What equipment would you bring with you?

S

Shaggy DA

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Aug 16, 2014
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I've been out of the camping game for a LONG time so not only are my skills rusty, but so is my knowledge on what to bring with us as 'basic' items. My son is having difficulties behaving in school and at home so instead of punishing him with the typical "you're grounded from...." kind of thing, I'd like to bring him and my wife out camping in the great outdoors to spend some quality time together (since I work a LOT of overtime during the week). I'd like to get back to the basics of nature with him and my wife, enjoy the outdoors, and do some learning/teaching activities with him.

We've got what I think is a GREAT campground picked out as it offers nature trails, fishing, and off trail camping and it's a fairly large park. The trails total to about 19.5 miles and it's got an AMAZINGLY beautiful lake. We're trying to do this with as little as possible but since it'll be his first time (he's 11 years old by the way) really spending any time overnight in the woods, I know we're going to have to carry some extra food with us 'just in case' the fishing isn't good. Like I said though, we're trying to do this as light as possible and here are the items we'll have on hand when we go camping sometime between mid October and mid November. Oh, we're in Louisiana since I'm aware this is quite significant when picking out camping items.

My wife and I are only carrying one pack for the both of us and my son is carrying his own pack.

Our pack includes 2 Man tent, 2 sleeping pads, 2 compact sleeping bags, basic first aid kit, compass and map, fire starters (mostly storm proof matches and Bic lighters LoL), cotton balls/vaseline, dryer lint, 3 days worth of MRE's, water filtration (Sawyer), Zebco 33 with 2 piece rod, head lamp, 2 flashlights, small tackle box with hooks, weights, and bobbers only, 2 automatic fishing reels (yo yo's), playing cards, and last but not least, survival knife (Tops Hawke's Hellion 2020), Leatherman Supertool, and couple of Buck pen knives.

My sons pack will include a 1 man tent, sleeping pad, sleeping blanket, Zebco 33 with 2 piece rod, water filter (Sawyer), food rations, flashlight, lighter, compass and map, and a Cold Steel Ti-Lock knife.

With these items stated, are there any other items that I should bring with us that I left out? What do you bring with you for a weekend camp in the wilderness? I don't want to bring any silly things like a sterno stove or anything like that. If we catch fish we'll simply smoke them over the fire. If we don't catch fish then we'll use our M.R.E.'s so would a small pot for boiling water be necessary?

Thank you in advance for any/all information tips, tricks, and advice. Like I said, I'm going to be VERY rusty at this. LoL
 
Everyone should have a whistle in case they wonder off. Bring a hatchet and a roll of duct tape trust me:thumbup:
Have fun,
 
I get that you want to keep things fairly spartan. That might not be much fun for the people involved though. Same with the trails being 20 miles. That is not a newbie distance. A bad first experience can turn people off for life. Nothing ruins a camp out like getting back to camp cold, tired, wet and hungry.

My suggestion is as follows:
Bring extra water. Filtration is fine and good but do not leave hydration to chance. Carrying extra water builds character.

Bring plenty of good food and have a way to prepare delicious hot meals. Time spent cooking in camp is time well spent. Eating and preparing food is what people bond with. MRE's are fine for soldiering but you might do better building up to that.

I can't help you with Louisiana November weather because I don't have any experience with that. But bring enough sleeping bags and blankets so nobody is cold at night. Why does the kid get a blanket and the adults sleeping bags?

Rain clothes and warm clothing layers. As a rule it is always colder, wetter and generally more miserable than you anticipated.

Another thing is that the number of people may be a bit off. If 3 is a crowd, who will be the one who feels left out on this trip? Either drop one of the adults or bring a second child if at all possible.
 
sideways said:
I get that you want to keep things fairly spartan. That might not be much fun for the people involved though. Same with the trails being 20 miles. That is not a newbie distance. A bad first experience can turn people off for life. Nothing ruins a camp out like getting back to camp cold, tired, wet and hungry.

My suggestion is as follows:
Bring extra water. Filtration is fine and good but do not leave hydration to chance. Carrying extra water builds character.

Bring plenty of good food and have a way to prepare delicious hot meals. Time spent cooking in camp is time well spent. Eating and preparing food is what people bond with. MRE's are fine for soldiering but you might do better building up to that.

I can't help you with Louisiana November weather because I don't have any experience with that. But bring enough sleeping bags and blankets so nobody is cold at night. Why does the kid get a blanket and the adults sleeping bags?

Rain clothes and warm clothing layers. As a rule it is always colder, wetter and generally more miserable than you anticipated.

Another thing is that the number of people may be a bit off. If 3 is a crowd, who will be the one who feels left out on this trip? Either drop one of the adults or bring a second child if at all possible.
Click to expand...

