A few camping tips

In my last post, I talked about how our second camping trip went so much better than our first. After a little time spent on Pinterest and a trip to the Dollar Tree & Walmart, I discovered a few tips that made our camping experience more pleasant. 

As I was checking out one of my favorite blogs one day, there was a post for 2 small black tables from Walmart. I paid $22 for both. They were just what we needed for camping. They are the perfect size because they fold up and don't take up a lot of room while traveling. I placed plastic tablecloths on top to help keep them clean. 

Since we were in Florida in July, purchasing a fan was probably the second best purchase( I will fill you in on #1 in a bit) we made! In the middle of the day, sitting in front of this probably saved us from a heat stroke. Okay....so it wasn't that hot but it did make the warmth more bearable. 

I purchased a few different types on bins(from $1 Tree) for organizing inside the camper and outside. I used the green stackable bins outside to hold napkins, plastic silverware and cups. 

This small pop up tent helped keep the bugs off of our food. It is very easy to set up and take down. I may make a trip to the Dollar Tree for another one of these. 

I purchased a citronella candle from Walmart. It definitely helped keep the bugs away while we ate and played cards. 

The last item in the picture is a vinyl tablecloth. I used a plastic tablecloth for the picnic table last time and it was in shreds by the last day. I wanted something I could wipe down after each meal and save for more trips.

On our last camping trip, we really roughed it when it came to s'mores. Griffin found sticks and carved them so we could roast marshmallows. While at the Dollar Tree, I found skewers for roasting. They were great because they expanded for roasting but collapsed to save space in the camper.

I got this idea off Pinterest. Since I usually throw these detergent containers away, I was glad to finally put them to good use. I cleaned it out and filled it with water. We used it to wash our hands outdoors instead of opening the doors to the chilled trailer several times. 

Since we don't have an awning,  our canopy provided shade where the trees couldn't. You can't see them but we also bought a set of solar powered lights to place in the ground around our camper. They  provided light for the walkway to the bathroom.

Camel and I both agree that our number 1 purchase was the memory foam we bought for our bed. We bought(using part of a gift card from Christmas) the Dreamifinity Cooling Memory Foam Mattress Topper from Sams. This topper made a huge difference in getting a good night sleep. Warning if you plan to purchase this memory foam........Let it air out for a couple of days before using it! It has a very strong smell once you take it out of the plastic wrap. Our whole garage was stinking. It was fine after a couple of days.

I am in no way an expert at camping. I grew up tent camping but camping with a travel trailer is new. I hope some of these tips were helpful for you or maybe even inspired some of you to give camping a try.