Ok, admit it, some of you guys read that and thought…. No Way! If you have never been tent camping as a family, I encourage you to read my reasons why you should give it a try! Life is often about stepping out of your comfort zone and trying something new! You never know, it might become your favorite weekend activity!

Here are my top 4 reasons to try tent camping with your kids!

1.  We can take many trips for the price of one! If you have been following my blog, you know that we have recently relocated to Colorado. I’m not exaggerating when I say there are SOOO many places to visit in Colorado that it seems overwhelming.  We have been very intentional with our travel plans and have fortunately been able to do so much in the short time we have been here. We pay an average of $20-$40 a night at a camp site when we choose to stay at a campground that offers a bath house and electricity. However, we frequently choose free dispersed camping (camping in the wilderness without any amenities). Often this decision is made depending on the trip itinerary. If we are going to be hiking the whole time, we often choose dispersed camping. We can easily wash off at the end of the day in a stream or at the campsite. The view is much better and it is FREE!!  If we plan to tour a town, go into museums or out to eat, we tend to choose campgrounds where we can actually shower.
2. We get quality family time without any electronic distractions. I don’t know about you, but I often notice how distracted we are as a family when there are electronics involved. I’m particularly bad at filling my time with distractions on my phone.  Have you ever gone to bed and realized that you spent the whole day watching TV as a family without really connecting? Well that definitely doesn’t happen in dispersed camping. HA! We always pack a deck of cards and have spent full evenings playing cards in the tent during rain storms. Those evenings have been such fun. We play cards, make up silly stories and laugh so hard our stomachs hurt! Another benefit is family team work. We each have a role in setting up, maintaining, and breaking down camp. We have to work together as a team or things do not go as smoothly!
3. Our kids learn how sometimes the simple things bring the most joy. They learn about necessities and luxuries. They learn that a free camping/hiking trip can be just as much fun as an expensive amusement park trip (not that we don’t take and enjoy those too. Hello! Reason number 1 for camping, its cheap and we get to save money for other trips!). And most importantly, they feel such a sense of accomplishment when they complete a difficult task! They learn to push themselves when they are tired. They learn teamwork and encouraging each other. They get exercise and learn that their bodies are truly capable of great things! And then they get back to the tent and learn how wonderful a good, physically-exhausted sleep really feels!
4. We are able to teach our children survival skills. They learn basic first aid, how to start a fire, how to cook on a fire, what to do with animal encounters (thankfully we have not experienced many encounters but we often educate them on appropriate responses). They learn great problem solving skills. They also learn how to improvise and make the most with what you have. Isn’t that life?

I don’t know about you but my main goal in life is teaching my children to be happy and self sufficient. Do you have to take your children camping to accomplish this? Absolutely not! However, if you have not been tent camping, I encourage you to give it a try! That doesn’t mean you have to sleep on the ground and cook over a fire your first trip. Ease into it! Borrow a tent and air mattress from a friend. Stay at a nice RV resort that has excellent bath houses. Bring a grill! Camping doesn’t mean you have to fully rough it, though I find the least we pack, the more we enjoy. And by all means, check out my camping series to learn more about camping with children. Also, you can check out my travel destination page for trip ideas!