camping essentials in florida

 

Camping is one of the best outdoor activities there are. You get to appreciate nature in all of it glory, you get to sort of unplug for a little while, and you get to relax and disconnect yourself from all of the pressure and stress of the civilized world. It’s like when I go camping everything going on in my life juts gets paused and I get to breathe and enjoy down time without pressures. There are two ways to go camping. The first one is with an RV and then you get commodity, and comfort but you lose most of the nature factor. The second way is by roughing it out with tents, it is not as comfortable and you may get some back pain but it is the best way (in my opinion) to experience nature. My family and I just went camping around the Orlando, Florida area and it was a whole new experience to me. Trust me when I say this, camping in Florida is nothing like camping anywhere, you get humidity, heat, gators, and a bunch of crazy stuff that you probably won’t have to worry about if you are planning on camping anywhere else. But if you happen to be around Florida and want to go camping, which I totally recommend you do, here are a few essentials you will need.

 

A fan or an ac unit. Most camp sites now a day have their own generator so finding a electricity source is not as hard as it seems. But finding an area where air flows is actually pretty hard. Especially if you go camping on spring or summer without a fan or ac you would probably die during the night of heat stroke. Maybe that is a little to exaggerated, but it does get extremely hot inside the tent and the Florida heat/humidity will definitely just make things a lot more uncomfortable.

Another essential is water. Going along with the staying cool so you don’t die out of heat stroke theme water is another necessity. Dehydration is something very common amongst Floridians not only does the heat make the human body burn through its water reserves but humidity make any activity even more tiring and thus more water is needed. If you add camping to the equation (which requires constant movement and the only protection from the environment is a plastic tent that basically becomes a sauna in hot weathers) you get the perfect scenario for dehydration, and dehydration is the number one buzzkill of camping trips. I recommend to bring about 5 liters of water per day per person so if you are planning a camping trip for two arriving Friday afternoon and leaving Sunday afternoon I would bring at least 25 liters of water with you. Remember to constantly drink water, even if you go swimming, you are constantly burning through your water reserves.

 

Comfortable sandals or flip-flops are a must need for camping in Florida. Chances are that even if you are going on a hike you won’t need your tennis shoes as much as a good pair of sandals. Why? Because basically everywhere you go you will find some sort of water mass and there won’t be many hard terrain. Remember Florida is mostly made up of swampy areas and damp tennis shoes are a bad situation anywhere you look. There are many different sandals that are great quality and are cute and comfortable. Chacos are the ultimate dream but very expensive so if you don’t want to cash out $100 on a pair of sandals there are many great dupes. There are Jandals (Jesus sandals), target “Birkenstocks”, and my ultimate favorite are some tek gear sandals that i got at kohl's for $11! They are comfortable, cute, and great for camping. I’ve got them in black/pink and white/grey.

 

A definite must have when camping in Florida is mosquito/bug repellent. Every kind, every way, and every size; repellent is a must have. When it comes to repellent in Florida, the more you have the merrier. I would get an OFF! clip on repellent, some bug repellent spray, and the bugables repellent bands (I love the coil band but they have many different styles). If you go to the camping section on Walmart you’ll find plenty of options for repellent but trust me you want at least three different repellents. Mosquitoes seem to be stronger here, so be sure to be as prepared as you can be.

 

 

My last must have is sunscreen. We have talked about protecting our body from the sun twice now, but it is honestly the biggest issue around campers in Florida. Getting some sun is good for everybody but over exposing your skin to the sun, especially during summer and spring is very dangerous. During a camping trip you are out in the sun constantly and most certainly you are out in the sun at its most harmful time (between 12 and 3 pm). Consider bringing 60 or 70 spf sunblock and apply it at least every 2 hours. Many believe that over explosion to the sun could be a big cause for skin cancer.

 

 

 

 

If you are ever spending some down time in Florida and have nothing to do for a day or two I would highly suggest camping. It is healthy not only for your body but also mind, and an absolutely fun way to spend the time. Remember to make some s’mores and if you go camping and upload some pictures to Instagram tag it under #pitmcamping and I will definitely check that out! Remember to stay healthy and protected.

Until next time, Pam

What are some of your camping essentials? Leave a comment below and if you would like to share these essentials with someone else you should definitely share this post on Pinterest, Facebook, or twitter!