From Teresa Plowright,
Your Guide to Family Vacations.
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...Don't get me wrong, camping isn't all that bad. Aside from the inconvenience, dampness, filth, second-rate food, insects, and cold nights-- it's kinda fun.*

Fortunately, many people are more enthused about camping than fat-cat Garfield, the source of the quote above. And also fortunately, on the internet many individuals take the time to share advice.

Family Camping 101

Take the authors of the Family Camping site. These parents of five had hardly camped before the arrival of kid No. 1, yet soon were sleeping under the stars for months at a time. Now they have a website packed with tips on tents, cooking, sleeping gear, baby gear, first aid kit...

Camping Equipment Lists and Tips is an exhaustive list of "Basic Equipment" and "Nice To Have Along." All this gear is organized into the Recreation Box, Utility Box, Crate to Have Inside The Tent...

(I'm pleased they didn't forget the duct tape, of which it has been said: "Duct tape is like The Force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together"--Carl Zwanzig.)

"In the Name of Sanity...

..get organized, if you're going camping." That's the approach at Pete's Family Camping Page. Find pointers on packing the kitchen, campsite courtesy, recipes...

• Family Camping Gear is a detailed list of what these folk take on a trip
• Tent Topics has advice on tent shape, and the number of people who can, truly, comfortably occupy a given tent.

Family Camping on a Budget

About.com's long-time Guide for Camping has practical advice for first-timers for getting started on a budget of about $600 (for four of you), including recommendations for tents, cook-stoves, etc.

Family Camping: put it in perspective

If you feel overwhelmed by long lists of what to take on family camping trips, just remind yourself that it's still possible to head off with a pup-tent, a few sleeping-bags, and a pack of hotdogs.

Also remember that, even if you do invest $600 on equipment, with proper care that gear lasts for years and provides cheap vacations all the while. (Kids do lose the sleeping bags on sleepovers, though.)

See also, about Family Camping:

• About's Camping site covers Where to Go, Tips, hundreds of Outdoor Cooking Recipes, and lots more

• Camping Resorts: where "family camping" doesn't have to mean roughing it

• Family Camps: like summer-camp for kids, but for the whole family; simple lodgings, low-budget, meals included, many outdoor activities

^{* Garfield's words of wisdom come from Life In The Rough, Buena Vista Records, United Feature Syndicate, 1985.}

^{**photo (c) Teresa Plowright}