What are your best camping tips and tricks?

[summersucks]

The little things that make your trips go smoothly? Organization ideas? Things you've learned over the years? Tips on keeping things clean while camping?

Having had our boler for a couple of months and taken it out a few times, things are going smoother every time, but we're leaving on a big trip (about 3 weeks with my 1 and 3 year olds) in two weeks and I'm feeling a little stressed. I just don't have a lot of experience with this. Example, we have a lot of storage space, it seems, but everything's just flying around in the cabinets. I'm thinking clear bins to organize everything inside. How do you all organize your dishes, food, etc?

Any sorts of tips would be appreciated!

[Byron Kinnaman]

What I've learned about camping in general and Scamping. First examine the reason you're camping. We started camping to get away from the stresses of everyday life and work related stress. We learned during that time that simply watching the grass and trees grow was enough. Absorbing sounds, sights, smells of wild places was relaxing and made up for any problems before we left home. The journey is part of experience. The changing scenery, the slower pace needed while towing.

Now to answer the question about stuff in cabinets and fridge. There's a couple easy thing to contain stuff. One is small plastic containers inside the cabinets. I found some CD storage boxes, open top, that fit between the outside wall and the lip of the cabinet. Another trick is to pack stuff so can't move, even if it takes towels to hold stuff in place.
The fridge, get refrigerator bars, they're spring loaded adjustable bars that you put inside the fridge and push towards the back. This keeps stuff from banging into the door and possible braking the latch.

Dishes in our case are disposable, for extended trips the water usage is just to high to be washing dishes. Food is stored in a plastic tub under the goucho. One skillet and one Griddle are stowed below the sink in their own home made bags.


Hope this helps a bit. It all comes with time.

[summersucks]

Oh we're long time campers, just new to having one I am a big fan of camping but our last big road trip (inuvik!) involved tent camping in the rain and I just don't want to deal with that. I just want to make the day to day stuff as smooth as possible.

Love these ideas. Thank you very much! And we were planning on using paper plates and bowls. Not very environmentally friendly, I know, but it's most practical for us.

[honda03842]

We're on the road about 7 months a year. We attempt to have a place for everything, This way you always know where it is and there's always easy access.

When we put things in drawers or cabinets we add shelves, bins, ... so forth to physically contain and restrict their movements. For example we have a pullout pantry for can storage, shelves for pots and pans and a hamper for dirty clothes.

As well we've improved access to the typically difficult to access places in the trailer like under dinette storage.. we've added a number pf pull out drawers and cabinets. The following link is long but contains images of things we've done.

As well as having a place for things, if we don't use it during the year we typically don't take it next year.

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...6-a-46387.html

[The Minimalist]

In so far as possible, make everything you carry dual use. If one item can serve two or more purposes, you have reduced that portion of the load by at least half.

[summersucks]

Originally Posted by honda03842

We're on the road about 7 months a year. We attempt to have a place for everything, This way you always know where it is and there's always easy access.

When we put things in drawers or cabinets we add shelves, bins, ... so forth to physically contain and restrict their movements. For example we have a pullout pantry for can storage, shelves for pots and pans and a hamper for dirty clothes.

As well we've improved access to the typically difficult to access places in the trailer like under dinette storage.. we've added a number pf pull out drawers and cabinets. The following link is long but contains images of things we've done.

As well as having a place for things, if we don't use it during the year we typically don't take it next year.

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...6-a-46387.html

this thread is brilliant. thank you! great stuff in there, still looking.

[honda03842]

Anna,

As Cliff suggests, we try not carry stuff where some thing else will do. For example we don't carry a microwave because anything it can do we can do another way.

Why summersucks?

[summersucks]

We definitely don't have a lot of stuff. We have a set of two lightweight nesting pots (the lid has a built in strainer), a kettle (because I am a klutz and will pour hot water on myself otherwise), and plan to add a skillet, that's all for cookware. I also have a metal coffee press (not compromising on my coffee ). these things currently just sort of rattle around the cabinet. I need a way to wrangle the few toys we're bringing with us, etc. And to figure out where everything lives. That's the biggest issue right now. Re: microwave, we don't currently have one but we are considering bringing one for quick milk heat ups and such. Little kids

Just an old screen name, I no longer think summer sucks, however, I will always prefer winter as that's snowboarding season One day, when the kids are a little older, we plan to spend a decent amount of time 'camping' in ski resort parking lots. Can't wait!

[Timber Wolf]

I am slowly developing my plan even after over a year of hard Scamping. Recently I "discovered" that a swell way to pack clothes (for me) was in a rectangular clothes basket. In the past I reflexively used a backpack, like I have for every other travel/camping trip. But the clothes basket slips under the rear dinette I leave set up as a bed all the time anyway and easily holds a week’s worth of clothes, including a day or two spares. Dirty clothes go in a mesh draw string bag which is then tossed under the dinette next to the clean clothes basket. My 12 year old daughter gets the closet for her clean clothes and her dirties go everywhere but in her mesh bag.

As Norm says, a place for everything. Dang but it is frustrating to loose stuff in a space as small as a Scamp. I like little snap lid boxes for stuff and others have reported great success with zip-lock bags. I like one comment that they even put the zip-lock bags in a zip-lock bag and throw the box away!

