Tips for quick camping

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I'm sure it goes without saying, but one of the beautiful things about our little bitty trailers is the ability to go camping on a moment's notice.

And the trailers are small enough, that usually even the most crowded campground can find a little corner in which to tuck our trailer.

Thought it would be interesting to read how folks make it easy to get underway ... both from home and from a campground.

One thing Pam and I have done (and God knows, this is not a mind-bending tip) is pretty much outfit the trailer with everything we need. Some of it stays in bins in the Suburban permanantly.

Not just talking about pots/pans/dishes, etc ... I'm talking about permanent sets of unmentionables and other camping clothing, jeans, etc (complete with rain gear, light coats, heavy coats),electric razors, hair dryer, curling iron, even toothpaste and toothbrushes. Even keep our jammies under the freshly laundered, made, feather-bed mattress.

We also keep ample supplies of dry food stuffs, coffee, tea, hot chocolate onboard.

I know this sounds like a pretty simple tip, but it took us several years to add/subtract stuff to get the mix of what we need just right.

But now we have it perfect.

I also keep a half-tank of water in the the fresh water tank (because it rarely goes unused for more than 2-3 weeks) ... and 4 gallon jugs of drinking water spread out between the truck and trailer.

Also keep enough firewood for a fire or two in the Suburban at all times.

That way, all we have to do is to leave town for a weekend is fire up the refrigerator (or grab a cooler and a frozen two liter of ice), through in some food and beverages ...

And we're on the road within minutes.

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Oh yeah, I forgot! We even keep a duplicate set of our dog Maggie's favorite squeeky toys and balls, as well as a couple sets of leashes and harnesses packed in the trailer and truck.

One other tip ... we carry duplicate sets of dog grooming tools ... such nail clippers and styptic powder (to stop bleeding nails).

Maggie somehow ripped off one of her dew claws on our last campout, and was bleeding profusely. I had to use clippers to clean up the damaged claw and styptic powder to stem the incredible flow of blood.

We also carry a fully equipped first aid kit in the Suburban for us.

The BBQ grill, propane lanterns, all that stuff stays in the Suburban full time ...

As I said, we wanted to make it as easy as possible to just hook up the trailer and go.

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We have only had our Casita for a few months and are still honing our "quick get-away technique". We also keep toiletries in the trailer (in a small hanging bag in the closet). Our kitchen is set to go. We prefer to travel as we live - lite - and actually have abundant storage left after everything is packed. We basically throw a couple of chairs in the trailer, a load of firewood in the Blazer, food in the fridge, and that's it. The time we save in packing versus tent camping is now spent rolling out the trailer, hitching, and gathering up our fellow campers (2 mutts).

Can't wait to hear from others about how to hitch and git!

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Charles, you do it the right way and it saves a lot of time.
We keep most everything in the trailer but add a few clothes
and fresh food. I don't keep my PU ready as I use it for other
things, but I have eveything in plastic boxes with lids and it
only takes a minute to put them in the truck and we are off camping.
After a camping trip I clean the in side and wash the outside and
check things over so it is ready to go.
We went camping this last weekend up in to the high country and
enjoyed the colors and the river, so I better go get the trailer
cleaned up for the next trip. Have a good day. Jay :sunny

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Good tip on toiletries, Kim! I forgot to say that my wife, Pam, doesn't keep make-up stuff that melts in the Casita when we're not camping ...

Jay, good idea for plastic box crates! Would be easy to take everything in and out in a matter of minutes.

The goal here is to go camping on a moment's notice, with minimal trips from the house to the trailer, to the house, to the trailer, to the house, to the trailer, to the house ... you get the picture!

Let's hear from you other folks!

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Rather than keep duplicates, I just keep everything in my home in either the truck or Scamp; I am ready to go on very short notice...<grinz>

Pete and packed Rats:wink

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Note to all: Pete cheats! :hap2

All his stuff is always onboard, because Pete fulltimes in his Scamp/truck.

No packing, no problem. Just take it all down the road with you!

Come to think of it ... sounds pretty good to me!

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Yes Charles ,sounds like we have the same system for the quick getaway. Here in B.C. we need to be ready at minutes notice when the weather cooperates. I always carry roll of heavy duty tin foil to use as a base if the campfire pit is damp it never fails. Also a couple of packets of the craft popsicle sticks from the $ store make great kindling before adding larger stuff. This probably sounds silly to all of you in the lovely dry south but we need these tricks . I also keep my bottles of filtered water and juice frozen they make great ice packs for the cooler 'til they melt then drink'em.
Pippa:wave

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We, too, keep our Casita ready to go at a moments notice. But one word of caution. Many tolietries as well as meds need to be keep at "room temperature". I know it seems silly for some things, but freezing and boiling them can change their chemical make ups and can lead to very unfortunate problems. Happy quick camping.