Our First Camping Trip
where we went:
2020 has been filled with LOTS of uncertainty. This year has reiterated the importance of open-mindedness, trying new things and being able to adapt to change. With COVID canceling all of our travel plans this year, we jumped at the opportunity for a change of scenery that we felt we could still be safe about. Our friends rent a cabin in Allegany State Park every summer for a week and invited us for a couple nights, so we rented a campsite nearby and pitched a tent! We stayed on the Diehl trail but they have tons of options for camping + cabins you can check out and book here. It’s about an hour and a half away from Buffalo so we got there in no time, a good little getaway if you’re nearby.
what we brought:
To be honest, I am not much of an outdoorsy gal. I was never opposed to it but just wasn’t exposed to it much growing up so prior to this trip, I did A LOT of research. Even though we only went for a short time I wanted to be prepared, especially since we’d never done anything like this before. Pinterest came in handy, I started my own board for inspiration, tips and recipes! I like to be over-prepared (in all aspects of my life) and it brings me great comfort to do so. I think one of my biggest misconceptions about camping was that you needed to forgo all comfort to camp. While you may need to be creative in your solutions to be comfortable, it is certainly possible.
This may be TMI but I was most concerned about the bathroom situation since I knew I’d be getting my period. There were public restrooms but it was a far walk from where our campsite was. We were also pretty close to others’ campsites so normally I’d have no issue doing my thing but we were very visible to others. BK thought of an idea to purchase a pop up tent (which will be used now for photo shoots so I don’t have to change in my car) and a portable toilet. We purchased these bags with an absorbent pad and it worked out perfectly. For hygiene, I used my favorite Megababe hand sanitizer as well as their wipes and shower sheets. HIGHLY recommend their products if you haven’t already tried.
We purchased a few tents before camping and practiced setting them up / taking them down in our backyard before we left- highly recommend if you’re a fellow novice. We avoided all frustration and arguments upon arrival. Thankfully, BK ordered a few options because the first tent we tried said it was for four people but I think they meant four infants because it was TINY! We splurged on this easy-up eight person tent and this rainfly cover which was more space than we needed but was great for fitting a full size mattress and could stand up / move around freely. Oh yeah, we brought an actual mattress. We managed to fit it in the back of BK’s truck because we realized the air mattress we had was only a twin size. If / when we go again, we’ll definitely purchase something more portable. We slept in this two person sleeping bag (59 x 86.9 in), brought some old bedding/fitted sheet which worked out pretty well and I brought along this Barefoot Dreams blanket which was a splurge from the Nordstrom sale that I snuggled up with on cooler nights. We accessorized our tent with these battery operated string lights (which made it easy to find our tent at night) but these little lanterns came in handy, they are SO bright! Just make sure you don’t forget batteries. :)
what we ate
Like I said, we went with our friends who are pretty experienced campers and love to cook so we didn’t bring a TON. They also had access to a fridge and oven in their cabin and they also brought along their smoker for a few meals. I pre-made my Dad’s Pasta Salad and Gimme Some Oven’s BEST Potato salad that we kept in our Yeti cooler (worth the hype, although it is an investment) as well as some meat, eggs, snacks and beverages. A few Pinterest recipes I tried and loved were these Camping Margaritas finished with this salt and these Campfire Cone S’mores. Both were a big hit- highly recommend! We also enjoyed drinks in our mugs and kept water in these bottles throughout the duration of our trip. I also got a lot of great recommendations in my Properly Fitting Bra Club Facebook group which I’ll be saving for a later date.
what I wore:
To be honest I stressed most about this, going back to my need for preparedness. It has been warm in Buffalo but the nights have been cooler but it was definitely cooler than we expected (in a good way). Jess Keys’ blog post helped me a lot to start getting a list going. I ended up getting my first pair of Birkenstock’s and I’m a believer. They’re SO comfortable, I wore them around the campsite during the day and with wool socks at night - REALLY went for it. Before any trip, I like to try things on to make sure I feel comfortable with how they fit before I pack them. I brought a nice variety of leggings, sweatpants, shorts and tees + sweaters. I ended up changing a few times throughout the day as temperatures rose/fell and got a little sweaty after a hike. I overpacked but I’m glad I did because I wore more layers than I thought I would so most of it came in handy. Being the bra gal that I am, I struggled with what to bring bra-wise. I ended up wearing my everyday and wire free options the most but probably could’ve done a sports bra for the hike. Linked a few items I brought below!
final thoughts:
All in all, we had a great time! The weather was perfect and the bugs were minimal. I used a cocktail of this, this and this bug spray and it seemed to work. I’m usually a bug magnet but only got one bite throughout the whole trip! We’re definitely eager to go again, perhaps before the end of the year. Next time, we’ll take our dog, Walter and see how he likes the great outdoors. Feel free to leave any questions or tips below, thanks for reading! xx CMK
