You're not going to believe this, but I've been camping nearly every summer of my life and NEVER HAVE I EVER slept in a camper trailer. Always in a tent. Yup.

To be honest, I'm a little nervous that if I try it, I will never want to go back again. Ha! And there's just something about tent camping that I want my kids to grow up with. I know, call me crazy. I want them to have to rough it for awhile to experience it and appreciate it.

I will say though, the biggest pull for wanting to try out a trailer would be the toilet. I've been camping with friends and family before where they brought a trailer and it is sooooo nice to have a decent bathroom situation. If there is a good bathroom situation, I can camp out the woods for quite awhile. Miserable bathroom amenities, and I want to go home sooner rather than later. Basically, I'm saying a little bit of a glamper, but still in a tent!

But growing up camping as a kid, and now continuing to camp with my family, I've learned a few tricks of the trade. Here's just a few of the companies, gizmos, and gadgets our family loves for any camping adventures.

Goal Zero:

With products that can be powered/charged both by solar and an electrical outlet, or even by their other products. Goal Zero is a camper's techy happy place. Our favorite heavy duty power packs, portable lights to hang around the campsite, and even a lantern that you just have a turn a crank to power.

Klymit:

Maybe you've seen these sleeping pads at from time to time at Costco. If you want lightweight, space saving sleeping pads go for Klymit. Plus, you can blow them up with your mouth and it isn't that big of a deal. We have a few different kinds of their sleeping pads and you really can't go wrong. And if you are really big backpacker, they have specially designed backpacking pads.

But here's the real trick to these sleeping pads. Put it INSIDE your sleeping bag. No more sliding off the pad when it is in the sleeping bag with you. If you want to get real crazy, put one inside your sleeping bag, and another one on the ground. 

Triple Threat:

I gotta throw in our hats in the ring too cause they are soooo nice to have out camping. Here's the deal. Throw your hair up and put on a baseball cap for hiking and exploring. Grab a sun hat for hanging around the campsite during the day. And throw on a button-up beanie once the sun has gone down and you're warming up by the fire and to keep warm while you sleep. Yes, if it's chilly, sleep with your beanie on! And here's a pro-tip: with the slouchy design of the beanies, you can choose to either have your hair come out the top or bunch it up inside the beanie. 

Core Tent: 

We bought this tent at the beginning of this year and we are loving it! The best part, the built in LED lights for sure! You know how you normally have to do the whole hang a flash light from the top of the tent to sorta be able see what's going on at night? The built-in lights in this tent are a dream come true. They totally light up the whole tent and you can turn them on and off or change the setting (there's 3, hello mindblown) from inside and outside the tent. You do need a power source; we like to use a Goal Zero power bank if we don't have access to electricity. 

Hopefully you learned about something new here. If you like this and want more, cause believe me, I could go on and on about camping adventures and things, say the word and I can give you more camping tips and tricks. Happy camping!