Sorry, meant to say sleeping bag. LoL Also, we're not going to actually hike the entire 20 miles. Just saying what's there for us. :) What type food would you recommend we bring with us (other than the MRE's)? I also see your point about bringing extra water. :)
 
Shaggy DA said:
Sorry, meant to say sleeping bag. LoL Also, we're not going to actually hike the entire 20 miles. Just saying what's there for us. :) What type food would you recommend we bring with us (other than the MRE's)? I also see your point about bringing extra water. :)
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Aaah the fine art of camp cooking. That will depend a bit on what you can reasonably bring along and the cookware you have. If you search with google "dutch oven cooking" there are many sites dedicated to the art of dutch oven cooking for example.

Here are some ideas:

Hot dogs / sausages
Rice and beans
Chili with kidney beans
Lentils
Stew
Onion soup
Instant noodles
Pasta (mac & cheese)
Minced meat sauces
S'mores
Banana splits
Bacon is always a winner
Bacon, eggs, onions, and potatoes
Tuna and couscous
Corn on the cob
Empanadas (heated on the fire)
Kebab on a skewer (cook some onions, peppers and meat on a skewer over the fire)
You can even bake bread, muffins, pie, pancakes etc

Tastes will differ of course so I'll let you decide on specifics and garnishing. Look at what you eat at home and try to come up with a way of having it in the woods.
 
Baby wipes. I'm sure you remember just how well they clean nearly everything.

Also, rather than just hiking and fishing, plan some skill building activities like building traps, frog gigs (if legal, use them too!), orienteering, etc.


-Xander
 
fast14riot said:
Baby wipes. I'm sure you remember just how well they clean nearly everything.

Also, rather than just hiking and fishing, plan some skill building activities like building traps, frog gigs (if legal, use them too!), orienteering, etc.


-Xander
Click to expand...

It's funny you mentioned that...Almost as soon as I had posted my second reply I decided to look at some skill books...I decided to go with three of them.

http://www.amazon.com/Bushcraft-Han...37129&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Bushcraft+handbooks

http://www.amazon.com/Bushcraft-Han...37129&sr=1-2&keywords=The+Bushcraft+handbooks

http://www.amazon.com/Bushcraft-Han...37129&sr=1-3&keywords=The+Bushcraft+handbooks

Those are what I settled on. I was going to get The Trappers Bible so I could go all 'Oldschool' and learn a lot of history about trapping but decided to go with these three instead. Any of y'all have any experience with these books? What are the first skills that you were taught or have taught your own children?
 
You might want to think about a tarp and cordage of some kind. Most tarps fold up pretty flat and require very little space when packed properly.
You don't want to be cramped in those tiny one and two person tents with all your gear in bad weather for too long.
Try to set up the tarp so it covers the entrance to both tents and creates a dry common area between.
This will give you a place to hang out and stretch your legs during a lengthy rain.
 
FTR-14c said:
You might want to think about a tarp and cordage of some kind. Most tarps fold up pretty flat and require very little space when packed properly.
You don't want to be cramped in those tiny one and two person tents with all your gear in bad weather for too long.
Try to set up the tarp so it covers the entrance to both tents and creates a dry common area between.
This will give you a place to hang out and stretch your legs during a lengthy rain.
Click to expand...

A tarp! I forgot how handy those things are! Thank you for mentioning that. :) It's definitely something I overlooked that I shouldn't have.

I forgot to add the fact that we keep 550 paracord in our packs. Since I'm getting a book on primitive trapping and snaring, the paracord will become very handy. Especially with the fact that we plan on learning how to weave hammocks. Yes, it will take a LOT of paracord but we've got PLENTY of it and when it's braided and rolled up it's very compact.
 
I am going to second or maybe third rain gear. Don't forget the water tabs to backup the filter, canteens/bags, headlamps etc etc. Also if water is available there are more UL options than MREs. Most of all tell other people your plans including expected return time. Be specific. Most of all have fun!

Edit. Maybe consider a collapsible pole unless you have experience with those yo yo things.
 
Jute string is quite handy, even 20' is very low weight.

I would plan on bringing in food. Most dishes you could add fish to and it would be better, but even without fish would be better than MRE's
 
A great book with simple to complex outdoor activities and skills, also a must have for any outdoor dad, the American Boy's Handy Book.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0879234490?pc_redir=1411222115&robot_redir=1

I'm sure you can pick this up local for the same price as amazon. Your son is the perfect age to try these things on his own. Great for teaching life skills (following directions, preplanning, improvisation, creative thinking) building character, gaining trust and respect (knowing how and showing how to use tools properly). It has the classic traps, fun things, pretty much everything that's going to get and keep the attention of today's preteens.


