When my eldest daughter was five, I took us on a camping date. While my husband and I have camped together, sleeping close to the ground without access to running water is not his favourite activity. I don’t begrudge him this, there are many things he does that I’m not interested in, but it does mean if I want more camping in my life I have to be the one to lead that charge. Some of my fondest memories of childhood are school camps at MacGregor Point and youth group getaways and grotto jumping at Cryprus Lake. I hoped I could pass the same magic onto my three kids. Thus began our mom-daughter camping date tradition.
Father-son fishing trips are a thing. “Dad took us camping” is a thing. But mother-led wilderness adventures wasn’t something I’d heard much about or seen represented in popular depictions of ‘what moms do’. Based on the reactions I’ve got when I take the kids on these trips, I think some of that is still uncommon. What I often hear from other moms is a mix of delight (concentrated time with ONE kid is both a treat and a break), and trepidation (“I could never do that”). I’ve done solo trips for five years now so I wanted to write a bit about how I think you actually COULD do it, and a couple things that might help you get there.
If you’re a beginner camper:
Before I jump into heading out on your own, let me preface with a few notes for if you’re totally new to camping.
Gear accumulation takes time! I’d say it took us ten years to feel comfortably set up. Initially, I got a lot of kitchen stuff from the thrift store, and trial ran items to see what seemed worth investing in higher quality products and what we could get used. We started with a relatively cheap tent from Canadian Tire, sleeping mats we borrowed from my parents, and cooking everything over the fire. I had a running reminders list on my phone that I still write in every time I go camping: things that run out (dish soap, garbage bags, wash cloths), things I need to replace (swap thrifted cook pan for quality cast-iron), and things I’d like to invest in (an actual axe rather than the tiny hatchet, for example).
Also, borrow! I’m fully of the belief that seasonal items like this should be shared. Most people I know aren’t camping every weekend, so reach out to your camper friends and see if they’ll lend items for when you’re starting out.If there’s one thing you’re going to invest in right off the bat, let it be sleeping bags*. The campgrounds we most often frequent are in the Rocky Mountains, so temps can really drop down at night. Nothing is worse than being too cold to sleep! Having grown up with cheaper/used sleeping bags, a good quality mummy bag is a non-negotiable.
Get a few storage bins. Honestly the hardest part of camping with kids is the sheer amount of STUFF you need to fit into your vehicle. Having a couple hard-sided storage bins makes packing and stacking much easier. Another recent add on that I wish I’d thought of sooner was getting a car organizer (like this) for kitchen supplies. Instead of little items just being loose in a large box, they’re now contained and organized.
Start small. I’ll go into this more below, but set yourself up for success: stay close and go short. That way if things feel rough, weather gets bad, or you forgot something significant, worse case scenario: you go home! No problem. Better to leave wishing you had more time than dreading another night.
*Specifically for adults. I found it hard to get high quality bags for my kids because I knew they’d grow out of them, so we got some mid-quality ones that were rated for 5°C and my mom made some fleece liners that we can fit inside the sleeping bags if it gets particularly cold.
You Can Camp, Mom
Okay, so you’ve camped before, but never on your own (let alone with kids). Guess what, you can totally do it. Every time I’ve gone has affirmed 100% why I started doing this: the time in nature is life-giving, the one-on-one time I get with my kids is invaluable, I get to show my kids an expanded idea of what moms can do, and it’s quite satisfying to be self-sufficient. But, I get there are some hurdles to actually doing it and no amount of me sending you the Shia Labeouf JUST DO IT gif is going to change that.
So, my top tips for getting you there:
Learn how to build a fire. Dudes always be building fires. Has this been a blue job since the cavemen? I don’t know, but I did what any modern mom should do and watched a couple YouTube videos (this one’s great) on how to build a fire. Then I went and practiced in a public fire pit in the middle of winter (the winter isn’t necessary but it gave me good motivation). The easiest fire-starter is dryer lint shoved inside of a toilet paper roll. I started with the Log Cabin build because it felt easier/more secure than the Teepee. You are the master of the fire.
Make it easy on yourself. For these one-on-one camping trips, I borrow a pop-up tent from my sister-in-law (I’ve borrowed it enough times that I should probably buy my own already, thanks again Crystal). I have gone with our big tent when I take all three kids, but having a super easy tent option is life-changing when you’re the only one setting up.
I don’t fancy cook. These camping trips have become a bit of a “yes-day” for the kids so they’re always stoked to pick their sugary breakfast cereal and instant ramen for dinner. Cooking is another part of camping that take more time than I want when I’m the only adult, so buying pre-packaged is an easy solution.
Bonus: make sure you bring yourself some good quality instant coffee. I get Monogram Milligrams.
Be discerning of where you camp. I think a big fear for a lot of moms (it was for me) is cold and wildlife. For my first few solo camps with my kids, I went South East from my home city of Calgary rather than West into the mountains. I knew it would be warmer, and there wasn’t a bear risk. Tada, 75% of my fears solved right there.
Read the campground websites and blogs to find out what amenities they have. Look for beaches, playgrounds, and public showers if that’ll help the time be more enjoyable for you and your kid! As my kids have gotten older, I’ve been able to customize the trip more for the interests of each kid. We took bikes with my middle daughter, my youngest daughter wanted a beach so we stayed out of the mountains, and we went a little further out of the way with my oldest since she doesn’t mind the car ride.
As mentioned above, don’t go too far if you want the back-up option of coming home quickly.
Educate yourself. The more information I have, the better I feel, and there’s a lot of free information out there! There are tons of books at the library with camping How-tos.
Parks Canada and Alberta Parks both have a collection of guides and updates for helping you be safe in the outdoors. Obviously these are Canadian based, so check out the National/local park service websites in your area!
Local outdoor stores will often offer in-store clinics for helping you feel prepared (list of current events at MEC).
Youtube is a wealth of info for us visual learners, so learning how to deploy bear spray or set up a rain tarp is made very easy.
Stop at visitor centres! Last year we went to a campground that had a large snake population, which considerably freaked me out. We decided to check out the visitor centre just for fun when we first arrived and they had lots of pamphlets on snake identification and safety. Thus we were far less afraid when, a couple days later, we came across a snake right beside our campsite (since we could ID it as a bull snake and knew it was pretty harmless)
Bonus: If wildlife is a big fear for you like it was for me, listen to the Tooth & Claw podcast. As it is a podcast about animal attacks, this might sound counter-intuitive, but better understanding why animals attack and what I can do to prevent a potential attack helped me feel way more confident and prepared.Bring more blankets than you think you need. I feel like our biggest issue as mothers is constantly worrying whether our kid is warm enough. Blanket don’t take up a lot of space, so bring a few extra. They can be used for extra warmth at in the tent or around the campfire, as extra seating/picnic mats, or as towels if you decide to take a dip in the river.
And aside from all that, all I have for you is utmost confidence. If you’ve ever had any interest in making a trip like this happen, put it in the calendar, it’ll be worth your effort. Maybe start by camping in a relative’s backyard, or going with another mom so you can share the load. And if you do, take pics! You’ll be looking at them the rest of the year wondering when you can book your next camp.
