14 camping hacks for families

What’s one of the oldest parenting tricks in the book? If you want kids to get the job done, set a timer. Camping with kids is no different, according to outdoor blogger Karen Ung.

As soon as her crew arrives at the family campsite, Ung starts a timer. Then daughters Miya, 11 and Emmi, 10 jump into action, staking and raising the tent, unrolling sleeping pads and bags and, conditions permitting, building a match-ready campfire. Their current record? Twenty minutes.

“At this point, I hardly have to do anything,” jokes Ung. “Open a book, open the wine…”  

Like this race against the clock, camping hacks can be anything that simplifies and optimises the family outdoor experience, from repurposing gear to harnessing young campers’ energy and imagination. Scroll on for some of our favourites…

Why go camping with kids?

Working out how to make camping fun for the whole family can be tricky. But it’s worth it – for the fun adventure away, and for your kids’ long-term relationship with nature.

The benefits of spending time in nature are well-documented. Improved mental and physical health? Check. Boosted sense of well-being and fewer behavioural issues? Check. Better communication and positive family bonding? Check. Better concentration and school performance? You guessed it, check!

“There’s a whole body of research about the value of unscheduled playtime in nature,” says David Mizejewski, naturalist and media spokesperson for the National Wildlife Federation in the USA. “And camping checks all of those boxes.”

He adds that the positive outcomes of families pitching a tent together extend beyond any better-living-through-nature checklist. For one, outdoor adventure promotes grit and perseverance in kids, according to a study by the North American Association of Environmental Education. The mental muscles of resiliency grow from engaging with unpredictable but more-or-less manageable challenges.

And taking kids camping is key to raising tomorrow’s outdoor lovers and conservationists. “You care about what you love,” Mizejewski says. “And you only love what you know.”

For more kid-friendly activities, plus fun inspiration for family days out, positive news stories and more, sign up to the free National Geographic Kids newsletter. It’s sure to brighten up your week!

Camping with kids checklist

Improvising fixes when faced with fickle weather, mischievous critters (the bugs, not the children!) and the inevitable forgotten gear are what make even a weekend of outdoor living an adventure. The key is making kids a part of the creative team when you’re coming up with camping hacks.

“Don’t do everything yourself – get the kids involved,” Ung says. “They’ll have a lot more fun being a participant than just an observer.”

Whether you’re thinking about what to bring camping with kids, how to make camping fun for the whole family, or looking to level-up the experience for your outdoor-loving children, try some of these 14 tried-and-true camping hacks next time you’re out together…

Snacks and drinks

1. Ice to water

Instead of buying ice for the cooler, fill a large bottle about two-thirds full, freeze it and use that instead. When it thaws, you have a ready supply of safe drinking water, Mizejewski says.

2. Less-mess s’mores

Bring ice cream cones, mini marshmallows, bananas, walnuts and chocolate chunks. Have your kids fill the cones with all that yumminess, wrap them tight in aluminium foil and heat them over a griddle on campfire coals or the camp stove.

3. Frozen dinners

Make camp dinners easy by bringing frozen one-pan meals thawing in the cooler. Prepping pre-portioned snacks is also a time saver. “I don’t want to be washing and chopping veggies at camp,” Ung says. And a camping trip can be the best excuse to empty the kitchen drawer overflowing with leftover condiment packets.

4. Ready-made omelette

Before leaving home, have each family member prep a sealed, heat-safe bag or container with whipped eggs and favourite omelette ingredients. On that first camp morning, drop them into a pot of boiling water on the camp stove, wait a few minutes and serve up breakfast. You can even use freshly scrubbed Frisbees for plates to avoid disposable dishes.

Lighting it up

5. Water lamp

Wrap the strap of a headtorch around the body of that full bottle or another clear water container, so that the light faces in. Voila! A camp lantern. Add a strong carabiner to hang it up. Ung also recommends solar-powered LED fairy lights that turn any campsite into a firefly festival.

6. Glowstick GPS

If you prefer the dark but still want to know where the kids are, hang a reusable glowstick around everybody’s neck or wrist.

Keeping it all together

7. Hang it all

Camping gear tends to spread out and disappear. A hanging-wardrobe organiser creates a space for everything – insect repellent and sun cream, first-aid kit, torches, snacks, books, art supplies etc.

8. Camp caddy

Give a cardboard six-pack bottle carrier a new career as a table organiser for utensils or condiments. The handle makes it ideal for carrying all your stuff, and it later folds flat for easy storage. Plus, you can get your little artists to decorate the outside.

9. Repurposed bottles

Empty vitamin bottles and other plastic containers are perfect waterproof storage for matches, spices, medicines and other camp needs, so you don’t have to pack the entire box. Kids and a marker can be recruited to write the labels.

Creature comforts

10. Fire starters

To make fast and hot kindling, have kids dip lint from the dryer in petroleum jelly, then stuff it into empty toilet paper tubes or cut-up cardboard egg cartons. For a more dazzling fire, Mizejewski recommends flavoured tortilla chips – and their orangish dust – as tinder.

11. Loo roll in a can

To keep toilet paper dry, cut a narrow vertical opening in the side of a plastic container and feed the loose end of the roll through the opening.

12. Battling bugs

Mosquitos and other biting bugs can quickly suck the joy out of a camping trip. Dried bunches of herbs like sage or rosemary sprinkled in the campfire is an old-school method of smoking them away. But it’s always good to have a kid-safe insect repellent as backup.

13. Block that stink

A gross outdoor toilet is the nemesis of many a young camper. Use a dab of menthol ointment or peppermint oil under the nose to make answering the call of nature a little less fraught.

14. DIY sunglasses

Duct tape has a-million-and-one uses, and here’s one more: emergency sunglasses. Rip off a 30cm-long strip. Carefully fold it in half so the sticky sides adhere, trimming off any overlapping adhesive. Mark where the eyes will be, then slice out two narrow horizontal slits. Add ear loops to complete the DIY.

And when the camping’s over? Continue to encourage their love for nature with a subscription to National Geographic Kids magazine. They’ll find fascinating features about science, nature, history and culture in every issue, alongside inspirational explorers and tons of fun and games.   

Do you have any tips on how to make camping fun for the whole family? Share your top camping hacks in the comments below!

Written by Sean McCollum. Image credits: Pitching tent © Miljko / Getty Images. All others © Adobe Stock.