What Is Your Golden Rule When Camping? The One Thing That Keeps Families Safe and Happy

Every family camper has a story. Maybe it’s the time your toddler dug a hole three feet deep in the middle of the night, or when the tent flooded because you didn’t check the ground slope. Or maybe it’s the quiet moment at sunrise, coffee in hand, watching your kids laugh as they chase a lizard across the campsite. Those moments don’t happen by accident. They happen because someone decided, once and for all, what matters most.

The Golden Rule: Pack Less, Experience More

The biggest mistake families make when camping? Overpacking. Not just clothes and snacks - but expectations. You show up with the whole kitchen, three tents, a folding chair for every person, and a checklist longer than a grocery list. Then you’re exhausted before you even light the fire. The golden rule? Pack less, experience more.

Here’s what that looks like in practice. Last summer, my niece’s family came to camp near Margaret River. They brought one large family tent, a single cooler with enough food for three days, two sleeping bags per kid, and a small camp stove. No inflatable furniture. No fancy lanterns. No extra pillows. What they brought was enough to sleep, eat, and stay dry. Everything else? Left at home.

What happened? They had time. Time to walk to the beach. Time to roast marshmallows without rushing. Time to sit and watch the stars without scrolling on their phones. They didn’t need a $200 hammock or a solar-powered shower to have the best trip of the year. They just needed space - and the freedom to be bored.

Why Less Stuff Means More Connection

When you overload a campsite with gear, you’re not just carrying weight. You’re carrying stress. Setting up takes hours. Packing up feels like a military operation. Kids get distracted by the gadgets instead of the creek behind the tent. Parents spend their time organizing instead of playing.

Studies from the University of Queensland show that families who camp with minimal gear report 40% higher levels of bonding and 35% lower stress levels than those who bring everything but the kitchen sink. It’s not magic. It’s physics. Less stuff = less to manage = more mental space for connection.

Think about it: when was the last time your child said, “I wish we brought more flashlights”? No. They say, “Can we build a fort out of branches?” or “Can we find a frog?” Those moments don’t need gear. They need attention.

What to Actually Bring (The Real Essentials)

You don’t need a lot to camp well. Here’s the short list that works for most families:

• One sturdy, weather-tested tent (with a rainfly and groundsheet)
• Two sleeping bags per child (plus one extra blanket)
• A portable cooler with ice packs (not a fridge-sized unit)
• One camp stove or fire-safe grill (no need for a full propane setup)
• Reusable water bottles and a single jug for washing up
• A headlamp for each person (hands-free = game changer)
• A small first-aid kit with bandages, antiseptic, and kids’ pain relief
• One tarp or tarpaulin for shade or emergency shelter
• A bag of cheap, durable toys: a ball, a deck of cards, sidewalk chalk

That’s it. No air mattresses. No folding tables. No electric lanterns. If you can’t carry it in one trip from the car to the site, you don’t need it.

How to Let Kids Help - Without Making It Messy

Kids love to help. But they don’t need to pack the tent. They don’t need to organize the food. They need to feel useful. Give them one job. One real job.

My kids each get a “camping buddy bag.” It’s a small drawstring sack with their name on it. Inside: one change of clothes, one snack, a water bottle, a flashlight, and a small toy. They pack it themselves the night before. They carry it. They’re responsible for it.

It sounds small. But it changes everything. They don’t ask, “Where’s my stuff?” because they know exactly where it is. They don’t whine about forgetting their socks because they chose to bring them. They feel like part of the team. And when they lose a sock? That’s a lesson - not a crisis.

What to Leave Behind (The Silent Campsite Killers)

Some things don’t break your trip - they slowly drain it. Here’s what to leave at home:

• Extra tents (one big one is enough)
• Multiple coolers (one insulated one with ice works)
• Expensive outdoor gear (kids will tear it, dirt will ruin it, it’s not worth the worry)
• Too many snacks (three types of granola bars? No. One kind, plus fruit)
• Tablets or gaming devices (if you bring them, they’ll be used. Every time.)
• Extra chairs (bring two max - sit on logs, rocks, or the grass
• Overly complicated meals (no multi-step recipes. One-pot meals win every time)

When you strip away the noise, you make room for the real stuff: firelight, stories, silence, and the smell of pine needles after rain.

What Happens When You Break the Rule?

We broke it once. Last winter, we went camping with a friend’s family. They brought a pop-up canopy, a fold-out kitchen, a portable power station, and a mini-fridge. We brought our usual one-tent, one-cooler setup.

By day two, their kids were bored. Their adults were stressed. They spent 45 minutes trying to hook up the fridge to the power station. Meanwhile, our kids were building a stick bridge over a puddle, laughing so hard they cried.

We didn’t judge. But we noticed. The gear didn’t make their trip better. It made it heavier. And the heaviest thing you carry on a camping trip isn’t your backpack - it’s your expectations.

How to Start Practicing the Golden Rule

You don’t have to overhaul your whole camping style overnight. Start small. Next trip, pick one thing to leave behind. Maybe it’s the extra tent. Or the inflatable chair. Or the five different types of snacks.

Then notice what happens. Do you have more energy? More time? More laughter? If the answer is yes - you’ve already found the golden rule.

There’s no perfect campsite. No perfect gear. No perfect weather. But there is a perfect mindset: show up with less, and you’ll leave with more.