Preparing to Winter Camp with Kids

How to prepare for your next family camping trip in winter!

Well we missed out on booking a camping site at Easter, so we are going to take the (ice) plunge and camp in winter this year! We have booked an unpowered site for about 4 days.

Campfires are so nice in winter! (We usually have fire bans all Summer too)

There are a few benefits to camping in Winter:

  • Way more available camp sites

  • Choose the best sites

  • Often there are discounts and deals

  • Sitting around the campfire

  • Not having to worry about sunscreen, heat and finding shade

  • Snakes and mozzies are not such a worry

  • Fully experience the seasons with the kids

  • We’ve picked a site where the kids can ride bikes and roam around, with rocks to climb and things to do. Lots of activities means less sitting around cold.

We love the stillness of winter.

We have chosen a campsite in a place which gets freezing cold in winter. (I won’t tell you where or when we are going, for safety/privacy, but I’ll definitely let you know afterwards!) I figured it will be a good practise of our winter gear and help us to get more value out of winter purchases.

So how are we preparing for this trip? We have never camped with the kids in winter before, we are complete newbies, so I’ve been researching and making lists, of course.

What Families Need to Camp in Winter

  • Hand warmers (you can put these in your pockets in the daytime, or in the kids’ sleeping bags at night)

  • Hot water bottles (we can boil water and not need power)

  • Getting lots of layers

  • Borrowing winter clothes from friends who’ve been to the snow, to reduce purchases

  • We’ve invited some friends, to help entertain the kids!

I am one of these people who hate being too hot or cold. So being warm is a big deal for me. I know if I am freezing I will struggle to be happy and nice to everyone (lol, at least I’m honest). But what we’ve been talking about is that even when things are hard or unenjoyable, it is still worth doing. Sometimes when things go wrong, it makes for better memories later, especially if you can have a sense of humour in the moment. I know the kids will remember this first winter experience, and that’s exciting.

We still need to work out a packing list, warm stuff takes up so much space so we’ll have to really prioritise what we bring.

Do you have any tips or advice to share with us?

What are you waiting for – there’s still plenty of time to book!

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Fun, Travel, OutdoorsMiki RobertsonCamping, Winter, Prep, packingComment