When our kids reaching school age, my husband and I decided to switch our annual hotel break to a family camping holiday with the youngsters. My first attempt at packing for a camping holiday ended up with us taking a trip to the nearest shopping centre to stock up on rain-coats and warm socks. However, after a couple more vacations, I’ve started to pick up some great tips on what to wear on family camping holidays.
ñ Be Practical
When deciding what to wear on family camping holidays in France, I have found that the key to comfort is practicality. After being caught out by booking a holiday during rainy season, and not packing waterproofs, we now take time to check out exactly what kind of conditions to expect when we are camping, so we can dress accordingly. It is also worth thinking about the types of activities you will want to take part in while you are on your holiday – swimwear if you’ll be hitting the beach, an outfit or two which is smart enough to wear to a restaurant if you plan to dine out. Obviously it is not possible to plan for every eventuality, but it makes sense to pack some “just in case” items : rain ponchos which fold-up for easy packing have become my family’s essential for those unexpected downpours!
ñ Wear Layers
We have found that taking the outdoor activity enthusiast’s tip of wearing layers of clothing is very useful during family camping holidays. Since it is usually a little chilly in the mornings, we dress in several thin layers – such as a t-shirt, long-sleeved top and fleece jacket, then as we get warmer, take the layers off.
ñ Be Laundry Wise
The last thing I want to do when I’m on holiday is spend my precious free-time washing, drying and ironing clothes – and I’m sure I’m not alone in that sentiment! However, I have found that if you are camping for over a week with kids, and want your luggage to be reasonably light, it is inevitable that a laundry session will be necessary.
To ensure that washing clothes doesn’t turn into a chore, I have found that wearing clothing which is made from materials which are easy to wash and dry is a huge time saver. Synthetic fabrics such as microfibre, polyester and nylon are excellent choices. An added bonus is that most synthetic garments are fairly wrinkle resistant, which means no ironing! Another tip I have found handy is to choose garments in darker colours – ideal for disguising any small stains which gravitate to your kid’s clothing.
ñ What Not to Wear…
If you’ve ever tried walking through muddy grass in sky-scraper heels and a designer suede mini-skirt, you’ll know exactly why wearing these items is a bad idea on a family camping holiday. Although heels and a mini-skirt is an extreme example, there are many outfits which are not ideal for camping – anything clothing which would be damaged if it got wet/muddy, along with clothing which restricts your movements should be left at home!