Oh, sure. I’ve camped. In a cabin. And by cabin, I mean a trailer with a rustic looking porch. It had air conditioning, a kitchen (along with a refrigerator), and most importantly, a bathroom. And it was in said cabin that my son famously remarked, “People actually live like this?”
To be fair, by the end of our glamping trip, he was at peace with nature and looked forward to our nightly campfire. But I hadn’t ventured to take him real camping and there are several reasons for that.
- Why camp when you can sleep in a climate-controlled, luxury hotel with comfortable beds, wifi, and tv?
- I’ve done it before and it didn’t end well.
My first and last real camping experience was in Williamsburg, VA when I was in college and my boyfriend pitched a tent only to wake in a puddle in the middle of the night. It had rained and the water collected under our tent and soaked our sleeping bags. We then slept in the car which was full of mosquitoes. It was not a good experience.
But I think I’ve let enough decades pass that I’m ready to try tent camping again with the help of GMC.
My son, who’s now 10 years old, and I were given a GMC Sierra Denali for the week. So already, we’ve got some luxury built into our camping trip.
Even better, our truck is going to be our home. We’re pairing the GMC Sierra Denali with a specially designed tent and air mattress for the bed of the truck.
Sounds pretty sweet, right?
I hope so. I could use a break. After finally planning our one night camping trip, Evan sustained a serious injury at tennis this week (he jammed his knee so badly that he couldn’t walk for an entire day). So we postponed. And now that we’re ready to go, the forecast is calling for rain, rain, and a little more rain. We’ll be in the bed of the truck, though, so I don’t anticipate a repeat of that awful night in Williamsburg. I do, however, feel confident that I shall return with tips for camping in the rain.
In the meantime, I’ve compiled my list of everything I think I need for my first real mother-son camping trip.
Our GMC Sierra Denali came with most of the camping supplies seen below:
- Camping chairs (those are ours)
- Napier Truck Tent for GMC Sierra Denali
- AirBedz Truck Bed Air Mattress for GMC Sierra Denali (bonus – it can be inflated through an electrical outlet like the one found in the truck!)
- Primus Onja 2 Burner Stove (and fuel canisters)
- Stanley Adventure Prep + Cook Set
- Huckberry Forest Lantern
- Lighter
Then I started to so my own prep work.
- 2 sleeping bags
- Outdoor blanket
- Rain ponchos (yep, we know it’s going to rain)
- Cutter Citro Guard candle
Then, I packed the most critical part of the camping trip… the snacks and other essentials.
Some of the snacks we packed:
- Trail mix
- Sweetened nut clusters
- Bottled water
- Plaintain chips
- Marshmallows (and sticks for roasting)
- Utensils
- Firestart log
- Hand sanitizer wipes
- Battery powered fan
- Baked beans
- Hot dog rolls
And with those beans and rolls, you know what must be coming next…
For our meals, we packed:
- Hot dogs
- Watermelon
- Hard boiled eggs
- Kind Breakfast Bars (we love these!)
- Seltzer
TIP: we’re using freezer packs that came with our last Amazon Pantry order.
And then, all the rest, like clothes, camera gear, and a few toiletries.
After we packed, we loaded everything into the truck in the back. If we were a larger group traveling, we could have stored our gear in the truck bed to make room for passengers. As it is, we only need the front seat clear so everything fits neatly in the rear of this crew cab.
Plenty of room in the front – GMC Sierra Denali
Loaded up in the rear – GMC Sierra Denali
Then, as we were heading out the door, we remembered a few last minute essentials like a pocket knife, a roll of paper towels, a flashlight, some toilet paper, and some non-electronic activities! We definitely have reading and cards on our list of activities.
If you’re a camping novice, would you set our for a night in the truck? If you’re a camping pro, what glaring mistakes have I made? And don’t worry. You’ll get the full report on our trip later in the week!
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