How We Prep for Camping with a Large Family (10 Kids)

Camping is such a wonderful family getaway for large families. It’s affordable, it connects everyone to nature, and it makes lasting family memories! Allow me to take you step-by-step through the preparation we do when we take our family of 12 camping.

Video: How We Prep for Camping with a Large Family (10 Kids)

We just came back from a wonderful weekend of camping with our kids. We spent our time swimming, playing pickleball, riding bikes, getting ice cream, and sitting fireside having some deep discussions.

I’ve been trying to think what made this trip better than some of our previous camping trips, and I think it comes down to good planning. Over time (learning many times from our poor planning), my husband and I have improved our method of packing for camping with our large family.

Why Camping?

Camping is a great way for the whole family to vacation, but it has its pros and cons.

Perks of Camping

• Spending time in close proximity to your kids.
• Plenty of sunshine and fresh air.
• Campfires with smores and storytelling.
• An unplugged reprieve refreshes the mind.
• An affordable way to have a lot of good old-fashioned fun!

What’s the hardest part of camping?

Hands down, the packing! And when you have more than the average-sized family, the packing can be an even bigger ordeal.

A few years ago, after taking about half a day to pack for our camping trip, my husband and I looked at each other, exhausted and asked, “Is this even worth it?!”

After a few more tries camping with our large crew, we’ve learned that with proper planning, yes, it’s worth it!

And the packing part can be managed better than the way we were doing it.

What Hasn’t Worked Well

Most of the strategies we’ve learned about camping with a big family, we’ve learned from our mistakes.

Failure #1

My husband and I love to take our family camping, but we’ve come to accept that tent camping isn’t for us at this stage of life! Tenting can be fun…unless you have a baby, in which case, it might also be miserable!

Once we tented with our two young boys, the youngest of whom was our 9-month-old son. We didn’t bring a pack-n-play. How bad would it be to have him in our bed for a night or two?

It was awful. A full two nights of almost no sleep. We never went tenting with babies again.

If you have small kids, renting a cabin at a state park or camping in an RV is our preferred option. You can enjoy the great outdoors with your kids, but still get some reprieve with air conditioning and a good night’s sleep.

Failure #2

Another mistake we made was the year we did a whole bunch of canning the day before our trip. If you’ve ever done home canning, you know it’s a lot of work, plus, it’s very messy!

When it came time to pack for our trip, the house was such a wreck, my brain couldn’t think past the visual clutter to organize what we needed for the trip. We forgot a bunch of important items and what’s worse, we were exhausted and irritable at the start of the trip.

Proper Planning for Camping With a Large Family

Proper planning for large family camping begins the day or even the week before.

The Week Before

The key to camping is remembering the few items we use daily in our home. A list, of course, can help with this, but even prior to the list, having a clean, uncluttered home clears brain space for you to be able to even think through what you will need.

The most important thing you can do the week before is to keep up with the daily family chores so that the house is reasonably clean when you begin to pack.

We have also learned that when we intentionally keep a lighter schedule a few days before camping, everything goes more smoothly.

The Day Before

• Wash all the laundry, especially the child (5-7 year old) who doesn’t ever put his or her laundry in the hamper.
• Pack clothes so that you can focus on the food preparation the day you plan to leave.
• Have kids sleep in the clothes they will wear.
• Write a checklist for kids ages 8 and up to pack themselves. Check it before leaving.
• Prepare make-ahead food like oatmeal, sausage and rice, potato salad, and other cold salads.

Leaving Day

Make a whiteboard list of all the things that need to get done.

FREE PRINTABLE: Large Family Camping Essentials Checklist

Included in the (5 Page) FREE PRINTABLE:

• Campsite Checklist
• Children’s/Parents’ Attire
• Baby Checklist
• Toiletries
• Kitchenware
• Paper/Plastic Products
• First Aid Essentials
• Meal Plan
• Grocery List
• Toiletries

This Large Family Camping Essentials Checklist is the list we use for our family. Download the free PDF to help you plan your next camping trip.

1. Subscribe in the box above by entering your email.
2. Check your email inbox to confirm your subscription.
3. You will get a success message with the PDF link. Click on the link and print. Enjoy! Please remember, these are for personal use only!

Large Family Camping Essentials Meals Checklist

Feeding a big family is no small task. We’ve noticed that the more children that have been added to our family, the more our life seems to revolve around food. Because of this, the meal prep is the most important part of camping for a large family.

We’ve discovered that we prefer seasonal and camp-style food when camping. There may be easier meals that we could make ahead to serve, like spaghetti or a prepared casserole dish. But we enjoy fresh meat cooked over the fire, like bacon and eggs or burgers and BBQ chicken. Also, summer picnic-type dishes like fresh fruit or cold salads (potato/macaroni) are a hit for us.

Sample Meal Plan

Here is a sample meal plan for 4-5 days of camping for our family of twelve.

Breakfasts

• Cereal
• Bagels/Cream Cheese
• Oatmeal (make ahead)
• Eggs and bacon (Cook over fire or on griddle)
• Toast (Toast bread on a griddle)
• Yogurt/Granola

Lunches

(Serve with fresh veggies, fruit, and chips.)

