9 Tips to Nail the Perfect Length for Your First Family Camping Adventure

You’ve finally decided to take your first family camping trip.  Maybe your kids have been asking to go or you were simply craving some time outdoors to relax and recharge.

It doesn’t matter what made you decide, but you’re in.  Now for the one big question every parent asks before their first time:

How long should our first camping trip be?

Here’s my honest answer: shorter is better, especially the first time.  One or two nights is usually best.  Trying to make it longer risks burnout, boredom, and breakdowns.  

Trust me on this:  there’s a fine line between “this is awesome” and “not ever again.”

Your goal isn’t to prove anything.  It’s to have a fun and simple trip.  You want your family to want to go camping again.  

We will share 9 tips to help you figure out the best trip length, avoid common rookie mistakes, and come home full of smiles and not frowns.

Plan for One Night, Two at the Most

On your first trip, less really is more.  In just a single night you will set up camp, eat by the fire, and sleep in a tent.

If that first trip goes smoothly and everyone’s still smiling, chalk it up as a success.  

Next time shoot for two nights.  But if things get rough, you’ll be glad you didn’t bite off more than you could chew.

Think of it like a practice round.  You’re not hiking Everest here.  You’re figuring out what works for your crew and what gear you actually need.

Cutting It Short Is Totally Fine

Here’s something every parent, especially dads, should know.  It’s okay to pack up early. Seriously.

I once forgot our air mattresses on a weekend trip. The first night was a chorus of “My back hurts,” “I can’t sleep,” and “This is the worst idea ever.”  We ate breakfast and were back home by noon.

One rough night is manageable.  Two rough nights turn into a story your kids will bring up at every holiday meal for the next ten years.  If things aren’t working, don’t force it.  Leave early, laugh about it later, and come back better prepared next time.

Avoid Boredom at All Costs

Want to know the fastest way to ruin a first camping trip? 

Bored kids.

The novelty of sleeping in a tent wears off fast if there’s nothing to do.  You don’t want to spend an hour setting up camp and rolling out the sleeping bags and then sit down to have your kids look at you and say, “Now what do we do?”

Don’t assume they’ll run off to explore the lake or look for crawfish.  If they’ve never been camping before, they may not know what’s out there.  You’ve got to show them.

Take them to the lake and show them minnows.  Show them how to flip over rocks and find insects.  Even something as simple as walking around the campground to check out other tents or look for critters can help them feel connected to the space.

The key is having a loose plan.  Bring glow sticks, a deck of cards, maybe a campsite scavenger hunt.  Nothing fancy or overplanned.  You just need to do enough to keep the energy up between meals and marshmallows.

If the fun runs out and the complaints start piling up, cut it short and call it a win.  The goal isn’t to check off days, it’s to create good memories.

Stay Close to Home and Keep Travel Short

For your first trip, aim for a campground less than an hour away.  Two hours would be my upper limit.  It will work, but closer is definitely better.

There’s a huge difference in the energy your family will have with a short drive.  Leaving home at 3:00 and arriving at the campground by 3:30 means you’re setting up while everyone’s still fresh and excited.  

But leave at 3:00 and pull in at 7:00?  Now you’re dealing with tired kids, fading light, and a rushed setup before dinner.

The longer the car ride, the more exhausted everyone will feel when you get there.  If the drive is long enough for the kids to fall asleep, they’ll wake up groggy and grumpy.  They will not be eager to help pitch the tent or unload the car.

Keep it local.  You’ll spend less time stressing in traffic and more time actually enjoying the outdoors.

Know Your Kids and Yourself

Every family has its own quirks.  Some kids sleep like rocks in tents.  Others wake up every hour asking if bears are real.

You know your crew.  If you’ve got a toddler who melts down when bedtime shifts by ten minutes, start with one night.  If your teenager’s idea of wilderness is spotty Wi-Fi, don’t overreach.  

And if you’re already stretched thin from work and life, be realistic—more than two nights of sleeping on the ground can leave you feeling more tired and beat up, not refreshed.

Pick the length of your trip to match your family’s energy, routines, and tolerance.  Short and sweet beats long and regrettable every time.

A Shorter Trip Means Easier Meals

Cooking at camp takes patience and a bit of preplanning to get it right, especially with a hungry crew and limited supplies.  This is exactly why a shorter trip is such a great way to start.

For one-night outings, you can keep meals super simple.  Hot dogs, sandwiches, canned chili, or even ready-to-eat options like MREs and freeze-dried backpacking meals work great.  No stove required, no dishes to wash.

And here’s a bonus:  those “just add water” meals?  They actually make the trip more fun for kids.  My kids always ask for at least one freeze dried meal when we go camping.  

They love picking their own meals at the store, and the novelty of pouring in hot water and watching their food rehydrate never gets old.  Even better, they don’t have to eat the same thing as everyone else.  

This led to something I didn’t expect:  they started trading bites, sharing tastes, and talking about which ones they liked best.  It brings them closer together in a way you just don’t get at the dinner table back home.

Less work for you.  More fun for them.  That’s a win all around.

Check the Campground Amenities

Not all campgrounds are created equal.  Some have playgrounds, swimming areas, hiking trails, or even ranger programs that help fill the day with easy fun.  Others are more basic, just a fire ring, a picnic table, and a bathroom.

If the campground doesn’t offer much, it’s even more important to keep your trip short.  The fewer amenities there are, the more you’ll need to bring to keep your kids entertained.  Depending on your kids’ ages and attention spans, even a lake, a short trail, or a campfire will only hold their interest for so long.

When you’re camping somewhere with limited things to do, don’t expect the environment to do all the heavy lifting.  Keep the trip brief and bring a few simple ways to stay busy.

Watch the Weather

Nothing will ruin your first camping trip faster than a weekend of cold rain or sudden storms.  Weather is one of those things you can’t control, but you can plan around it.

One of the biggest advantages of a short trip is flexibility.  You can pick a weekend with a good forecast or change plans without much hassle.  If the weather turns while you’re already out there?  Being close to home makes all the difference.

Once we planned a weekend campout and there was only a slight chance of rain.  The next morning, we woke up to a warning for severe storms later that afternoon.  Thankfully, we were only 30 minutes from home.  We staked the tent down as best we could, packed up our clothes and sleeping bags, and headed home to ride out the storm in comfort.

A few hours later, once the skies cleared, we drove back.  The tent had collapsed, but the inside was dry.  We set it back up, brought out our gear, and finished the trip around the campfire and enjoyed a calm evening around the fire.

If we’d been two or three hours away, we’d have been stuck in the tent, crammed in the car, or sitting it out in a campground restroom.

So don’t gamble on your first trip.  A sunny one-nighter is better than a stormy weekend.  And if you stay close to home, you’ve got options when the sky turns against you.

Treat It Like a Trial Run

Your first trip is about testing the waters, not conquering the backcountry.

Keep the gear simple.  A tent, sleeping bags, a flashlight, snacks, and maybe a camp chair or two.  No need to bring a full kitchen setup or drop a paycheck at the outdoor store.

Less gear means less stress, less to carry, and less to clean up.  When you realize you forgot something?  You’ll add it to the list for next time.  That’s how you build your system, one trip at a time.

Conclusion

Your first family camping trip doesn’t need to be epic.  It just needs to be good enough to make everyone want a second one.

That’s how camping goes from a one-time thing to a family tradition that lasts for years.

Start short.  Stay flexible.  Focus on fun.  If the kids leave asking, “When can we go again?,” you’ve done it right.