Beach camping trips are some of my favorite memories. There is great entertainment for kids and adults alike, just at the beach alone. I remember building enormous sandcastles and walking the shores early in the morning searching for sand dollars, starfish, and other more uncommon sea life and shells. Camping in a tent on the sand is where the issues begin but being prepared can make your trip more enjoyable. Read on for great tips to keep your trip fun and hassle-free.
Tables
Camping tables also can be problematic on the beach. Keeping the legs of the table sitting stable on sand is a challenge. A simple fix is to use a can of sorts. I have used numerous types of metal cans and even plastic buckets or jugs. A metal coffee can, plastic coffee can, old food can, metal bucket, empty paint cans, and a myriad of other options. While a can is only one way of correcting the sinking table legs, any firm surface will help prevent the legs from sinking. I prefer the coffee can fix because it keeps the legs from slipping off of the firm surface. Anytime you can help keep a table straight and level will help keep your food and items off the sand.
Weather
If you aren’t familiar with weather at and around beaches and shorelines, be prepared for a difference from the usual weather patterns. Weather around the coastal areas can be wetter, windier, and change more drastically. A brief explanation of how the ocean effects the weather can be found here. There is lots of information to learn about weather patterns and reasons for change, but I’m not certain all are pertinent to the goal of this article.
Wind
When camping near or on the beach be certain you prepare for higher winds than expected. The wind is the biggest issue for me when camping at the beach. Bring ropes and longer tent stakes and anchors. Another issue effecting this is the sand. The sand will reduce the effective holding strength of your tent stakes, again bringing longer tent stakes. You realize the importance of tent stakes when your canopy is rolling down the beach because the tent stakes didn’t hold strong enough.
Rain
Rain can become an issue on the beach as storm clouds move in a more erratic pattern due to the winds. Keeping your rain gear handy will pay off if there is any chance of rain in the forecast. On most camping trips, including the trips to the beach, I will pack my Frogg Toggs. I use them so much more often than originally expected. When I bought this set of Frogg Toggs, I intended on using them for work only, but that didn’t last as soon as I used them. For years I have used this set for camping. There are, of course, different makers of raincoats and rain protection clothing, but I have become a firm supporter of Frogg Toggs. They have a pretty large selection, be sure to read about the properties of each model to determine which one is best for your needs.
Rain – Equipment
Keeping equipment dry is normally vital to an enjoyable camping experience. When camping on the beach, you can experience small rainstorms that will “sneak up” very quickly and provide little time to prepare. Pop-up canopies and tarps can provide large coverage for equipment and tents on short notice when a rainstorm crops up in a hurry. As stated earlier, be certain you have canopies, tents, and really anything that can catch wind staked and tied well, the wind will be stronger than you expect.
Humidity
There are several things to take into consideration when preparing to camp on the beach near the ocean. Humidity is a large one. Humidity will almost always be high. Be sure the food containers you bring for dry foods are sealed tight. Food that should remain dry until cooked can be damaged or decompose to an extent that it would be unusable. There are numerous food containers that seal really well online and I have tried many of them, but I like these food containers the most. There are many available that are great, as long as they seal well humidity shouldn’t be able to reach the food. Another option is to seal with a vacuum sealer. While these are great, the bags can be punctured during transit if you are not careful.
Sea Spray and the Salty Residue
The salt in the air can be a new experience for campers who haven’t spent much time at the beach. I remember the first time I realized that sea spray carries and sticks to all kinds of stuff, it left a haze on my truck when I was parked near a shoreline for only 4h hours. Sea spray and salty aerosols can leave a light hazy residue on your equipment and tents. Sea spray is caused by the oceans and waves spraying tiny particles of salt and water in the air as they slosh about. There are of course different factors that can increase and decrease the amount of sea spray in the air and how far it carries. Wind, salinity, temperatures, humidity, and others impact the level of sea spray and what is left on your camping gear. There is a large amount of info available to read online concerning sea spray, but not all is needed for this article. All you need to know is that it causes issues with camping gear after a short while. A practice I use after each beach camping trip is to set my tent up in my back yard after the trip and spray it off with a water hose to remove the salty residue and leave it to dry before storing it for our next trip.
High and Low Tides
With any camping trip, always check your weather forecast for weather preparedness. Getting your tent, canopies, and other camping gear far enough away from the waterline when hake-away high tide rolls in is a key takeaway from this article. Waking up in the dark night with water sloshing in your tent is not desirable. Your weather forecast can tell you when High tides will peak and with that, you can judge when and where to set up your campsite. Normally the beach will provide some evidence of the highest the tides have been recently. Look for old water lines in the sand, or small twigs and maybe debris accumulated in a linear pattern. Set up your campsite behind those lines.
