We just came back from a fun trip up North to go to the annual Jackpine Retreat. It was a wet and chilly weekend but fun never-the-less. I thought I would share some tips (some serious and others not so much!) for camping in that sort of weather.
- Bring twice as much warm clothes and bedding as you think you will need.
- Bring large safety pins for pinning up sleeping bag zippers that prefer to slide down in the night. (They also might come in handy for other things.)
- Doing dishes in hot water is actually very fun and comfortable when you are cold. (So bring real dishes instead of disposable.)
- Bring lots and lots of hot chocolate and/or apple cider.
- Don't plan cold cereal for breakfast when you are camping next to someone who is serving something hot.
- An air bed will keep you up off the floor of the tent and out of the flow of water.
- Bring lots of layers of clothing, that way if you get warmer as the day goes on you can just start shedding layers. (When we came home from camp I had to help Jonathan peel off 5 shirts!)
- Dress yourself and your kids in clean and dry clothes before going to bed. They can just wear them (though add some more layers) when they get up in the morning.
- Hats and mittens are very nice in Northern MN in September.
- Just because your clothes are in your suitcase, don't assume they will stay dry.
- Don't let your stuff touch the side of the tent and don't assume that 3 preteen girls will fit in a 3 "man" tent.
- Remember, the more people you have close together, the warmer you will be.
- Singing warms you up. (As long as you do it lustily!)
- Don't forget to rent a moving truck for going camping or be prepared to have things fall out whenever you open the doors on your van.
- If you forget any shoes except sandals or if your tennis shoes get left out in the rain, Mittens and bread bags will work for shoes instead.
