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12 Backyard Campout Essentials for Kids

July 19, 2016 Kim 27 Comments

12 Backyard Campout Essentials for Kids

Here are must-have backyard camping essentials for kids.

When your kids want to go camping, you don’t want to because tent camping is not your thing. Let them explore and get used to camping under the stars in their own backyard! Here are 12 Backyard Campout Essentials for Kids that you’ll want to have on hand.

Summer is upon us, and so is the heat, but that doesn’t stop the kids from wanting to have fun in their backyards. My 6 yr old son wants to have a backyard campout, but we think he’s too young, so I told him we could pretend. I prepared a list of backyard campout essentials so he could have a pretend backyard campout for us adults, who one day will go on a real tent campout!

I bought this new tent for my son because I know we will eventually use it for “real” camping one day. My husband put the tent up on the left side of the yard. I wanted to ensure I had all the essentials to make it fun for them, even though it was just pretending. I asked my son and his friend to help me develop a few things they would want at a campout. They both said popcorn, so that’s a must.

Related: Fall Camping Checklist & Tips

 

12 Backyard Camping Essentials for Kids

  1. A good reliable tent, of course, but get one big enough for a family.
  2. Sleeping bag/pillow (they can always sleep under the stars, right?)
  3. Bug spray
  4. An excellent reliable flashlight for each camper
  5. Extra batteries (just in case a camper comes with a nonworking flashlight)
  6. Kids’ Summer Camping Box
  7. Enough popcorn for each kid
  8. Water to drink
  9. Outdoor games
  10. Ask each camper to bring their favorite stuffed animal, blanket, or whatever they sleep with.
  11. A small brush & pail for clean up afterward, or just let the birds eat the crumbs!!
  12. Most importantly, get this kid’s parents’ phone numbers (if someone wants to go home); you never know!

I’m not sure what the right age is to let kids have a backyard campout, but if I know my son, I would also prepare a space for indoor sleeping just if he and his friend get scared. But these backyard camping essentials for Kids are perfect for pretend camping too.

Related: Camping Gear to Match Your Lifestyle

12 Backyard Campout Essentials for Kids

Batteries for Camping

There are two things I don’t ever want to run out of: batteries and toilet paper! So I make sure I stock up on both. Energizer batteries are a great brand to have on hand.

Energizer® Vision HD+ Focus LED Headlight is the highest performing of the Energizer vision headlights having a 250-lumen output and beam distance of 80M. It can also be customized to the desired width. It’s water and impact-resistant, and that’s a good thing if your kid is wearing it!! We also found that it can be switched to a red light, which my son thought was pretty cool.

My husband is all over the Energizer® Fusion LED Folding Lantern. I don’t always get products to review that he can use, but this time I did. With its 330-lumen output, he’ll take this on hunting and fishing trips. He already told me after this “pretend” campout he was hiding it from the little one! It’s a must backyard campout essential for anyone who wishes to set up a pretend backyard campout for their kiddos.

Happy backyard camping!

 

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About Kim

Travel writer and road trip enthusiast of My Traveling Roads, Kim Croisant, is a proud native Texan passionate about seeing the world by car, plane, train, RV -- any way she can. Her travels include many road trips in Texas and beyond. Kim is raising her grandson and takes him and her Yorkie/Shih Tzu mix doggies on as many trips as possible. When she's feeling the love, she lets her darling 83-year-old mother come along as well. But her favorite way to travel is solo. When Kim's not writing, she is hiking through nature and camping in the woods in a cabin full of amenities.

Comments

  1. Jennifer P. says

    August 5, 2016 at 12:07 pm

    We would definitely use this prize pack for camping if I won! It would be super handy to have!

    Reply
  2. Julie Wood says

    August 5, 2016 at 11:01 am

    I will use the lights on a camping trip with the kids.

    Reply
  3. Ellen Casper says

    August 5, 2016 at 7:54 am

    This would be great for night time walks on the beach at OBX.

    Reply
  4. Yona Williams says

    August 2, 2016 at 6:29 pm

    I’d use this prize pack to have fun in the backyard at night with my nephew…we’re always trying to catch the deer out back.

    Reply
  5. William Sweeney says

    August 1, 2016 at 11:00 am

    I don’t think my kids have done a back yard campout before!! What a fun way for the kids to have fun at home, love these essentials.

