5 Must-Haves when camping... (Life Church tested & Approved!)

I just returned from four days of camping.  Rainy, rainy camping.  Lovely to be with about 100 friends from church and elsewhere.  Cards, waterfalls, vodka, and s'mores abounded.  Good stuff.

 - Note - Stay tuned for an ultralite packing list to downsize your pack and save your back. -


There are only 5 items clearly lacking at most camp sites. The sixth is a super stellar cot... (Two families brought their own bed mattresses!  Good lord!)

1.  A headlamp.  Forget flashlights.  (You'll forget them on a log anyhow.)  Purchase one with a high beam, low beam, and a red beam.  The red is awesome - You can enter your tent 2 hours late (Phase Ten, Jiffy Pop, and Fat Tire Ale) and not  wake up your mom.  Smart.

It's from REI, I love it, and REI has a money back guarantee for life.

 Purchase the   Petzl Tikka Plus 2 LED Headlamp HERE



No camping trip is complete without S'mores. 
You MUST buy name brand ingredients.  Bring extra to share!
Mine are heralded as the best ever ever.  I'll be posting a blog specifically detailing how to make my perfect marvels.

2.  Hershey's Special Dark.  Better than regular.  Purchase the smaller bars, albeit more expensive, because they melt faster when set on a half graham cracker on the camp fire grate.


3.  Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallows.


4.  Honey Maid Graham Crackers.  Be sure to break 'em in half before you have a saggy burning 'mallow ready to sandwich.  It's easier that way.

5.  An Ultralight Towel.  It rained our entire trip.  Having my towel was awesome - I dried better and faster than the rest.  Not only is it the size of a deck of cards, but it dries way faster than a cotton terrycloth.

MSR PackTowl UltraLite Medium Towel - 30" x 12"


And this is the cool cot:

Camp Time Roll-A-Cot



- Note - Stay tuned for an ultralight packing list to downsize your pack and save your back. -

Love you, and happy camping!
-miss rose