10 Things Every Mainer Should Have When They Go Camping

It's one of the things I loved the most about growing up here in Maine and one of the things I love about raising my kids here. Of course I'm talking about camping.

I remember when I was just a young boy growing up in Vacationland and going camping with my sister and parents every summer at Mount Blue State Park up in Weld, Maine. Back then we had one of those giant single room tents with the clunky old metal rods that seemingly took forever to setup and always had a leak.

As we got old, we eventually graduated to a pop-up camper. While it was still a bit cumbersome to set up, it was still bigger, comfier and when it rained, drier than a tent. Going from a tent to a camper seemed like we were camping in the lap of luxury.

Fast forward to my adult years and my wife and I now take our own kids camping with all of our friends and their kids each summer vacation. And we too have moved on from the years of camping in a pop-up and now rock a 34' travel trailer with air conditioning and a big-screen TV.

Sure, lots of people will tell you that's not real camping, however, to them I say that camping is whatever you want it to be. I'm old now and want it to be air conditioned with the Celtics on the TV in early spring. You do you, baby boo.

Now, before you get packed up and head out to your favorite Maine camping destination, you need to make sure you have all the essentials packed for your weekend away.