Every camper knows the concept of minimalization. However, it’s difficult for kids to understand why they can’t take all of their toys and games with them on a camping trip. Never fret, kids! I’m going to tell you about 3 family-friendly camping games that mom and dad shouldn’t have a problem taking along on your next camping trip.
Disclosure: The products I share in this review were provided to our family at no cost in exchange for an honest review. We will never recommend a product we haven’t tested out ourselves, love, or believe would be helpful to our readers!
We are going to be full-time RVers soon, so we have been on a pretty big purging spree over the last year. Some of the things we did not want to have to get rid of were our games. We had a closet full of board games, card games, dice games, and more.
As the overly organized one of the family, I had just finished downsizing our games (or rather combining them so that we could keep them all) when I received an email from Goliath and Pressman Toy to try out 3 of their travel games. They say these games are perfect family-friendly camping games that are easy to throw into a camping bag with enough room left for s’mores supplies. Since we love games and we love camping, I knew we had to try them out.
Now I have to be honest, I completely expected to either have to find more room for these games, rearrange our game area in the RV, or give them to another family if we didn’t have room for them. When they arrived in the mail, I still had concerns because two of the 3 games came in very large packaging and looked very bulky. This was not what I was hoping camping games would look like. Can you tell I’m super horrible about judging a book by its cover?
Well, let me get on to what you’re here for! What were these camping games and how did they fare on our latest camping trip?
Game #1: Flip’n Chips
Of the 3 camping games sent to us, Flip’n Chips was the one I expected we would be able to keep solely based on the size of the packaging. This game comes in a small round tube that is slightly smaller than a soda can. I like that the packaging serves a dual purpose; it houses the game chips and it is used as a shaker for the chips.
How the game works
- Each player chooses a color (red, yellow, green, or blue). You can have up to 4 players.
- All chips are shaken inside the packaging.
- Chips are then poured out on the table.
- Players take turns turning over chips to match their color.
- The first person to turn over all 7 of their color chips wins.
What we thought of the game
This is basically a memory game. When I first read that it was a memory game, I thought it would be too easy for my 8 and 11-year-olds. Afterall, memory games are for preschoolers right?
WRONG!!!
This game was such fun and even proved difficult enough for me! It looks so simple, but having to remember what colors were on which side of the chips and where they were positioned on the table just made our minds hurt. Challenging indeed!
My youngest was so excited because he won twice in a row before any of the rest of us started winning. I think this picture sums up how much fun he was having for sure.
Each round of Flip’n Chips had us wanting to play again. We give this game two thumbs up for the packaging size and how challenging it is for all ages.
Game #2: i-Top
The i-Top game looked the most interesting to me. It made me think of a combination of a flying saucer from a sci-fi movie and a robotic spinning top. Despite all of the words and pictures on the packaging, I wasn’t really sure what this game was going to be about or how we would end up liking it.
How the game works
- Pick a challenge number (99, 314, 747, and others)
- Spin the top
- Watch the scrolling numbers
- Grab the top when you reach the challenge number and you’ll unlock secret animations
What we thought of the game
We all had a great time trying to beat the challenges. I’d venture to say the adults probably had the most fun with this game. It would definitely be a great ADULT camping game, especially if you created some sort of challenge between the adults who are playing it.
As far as the packaging, I didn’t understand why the packaging was so large in relation to the actual game size. The top fits in the palm of my hand, but the entire game within its package was a bit larger than the size of a dinner plate. That being said, the actual game is a perfect size for taking along on a camping trip. I also love that the handle of the top folds down to make it flat for storing. Such a great feature!
Overall, we give this game two thumbs up for how compact it is and how much fun adults can have with this game.
Game #3: Zoom Ball Hydro
What child doesn’t enjoy getting splashed with water? The Zoom Ball Hydro is great to take on those camping trips where you know it’s going to be hot outside and everyone will just want something to cool them off.
Shhh! Don’t tell the kids it gives them some exercise too.
Our family really enjoyed this toy-sport game. After only a few minutes the kids were already saying “this game is fun!”
How the game works
Check out our Zoom Ball Hydro in action:
What we thought of the game
While this toy-sport game is the largest of the 3 games we tried out on our latest camping trip, it didn’t take up so much room that we thought we couldn’t keep it. We have a basket with balls and outside toys in the garage of our RV and this fit in that basket nicely.
This was definitely our favorite of the 3 camping games. If we had three thumbs, we’d give it 3 thumbs up!
No matter if you’re a full-time RVer or a weekend camper, you can’t go wrong with grabbing Flip’n Chips, i-Top, or Zoom Ball Hydro for your game collection. They can be found at most major retailers, and each game is fun, challenging, portable, and easy to store. They are perfect choices for every camping family!
Tell us in the comments if you’ve played any of these games or if you have a camping game you and your family enjoy playing. And while you’re here, be sure to share this post with your game loving friends!
