When we moved to Colorado, we had no clue about how to camp in the mountains. Here is what we did that I advise you never do. We bought a tent off Craigslist that was way to big for the two of us-a 6 person tent to be exact. We decided to buy a queen size blow up mattress and battery pump with sheets and blankets to put on the air mattress and two 50 degree sleeping bags that we had acquired years before. We assumed we had the perfect camping set up. We found out quick that we didn’t!!!
Our first camping trip was dispersed camping at about 9,300 feet. It was July 4th weekend, but the highs were in the 40’s and the lows in the 20’s. The first night we froze. We didn’t have the right gear, and when the temperature dropped into the twenties, we were in trouble. Our lovely air mattress kept losing air and we had to fill it up every hour during the night. We fought over the blankets that we had. Neither of us got any sleep. We prayed every minute of that night for the sun to come up.
I share this story with you so you won’t have the same experience. You are worth it. Invest in the appropriate gear for what you doing. Your gear will differ based on where you are located. But it is very important that if you are going to camp, you go prepared.
Here is our set up now. Hopefully it will help guide you on how you can prepare to have an amazing camping trip.
We have a North Face 4 person tent. Even though it’s just the two of us, we like the 4 person tent as it provides extra space for our gear and also our cots. Next, we have sleeping pads that we put on top of our cots. We use lightweight cots because we found the ground to be unforgiving and if you are car camping-why not! We invested in 15 degree mummy bags. We also have Therm-a-rest pillows. These pillows stay warm overnight and keep your head toasty. This set up, although pretty basic, has provided us with amazing comfort and warmth on some very cold nights camping.
A few Tips:
- If you buy an affordable tent, just make sure to buy one that has a rain fly. There is nothing worse than a leaky tent.
- Temperature degrees matter on sleeping bags. Get the appropriate temperature for where you live.
- Cots are an extra, but sleeping pads are a must. Ditch the air mattress if you are going to high altitudes where it gets cold at night. It will deflate every time.
- Camping pillows are essential. You don’t want to bring your regular pillow and have it smell like smoke for weeks.
Hopefully these tips help. Please feel free to share in the comments what you favorite camp set up is. And as always, happy adventurous wanderings.
