Be "Practically Cozy" while camping

We love to go camping, and love the idea of glamping. BUT, we have kids so glamping to the amazing extreme that glamping is, is unrealistic. Plain and simple, I dont have enough room in my Forester, or money in my account to allow us to truly experience glamping to its awesome capacity. One can dream, and in the mean time, one can find solutions that are inexpensive and space saving. We purchased a soft travel bag for the top of the car. With this bag, and careful packing in the car, I can maximize my space and bring more items with us to really make our campsite feel like home.

My version of camping can be referred to as "Practically Cozy". What I basically do, is make us feel like we are at home, but we are camping. I make camp cozy, but it is also practical for our family, budget, and vehicle.  In order to achieve this, we first need the right camp site. We have a list that we do not budge on. Maybe a little, but we really try to stick to these must haves in a camp site:

1. Electricity (water in our site as well is nice but not required). 

2. Playground (we have camped without a playground and I just have to be more prepared to entertain my kids. A playground can save space because we dont need to bring as many entertaining objects. Saving space is important when you are trying to be Practically Cozy. The more space I have, the more I can pack to achieve maximum Practically Cozy status.

3. Close to the bathroom/shower (running to the bathroom is not Practically Cozy in any way!).

We really dont waver from this must have list. If there is no site available within 200 miles with electricity, WE WONT GO! We are not prepared to camp without it ever. Being Practically Cozy campers, we MUST have it. We need electricity to plug in our electronics, our lights, and our electric blankets. We use an air pump for our air mattresses. Without electricity, we couldn't be the quintessential  Practically Cozy campers that we are. Our site would be less comfortable, less pretty, and less homey then we want it to be. The idea is to be together in a relaxing environment, to feel like we are on vacation, even if its for the weekend, and to enjoy ourselves in an inexpensive way. Without our Practically Cozy touches, we would just be camping. On the ground, in the dark, without a phone. Listening to our children fight, complain, and tell us they want to go home. We dont have to worry about that because my children are also Practically Cozy campers and never complain. Why would they? When they are camping the Practically Cozy way, they feel at home, but we are camping. They love it. And so do we.
In order to truly achieve Practically Cozy camping status, you we need some essentials to help elevate your camping status. We are tent campers, and that wont change for a very long time and this is just something hubby and I accepted a long time ago. We invested in a large tent as our personal getaway and it really is just that. We love our tent. It can be divided into two rooms. We have shared it with our kids, and friend, but to truly be Practically Cozy, we take the whole tent for ourselves. I try to make the bed nice, using our electric blankets and a nice down comforter (No sleeping bags allowed in our master suite. And if we do use a sleeping bag, its under the sheets on the air mattress for added cushioning and coziness). We have a double high air mattress which really helps elevate us to Practically Cozy campers. Besides the tent, bedding, and lighting, there are other things that turn an ordinary campsite into a Practically Cozy campsite in no time flat!

Top 10 essentials for Practically Cozy Camping 

1. Campstove: A campstove totally elevated our camping. Before we got one, we just had a small bbq and a campfire. Adding the campstove allowed us to immediately feel like we were at home. It works just like my stove top. As far as meals go, the possibilities are endless. Plus we use it to boil water for washing dishes, to heat up my cold coffee, and to quickly boil water for apple cider or hot cocoa for the kids.

2.Headlamps: It will get dark eventually, and when it does, life can get more difficult fumbling around with a flash light in the dark. Headlamps changed all that. We put them on and go about our night. We can wash dishes, clean up camp, read, play games, walk to the bathroom, or whatever else we need to do. I keep all the headlamps together so they dont get lost. When it gets dark, we all know right where they are.

3. Candles, LED stringed lights and  tealights and a good lantern : Besides the lights we put up around the canopy, we have them all over camp and in our tents as well. We have several strings of LED lights. They really add a Practically Cosy touch. Not only do they look pretty, they help us see in dark areas and in our tents.  The candles and LED votives add a homey touch and I make room for silly items like that in my purse so I'm not taking up space on frivolous items and still get small glamping touches. When it comes to a lantern, we didn't play around, We bought a nice Coleman propane lantern and I'm glad we did. It works great and provides a lot of light.

 

Practically Cozy camping adds things we need, such as extra light at night and things that remind us of home and add a glamping touch, such as these votives. Stringing lights around camp adds light and beauty all at once. 

4. Bug repellent, citronella candles, sunscreen, and air freshener or febreeze: Without these four items, Practically Cozy camping cant truly be achieved. Having to deal with mosquito bites and sunburn all weekend isn't Practically Cozy in any way.  Having to deal with an occasional bad smell from whatever source the bad smell came from, such as child accidents, also isn't Practically Cozy. When we are at home and smell something bad, we febreze it. Having nice smells in the tent is a nice touch for Practically Cozy camping.

This is my favorite citronella candle. The scent isn't overpowering and it really keeps the bugs away We had it going almost the entire time on our last four night trip, and it lasted the entire time. I only got bit by mosquitos after I put it away while packing up. 

5.Canopy: A canopy is very practical to have, It provides shelter from the sun and rain, and gives us a commonplace to gather. We can have dinner at the picnic table, which is reminiscent of home. I can hang things from the canopy, which is even more practical, such as paper towels, pots and pans, lights and decorations.

6.Tablecloth: Tablecloths are an easy add for Practically Cozy camping. It gives us a clean and pretty surface on the picnic table. We bring several and can change them as needed. I have cloth ones, but also, cheaper disposable ones can be easily purchased at the dollar store. These can be wiped up and are actually very durable. 

7.Decorations: This can be done very easily in many ways. I made a banner from scrapbook paper, laminating sheets and twine as you see above. This simple DIY project can be found in my blog here. Other easy ideas include small rocks, twigs, shells, and flowers that my kids  have sometimes  accidently picked while camping. I make a centerpiece with these items on a table for all to enjoy. This adds a Practically Cozy element that is simple and a lot of the time, its free.  We also bring a few items with us everytime we go camping. I decorated these rocks with glitter and temporary tattoos for my wedding two years ago, and adding them to our campsite is very Practically Cozy. The little turtles were made of sculpey clay and go everywhere with us.

 

8.Speaker: Having a wireless speaker with bluetooth capability, and electricity to plug it into is super important to turn your campsite into something worthy of Practically Cozy camping status. Music helps keep boredom away and really livens up the place. 

9.Coffee pot: I have to have coffee in the morning. And Iced coffee in the afternoon. I cant live without it, and as a Practically Cozy camper, I never have to. I bring a 4 cup coffee maker with me, which is enough for the morning and i put the leftovers in a bottle and into the cooler for iced coffee later in the day. 

10."Me time" stuff: Packing for a camping trip, driving to the campsite, then setting up camp is honestly exhausting. (it is definitely worth it, but exhausting nonetheless). I bring lots of things that really provide comfort after all that work. I bring nail polish for an impromptu mani party with my daughter, pink peppermint foot lotion from Lush, to help my poor achy feet and ankles after all that work, amazing smelling body wash, and a nice night face cream. These easy touches can be thrown in my camping purse and are at easy reach during the trip which really elevates me to Practically Cozy status!
Now while none of these items are essential to surviving in the woods, they are essential to elevating my family to Practically Cozy camping status that works for us. Remember that being a Practically Cozy camper adds practical touches while adding a homey feel that will guarantee you a great camping trip.  Having these extra touches allow you and your family to focus on why you are camping in the first place: to spend time together in the great outdoors and make memories that will last a lifetime.