We’ve been camping once as a family… and none of us really count that. I slept in the car and we were in an RV camp but using a tent that was way too small for the four of us! No… definitely doesn’t count!

So this was our first official camping trip as a family.

OK… wait… we did rent an RV and camp in Joshua Tree a couple years ago. I guess that counts. 

So… this is our first official camping trip in a tent for more than one sad night. 

Moving on…

The Plan

Jay rented two campsites in Cobb Ridge campgrounds in Chadwick, MO over Spring Break for two nights. Another family joined us. When we arrived and realized the site next to us was also available, we grabbed it too. 

We’d been keeping our eye on the weather all week long. It had been beautiful, but the day we were meant to leave, the weather took a nasty turn. 

It was actually snowing the morning we left! 

Oh well! It was super cold, but we still managed to have a good time.

Chadwick has hundreds of miles of trails for ATVs and dirt bikes. So it’s not the quietest campground, but it sure is fun! 

Activities

There really isn’t much to do in Chadwick besides riding. You can walk the trails, but they’re really intended for riding not hiking. So that’s what we did. We had two ATVs and one dirt bike between our two families. Everyone took turns. 

I was afraid the kids would be bored and whiny otherwise. But they managed to come up with all kinds of things to do.

They played hide and seek in the tents. I’m not sure how… but when they get bored, they sure get creative!

Our hammock was practically destroyed as all five of them swung on it and made up games on it. 

They played Among Us. And at one point they had a rap competition to see who could write the best rap on the spot. 

We rode ATVs, roasted marshmallows, ate food we cooked ahead of time, and talked… a lot.

Overall it was a pretty relaxing time despite the weather and the amount of kids (and dog) we had. 

Watch the Video

Here’s a little video I put together about our camping trip. 

Our Camping Gear

Jay doesn’t usually do much research. That’s typically my job. But he knew it was important to have really good gear if he wanted me to go camping as often as he would like!

Therefore he put a little extra effort into choosing a new tent and cots.

Tent and Cots

This was the tent and cots Jay decided on for our camping gear:

— WHITEDUCK Prota Canvas Cabin Tent  
— You can see all of their tent options here. They have some pretty cool glamping style tents!
— Coleman Trailhead II Cot 

You can see what the tent and cots look like in the video above. 

Knives

He also bought some cool knives for him and Diesel. That was part of his birthday gift for when Jay took just him camping. The knives might’ve been Diesel’s favorite part of camping!

— Morakniv Companion Spark 3.9-Inch Fixed-Blade Outdoor Knife and Fire Starter 
— Ontario Knife Company 499 Air Force Survival Knife 5″ Sawback Blade 

Obviously we didn’t just have a tent and cots and knives! But those were the new and notable items we brought on this trip. 

In the future, I’d like to have some kind of potty tent. Jay said such a thing existed. If we camp often, that might become a necessity.

Or maybe just an RV. Ha! Nothing like ramping up to the big stuff right away! 

We have a couple more trips coming up this spring and summer. Looking forward to warmer weather and maybe some quieter campsites. 😉

I’m sure I’ll be writing about those. So stay tuned! 

How do you feel about camping? Is your family into or not? Let me know in the comments below! 

***Affiliate links are used throughout