Last summer I wrote up a little post referencing Parent Trap-style camping glamour.
But let’s be real: camping is actually a pretty dirty, dusty, and sweaty enterprise. It’s all well and good to dream about pulling off Betty Draper bermudas and polos with a straw bag to match, but at the end of the day it’s like: What do I own that I don’t care if it gets destroyed in the mud or eaten by a deer?
I know this because last weekend we went camping as a family in the soaring heat of Livermore Valley. Four humans in one tent means packing light:
Shorts: Deconstructed and dust-friendly
Tanks: Sheer and lightweight, with a flash of color for underneath (bring 3-4, in case someone “inadvertently” throws a water balloon at you or squirts you with a mud-filled water cannon when your back is turned, ahem).
Sneakers: Because if you didn’t have a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old and it weren’t 97 degrees outside, you *might* consider hiking.
Flip-Flops: Because actually you are facing the conditions listed above and you have ZERO plans to be physically active.
Squirt Gun: Self defense.
Comfy Camp Chair (and Wine!): OBVIOUSLY.
Ditch the watch and embrace the fact that you will not have cell phone reception. And never forget your sense of humor, sense of adventure, sense of flexibility, or sense of s’mores.
Now. Get out there and enjoy the view!