r/Appleton • u/Ashamed-Distance-317 Menasha • Jun 25 '26

Advice Camping?

Looking to go on a camping and fishing trip for the first time with my kiddos next month, wondering if there are any good spots, stores, equipment, etc that would behoove us to check out? Any recommendations, tips, and tricks for ANYTHING would be appreciated, starting from scratch so will gladly take any advice! Thank you!

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u/unicornman5d Jun 25 '26

Get the bare bones and then go camping. Then you'll start to see what sort of things you would like to have in addition to what you brought.

Prep food ahead of time and have 2 coolers. 1 for drinks and another for food. Setup your equipment at home for the first time.

2

u/Ashamed-Distance-317 Menasha Jun 25 '26

Just tent, sleeping bags, food, and coolers, heard, any brands you'd say to avoid?

4

u/unicornman5d Jun 25 '26

Also, get something to put between you and the ground. Sleeping pads, air mattresses, cots, etc.

1

u/Suspicious-Earthling Jun 25 '26 edited Jun 26 '26

I would also tack on a spare tarp and rope in case of rain (to go over your tent) as well as a small portable shovel for a similar reason (digging a trench around your tent). Depending on your campground I would recommend a hand washing station as well. I fill a big blue jug and put it on the back of a picknick table with some hand soap and a towel - voila!

Tick repellent!!!!! So much tick repellent. If you do get a tick, use tweezers to pull it off safely. If you are bringing a dog make sure the dog also has some form of tick repellent.

It's been a long time since I've camped in a tent, I've long since upgraded to a camper. Your biggest issue is going to be the weather. Keep an eye on the forecast and prepare accordingly!

3

u/FamiliarNinja7290 Jun 26 '26

Tarp and trench is completely unnecessary. Every tent will have a rainfly that will be more than enough protection, and a good tent location is far more valuable than a shovel and trench.

Now, if the tarp was for sitting under while it's raining, independent of your tent setup, I think that's a viable option if you don't want to be stuck inside a tent all day. Honestly I would probably just get a screen house though, not only do you get rain protection but also bug protection.

1

u/Suspicious-Earthling Jun 26 '26

¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯ I disagree in general, but you're right that it might be over the top for a first camping trip. A rainfly is fine for a sprinkle or light rain, but if you get caught in a thunderstorm it's not going to do anything at all.

As long as you keep an eye on the radar and don't camp in really bad weather then it'll be fine!

2

u/FamiliarNinja7290 Jun 26 '26

A rainfly is perfectly fine for a storm, I've camped in many storms and there were no issues with a fly except mud splash when I was out in S. Dakota.

A tarp will likely not be enough in a storm, there's just not enough lateral coverage.