Why you should do a test run before a long trip

We decided to do a test run because we hadn't been camping in about five years and wanted to a) check the condition of the gear we had and b) determine if we needed any other gear in order to have a successful trip. Did anything need replacing?

While many things can be bought on the road, it's easier to order things online to be shipped to the house while we were there. This gives us the opportunity to get specialized camping gear that it will be hard to locate in the moment and also to shop around for the best deals on the exact brands and items we want.

The other important thing about the test run was to see exactly how much stuff we actually needed and to strategize packing. This trip was designed to give us information about what would fit in our compact car and still leave room for all of us to sit comfortably, hopefully without gear in our laps.

The test run helped us to determine our comfort levels and to decide what we need for a long-term trip. If we were uncomfortable without something for a weekend, then we need to make sure to have it with us when traveling for several weeks.

Do we still know how to camp? What don't we know? There are lots of little skills that we are either rusty on or never developed to start with. Essential things like, Can we build a fire? Can we feed ourselves? What do we need to carry with us on hikes? How far can the kids hike without complaining? When do they nap and get tired? How often do they need water and snacks and what snacks are best? How much of everything should we carry? Some of this we had ideas about from our walks in local parks at home, but we thought it would be good to test out a little farther from home and on trails the kids don't know so well.

We were also hoping to get information about what we should look for when we are booking campsites and choosing which hikes to go on? Do we want to be near a bathroom? Or is privacy a bigger concern? How much do we miss electricity and running water? How many days in a row will we want to camp before getting a night in a hotel?

I definitely recommend doing a test run if you are planning a longer camping trip. We learned so many things, which you can read about in future lessons learned posts.