Camping is one of the most popular pastimes for American families, most likely due to the relative cheapness of it and the quality time spent away from screens and distractions. In 2011, American families spent an astounding total of 534 million camping days together. There are as many different ways to camp as there are places to camp and structures to camp in, but the most popular is tent camping — in a survey, 86% of people said they preferred this type of camping vacation.

While the word camping tends to draw up visions of wooded forests and leaf-carpeted ground, many people opt for something a little more off the beaten path — the beach. Many find the sounds of water a more peaceful background than the sounds of the woods, and bug populations are much, much lower there.

However, making your campgrounds on the beach requires a little bit more planning, and a slightly different approach. Some tips and tricks for camping on the beach —

• About 70% of camping is done on public campgrounds, and you should never ever just go set up your tent in a strange environment, especially if you don’t know if you are trespassing or not. Make sure you are authorized to be there. You’re better off choosing public campgrounds on the beach than striking off on your own.

• If you are near the ocean, make sure you are set up well above the high tide line so your belongings don’t get flooded.

• Stay away from dunes. They are a fragile part of a marine ecosystem and you can easily damage the vegetation, in addition to being hurt if the sand and rocks slide down on you.

• Invest in sand stakes, which are designed to stay down in loose material.

• Bring extra water, water purification methods, and extra water on top of that. Don’t trust any water directly from nature.

• Bring shelter from the hot sun, even if you have sunscreen.

• It gets cold and foggy on the beach at night. Bring supplies to keep you warm and to keep your belongings dry.