Car Camping – Fire Bans – Vail, CO

I absolutely love a good camping trip. There is something about being in the middle of no where and disconnecting that soothes the soul. It’s so fabulous to lay under the stars in the tent and just be at peace away from the everyday hustle and bustle.

We did a camping trip a few weeks ago with friends. It was absolutely amazing. Not only did we get to relax, disconnect and unwind, we got to do it with friends. The one bummer of our camping trip was the fire bans. As I am sure most of you are aware Colorado is raging with fires and thus there is a hard core fire ban. Camping without a fire. How to do that? Let me tell you it was much better than we anticipated, minus the mosquitos. Yes mosquitos in Colorado. Never have I experienced so many mosquitos in Colorado until that weekend when It was dryer than dry.

Camping Products (Some of our Favorites)

Melanzana Hoodie

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Melanzana Dress

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Marmot Tent

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Sea to Summit Sleeping Pad

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Spork

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Salomon Hiking Shoes

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Marmot Ultra Elite Sleeping Bag

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Steel Nesting Wine Glass

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Marmot Angel Fire Sleeping Bag

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ENO Double Nest Hammock

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Meals

What do you have for meals when you can’t have a fire. Well it’s great to have a backpacking stove for a quick heat if needed but below are some great ideas and food I have made that doesn’t require campsite heating.

Breakfast

–Greek Yogurt Parfait: Place frozen berries in the bottom of a container. Top with Greek Yogurt and a banana. Pack a zip lock baggie with granola. Keep in cooler until ready to eat. Top with granola.

–Instant Oatmeal or Grit packages: to spice up your grits bring some shredded sharp cheddar cheese and bacon bits.

–Make muffins or breakfast bread ahead of time. At time of eating slather some butter on top and pair with a warm cup of coffee.

–Starbucks via packs are the best instant coffee while camping. We initially tried a camping french press and a filter thing that went over the coffee cup and netter worked super well. The Starbucks via packs work wonders and take up minimal room.

Lunch

–French Onion Dip: Take a tub of your favorite sour cream and place a pack fo french onion soup mix in. Stir and place in cooler. Take cut up veggies or pretzels to dunk in.

-Cut up cheese and sausage ahead of time and have a cheese and charcuterie board for lunch. Make sure to pack some crosstini’s and pickles and olives.

Dinner

–Black Bean Taco Mix: (You will need the back packings stove for this.) Place 1 can of Amy’s refried black beans, 1 pack of taco seasoning and 2 portions of instant cooked rice in a pot. Mix until hot. Top with cheese and Fritos. (serves 2)

–Pasta Salad: Make a veggie, sausage and cheese pasta salad ahead of time. Place in single serving containers and keep in the cooler until ready to eat. Enjoy!

Snacks

–Dill Ranch Oyster Crackers & Pretzels 

Cocktails

If I am being real here though another important part of a camping weekend is the cocktails. Who doesn’t love a good glass of wine (in the above camping wine glass)? No one, everyone loves it, and if you don’t I am loving it for you. One of my good girlfriends and I are always all about a camping mimosa; again mostly bubbles and a splash of OJ. It’s the perfect way to start the morning after the few cups of coffee you had while watching the sun come up. Then there is nothing better than a glass of red wine while watching the sun go down and listening to all the sounds.

Weekend Packing List

Weekend Activities

• Good Book: There is nothing better than a good book and curling up in the ENO hammock. I finished a book in one day on our last trip.
• Walk: Taking a good walk with our Charcoal Labrador, Duke, is another favorite of mine.
• Frisbee Golf: This has become a favorite for the guys.
• Lawn Jenga: A fun alternative when you can’t sit around a fire and chit chat.
• Killing Kittens: A fabulous card game.

The above lists are by no means all inclusive lists for camping. This is solely some of the highlights of our last trip. I will definitely keep sharing our trips as we have them to give you guys different ideas.

Cheers!

XOXO