[summersucks]

LOL at your daughter's setup. That's a good idea. We currently use our north face duffels (that we use for everything) but I bet baskets/boxes would work better. We have a laundry bag that hangs in the closet and I'm planning on getting one of those hanging fabric shelf thingies for the inside, to store shoes, hats, stuff like that. And will be putting hooks in the closet. It's coming together but I am getting such awesome ideas here!

[Rob V]

We spent a winter camping on the Oregon coast when our kids were 1 and 3 years old (were between houses living in a 6' x 6' x 6' camper on our pickup). At bedtime they'd pick from 3 story books, usually their choice was The Monster at the End of the Book. Now our youngest child has a 1+ year old and she loves talking about that winter (as much as she can remember, not a lot) especially that book. Both kids go camping frequently with their families and we meet them often. Taking children camping when they're little is one of the very best inheritances that parents can give.

[summersucks]

Well I just loved reading that. Thank you so much for sharing your story! We've had so much fun already. How did you arrange bedtime, out of curiosity? That's our biggest challenge right now. Currently we've had most success putting the oldest to bed, while the other one drives around with the baby. Baby gets put down once oldest is passed out.

[Rob V]

I built a hinged frame on the front wall about 18" below the ceiling with clothes line strung across to hold a foam mattress for them. They slept with heads at opposite ends of the bed. At bedtime, they'd choose their book, I'd knell on my bed, read the story, discuss the pictures (or the mirror at the end of the book), consider options for the morning, say goodnight, turn off the overhead light, and the spouse and i would read for awhile. Then, be serenaded by the music of the constant rain.

My kids treat their kids differently than they (or i) were treated. For instance, my kids went to bed at bedtime. If they wanted to complain or cry that was their right. Didn't hurt me to lose a little sleep, especially since they quickly learned it did them no good.

[honda03842]

Norm and Ginny's rule for bedtime.

1. Children once in bed were allowed to read until they fell asleep, no limit on time.

2. No requirement on what they read. We would buy any reading material they wanted.

Both boys are still great readers.

[Franswa]

handy-wipes are well....handy...for EVERYTHING.....when camping.

let's face it, camping is dirty....wipes work for hands, counters, windows, bathrooms...the list is endless.....and instead of throwing them out if you just leave them somewhere to dry they make the best fire starter (the alcohol in them I guess)

a lot of people use a mounted roller/dispenser for paper towels....I use a standup holder...it can be moved around... and makes a good upper cabinet stuffer/divider when travelling, as already mentioned...buy the wipes in the large container and you've got TWO suffers/dividers about the same diameter

travelling with two people?....try the boat thing...buy two sets of bath towels and face cloths....one red, one green (port and starboard)...never look for the dry towel again...

smallish bungy cord bought in bulk/length and little 1/4" screw eyes.....put em' in anywhere... to keep anything in place during travel...I got bungys ALL over my trailer, behind seatbacks, inside cabinets, in the bath...it's everywhere

to solve upper cabinet "chaos"....design/make your own solution....below is a little thing I made (after measuring the containers I'd use)....it's not fastened but stays put (tight friction fit) so I could be move it if I wanted....and bungys?...there's one that goes through to seperate/keep one row at the back....another bungy holds the kettle and perculator in place against the side of it....and another holds my counter extension/tray against the wall behind the stove...a bungy holds three bulk food containers on a shelf I put in above my fridge..and yet another one keeps my shower curtain folded and flat against the bathroom wall...bungys RULE...LOL...cheers, F

[honda03842]

When returning from the Shower I spread it out over the back seat of the tow vehicle.. Towel always dries by next day.

[SoloMatt]

Cast iron is heavy but it saves lots of propane because of it's great heat retention and it is so easy to clean!

Buying the pre-marinated meat or skewers from a supermarket is a good way to cook your own food without prepping it.

If you have separate spouts for grey and black tanks, you can drain grey water into a 2 to 5 gallon container and use it for flushing the toilet when boondocking. Saves freshwater and reduces grey dumps.

When running the water to get it hot, run it into a 1 gallon pitcher and save the water for washing or flushing.

In a pinch, a bungee cord can make a great paper towel holder. Different size bungee cords are very handy!

Decide where you need storage, measure and then buy plastic bins/containers/drawers from the hardware store or the container store. Don't buy before you measure!

Suction cup hooks are very useful.

Burt's bees makes makeup/oil/dirt wipes that are a pretty excellent alternative to a shower. Robot Check

These Kelty cache boxes are great for all sorts of things that need to stay put and protected in cabinets: Robot Check

7th generation thymol wipes can be used on dishes and food surfaces without wiping-- you can sanitize with a wipe and eat.

"Miss it twice rule" (thank you PRTexas!) - if you haven't missed it two times, you don't need to buy it.

This post will likely be edited as I think of other things, haha!

[tractors1]

I decided to custom make all my storage stuff out of plastic. Had enough requests from people I decided to just make a biz to keep me occupied in retirement!

RV Widget Works | ,

[rbryan]

All good guidelines. If this repeats the same idea as above, forgive me, but here's one of our rules: If you take something with you and you don't use it the first or the second time, take it out. You don't need it. I am constantly surprised how comfortable we can be with so little brought along.

[Eddie Longest]

We use micro fiber bath towels, takes awhile to get use to. They dry quickly, and don't take up much space. We use two colors to keep track of them.
Eddie