Everything that could go wrong went wrong. Forgot the lantern, so we sat in the dark. Forgot half the food, so we ate cereal for dinner. One kid got homesick at 2am. One kid decided now was the time to ask about the birds and the bees. But you know what? We're already planning the next trip. There's something about being out there that just fixes you.
Dude, cereal for dinner is a camping win in my book. My rule is if everyone comes home alive and nobody needs stitches, it counts as successful. You got this.
The best forts I ever built with mine were in the dark because we forgot lights too. Made them build a lantern out of sticks and rocks. Sometimes the mishaps are what they talk about forever.
Next time make a camping checklist with the boys the day before. They'll help you remember stuff and they feel like they're in charge of the mission. Might prevent some of the chaos. Or just embrace the chaos, that's camping too.
This is peak dad life. Everything falling apart and somehow still surviving it. Your boys will remember that camping trip forever, even if you nearly lost it. That's what camping with kids is about.
The camping trip where everything goes wrong is basically a rite of passage. Forgetting the lantern sounds miserable but at least you have stories now. My boys still talk about our 'dark camping adventure' like it was the best trip ever.
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At least you were out there trying. I've had tournament weekends go sideways plenty of times, and honestly the kids remember the chaos more than the perfect setup anyway.