To cap off March, my wife and I went on a beach camping trip at Stilts Calatagan Beach Resort—our first time roughing it instead of opting for a proper room or a nipa hut. This was partly because we wanted to go to the beach and partly because we wanted to get our money’s worth out of the tent we bought late last year. Great way to hit two birds with one stone, right? If you’re looking to go camping for the first time as well, here are some tips and realizations from our sandy overnight escapade.
Depending on where you are going, you won’t need to go all-in with camping equipment
Due to excitement, I spent a few weeks before the camping trip going on online shopping platforms and adding every camping related item I could find into my cart. Mini charcoal grills, extremely compact butane stoves, folding tables and chairs, hammocks, tarpaulin buckets, stackable camping cookware and utensils, fairy lights, power stations, and portable fans. You name it, it was in my cart. Thankfully, my wife knocked some sense into me with some pretty good arguments. First, I’m going to have to carry most of what we bring—equipment and food—into the campsite. Second, it’s only going to be an overnight trip, so most of these items won’t even see much use. Third, I’m going to have to stow these into and out of the car, and into and out of our third-floor apartment up three flights of stairs. Fourth and last, we will need to find long-term storage for these items in our apartment. And just like that, the desire to buy more was gone.
True enough, upon arriving at the campsite and pitching our tent, I realized I did not really need all those equipment. A tent, two chairs, a small folding table, a regular-sized butane stove, two rechargeable flash lights, two small rechargeable fans, and a self-inflating mattress—these were the things we already had and were all the camping things we really needed on the trip. For cookware and utensils, we brought what we already owned. Stilts had the rest of the things we needed, including grills and mood lighting.
Where and when you pitch your tent matters
Tree cover is a precious resource when beach camping. Having some shade can be the difference between your tent feeling warm and feeling like an oven. Therefore, it’s important to make sure you set up camp somewhere where you can chill away from direct sunlight. It’s also important to point out that the depth of the sand and the substrate should also be taken into account. In our case, although we were able to pick a shaded area for our camp, our tent stakes were barely long enough to reach the soil underneath the sand. This resulted in a longer setup time as strong gusts of winds from the sea were threatening to blow our tent away.
Additionally, consider pitching your tent earlier in the morning or later on in the day. Trying to set up a tent as huge as ours in the middle of the day was not a fun experience. In fact, I think I got sunburned more from pitching and taking down the tent than actually being in the water. Pitching your tent earlier on is also better as you will have first dibs on the optimal camp site and view.
Beach cooking and eating hits different
Pork chops, steaks, and veggies just hit different after a long day of hauling things, setting up camp, and frolicking in the water, especially if you grill them over charcoal. If it’s your first time trying to get charcoal going for a grill, then here are some tips. Take some brown paper bags and cardboard with you to serve as kindling; crumple these into a cone; and then in your grill, stack your charcoal around this cone, leaving just a tiny gap where you can light the kindling on fire. Once the kindling seems about to run out, begin gently fanning your charcoal mound to get the embers going. Your good to go once you see most of the charcoal smoldering on their own. Otherwise, feed more kindling and keep fanning the flames as necessary.
To keep food fresh until it is time to cook, I recommend investing in a good quality ice chest. Make sure to fully freeze your meats beforehand as well. On the day of your trip, pre-cool the chest with ice or cold water for a few minutes, dump any liquids out, and then transfer your meats from the freezer to the chest. Make sure to put in plenty of ice cubes as well to keep temperatures as low as possible for as long as possible. You can also freeze your drinks and keep it cool all throughout the day using this method.
Keep your tech minimal
I originally planned on bringing a Macbook onto the beach for when I wanted to chill while binge-watching online videos. I then figured that an iPad would suffice as an entertainment device since I won’t be needing to type anything anyway. Ultimately, I decided that the vivo V30 Pro review unit we had was plenty big and plenty loud for multimedia viewing, as well as doubling as a potent camera. I also brought along a power bank to keep our fans, lights, and phones topped up. Not only will being a tech minimalist mean less things that need to be hauled into and out of the beach, but also less things you’ll have to worry about being stolen when you’re not within eyesight of your tent.
Writing this a few days after our trip made me miss the whole experience. The serenity, cool sea breeze, and far-from-work atmosphere was a much needed respite from the hustles and bustles of the metro. It’s an experience I would recommend to anyone, especially those on the fence if camping is right for them. If yours truly—a perennial office worker who loves sleep, comfort, and convenience—can find enjoyment in camping along a coastline, then most likely, you will too.
Words and Photos by Chris Noel Hidalgo
Also published in GADGETS MAGAZINE April 2024 Issue