Camping with children for the first time

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October 18, 2026

On June 2, 2026

Camping with children works best when you keep the first trip short and close to home. Pick a site with clean ablutions and flat ground.

Let the kids help pitch the tent. Give each child one small job and a head torch of their own.

Keep the plan simple

Pack warm layers, extra socks and a favourite blanket. Cook easy meals like pasta or toasted sandwiches. Bring a few games for the evening, and be ready to go home early if needed.

Child's headlamp and small camp lantern beside a kid's sleeping bag and tent entrance, family camping

Close-up of a camping lantern with a glass globe and a cork-style base resting on a stack of outdoor guidebooks and a tr

Three folding camp chairs in different colours standing on a flat rocky campsite in front of a rough stone wall, family

Two hanging camping lanterns, one white and one deep blue, with brass-coloured vented bases, against a plain light grey

Food is where a lot of first trips go wrong. Stick to meals your children already eat at home, cooked simply on a small camp stove. This is not the weekend to try new recipes on a fussy eater with no backup plan.

Keeping bedtime simple

Bring the same blanket or soft toy they sleep with at home. A dark tent in an unfamiliar place can be unsettling for small kids, so a familiar smell or shape in their sleeping bag helps more than any extra gear does.

Open tent interior and camp setup with sleeping bags, camp chair, lantern and gear on shelves, with a blue sky backdrop

Thabo Nkosi – Gear Specialist

Thabo fits packs and tents for families every week. His advice: buy a tent with one size more capacity than you think you need. Kids and their kit take up more space than expected, and a cramped tent makes for a long, grumpy morning.

Family camp kitchen and picnic area at a South African campsite with a camp table, folding chair and hanging lanterns, r

Lerato Dlamini – Store Manager

Lerato has helped many parents plan their first family trip. She suggests practising a pitch in the backyard before you leave. It takes the pressure off on the day, and lets the kids get excited about the tent before you even reach the campsite.

South African family with young children at a campsite pitching a small family tent for the first time, with a kid holdi

Johan Pretorius – Trip Planner

Johan plans family-friendly routes for customers who ask. He always recommends a site with shade and a short walk from the car, especially for the first trip. Less walking means more energy left for games once camp is set up.

Two olive-green camp armchairs beside a hanging lantern and a small camp side table in front of a blue-grey tent wall

Candice Abrahams – Customer Service Lead

Candice hears from customers after their trips too. The feedback she gets most is simple: pack less, bring snacks, and let the kids help with small jobs like collecting firewood or rolling up the groundsheet. It keeps everyone busy and happy.

"Our first family trip was a one-nighter twenty minutes from home. My daughter still talks about toasting marshmallows by the fire. Starting close and small made all the difference, we were back in our own beds the next afternoon if we needed to be."

"I was nervous about my son sleeping outdoors for the first time, but a familiar blanket and an early dinner sorted that out fast. He was asleep before it even got properly dark, and I actually got to enjoy the stars myself."

"Letting the kids pack their own bags turned out to be the best advice anyone gave us. They felt like part of the trip instead of just along for the ride, and packing up the next morning went much smoother too."

Making it fun, not a mission

A first camping trip with children works best when nobody is in a rush. Build in time for slow mornings, short walks, and simple games around the camp. If the goal is just for everyone to enjoy being outside together, you have already succeeded, whatever else does or doesn't go to plan.