    Reply
  6. Scott says

    August 1, 2016 at 10:48 am

    If you ask my girls you’ll only get one answer. Their must-have is a reliable wi-fi connection!

    Reply
  7. Emily says

    August 1, 2016 at 9:40 am

    That light is awesome! We camp out a few times a year and having something like this would be great. I love the ideas of taking along some games too.

    Reply
  8. Rebecca Swenor says

    July 31, 2016 at 10:58 pm

    This is indeed a great list of essentials for the backyard campout for kids. Some of my best memories in the summer as a kid was camping out in the backyard. Energizer Fusion LED Folding Lantern is something I am going to have to pick up for sure. Thanks for sharing the list.

    Reply
  9. Merry says

    July 28, 2016 at 12:12 am

    I would use it for night time summer fun in the backyard and also to be prepared for the upcoming hurricane season.

    Reply
  10. Becky Branch says

    July 27, 2016 at 10:27 pm

    We are going to enroll Connor in cub scouts so this will come in handy!

    Reply
  11. Lauren says

    July 24, 2016 at 7:53 pm

    I would use this for camping.

    Reply
  12. Sara Zielinski says

    July 24, 2016 at 4:26 pm

    I would use this battery prize pack around the house, we need batteries!

    Reply
  13. Jessica To says

    July 24, 2016 at 3:49 pm

    I would let my son use the headlight outside in the evenings in the yard.

    Reply
  14. gale mccarron says

    July 23, 2016 at 9:09 pm

    I would us it for flashlights and little battery operated lanterns for backyard camping with the Grandkids.

    Reply
  15. Leigh Anne Borders says

    July 23, 2016 at 8:13 pm

    If I were to win, we would have batteries and lights to light up our nighttime fun with bonfires, walks, playing cornhole, etc. Lots of fun memories it will create!

    Reply
  16. Cheryl B says

    July 21, 2016 at 8:22 pm

    We would use it while camping. The kids like to chase fireflies, so We use a flashlight to walk toward The woods.

    Reply
  17. Brenda Haines says

    July 21, 2016 at 7:56 pm

    We would use this prize during camping trips at the river, if we win. Thanks for the chance!

    Reply
  18. Jennifer says

    July 21, 2016 at 5:43 pm

    This is a great giveaway! I love to go camping every so often, and this will make that much easier to do. Nice.

    Reply
  19. katrina g says

    July 20, 2016 at 3:35 pm

    my daughters love to camp, however I do not so my husband takes them. those are good tips and def must needed items.

    Reply
  20. April J Harris says

    July 20, 2016 at 1:28 pm

    Love those high performance headlights! They are such a useful idea. You’ve provided a really comprehensive list here to help make backyard camping even more fun, and what a great giveaway too!

    Reply
  21. Ellen Christian says

    July 20, 2016 at 9:35 am

    Having a first aid kit is really important. You never know what might happen!

    Reply
  22. diane says

    July 20, 2016 at 7:55 am

    My husband LOVES backyard camping with the kids. And the best thing about it is that there is a bathroom nearby at 3 AM when you have to pee 🙂

    Reply
    • Kim says

      July 20, 2016 at 8:49 am

      Now that is so true….and I WAS going to say something about that…but decided not to. Glad you did!!!

      Reply
  23. Jenny says

    July 20, 2016 at 7:48 am

    We camp in our yard with the kids. Even the baby last summer. He made it through the night outside in the tent at only 3 months old. This would be awesome for our night time adventures out here!

    Reply
    • Kim says

      July 20, 2016 at 8:51 am

      That would be okay if we were out there, but I was thinking as I wrote this post that we would be inside. Not sure I’m even brave enough to camp outside in this heat of Texas. 100 degrees sound awful to me.

      Reply
  24. Rochel S says

    July 19, 2016 at 11:00 pm

    It would be great for camping and late night walks!

    Reply
  25. Brenda Saball says

    July 19, 2016 at 6:41 am

    These would be wonderful to use to take the dog out for a night walk on these hot summer days.

    Reply

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Hello! I am Kim from Texas. Traveling is my passion. I love adventures and a good road trip! You’ll find many traveling adventures I’ve taken all over the US. Get out in nature when you can! Travel safe! More about My Traveling Roads

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