We went on our first camping trip ever as a family to Grand Gulf Military Park in Mississippi. We wanted to test everything out and make sure that we knew what we were doing before taking a long trip to Wisconsin this summer. We did really good – I was impressed with how seamlessly we set up camp and broke down camp. However, we did have room for improvement with the order of how we completed everything.
Here are a several things that we learned:
- It takes a LONG time to cool down the refrigerator! I recommend placing containers of ice in the refrigerator and freezer to assist with cooling down.
- Attach the electrical first to start cooling down your camper. That way I can put S and the dog in the camper sooner and not keep the car running for so long.
- Bring lots of ice to keep your food in cooler cool until the refrigerator is cold. Or buy an electric cooler that can plug in to both your car and an electrical outlet.
- Bring cold water in the cooler to drink before your refrigerator cools down.
- When leveling your camper, if the bubble is all the way to one side, you need to raise the other side.
- Use a list to help make sure that you set everything up and disconnect everything before leaving.
- You will use a lot more gas in your vehicle than you think! We got 9 mpg on our first trip!!!
We had a wonderful first camping trip! S declared the first night the ‘best night ever’ and the next day the ‘best day ever’, so I’d say we have a lot of camping in our future.
For tips on what you need to purchase for your first camping trip, see this post. For all my camping posts click here.
Do you own a camper? What tips do you have for first time camper owners?
We really really want to buy an RV ourselves and it’s nice to know that the learning curve will definitely be a progressive thing. But, the list making – yes! I think a list for everything camper/RV related is a Necessity! 🙂
I hope you are able to purchase an RV. We’ve have some great memories so far and I look forward to many more!
I’ve never been camping, but would like to take the kids camping one day. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Jenn!
This is a great post! I have been wanting to get the family out and camping and this is super inspiring! It makes sense about the refrigerator, but definitely something that would not have occurred to me! I have a link party going on if you’d like to share this or another post! http://www.heymommablog.com/2015/08/10/hey-momma-link-party-5/ #goodtips
Thank you Casey!
Just another quick tip about the fridge… Most newer campers come equipped to run on electricity and propane. Have your fridge running and the camper plugged in when you start packing. Then as you travel if it’s set in auto it will convert to propane when you unplug, the back to electric when you hook up. We don’t use coolers anymore.
Thank you for the tip Justin!
Awesome post! We are planning on purchasing a travel trailer in the next six months. I came across this post and another on Pinterest. Thanks so much for this. We have a pop-up, but I am still apprehensive about upgrading. Any other tips or suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Thank you Steph! You will love having a camper.
We plug our camper in the day before we leave. This way the fridge can get cold then we fill the fridge with pre chilled food and an ice pack on the top shelf. Your food will stay cold for the whole day. This will also top off the battery before you leave.
We didn’t have luck with plugging in for the whole day before we left, our fridge was luke warm when we arrived at our campground 1.5 hours away, however we did not put ice packs or food in it while traveling. I will have to try that on our next trip, thanks for the tip!
We leave our camper plugged into electricity at home during the summer months, when we’re taking it on trips once or twice a month. This way, the fridge stays cold, and when we’re ready to hook it up to our tow vehicle, we switch it over to propane until we unhook at our destination. Our fridge always stays cold, and we don’t have to worry about taking food out and restocking before and after every trip.
Unfortunately, our camper is stored where we cannot hook up to electricity. However, we have been on long trips using the propane for the fridge between stops and I love it. The propane does a great job of keeping the fridge cool and hardly uses any propane.
Grand Gulf Military Park is about 4 hours south of us, did you enjoy the park?
We did Michelle! There was a lot to see within the campground/park. Here is more about the park https://www.mybigfathappylife.com/mississippi-campgrounds/
The hubby and I just bought a camper. Thank you for the great tips. I will pin your blog to my site.
Awesome!
Thanks so much Sharon! I know the two of you are going to have some amazing adventures!
We just bought our first camper last week and are going out on our first camping trip this weekend. All three of my boys were in Scouting so camping is nothing new to us, but having an RV is! I’m very excited about the air conditioning and bathroom! We live in Houston! I’ve found several of your posts very informative and helpful in knowing what to expect and what we need. But what made me comment here is WHERE you went on your first camping trip. You see Grand Gulf Military Park was my very first home! My family lived in a house on the property. My father was the caretaker and my mother ran the gift shop for several years before I was born. We ended up moving to Natchez before I was a year old but my older sisters have lots of wonderful memories of living there as kids. This was back in 1967!
That’s amazing Stacey! Grand Gulf Military Park was awesome! It must have been a wonderful place to explore as a child.
I’m so excited for you and your family for your first camper – you will love having an AC, refrigerator and bathroom! I hope you create lots of memories together! And thank you for your kind words!