Family Camping Checklist

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Does your family enjoy camping? It’s frugal family fun and you don’t have to go far to get away. Packing up for camping can get intense because of all the supplies needed, so use my Family Camping Checklist to help you pack for your family camping trip. Get the free printable camping packing checklist below, please scroll down.

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Printable Family Camping Checklist for Packing

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Why I Love Camping Close to Home

My family goes camping every summer and it is an enjoyable family activity, but we don’t travel far. My husband and I take our boys camping, but we usually camp very close to home. I mean really close to home, like only a couple of miles from our house. Being close to home while camping has many benefits.

1. Camping Close to Home is Beneficial When Camping with Dogs

A few years ago we were camping with our kids and our dogs and one of our dogs got sprayed by a skunk. I just drove her home to bathe her. Easy peasy:) I was so relieved we were close to home to deal with the catastrophe.

I love how we can bring our dogs home when we want to take the boys out tubing or go out on the boat. It’s super easy to buzz the dogs home for a few hours rather than make them stay in the hot tent while we are out on the boat. Our dogs are afraid of the lake or we would have the option to bring them on the boat with us.

2. Camping Close to Home is Beneficial if We Forgot an Item

The other benefit of camping close to home is if we forgot something, we can just run home and get it. I forgot the coffee pot one year, so I just ran home to get it. It was a no-brainer, however, forgetting items is precisely why I need a list. It’s a bit crazy packing up at my house with three boys, two dogs, two guinea pigs, and a pool to care for so I need a comprehensive packing list.

3. Camping Close to Home is Beneficial to Continue On-going Caretaking at Home

Camping close to home is also beneficial because I can run home and take care of our backyard pool and guinea pigs each day and we don’t have to find care for the pool or the pigs.

Our guinea pigs stay home when we camp because it would get either too hot or too cold for them. The weather is just too unpredictable for the little guys.

Owning a pool is awesome, but it requires on-going daily care including cleaning, water testing, and chemicals. If we camp close to home, I can easily buzz home and do cares without needing to find a caretaker or hire a service while we are camping.

4. Camping Close to Home is Beneficial Because of the Short Drive to a Getaway

Driving into a campground gives the feel of driving into a totally new space. When we camp, it’s like we are visiting a little temporary community completely different than anything we see when at home. We love camping close to home because it feels like we went somewhere far away, but we didn’t have to make a long drive to get there. With three boys and two dogs in the car, I love the short drive!