So, PF and the boys have been camping but I'm a big scaredy-cat. Every urban legend of monsters and bad guys and hungry bears...why would people choose to sleep outside?

Tell me it will be okay when we take our first family camping trip in a couple of weeks!

It's going to be awesome! Where are you camping? What sort of campground?

Our first family camping trip over Memorial Day weekend was a huge success. One of the great things about camping is that everyone falls asleep early.

I have to share this: Since October, I'd been reading a chapter a night of the Harry Potter series. This was mainly for Eli's benefit, as Miles had read the series, but he also enjoyed listening in. So, by the time May rolled around, we were on the final book, The Deathly Hallows. In this book, Harry, Ron, and Hermione spend the first 3/4 of the book camping. Hermione keeps everything in this little purse she carries around but it all blows up into this fabulous tent with bunkbeds and amenities. When they arrive at their next location, they walk the perimeter of the campsite and cast protective spells and charms.

So, when we arrived at our campsite, the boys grabbed sticks and cast their versions of the protective charms while my husband and I pitched our tent. Then, each night, I'd don a headlamp and read a chapter of the book while we were in our sleeping bags. It added such a neat dimension both to the story and to the trip. I think I'll treasure that memory always.

Get an air mattress and if you don't want walk out in the middle of the night, do not drink liquid past 7 pm. Getting up to pee in the middle of the night while camping is the worst.

I second the air mattress. Also food cooked over a campfire (or camps tove) will always taste better than anything you could make a home.

Don't forget S'mores fixing. The marshmallow chocolaty goodness is reason enough for me to go camping.

We were going to go camping at Quantico's park but we got rained out.

We just came back from our first family camping trip - it was a HUGE success! The kids loved it, they both caught their first fish, the weather was perfect, the dog loved it. The only thing that could have made it better was if I'd won the lottery on the way home.

My suggestions for your virgin trip: don't go too far from home (we camped at a huge state park about 30 minutes from our house). That way if it's a disaster you can come home. Ditto the air mattress. Get a site with water and electricity (we actually brought our coffee maker from home). You'll love it!!!

I actually favour the thermarest mattress over the air mattress (much lighter, less of a PITA and just as if not more comfy). Keep a flashlight/lantern where you can reach it either at the door of your tent or by your pillow. Even if you don't have to pee in the middle of the night, SOMEONE will.

It is highly unlikely that you will be eaten by a bear or any other nocturnal creature. You are far more likely to be annoyed by drunk teens somewhere on the campground, and racoons are far more interested in your garbage than in you.

Camping is awesome if you can stay dry. Being wet really makes camping suck. Good luck and enjoy!

We won't be going camping until the fall - it's too damned hot here! I usually take two tents. One to sleep in and a small tent for gear, muddy boots, etc.

You won't be eaten by bears. Mosquitos, maybe.

JM - I am also a camping wuss, but this is all good advice, and I think you guys will have a great time!

JM, I'm not big on camping either, mostly because I just like my creature comforts, like indoor plumbing. But if PF is an experienced camper he knows about staying safe. I agree with the air mattress or other cushion, minimizing liquids after 7 pm, LOTS of bugspray, and if you haven't already, get yourself a BIG flashlight, the kind that lights up a large circle of the ground, and plenty of batteries. Seeing where you're going is teh key to not being so scared. Have fun!

Oh, and don't watch movies movies like Congo before you go camping. :) They do have neat gear, though. I want those pop-up tents.

Ignore where I repeated "movies."

JM you might see if there is a Jellystone Park (of Yogi Bear fame) near you but it's a good place to camp. If you don't want to go the tent route they have cabins.
www.campjellystone.com/

I camped outdoors once as an adult for paintball and that was enough for me. Now unless my tent is made of brick and mortar I'm not staying. Though, if you have to rough it an air mattress, baby wipes, and mosquito spray are a must.

I'm kind of spoiled in that my favorite camping spot is at a private beach. I'm kind of a princess, so it was hard to get me to go camping at a state park for the first time. I did it though - and lived to tell. The campsites where bears are possible will not be happening for me for at least a few more years. Though I really want to try camping out at Crater Lake sometime. We drove by and the campsites look pretty fun.

We used to go camping a couple of times a year before we had the boys (at least one of those trips was to Pictured Rocks in the UP--absolutely, unbelievably, stunningly gorgeous). We haven't been since N was born though and are thinking of taking a weekend someplace close by later this summer. We have a two room tent that my dad gave us last year that we've been wanting to try out.

I agree with the air mattress sentiment, and make sure you have at least two sleeping bags that are rated for cold temperatures. Because depending on where you go, it will be cold at night, and you need something very insulating between you and the ground (or the air mattress) if you want to be even a little bit warm.

I *heart* camping. If you are using a tent, set it up three or four times in your yard before you go. That way, you'll have it down pat when you get there.

Water-only campsites are great, especially if they have a grill or fire pit right nearby. Other than the drunken idiots, my favorite camping trip was New Year's Eve when we cooked steak and baked potatoes, followed by s'mores. Yum!

Oh yeah, and a two-person tent is really comfortable for one. So if there are four of you, get a six-person tent.

We camp a lot. We have two tents -- one for husband and me and one for the boys. I also love having an air mattress -- we have a queen sized one for us and the boys each have twin size ones. Husband and Older Son do some pretty rustic camping with the scouts, but when we go family camping I prefer to be somewhere with a clean bathhouse. Don't forget to take chairs with you. I also have one big rubbermaid bin for all my cooking stuff -- I unpack that then fill the bin with soap and water and throw my stuff in there as I cook. You want to keep things tidy to keep bugs to a minimum. We do a lot with foil packs of food and I prep most things before I leave the house. Makes things easier. Oh yea -- and don't forget the s'mores. That's a must.