Getting Ready for Camping Season on Vancouver Island
Camping season is finally here and we are SO excited. If you're heading to Tofino, Ucluelet, Sproat Lake, China Creek, or anywhere else on Vancouver Island this summer, now is a good time to get ready before the last-minute scramble begins.
Book Your Campsites!!
If you're hoping to camp around Tofino or Ucluelet this summer, don't wait too long (honesty it may even be too late now for most!) The good sites tend to disappear fast, especially weekends. If everything looks booked, keep checking back. Cancellations happen all the time, and some of our favourite trips have come together last minute. Plus some campgrounds like Bella Pacific in Tofino has a few sites available that they do not reserve a head of time.
Check Your Gear Sooner than the Night Before
The night before a camping trip is not the ideal time to discover your headlamp batteries are dead, your sleeping pad has a leak, or you're put away your tent damp last season.. Before your first trip of the season, it's worth the time and pulling everything out and making sure it still works.
Set up your tent
Check your sleeping pads
Test your stove
Find all the random gear that you didn’t put away in the right spot last season
Restock the Stuff Everyone Forgets
Camp fuel, lighter, first aid kits, sunscreen, hats..
Pack for Vancouver Island Weather
The forecast might say sunshine, but we all know that can change fast. The weather also on the West Coast in Tofino, Ucluelet, and Bamfeild is typically a good 10 degrees cooler there. So pack layers. A rain jacket, sock, bluntstones, and dry clothes even in the middle of summer.
Don't Want to Buy, Store, and Clean a Garage Full of Camping Gear?
Camping is a lot more enjoyable when you have the right gear. If you're missing a few things for your trip, we rent camping, backpacking, and beach gear right here in Port Alberni. From tents and sleeping bags to camp stoves, coolers, and backpacking packs, we've got everything from individual items to complete rental bundles. Whether you're flying in, trying camping for the first time, or just don't want to buy a bunch of gear for one trip, we've got you covered.
Just Go Camping
It's easy to get caught up trying to have everything perfect and the stress behind all the packing, the shopping, and the loading up. Seriously it’s a lot especially when you have kids. But some of our best camping memories involve staying up until midnight the night before loading and packing the truck, kids having highs and lows, meals that didn't quite go as planned, and weather that definitely wasn't in the forecast. But that's all part of it and honestly so much fun at the end of the day.