Writers’ Round-up: Camping in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia with kids

Reading a first-person online camping story is excellent way to feel out a possible campsite – before you’ve even arrived! Here’s a quick round-up of sites (and sights) around the blogosphere, along with great takeaways. If you’d like me to include your camping related-post, leave a comment.

Northwest Cheapsleeps: I love this Seattle-based mom’s car camping checklist.
Takeaway: StingEze takes the bite out of mosquito nibbles. You don’t know how badly I needed this information.

Weelife: What’s a roof-top tent? Let BC-based camping expert weelife tell you all about this new way to camp, then let her tell you about kid fun on camping trips, and then how her hubby MADE A CAMPING SHOWER (yes, that deserves all caps). I think she married MacGyver, but without all the explody parts. After that, check out all her posts under the “wee camp” tag for recipes, crafts and more.
Takeaway: I’m going camping with Weelife.

Royal BC Museum: How did families camp in the olden days? Check out these photos. As archivist Ann ten Cate says of one photo, “This group seems to be the living embodiment of the phrase ‘happy campers’… they’ve got a guitar, a fiddle, a paddle and a rifle. What more do you need?”
Takeaway: Name your tent or RV. Artist Emily Carr named her caravan … “The Elephant.”

PDX Family Adventures: Learn about camping near Portland at Oxbow State Park or camping the Oregon Coast at Cape Perpetua.
Takeaway: Our region has become a confusing morass of day-use fees and annual passes, and the rules change all the time. Call your campground in advance to see what you need to bring with you – or pay up.

Growing Up Green: Vancouver-based mom Tovah from Gumboot Adventures tips us off to natural bug protection, a holistic first-aid kit and even solar-powered heat for your tent trailer.
Takeaway: A little research reveals worthy green alternatives to traditional camping equipment.

Kids in the Woods: Camping with a baby at Rialto Beach in the Olympic Peninsula.
Takeaway: “Bring plenty of burp cloths.  Staying dry is a worthwhile effort on the trail, and spit up is just as wet as (and much more predictable than) rain!”

Calico Garden: Inspired by tales of kid-friendly Washington State campgrounds? Check out Calico Garden’s photo-rich post on Penrose Point (one of our family favorites) and Middle Fork.
Takeaway: Don’t let a little rain scare you away from the campground.

Mad Hatter Mom: There are 10 Reasons to Camp with Kids from this Oregon-based mom.
Takeaway: Even if you don’t like camping, camping with kids is fun.

Sunset Magazine: Not a blog, but this story on car camping on the Oregon Coast is told from a mom’s perspective.
Takeaway: Don’t leave the French press at home, and don’t book a campground next to a highway.

The Travelling Mom: The best campgrounds in British Columbia.
Takeaway: Book BC spots up to three months advance at Discover Camping.

Sillimanians in British Columbia: A photo-only post about camping at Cultus Lake, BC.
Takeaway: Camping is more fun with music.

Otownmommy: Camp in Revelstoke, BC alongside the amusing Otownmommy and then read her “Rules of Camping.”
Takeaway: If you’re in bear country, wear “tent clothes” and “day clothes” so the bears don’t think you’re dinner.

Play Outdoors: Survive tent camping with kids in Central Oregon.
Takeaway: Embrace dirt!

Life with the Boo: Find out what it’s like to stay at Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Campground with a toddler.
Takeaway: Bring a bike or ride-on toy for little ones’ entertainment.

Savvymom: Sleep peacefully at Alice Lake with Michelle.
Takeaway: Book a campground near enough to civilization to make a marshmallow run if you forgot yours at home.

The Urban Momtographer: Another Alice Lake Post, with a set of wet-weather pictures in documentary style. You can almost taste the Jiffy Pop and feel the rain.
Takeaway: Don’t leave your camera at home!

The Pleasants: Beach camping might be the best of all worlds for kids – see this family’s post about camping in Long Beach, Wash.
Takeaway: When going to the beach, plan for every type of weather.

Bike Portland: Combining camping with a 41-mile family bike trip? Why not? (Great photos!)
Takeaway: After a 41-mile bike trip, you may want to sleep in a cabin.