Group camping with your friends and family is a fun way to break up the monotony of everyday city living. While nature is a catalyst for connection any day, if you are going camping as a group, it’s a good idea to carry along entertainment and activity options. Not only will you stave off boredom that some people may experience, but this will also be a great way to nurture your time together. Here are 4 things that are sure to make your group camping experience fun in the present, and memorable in the future.
Musical Instruments
We’ve all heard of campfire singalongs. Why not take yours up a notch with an actual musical instrument? If you’re worried that a musical instrument will take up too much space in your camping gear, there are plenty of small instruments that are compact and easy to transport. Harmonicas are about as big as a jackknife and weigh just as much. Ukuleles are both small enough to fit easily in a backpack and light enough to be carried for many miles without weighing you down. The ukulele is also an easy instrument to learn a few chords on, so even if you’re not a professional, you can pick it up in no time. Whether you have a small hand drum for keeping the rhythm, a stringed instrument for melodies, or a mouth organ for a true old-timey campfire feel, musical instruments can be a great way to add something special to your nightly campfires.
A Gathering Tent
Group camping means you’ll have plenty of people around to play cards and board games with, but if the weather doesn’t cooperate, you may find yourself isolated in your tent, waiting for the weather to clear. In these situations, a gathering tent can be just the thing you need to save your vacation. Gathering tents are large and come in several different styles, from simple shade canopies to fully screened tents that keep mosquitoes at bay. Be sure to pick a tent that’s big enough to keep a picnic table under, and you’ll have a space perfect for keeping the good times rolling no matter what the weather is like.
Lawn Games
If you want to add a little competitive fun to your next group camping trip, then lawn games are the way to go. Horseshoes, cornhole, kubb, bocce ball — whatever gets your crew’s competitive juices flowing, be sure to bring it along. Lawn games can help fill free time between hikes or after dinner, or they might feature more prominently in the camping trip’s daily itinerary. If your group has a favorite lawn game, an extended competition between teams with bragging rights on the line can be a fun way to spend your time around camp. Lawn games are also a great way to bring someone new into your group’s fold. Draw random partners each time you play and give everyone a chance to get to know each other in a relaxed, no-pressure setting.
Camp Journal
Things are rarely boring when you’re surrounded by a group of fun-loving individuals. With a camp journal, you’ll have the perfect medium to record it all as it happens. Encourage your fellow campers to pass the journal around and write down some of their favorite memories or quotes from the trip. If you camp regularly with the same group of people, the camp journal can be a nice way to track the time you’ve spent together over the years. Open it up around the campfire to relive some of your favorite memories and watch your friends launch into their own versions of the story.
Camping is a wonderful opportunity to reassess, relax, and take stock of the things that truly matter. Bring along a few things that will help the people you’re spending time with create lasting memories and you’ll be sure to make your next camping trip a success.