Hey guys!! This post is unfortunately going up after we took our trip but I also like that I can leave a better review about the things we bought. So just bare with me if this blog is a little back and forth. Enjoy! 🙂
Oh boy guys! I feel so behind with this one haha. I just posted Part 1 pretty late… I was trying to wait until we set up the tent but it just hasn’t happened due to being extra busy or weather.
I wanted to post a few other things we bought for our trip and in a final blog, I can review everything we brought that wasn’t a big purchase or we already had!
Tommy and I went to Dick’s a few times and were pretty stuck for a couple weeks on the type of grill we wanted to invest in. We finally narrowed it down to this griddle one. It’s pretty cool, super light, and really easy to set up! Just make sure your camping site has a picnic table to put it on or you’ll be cooking on the ground.
We really liked it however cast iron anything is very time consuming bc you have to season it prior to cooking and then after to clean it. Do this at least one time prior to camping if you get this griddle. It makes some really great food though and it smelled like a NY deli at our camping spot.
BTW, Dick’s price matches with Walmart soooo if ya see something cheaper elsewhere (especially if you’re spending a couple or few hundred dollars), don’t be afraid to ask for them to price match!
We snagged a queen size air mattress with a built in pump as well. It was originally priced at $69 and we price matched for $66. If they didn’t do it, it’s only $3 so I really wasn’t concerned lol. We made sure to get the warranty protection on both items that covers everything JUST IN CASE.
Having this air mattress that was high up was great to have! I used a flat sheet on it and it didn’t budge once because of the velvet on the air mattress. It filled up with air fast and deflated pretty easily too. It also comes with a huge bag to store it in, not one of those little bitty ones that don’t fit lol
Later on in the day we bought everything, we had to go grocery shopping anyway so we went to Walmart and took a stroll around the camping isle one more time.
We just needed to buy a set of mini propane tanks that were less than $8 total there, bug spray, a couple long handled lighters just in case $.88 each, a hand towel so I don’t ruin mine lol $.97, and I grabbed a mini sun screen spray in passing haha $3.
All in all, it sounds like a lot but we plan to go camping more in the future and we started out with NOTHING. Everything has an initial investment.
After camping, we realized a few things we would’ve found handy. We borrowed a couple coolers from my sister which was such a relief! Thanks big sis! After camping (I’ll explain in that blog next), some ratchet straps or something to tie the cooler lids down would’ve been super helpful and 100% necessary.
We also borrowed a longer extension cord so our tent wasn’t super close to the electric.. Thanks again big sis haha.
Something else I would say would be helpful but isn’t absolutely necessary is an end table or something tall if you’re in a larger tent to put a fan on. The fan was great to have during the day to cool off the tent but it would have been helpful to have it elevated haha.
We also realized we need a larger tarp for under the tent (prevents tears) but it was great to step on and take shoes off before going inside. Bringing the broom is on the list for our next trip.. especially for clean up!
That’s it for the camping prep! Next blog will be about the camping trip itself and food we decided on. If you haven’t already, check out Part 1 camping prep!
See you in the next one bbe!
Questions for you!
1. Is there anything you found helpful in these blog posts for camping?
2. Anything you would do differently next time?
3. What’s your best camping hack! I’d love to hear it.
[…] I posted part 2 of the camping prep guide. You can find part 1 here, and part 2 here! These are the things Tommy and I bought to prep for our camping […]