Dad Fail: Camping in the Rain
This epic adventure started with the grand idea of taking the family camping.
At the time, our family was brand new. All we had was our first kid who was one-and-change. If it were still my first kid, I’d probably say “15 months” but once you have three kids, you move past the old “months” vernacular.
Anyways, I decided to shuttle us 5 hours north to a lake I had never been to. First Dad Fail: A 5 hour drive with a one year old for your first camping trip to a place you’ve never been is not ideal.
At least it was friggin’ gorgeous!
Having lived in Jackson Hole, Wyoming (more about that later) and spenting a good bit of time out west, I’ve never been keen on reserving a campsite - just doesn’t feel right. Dad Fail #2: Turns out, if you’re not in the highly remote western US you probably need to reserve a campsite. See Recreation.gov. Otherwise, good luck. Needless to say, there were no spots. We drove and drove and drove.
Side note: It seems like it’s harder and harder to find a good spot these days where you’re not in an overcrowded campground smashed up against your neighbor. This isn’t ideal to us. Please leave comments if you have any recommended spots. We still haven’t used HipCamp, but this is definitely on the to-do list. I’ve heard some good things.
Anyways, we arrived to a monsoon. After an additional hour of driving, we finally found a spot. It was great. But it was pouring. And now it was late afternoon.
Dad Fail #3: My crusty old tent had a busted rain fly so we had to jerry-rig some raincoats to the top. Not ideal. Have a decent tent with no holes, especially if it’s raining.
As you might imagine, we re-upped the tent since this trip. It’s a mansion, comparatively. Highly recommended! We love it. Tons of room for the 5 of us and dogs.
We made the most of it. Getting the food prepped and all set up with a tiny kid isn’t easy. Lots of work. But we got it done.
Here are some key lessons learned from our first camping adventure:
Pack and Play inside the tent. Clutch. Fits great inside the tent. Won’t squish the kid. They’re comfy. Works great.
White noise machine. Clutch.
Extra batteries! Because they will run out. Or, do you go the chargeable route? Do you have a charging ability??
Headlamps / Lantern for inside of tent. The red light option is clutch once you get in and need light but don’t want to wake the kiddos.
Rain Fly without holes!
A spacious tent! Tons of great tents out there. If you’re car camping, don’t skimp on it. Just get a big daddy.
A couple other suggestions:
Camping stove: While it’s great to build a fire and cook over open flame, it’s super handy to crank up the stove and get breakfast going (or dinner if you can’t get your fire started!). I like my Coleman stove, but we also have an JetBoil for quick boil water and coffee!!
Durable Bins for storage: I can’t stand loose items in the car. It’s great to have a couple big containers that you can throw things in to stay organized versus having a zillion loose items.
A tiny kids chair with a built-in table is super helpful. It is an on the go highchair. Easy to rinse. Better than eating off the dirt. Have gifted many of these to new parents for everyday life.
Last thing I’ll say. Two Navy Seal quotes:
“It’s always darkest just before dawn.”
Another one from our man David Goggins (“GOOOOGGGINNSS!”): “When your mind tells you it’s quitting time, you are actually only 40% spent.”
This is a super powerful mindset. When you think you’ve hit rock bottom - when camping is going brutal, the kids aren’t sleeping, they’re screaming, you’re terrified of waking your neighbors, etc - remember (a) you CAN keep going - you got this, and (b) it WILL get better and this shitty situation won’t last forever.
Here’s what my wife and I consider to be the ultimate mark of victory on our camping adventures. No matter how bad that night went in the tent or how hard the experience was, once we make our campfire coffee in the morning, life is good. It was all worth it. Just gotta get to that coffee!!
Once the experience is in the rear-view mirror, you get amnesia about the shitty parts. It’s the laughs of the tough times. The cup of coffee. The pics with the kids. These memories stick hard. Just do it. Go for it.
So… what is your biggest dad fail? You’re in the trust tree so no judgement.
What’s your mark of victory?