camping tips to make life easier on the road.

[JCJRSmith]

SWMBO put a combination of some spare sheets/pillows/pillowcases and blankets in our MH along with some stuff she picked up at WalMart. Also, we bought a memory foam mattress topper for our bed in the MH and it is VERY comfortable.

 

[BigDaddyRog]

When camping especially far from the home front, and deep in the wilderness...never tell your wife that her sister is better in bed. It just RUINS the trip.

 

[PolynesianPixie]

Yea, but when she dumps your body, you'll be harder to find.

 

[JCJRSmith]

Yea, but when she dumps your body, you'll be harder to find.

Oooohhhh - nice catch!! And within two minutes too.

 

[PolynesianPixie]

Oooohhhh - nice catch!! And within two minutes too.

What can I say? I'm smokin'

 

[Minnie's Mate]

Our Airstream came with shelves made to fit standard sterilyte bins. Each of us have two each (DW and I have larger ones) and we just pack them with our clothes and then carry them out to the Airstream and they fit perfectly on the shelves. Like packing a suite case without having to unpack. They work like drawers in the trailer. We also keep a set of toiletries for each of us in the trailer so we don't have to worry packing them for each trip. We have one large sterilyte bin that fills the bottom of the wardrobe and that's where all of the dirty clothes go at the end of the day. That way we carry four to six bins to the trailer depending on the stay and one large one out when we get home. We also keep staples in air-tight rubber made containers and canned goods stocked in the pantry during the camping season so we just have to load perishables the night before the trip. We do turn the 'fridge on two nights before the trip so it's plenty cold when we load the milk and meats in it the next night.

 

[2goofycampers]

to make more room in your outside storage use lots of little hooks to hang stuff out of the way, you can also easily put a shelf in there doubling the floorspace for stuff.

 

[terri01p]

For beding I don't know about everyone elses but my mattress in my tt fit a full size fited sheets perfectly.

If you place bounce fabic sheets around in your cabinets and varies places it keeps bugs away, don't ask me why but I will tell you that it seems to work ( got that tip off of rv.net ), and whenever you open back up your camper it smells great !

I think this next time whenever we go camping I'm going to sit a tote outside the front door for everyone to put shoes in, that is my biggest pet peeve, we trip over shoes like crazy and I don't have a place for a shoe rack that would be out of the way. Hope no one steals all of our shoes.

 

[my3princes]

One thing we have done is to use large plastic tubs with locking lids (not actual locks just comes over the top) for all our clothes and gear. It's much more practical than suitcases for camping and waterproof in case of leaks.

This year though I plan on trying a different approach for clothes. I'm going to get the plastic storage "drawers" from walmart. That way we can seperate the clothes into drawers to make things easier to find. I figure 2 of the 5 drawer "towers" from Walmart will store the same amount as one of the big storage tubs in about the same space.

Either way you end up with a nice compact, leak resistant, and durable storage medium for tenting. It also packs well in the bed of a truck. Here is an example of how it looks after I get it packed up each year; I like to put a tarp and net over it for additional protection on the way down: (that look on his face is the packing up to go home look Gotta say I always feel the same way)

We're doing the opposite this year. We have had the rubbermaid drawer style totes in the bottom of the wardrobe for years, but the drawers really stick and are a pain to open. This year one big tote with all the clothes. I will probably put outfits in ziplocks to make it even easier

Hey is anyone wondering a quick way to make fire??

Zezima

Take a paper grocery bag, add some dryer lint and small pieces of kindling along with a couple of piece of wood. Close the bag. This keeps everything together and no mess. When you want a fire, just light the outer bag and voila.

SWMBO put a combination of some spare sheets/pillows/pillowcases and blankets in our MH along with some stuff she picked up at WalMart. Also, we bought a memory foam mattress topper for our bed in the MH and it is VERY comfortable.

We also have a memory foam topper, much more comfy.


I also agree with packing all your dry goods in airtight containers. We leave the staple items in the camper all summer so I don't have to worry about ants or mice. I label each container then I know what to replace when we get home.

We have an electric fry pan, electric skillet and crock pot. These items are essential for cooking outside and not stinking up the camper. They are easily washed and ready to go the next morning. We also set up an outside coffee station for dh. That way he can get up and get his coffee going without bothering the kids. We have an electric coffee maker and plastic containers with creamer and sweetners.

The suction type hooks that you can find at dollar tree are wonderful for hanging things outside of the camper and they are easily removed and ready for the next time.

 

[my3princes]

My mother gave me a great tip for keeping the inside paneling looking like new and it gives that new trailer smell. Every Spring when we clean the campers we wipe the paneling with liquid gold. It adds moisture and shine to the paneling and the new clean smell.

 

[2goofycampers]

!

