Camping with kids can turn out one of two ways – a great experience for the whole family, or a nightmare that none of you will ever forget. The key to successful camping is in making sure that you’re properly prepared. You need the right tools and skills to survive comfortably in the wilderness, even for a casual weekend camping trip, so making a list before you set off is important. These ten iPhone apps are designed with adventurers and campers in mind, which will help ensure that you and your family have the best camping experience possible
- Woodall’s RV & Camping Copilot – With over 12,000 campgrounds and RV parks across North America bearing the Woodall’s name, it’s a wise move to make sure this free app is part of your camping experience. You can search by city, state, province or nearby, which means if you don’t like your current camp location you can just move to another area with little hassle. The Woodall’s team is constantly evaluating parks to ensure that the ratings you receive are as accurate as possible, too.
- Survival Guide – This app-guide is based on U.S. military field survival techniques, so you can be assured of your family’s safety on every camping trip. Survival guide provides essential information on interacting with flora, fauna, potentially hostile terrain and much more. If you get into trouble, you will want to have this free app on hand to make sure you know what to do.
- Camping List – When it comes to planning your family camping trip, this app is a must-have tool. Camping List has large, preloaded lists of items you may want to take on a trip that are easily edited for full customization. You can also create multiple lists with this $0.99 app, making it easier to get ready for different camping locations without having to remember which items are best suited for the terrain and area of each.
- ReserveAmerica Camping – The most appealing feature of this free app is the numerous ways in which you can filter results. With ReserveAmerica Camping, you can filter by amenities, pet restrictions, accessibility needs and much more. Earmark your favorite camp parks for future reference, and if you need help jogging your memory, the app has photo details included for each site.
- Knot Guide – Unless you have a Boy Scout in your group, you may want to take this handy app along on your next camping trip. Knot Guide could save your life in a pinch, but learning to tie knots out in the wild is also just plain fun. If you want to get some practice in and impress your kids, get this free app now from the App Store.
- Bug Spray – Ultrasonic – Don’t worry if you run out of bug spray, as long as you have this handy free app on your iPhone. Bug Spray – Ultrasonic sends out high frequency sounds that, while inaudible to the human ear, are excruciatingly loud to pesky bugs. The entire family will thank you for bringing this app – especially in short-sleeve weather.
- Free Light – Camping, darkness, tricky terrain, unfamiliar animals and plants are not a good mix. An effective way to ensure that you can safely navigate your way around hazards while camping is to make sure you have an easily accessible light source. This free app is no-frills and does exactly what it promises to do with no confusing, superfluous bells and whistles. When you need it, however, you won’t be disappointed.
- Free Compass – If you’re considering a little orienteering as part of your camping experience, a compass is a must have accessory. You can download this simple compass to your iPhone for free. The app also includes an Altimeter and speedometer to help you keep track of your progress.
- SAS Survival Guide – Lite – This app takes over 20 years of knowledge garnered by the elite British regiment and packs it all into an easy to use guide. The SAS Survival Guide is relevant to any terrain, no matter where you are in the world. With videos, checklists and quizzes, you can set out confidently knowing you’re equipped with adequate survival tips to get you through any eventuality.
- 101 Camping & Outdoor Recipes – There is nothing better than cooking around a camp fire to bring families together and really make for some wonderful memories. Well-fed campers are happy campers, too, so make sure you pack this $0.99 app in your iPhone. Recipes are organized by breakfast, lunch and dinner for quick and easy reference.
These apps can make your iPhone just as powerful a resource for managing an adventure in the great outdoors as it is for handling the details of your daily life!
Our Sports Techie community Memorial Day thank you goes to Emma Roberts for sharing this wonderful blog.
http://www.summernanny.com/blog/10-iphone-apps-you-need-while-camping-with-the-kids/
Sports Techie, Why did my eye go straight to Bug Zapper app when it should have locked into the Survival apps since I watch so many of those shows. Learning life camping saving skills via your iPhone could save the life of your child which makes these apps a must have. The 12,000 campsite database, the listings of camping gear and the yummy recipes for the great outdoors whether you cook with a fire, stove or simply have freeze dried food, are terrific digital resources.
Looking for a survival kit, Globosurfer.com has a list of the best.
Be sure you check in advance if pets are allowed on the campgrounds and overnight. Perhaps the most useful of the apps is the light which of course led us humans out of the cave and could led you back to a trail, base camp or the car parking lot if need be. Several important camping topics these apps assist you with include altitude, terrain and knots. Free is the best app price however paying less than a dollar for a .99 app which can help you and your family, friends and animals enjoy the mountains, forests, lakes, and rivers, wherever you are on this planet Earth making it a worthy Sports Techie investment.
I advise you to search these apps for restroom accommodations such as a hot shower, toilets and sinks if you are not in an RV.
Here is the National Park Service mobile app web page:
http://www.nps.gov/hfc/products/digitalmedia/mobileapps/
Many of the best camping destinations in National Forests may not may have smartphone and tablet coverage so remember to look over any content while you have Internet and wifi connections or else download the information for later offline reading.
Our last iPhone camping with kids tip – ABC: Always Be Charging, whether that is the iPhone, gaming console or fun camping gadget, doing so will make the kids happy campers.
May your Sports Techie camping trips be the kind of refreshing, get back in touch with Mother nature kind of experience your kids, family and pets all enjoy.
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