Use What You Have

For our foray into camping, we used what we have.

• We already had sleeping bags, and fortunately when I purchased sleeping bags for the kids years ago for the requisite sleepovers, I purchased "real" camping sleeping bags, just in case. No, we weren't campers! In fact, with the exception of one overnight adventure to Put-in-Bay in 1998, I hadn't been camping since my teens.
• One queen air mattress. It has a slow leak we can't find, but the kids were ok with it.
• I packed up our worn out plasticware and plastic tablecloths I had at home, as well as spare cooking utensils.
• Traditional Coleman stove plus kerosene. Warning, kerosene makes for sooty cleanup!
• Dishtub for washing dishes. You can bring disposables, but I like to live as green as possible.
• Cooler. I'm grateful mine is on wheels.
• I brought a fishing rod and the tackle box. I had no problem finding someone (since husband wasn't there due to work, yes, I'm happily married) to show my dear son what to do, since I didn't feel like procuring a fishing license for myself (and kids are free, in Ohio anyway)!
• Flashlights and chairs! Everyone has these!
• The bikes! There is something about kids needing and loving bikes on a camping trip.