It doesn’t need to drain constantly - a couple of times a day is fine.
I’m a pretty dedicated non camper. My idea of fun does not include sleeping on the ground however I did spend my entire childhood camping our way back and forth across the US.
The most important part of a trip like this is plan but be flexible.
Plan your meals, but don’t be afraid to grab a couple dozen ears of corn at the roadside stand and have a corn roast for dinner instead.
Plan your activities but if you’re having a great time and want to spend an extra day at your first stop and there is space available - go for it.
You’re car camping - if something is needed that you didn’t think about drive to the nearest store. Don’t stress about it.
It’s a family vacation, not an everyone but mom vacation. Make sure everyone has something they’re responsible for so you get down time too.
I will also second the recommendation for a dry run in the backyard and not just the first time either. Do it before every trip to find any missing or broken pieces before you’re at your campsite.
Aside from the whole stealing issue, it also creates extra fiddly little nuisance trash (I use about four packs of ketchup per veggie dog). Coghlan makes reusable squeeze tubes, or even better, the GoToob (the Coghlan ones are not robust enough for backpacking, IMHO), but the GoToob cost about twice as much.
We use them for maple syrup, pudding, PB & J, various condiments, honey, shampoo etc. Perfect for getting exact amounts of goo out too. Most of the popular condiments (with the obvious exception of mayo) are fine unrefrigerated for a couple of days, but when we’re car camping we keep our squeeze tubes in the cooler anyway (usually we just bring the plastic bottles condiments come in). The small tubes are awesome for day hikes. Instead of bringing a squishable sandwich, you just put your bagel and a couple small tubes in your little day pack, so when it’s picnic time you slice your bagel with your Swiss army knife and squeeze out your PB&J.
We take GoToobs when we are going on multi-day backpacking camping and kayaking trips. It’s way easier to deal them with than plastic bottles and jars, and we only carry what we need. With pudding you can just squeeze it directly into your mouth. A lot cleaner all around.
The Coghlan ones are sized so that you can nest the smaller ones inside the bigger ones when they’re empty. So they’re easier to pack out.
But the OP doesn’t need to do any of that. Car-camping, remember? No foods need to be repackaged unless they are camping with Napoleon’s Grand Armee. Carry a full bottle of ketchup. Pack your morning OJ in a glass bottle. Weight and size aren’t an issue here.
Weight may not be an issue, but depending on the size of your vehicle size can be. Do you really need the massive jar of peanut butter taking up space when you’ll eat only a few sandwiches? How about that economy size bottle of shampoo when you plan to shower maybe once while out camping (I tend to not, because hey.. Camping! But people do.) My dad drove a truck with a long box and could pack tons of things in there by just tossing them in, I drive a cavalier and have to pack carefully and even then I tend to overpack. Options for minimizing are nice to have, even with car camping.
Re: ice for coolers–I use a couple of 5-liter food containers. I fill them up about 3/4 of the way and freeze them; they last 3 days or so in a good cooler. After that, they’re easy to refill with ice and they’ll last for a day or two. No draining of the cooler required, and your food won’t get wet.
It can bung you up but good, though. Hence my reference upthread to not needing TP for a camping weekend.
They are really high in calories and sodium because they are designed for fueling your body, and replenishing electrolytes after you’ve been hiking all day with a full load on your back. Not so much fun-for-the-whole-family kind of food. Burgers and weeneis on the open fire are more famly fun friendly. But the mac 'n cheese is soooooooooo good!
Seconded by me and thirded by my wife. We both got wicked cases of the trots the day after eating the pad thai.
When we went camping as a family there was always lots of hiking. Get trail books and if the park has a ranger that gives nature hikes take one.
How is it there are 92 responses and only one mention of smors? Do not do not forget these.
As to coffee may I suggest one of these. They don’t break. Require only boiling water. and are very easy to use.
No matter how hot the day is, you’ll be cold at night. Bring blankets.
