Top 10 Glamping Essentials for Family Camping

Top 10 Glamping Essentials for Family Camping

Top 10 Glamping Essentials for Family Camping

The idea of camping outdoors may not appeal to everyone.  The lack of plumbing, sleeping on hard rocky floors, or just being out of your comfort zone may interfere with having a good camping experience.

TOP TEN Glamping Essentials for Family Camping

The first time we went on an overnight soft camping trip (in town at a nature center), I slept on a pallet.  I woke up stiff and sore.  My husband and I vowed to use our air mattress the next year. Boy what a difference it made!

For our real first time camping trip at Anastasia Florida State Park, I decided from the very beginning to Glamp it up!

Glamping can be simple and practical or extreme and over the top. It’s better to start by adding small luxuries and comfort items to your camping trip, than hauling in the crystal chandeliers and bearskin rugs.

For your family’s comfort pick a camping site with bathrooms , shower stalls, water and power connections.  Make sure to pack  bug spray, citronella candles, and of course a First Aid kit.

Top 10 Glamping Essentials for Family Camping

1. Accent Lighting– There is little to no lighting when you’re camping outdoors. Flashlights and lanterns are a must for seeing in the dark. It keeps everyone safe from falling over things and it keeps some wildlife at a distance when your site has adequate lighting.

Glampers should also bring accent lighting.  Candles, tea lights, white holiday lights, lawn lights, and small decorative lighting can be placed around the site.  Be sure to first check with your Park Ranger to make sure there aren’t any restrictions for candles or hanging lights.

10 Glamping Essentials for Family Camping
I found these cute outdoor lanterns at thrift store for 80 cents a piece.

2. Spacious Tent When it comes to picking out a tent for your Glamping experience I recommend going large.  Setting up a tent can feel overwhelming for new campers, but tents today are easy to setup.

Our tent has 2 rooms and sleeps 6 people comfortably. The square footage is about 150 and is over 7 feet high.   It took us 40 minutes to get our tent pitched.

Top 10 Glamping Essentials for Family Camping
We purchased our family tent from Craigslist 4 years ago. It’s a great tent or large families.

We have more than enough space inside to place a Queen sized air mattress and two twin air mattresses with room to walk around. It also didn’t take up much space on our campsite at Anastasia State Park.

Once the sun goes down, the bugs come out and bite. We spent a lot of time inside our tent at night playing UNO, reading stories, or listening to jazz under the stars.

3. Air Mattress-An air mattress is considered the number one Glamping Essential and I agree.  I don’t like sleeping on the hard floor or mats.  We have a Queen sized mattress, same as our bed at home.  This year we also bought twin air mattresses for the kids.

Top 10 Glamping Essentials for Family Camping
We found these Coleman twin air mattresses on clearance for $9.00 a piece. The accent rug was purchased from the thrift store for $3.

4. Bedding is also an important Glamping Essential.  It makes your tent look and feel like a real bedroom at home.  We brought or cotton sheets and pillows from home.  We also brought along a few throw blankets to double as accent pillows and an extra covering for cool nights.

Top 10 Glamping Essentials for Family Camping
We use these throws for everything including picnics or lounging around the house. They make the perfect Glamping bed spread and rolled up they make great accent pillows.

5. Accent Rugs– There’s nothing worse than stepping out of bed and on to dirt and rocks.  We don’t wear our shoes inside the tent but some how dirt finds its way on the floor.  We brought small accent rugs to place at our bedside and at the entrance to our tent.

25 thoughts on “Top 10 Glamping Essentials for Family Camping”

  1. This is so great! The decor is fabulous and I love love the toilet idea! That’s my main issue with camping. And beds not a sleeping bag on the floor! The food looks delicious!

  2. Thanks for posting this information is very helpful for our upcoming camping trip. Its a. overnight trip and the site has a covered pavilion, kitchen, bathroom with shower and most importantly a large gas grill. Just need the air mattress and I think that will help!

  3. These are such great camping ideas, I love each and every one of them. Using rolled up throw blankets as accent pillows is genius. I’m sure your family had a wonderful time.

  4. One thing you are missing for your glamping tent, is an airbed cot. Basically raises your airbed off of the ground. Search for it on Amazon. All of our friends changed the name of our tent to the condo, after they saw our bedroom!

    1. Thanks Heidi, I like the idea of a cot but I don’t think it will pack well in the car. How collapsable are they? I’ll have to check it out!

  5. Cat litter in the bag works really well for the portable toilet. I used it on our last camping trip, and it was great. It absorbs the odors too! 🙂

  6. This was an amazing post! I love the small & big – not so obvious details. I do not have a family (yet!) but you bet my boyfriend & I will be using these great tips in Tahoe next week! I am also excited to read more on your site, it seems quite inspiring.

  7. WOW!!! you’ve bought camping to a new level, love that toilet idea Katrina. next time kick it up a notch. Add some kitty litter. keep up the good work, CREATING.
    LOVE YOU,

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