-Xander
 
I don't know how remote this area is your going to but a good compass and a topo map for each of you along with cell phone with a spare battery pack or a hand held radio in case something happens you a way to notify someone for help.
 
Personal hygiene often gets overlooked in the woods - don't forget tooth paste and brush, biodegradable soap (and bandanna or sports towel), lip balm, and as mentioned above, baby wipes. Also, I always carry a multitool, 50 feet of 550 paracord, and leather work gloves. Oh, and wrap some duct-tape around an old credit card or ID - it can be invaluable on the trail and in camp!
 
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Bring tons of food! I know it was covered a bit above, but 3 MREs each is probably going to turn them against you and you will be cooked on the third day.

Breakfast
I love a hot breakfast. It's instant oatmeal for me most morning when I'm going light, but I have been known to bring some bacon and scrambled eggs mix.

Hot Drinks
Coffee is essential and often forgotten. Many believe that this played a significant role in starting WWI.
Tea is good. It is consumed more than any other beverage in the world and makes people happy at night.

Lunch/Snacks
Lunch is always a few light things for me. Some cashews, some dried fruit, a granola bar, beef jerky, a bar of cheese, etc. It's good to get some protein in you and keeps you satiated for hours until supper.
Fish is fantastic when camping! If possible, spend some time reel time trying to catch some medium-sized bass, trout, or pan fish. Here is how I cook them:

Fishing
I love to fish. I trout fish back where I'm the only one who walks in places for months or even years at a time (foot prints in the hard mud tell you a lot). When I want to have fun: I use flies. When I want to catch a trout I sometimes use Wholly Bugger Flies (no guessing) or #2/3 Mepps silver spinners. When I need to catch trout I use worms. If I'm fishing a lake and I want to eat a bass: I will always bring and at least try a synthetic multi-hook worm weighted to suspend mid-column and reel with a slow retrieve. Please bring several of these just in case the fish are not eating stationary baits. Bass can often be this way and I have been to lakes where I caught 20 bass (not exaggerating) on these kinds of worms while other people caught nothing on other baits. The fish will almost always turn on just before sunset: it's one of those universal truths that is always true most of the time.

Cooking a perfect fish

A roasted fish can be great and fun. I will also let you know the way I love to cook them when I hike:

1. Get a great fire going and let it burn down to ash and coals with some fire still showing.
2. Gut and thoroughly wash your fish and maybe scale it. Don't cut the head or fins off.
3. Place a couple slices of real butter and a slice of lemon (or some lemon pepper) in the gut cavity of the fish.
4. Wrap the fish in tin foil (the foil can be reused maybe once), small holes don't matter but the idea is to mostly steam the fish.
5. Place the fish in the ash and cover with ash and coals. Let it cook for about 10 minutes. Rarely does the fish burn but it will flop around and ruin itself if it is completely dead. I've had rock bass do this an hour after being gutted and after two attempts to kill it I had to throw it out due to the ash...
6. The fish is done when the skin easily peels from the meat and the eyeball looks like a 3-day old Civil War gut shot wound. Add just a hint of salt.
7. When cooked this way, the entire skeleton of the fish can be easily removed from the fish with some tender tugging. The fish will taste better than a $40 tuna filet and the skeleton can be used for bear bait: place it as near to your campsite as you want the bears to be.
8. Make sure you eat the "oysters" these are nugets of tender jaw meat held under the gills just behind the eyes.

Desert:
Bring Marshmellows if you like them, or something else you can fire roast after dinner. I like corn on the cob. This with a hot drink is how you really bond with buddies and family.

Night time noises
I would be scared to sleep in my own tent at age 11. There will be animals around and in the dark they are always bears to a kid. I have had animals panting outside my tent on numerous occasions (once was a large Mountain Lion by it's tracks, and several mornings in Canada we found bear sign in our camp) and it can be pretty terrifying until it happens enough times to realize you're probably not going to have to die. Make sure your tents are close enough together and warn him if it's you guys making all the noise in your tent. Don't growl or pant.
 
Make sure each person has their own fixed blade and pocket knife even if they are the cheap $10.00 knives at wally's (not the best but will do), it makes people feel safer especially in the dark. Idle hands can be a problem do some whittling with your son and (sounds crazy) bring it home with you so you and your son have something physical other than pictures to remember your trip. Bring your own pot or pan and the foods you folks like to eat, ramon noodles, hotdogs and instant oatmeal are going to be better than mres. Carry in your own water and if you do have to use lake water make sure you boil it don't just trust some filtration system. Don't forget the bio tp and a way to clean yourselves.
Most important take a positive attitude and have a lot of fun.
God Bless
Tracy
 
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