Freeze all the food. Even the pancake mix. The colder it all is when you put it in the cooler the better. Make the scrambled eggs as mentioned above, put them in the ziploc, and then freeze it. Freeze the catsup and mustard. Not because they need to be frozen, but because it will help keep the other stuff cold.
Put things back in the cooler. Don’t use the Catsup and then leave it sitting out on the table.
Don’t let the kids go in and out of the cooler a hundred times per day. The more you open it, the warmer the food gets.*
The only exception to this is the first meal you’ll eat. Which has to be hotdogs cooked over the fire on sticks. That’s a rule.
Get the new super-sized marshmallows. Just cause they look yummy.
Why yes, I did get food poisoning on a camping trip once, how’d you guess?!?
For weekend trips, I freeze water bottles. They provide the ice, they don’t get everything wet when they melt, and I have cold water on the last day as I am packing up.
For clothes - layers beat jackets. a few thin layers also help confuse the mosquitoes when they try to stab you.
Another clothes issue - that really nice poly type jacket? Yeah - it melts when a fireplace ember hits it. Cotton & wool are better. I personally camp with an old poncho/serape that is my jacket, blanket, etc.
A small dust pan and broom is nice for cleaning out the tent when the kids forget that they are not supposed to wear their shoes in the tent.
Bug spray on the inside rim of the baseball cap keeps bugs away from your face.
flip flops are great to have when you have to pee in the middle of the night and you don’t want to put on shoes. They are terrible the rest of the time unless you like your feet trashed from stubbing your toes (there is a reason that the Boy Scouts does not allow open toe shoes when camping). Personally, I have moccasins for camp shoes.
Kids like to burn things. Leaves are bad (they float up into the sky burning), small sticks are fine. Find your personal balance on fire issues.
More thoughts - almost everything can be eaten in a tortilla. Eating in a tortilla means no dishes to wash. We have turned all of our dining into wraps, just because I hate doing dishes. For plates we use frisbees. Yes. Frisbees. Heavy duty, raised lips, and you can play TRON with them when you are done (flinging frisbees at each other in the woods - great fun).
If possible, take 2 coolers:
One for drinks that will have ice/water. The water will keep your drinks colder for longer and you’ll be constantly opening/closing the lid to get drinks. Every once in a while, drain about HALF of the water out and put fresh ice in. You can recycle the cold water for washing, cleaning, etc. You can drink the water in an emergency but I would consider it a last resort.
The second cooler should be for your food and should be kept closed at all costs. When opened, get your food as fast as possible and close it back up. Place a towel across the top of the food inside the cooler to minimize cold air loss. Every time you open the lid, you lose cold air so you want to minimize the open time as much as possible.
If you have a vacuum sealer, you can vacuum pack a lot of things. They are water proof as well. I have emergency matches and batteries vacuum sealed.
Finally, decide if this is a one time event or something you think you would like to do more often. If it’s something that you think you’ll do more often, buy some storage totes and start investing in a “camping kit”. We have cheap melamine plates from Walmart, cheap utensils, etc. that are always packed and ready. When we get home, I make sure to wash and re-stock anything I’ve used. It makes getting ready and organized so much easier. I keep a supply list on my computer and taped to the lid so I can quickly run down the checklist to make sure I don’t forget anything.
The only advice I would give is more philosophical than pragmatic: make it a point to enjoy every moment, including any that might feel ‘uncomfortable’ or ‘irratating’ by remembering the trip is finite, it is all the experiences you are looking to have, and in a week or two it will only be memories. A rainy day is not a washout, it’s a chance to expand your boundries and try to have fun under less than ideal circumstances. Bugbites & sunburn will go away. You will be clean and dry again soon.
Given the opportunity you and your family might surprise yourselves with your adventure, and the memories wil last forever.
So as they say, “Don’t sweat the petty things”, and for that matter, “Don’t pet the sweaty things.”