• PB & J
• Hot dogs
• Quesadillas. We make these on the electric griddle.
• Lunch Meat and Cheese wrapped in a Tortilla

Dinners

• BBQ Chicken, Potato Salad, and Chips or Side Vegetable. We like to put chicken in the Instant Pot and pour BBQ sauce over it for a quick meal.
• Hamburgers & Hot Dogs with a cold salad (potato or macaroni)
• Sausage, Rice, Black Beans, Cheese. This is a dinner meal we make that takes 4 ingredients- ground loose sausage, Rice, black beans, and cheese. This simple dish can be served as is or wrapped in a burrito and served with chips, fruit, and veggies.
• Taco Night. Take your favorite fixings, rice, soft shells, lettuce, refried beans, cheese, sour cream, avocado, etc.
• Sausage, Green Bean, Corn Skillet Dish. We cook up sausage links in a skillet, cut them into bite-size pieces, add in green beans and corn for a simple skillet meal.

Snacks

• Trail Mix
• Fruit
• Snack Bars
• Popping Corn

Make Ahead Meals and Side Dishes

While we prefer fresh seasonal and camp-style food, we do make a few dishes ahead of time. These are meals you can make ahead and store in Ziploc bags.

• Oatmeal
• Pancakes (Don’t forget the syrup! )
• Sausage and Rice
• Potato Salad or other cold salad

Food Preparation Tips

• Meat: We freeze all of our meat beforehand so that we don’t need as much ice. It also helps keeps everything fresh and cold longer.
• Grocery Shopping: We write down all of our meals and use that meal plan to make our grocery list. Go through each meal and write down ingredients to take or buy.

Condiments

One of the most common items we have forgotten in the post is the condiments to go with a meal. Don’t forget these tasty condiments! They add that extra touch of tastiness!

• K-cups
• Half N Half or Creamer
• Mustard/Ketchup/Relish
• Maple syrup
• Sour Cream
• Mayonaise
• Peanut Butter
• Jelly
• Butter/ oil
• Salt & Pepper, spices

Kitchenware We Take for Cooking

• Electric Griddle or Propane-fueled griddle (bring an extra propane bottle)
• Large Pot
• Instapot
• Large plastic bowl (We use it for popcorn.)
• Skillet (optional if you have a griddle)
• Large Serving Spoons
• All-purpose kitchen knife
• Cutting Board
• Can Opener
• Large cooler
• Plastic Table Cloths
• Foil
• Ziploc Bags
• Scissors
• Coffee Maker or Keurig
• Extra portable table for cooking/ coffee pot/etc.
• Hot pads
• Teaspoons/measuring cups
• Dish Cloths
• Small Tub for Washing
• Dish Towels
• Water purifier (or bottled water)
• Serving Spoons
• Spatula

Paper/Plastic Products

• Cutlery
• Paper plates and bowls
• Paper cups
• Sharpie to write names on cups.
• Ziploc bags. These are easiest for storing leftover food.
• Garbage bags
• Plastic Table Cloths
• Paper Towels
• Baby wipes (These are so handy for cleaning!)

Other Essentials Camping Checklist

• Camp Chairs
• All-natural bug spray
• Sleeping Bags for everyone
• Bikes/scooters
• Wood/kindling
• Games/books/paper/ crayons
• Extension cord
• Matches/lighter
• Charcoal
• Lighter fluid
• Flashlights/Extra batteries
• Hatchet
• Multi-tool
• Tarp
• Duct Tape
• Rope or Cord

Baby Checklist

• Pack-N-Play (including sheet and baby blanket!)
• Stroller. This is a must-have for trail walking or walking to the bathhouse!
• Fan. The white noise helps the baby sleep.
• Booster seat with seatbelt so the baby can stay put beside you while you are cooking.
• Pacifier
• Diaper/Wipes
• Puddle Jumpers for swimming.
• Warm Sleeper PJ’s (for cold nights.)
• Extra Outfits

Children’s Checklist

• Long pants
• Sweatshirt
• Bathing suit
• Crocs/flip flops for creek stomping or showering
• Sneakers for hiking
• Pillow
• Bath Towels
• Swimming Towels

Pets

• Leash
• Cleanup Bags
• Food/Water Bowls

First Aid Kit

I can’t tell you how many times we have gone away and one of our kids randomly gets an earache or a fever. Don’t forget to put these items in your first aid kit!

• Bandaids
• Antibacterial Cream
• Ear Oil
• Tylenol
• Thermometer

Toiletries

• Toothbrushes
• Toothpaste
• Shampoo and Conditioner
• Razor
• Bath Towels
• Moisturizer
• Floss
• Hairdryer

Other Large Family Camping Tips

These are some additional camping tips that have helped us.

occasionally camp locally

Although we enjoy traveling to faraway places to camp, we also do camping trips close by. This is especially helpful when large families have a wide spread of ages. Our older kids who are working don’t have to miss out. They can go to work when they need to, but also stop over at our campsite for pickup games or campfire evenings.

Many hands make light work

If Dad and Mom are rushing around to get everything done, while the kids are bored and waiting, something is wrong with this picture. In our family, we’ve learned to require “all hands on deck” until the job is done. Kids can help with the packing AND all the clean up!

When will you be taking your next family camping trip? Don’t miss out on the fun of camping with your kids because of the challenges of packing for a large crew. Take the time to plan it all out, write it down, and then repeat what works!

Happy camping!