing to get everything together.

Shorter Trips

I will be the first to admit that I am a terrible planner, so one of the tactics we use during the school year is family camping trips to county parks and state beaches that are nearby. With the kids home from school at 2:00, they can finish-up any remaining homework from the week, by the time I get home at 4:30. This gives us an hour to get on the road and another hour to get to the campsite, before sundown.

Frozen pizzas, like these from Trader Joe’s, make quick Friday night meals

I love week-long camping trips, but these Friday night through Sunday morning trips makes-up the majority of our family camping, throughout the year. It may sound short and rushed, but we find that these quick trips are a great break for everybody. The key to pulling these off is having the camping menu set and everything packed, before Friday.

Backyard camping

We are fortunate in that our kids are still young and school sports is not something that we have to deal with, yet. For the rest of you, though, school sports can put a serious damper on any weekend getaways. This is where backyard camping can save the day.

You may not live in a national forest, but a family backyard campout still encompasses the best of family camping – togetherness, bonding, fresh air and a little adventure. Besides, you invested in all that cool camping gear, so why not put it to good use?

See also…

• Great Family Camping Experiences
• Best Winter Beach Camping Getaways
• Camping in the Rain

Help support CampingBlogger by visiting a sponsor:
The Camping Equipment Company Discount camping gear!
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