I think this next time whenever we go camping I'm going to sit a tote outside the front door for everyone to put shoes in, that is my biggest pet peeve, we trip over shoes like crazy and I don't have a place for a shoe rack that would be out of the way. Hope no one steals all of our shoes.

be sure to keep the top on your tote, we got up one morning to find a kitty visited our shoes the night before. P UUUUUU

 

[Brer Bear]

...dead kitty kitty kitty...

 

[disney4dan]

DW and I were wondering if you leave your crock-pot going outside during the day while you are at the parks? Anyone ever have problems with it getting raided by varmints or other campers???

In our area, the racoons or bears (black bears) would be a problem. It would certainly help to keep the heat and smell out of the trailer and be a nice welcome home at the end of the day.

We got a counter top roaster for Christmas once. First time we tested it out, there was a "plastic" type odor burning off so I put it out in the garage to bake off the new smell for a while. Well, little did I know that the glass top on our patio table could not take the heat. Went back out a little while later to find glass shards all over the garage floor and the roaster hanging part way through the remnants of the table.

Another tip we got from fellow campers was to get one of the giant (5 gallon) Igloo water coolers to keep outside the trailer. In advance of our trip we freeze a gallon jug with whatever drink mix we plan to have (lemonade, or Kool-Aid) and it keeps the whole batch cold all weekend. Keeps the kids from running in and out of the trailer all day, and less waste than using bottles, cans or juice boxes.

Kids would soak their feet in a rubbermaid tray of water kept by the door to get all the beach sand off before entering the trailer when at the beach too!

 

[Brer Bear]

Another tip we got from fellow campers was to get one of the giant (5 gallon) Igloo water coolers to keep outside the trailer. In advance of our trip we freeze a gallon jug with whatever drink mix we plan to have (lemonade, or Kool-Aid) and it keeps the whole batch cold all weekend. Keeps the kids from running in and out of the trailer all day, and less waste than using bottles, cans or juice boxes.

Kids would soak their feet in a rubbermaid tray of water kept by the door to get all the beach sand off before entering the trailer when at the beach too!

GREAT IDEAS!

My wife HATES sand in the camper! We actually keep a leaf blower in the RV and have only vinyl flooring. Since it's a toy hauler (no garage) we can open the back door and blow it out!!!

We use a 5 gallon cooler a lot for cub scout events...the ice cubes/bags always dilute the coolaid or gatorade too quickly!

 

[HappyCamper87]

Great Tips - Keep em comin...

I was planning on getting the memory foam top for the beds. We just got one for our bed at home and it makes a big difference.

Love all the other tips too. I'm getting some Bounce.

I also always have our electric griddle. There is nothing like the smell of bacon cooking outside in the morning while I drink my coffee. DH is great about taking over chef duties for breakfast. Well, he'll actually help out any time I ask, he's sweet that way.

Well, I'm reading, keep them coming.

Happy Camping!

 

[2goofycampers]

DW and I were wondering if you leave your crock-pot going outside during the day while you are at the parks? Anyone ever have problems with it getting raided by varmints or other campers???

In our area, the racoons or bears (black bears) would be a problem. It would certainly help to keep the heat and smell out of the trailer and be a nice welcome home at the end of the day.

We got a counter top roaster for Christmas once. First time we tested it out, there was a "plastic" type odor burning off so I put it out in the garage to bake off the new smell for a while. Well, little did I know that the glass top on our patio table could not take the heat. Went back out a little while later to find glass shards all over the garage floor and the roaster hanging part way through the remnants of the table.

Another tip we got from fellow campers was to get one of the giant (5 gallon) Igloo water coolers to keep outside the trailer. In advance of our trip we freeze a gallon jug with whatever drink mix we plan to have (lemonade, or Kool-Aid) and it keeps the whole batch cold all weekend. Keeps the kids from running in and out of the trailer all day, and less waste than using bottles, cans or juice boxes.

Kids would soak their feet in a rubbermaid tray of water kept by the door to get all the beach sand off before entering the trailer when at the beach too!

I so far have only roasted while at the camper, but have seen others leave theirs out all day to crock, hopefully no one has messed with theirs. So far haven't burnt down any picnic tables, but you could set 4 non flammable somethings under the legs to give more air underneath if your worried.

 

[BigDaddyRog]

I was shopping for non flammable somethings just the other day, but the store had just sold the last one!!

 

[clkelley]

I have heard of folks taking one of those milk crate things and putting that over the crockpot and bungying (is that a word) it to the picnic table.

 

[2goofycampers]

I was shopping for non flammable somethings just the other day, but the store had just sold the last one!!

did you try the Thingamabob store? most of the time the whatchamagiggers are only a $1.00, and they work just as well !!

 

[BigDaddyRog]

I just broke down and bought a set of whatchamacallits and it did the job just fine!!