Car Camping: Free Fun for the Whole Family

Every year, between November and January, my husband and I plan a family trip that must be in a location we have never visited before and that will allow us to take our 5-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter with us.

This year we decided to look into going camping, near the great lakes, when the weather gets warmer. Since our son is still too young to brave the elements outside, we thought it was best to camp out of a vehicle or get a vehicle that would allow us to carry all of the fun equipment (ie. bikes, tents, boats, etc) that we would want during the week-long vacation. My husband and I love to plan ahead and get prepared for anything for these vacations, so as soon as our 8-year-old suggested camping and everyone agreed that would be the best idea, I looked at our two-door hatchback and said my favorite Jaws movie quote, "We're going to need a bigger boat."

My husband agreed that if we were going to do any more outdoorsy vacations, with our kids, researching dealerships and the prices for used SUVs was our best option. Since we had been spending more than we should this past holiday, we considered applying for a bad credit car loan with our bank, but fortunately we remembered that we had an emergency vacation fund that hadn't been touched for five years that had added up to be enough for a fairly decent, low mileage used SUV. Aside from choosing the right vehicle, there were a few other tasks that needed to be taken care of to ensure us a safe and fun-filled camping adventure.

The Wheels

After researching JD Power and Associates, USA Today, Edmunds.com and beyond, a review article by Jeffrey Archer, in AutoTrader.com finally our choice to get the 2009 Honda Element for $17,000. In terms of safety and performance, this vehicle rated exceptionally high. The seats fold down completely flat, so it can make for a more comfortable camping in the back situation. This vehicle could pull our boat, carry all of our camping equipment and came with mounts for carrying four bikes, we were sold and even found one in the color red!

The Provisions

Every time we plan for a week-long trip we like to first do a few trial runs on the weekends. As soon as we got our used SUV, I made sure that we could pack all of our necessities and then made sure that we could pack enough nonperishable food for one week. I recommend that you get everything in bulk from Costco or Sam's Club. You can get the best wholesale prices on cereal, rice, pasta and canned goods if you shop when there are sales and store your provisions in a safe, dry place until they're needed. Active.com recommends if you are bringing trail mix or candy bars on your trip that you pack coolers with ice and overstock your water supply. Having an ample supply of water on hand is essential.

Check Your Tent

Since we hadn't been camping in a while, we pitched the tent to make sure it didn't have any holes that needed patching, aired out the mildew smell, from being wrapped up in the garage for far too long. We put it up in the backyard and let the kids test it out first. They loved it at first, until it started to rain. Our son cried and ran into the house. Soaked to the bone, our kids begged to come inside and stated their trepidations in going on a real family camping trip. I promised we would do our best to keep them dry and happy as I got them into dry clothes and their nice warm cozy sleeping bags, beneath the stars that are stuck to the ceiling above their beds.