How to Spend More Time Outdoors with Your Family

Some of my earliest memories in the outdoors involve me tagging along with my dad and grandfather on rabbit hunts or deer dog drives. I did little more than play with sticks or search for arrowheads in the dry or shallow creekbeds. Other times, my dad dragged my brothers and me camping at our family property to freeze or sweat through our sleeping bags. It was a lot of work for him, but it’s a huge reason my brothers and I have remained so involved outdoors.

Now that I have a family of my own, I understand what my dad was doing. I also realize the effort and time that it takes to make the outdoors a priority with your family. It can be extremely fun and extremely tiring, but it’s always worth it. If you want to introduce your family to hunting or just lose cell reception for a weekend, here are a few ways to consider getting outdoors with the rest of your crew.

Your kids or significant other probably doesn’t share the same enthusiasm for hunting or outdoor rec like you do (at least not yet). With that in mind, you have to lower your expectations. If you’re taking your child hunting, don’t expect to kill anything. In fact, don’t expect to see any living animal within earshot of your child. The best thing you can do is not to take yourself or your hunt seriously.

The same goes for camping or hiking. You might regularly log more than 10 miles on your hikes, but trying to do even half of that distance with tired, hungry kids or a spouse can turn a good time into a nightmare. If you think your kids or spouse just needs to tough it out like you had to learn, you just might instill some outdoors PTSD in them. There are a lot of right ways to get your family outdoors, but there’s also a wrong way to do it, too.

For my oldest daughter’s third birthday, my wife and I decided to take her tent camping in the Smoky Mountains National Park. We weren’t sure how it would go, but it went better than we could have imagined. Other than a few typical toddler meltdowns, my daughter had a blast, and it was enjoyable for the whole family. We got to spend four days outdoors at a relatively low cost, eat camp food, and my then three-year-old daughter handled a few day hikes better than most grown men.

Again, if this is your first family camping trip, start small. Rent a campsite at some nearby grounds and see how they do with a night. Bring plenty of snacks, good sleeping pads, and warm sleeping bags. Remember, the goal is to show your family a good time, not give them a crash course on survival. That can come later.

If you don’t own a ton of hunting land or public lands aren’t your thing, hunting clubs or camps can be a great way to involve your family in hunting. Sure, you’ll have to pay yearly dues, but if you’re doing it anyway, you might as well use it as an opportunity to take your kids or spouse hunting. Besides, most clubs/camps allow you to bring your kids or a guest for free.

My dad and grandfather would load me into their pickups during rabbit season when their camp ran dogs. Most of the time, I just tagged along or sat in the truck, but it introduced me to hunting at an early age and got me outside.

My grandfather’s camp also held cookouts or fish fries during the summer. The adults would hang out and cook while the kids played outside the camphouse. Families brought casseroles, desserts, and gallons of sweet tea. Those gatherings made the camp feel more like a community, rather than a revolving door where hunters signed the logbook and kept hunting secrets to themselves. Both the hunting and the family gatherings benefited from one another.

Not everyone wants (or has the means) to invest in a camper. Then again, not everyone wants to sleep in a tent or on the ground. Of course, there are plenty of campers for a variety of budgets. Think anything from teardrops to the Ritz on wheels. Regardless, campers can streamline the whole hunting/camping process by organizing all your gear in one place and eliminating the time it takes to set up traditional campsites, especially if you’re taking the family along. But don’t just take my word for it. MeatEater’s own Steven Rinella has spent plenty of nights in a tent in some of the world’s most remote places. Yet, he’s a huge fan of his Keystone Camper.

“When I was younger and single, I didn’t really think about getting a camper,” Steve said, “but I started viewing it as imperative, because there’s so much headache with packing. With my family, I need five sleeping bags, five sleeping pads, cups and bowls for five people, and it becomes daunting.”

Packing for one can be a chore, much less a family of five. If your kids or spouse loves the outdoors but doesn’t love sleeping in the outdoors, you should probably consider a camper if you want to share those experiences with them. Even if you don’t mind sleeping in a tent, like Steve, a camper can improve the logistics of your travel hunts with or without the family and make it easier to spend extended time outdoors.

Steve even said he had a couple of phenomenal hunts last year with the whole family in tow. And noted that traveling with the camper added to the overall experience by eliminating any headaches that come with family travel.

“My family just spends more time outdoors when our stuff is ready to roll,” he said. If you think a camper can get you outdoors more, it might be time to consider one.

Remember, the goal is to enjoy the outdoors with the family. Even if that’s just a local day hike or grilling and eating in the backyard, any time outdoors is well spent. Start with low expectations, let your family set the pace, and the rest will come naturally.