Gratefully Wild Home

As I’m writing this, we’re taking a much-needed rest day to recover from our awesome 4th of July camping weekend. The day after we got back was also my husband’s birthday, and we had my family over for a fun birthday dinner. But after all that action, a little R & R while doing basic cleanup, reading books, and allowing some screen time was definitely in order!

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Our No-Cook Camping Weekend Strategy

This year, I created a super helpful camping hack for a 3-day trip that meant minimum work and almost no cooking! Every 4th of July, we load up the camper and spend the holiday weekend with friends. Our homeschooling group practically books an entire camping loop, making it a weekend where all your friends are your neighbors.

This is the highlight of the kids’ summer! But with all the fun comes lots of go-go-go. So this time, I decided to fully embrace the chaos and skip the usual cooking attempts. The kids are constantly on the move anyway, and they mostly wanted grab-and-go food.

I’m pleased to say: the prep time was 100% worth it. Paul and I were able to relax, visit friends at other campsites, and not stress about cooking or cleaning. It was freeing for the entire family!

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Prepping Ahead: RV List & Grocery Run

My first step was printing my free Camping RV List—and I was so glad I made it! It helped me make sure we didn’t forget anything. (Although we did have the propane tanks, we forgot to check if they were full—a quick fix, but definitely something to remember for next time!) The day before we left, I headed to Costco to stock up on groceries and plan snacks for the kids.

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Snack Hack for Large Families

If you’re part of a large family, you know snacks can disappear in seconds. Even those jumbo Costco bins suddenly seem tiny. Plus, kids often grab the same snack over and over, and it’s not always well-balanced.

So I came up with a new system:
I packed a Ziplock bag for each child for each day, with that day’s snacks—no dipping into the next day’s bag. It gave each child control and also created healthy limits.

Each day’s snack bag included:

• 2 bags of Pirate Booty
• 1 plant-based protein shake
• 2 applesauce packets
• 2 Archer’s beef sticks
• 1 bag of Kirkland trail mix
• 1 bottle of Body Armor to mix with water and keep up electrolytes (not a normal buy, but great for camping!)

I labeled each bag with their name and the day. Success! We still brought extra backup food too, just in case.

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Easy Meals with Minimal Cooking

My 11-year-old daughter helped make stromboli before we left—perfect for our first night’s dinner, and there were leftovers for lunch/snacks the next day.

The next afternoon, Paul grilled up hot dogs (40-pack from our local meat locker for just $20!). He loaded them into buns and kept them in a foil pan—grab-and-go style for the kids.

Other simple meal options we brought:

• Sandwich-making essentials
• Prepped chicken salad
• Large bags of Costco chips
• Hummus and baby carrots
• Yogurt and granola
• A couple boxes of cereal (a treat for us!)

Everyone stayed well-fed, and it couldn’t have been easier.

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Organization = Sanity

Before we left, I fully organized the camper so I knew exactly where everything was. Even my 13-year-old son said, “We were so organized!” That’s a mom win if I’ve ever heard one!

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Clothing & Packing Tips

For clothes, I packed:

• 4 outfits per child
• Raincoat
• Sandals & sneakers
• Long-sleeve shirt
• Underwear and socks

Each kid had their own bag and was responsible for keeping it organized. (Sure, there was some complaining, but they did pretty well!)

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Water Storage for Non-Hookup Sites

For short trips or sites without water hook-ups, we always fill our RTIC cooler with bottled water and ice. It keeps water ice-cold and doubles as extra fridge space if needed. Ready to upgrade your cooler without paying Yeti prices?
👉 Shop our favorite RTIC cooler here.

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🛍️ Shop Our Other Favorite Camping Picks

Don’t forget the fun stuff! These are some of our tried-and-true extras that make every trip easier and more fun:

• Glow sticks
• S’more sticks
• Inflatable paddleboard

And my 8-year-old? He’s always coming up with creative entertainment! Watch video below!

Teach them Responsibility Even While Camping

One key rule we set: the kids had to help set up camp before running off to play. Since they were excited to see friends, they helped quickly! We also gave each child a job for camp takedown.

For dishes (mainly from cereal), we split responsibilities:

• Girls did dishes one day
• Boys did dishes the next

It was a great way to keep them involved while still giving them freedom to enjoy the weekend.

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Want to See What We Pack for a Family of 9?

🎒 Download my free camping checklist right from this post!
It’s the list I used to make this trip easy and stress-free.

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Happy Camping Adventures, friends!
Minimal cooking, maximum fun—and memories that last!

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• Family Camping Vacation to Hunting Island State Park, SC – Family-Friendly Review & Tips – Gratefully Wild Home