Looking for any & all tips for camping...

[luvmyfam444]

you can send me to threads, links or just tell me what you've learned.

I'm interested in the must haves ....what do I need to make sure I have always when I camp (not just @ FW).

Any food tips - is there something you always cook? Something you've learned just doesn't work camping (takes too long to cook/messy, etc). Would love to know what to cook besides hotdogs & pb&j when we have only a tiny fridge big enough for a dozen eggs & that's it.

Even if you have a tip on how to keep the kids from killing each other in a small space.

I'd love to read whatever, gathering info - our first night will be @ home, then about 30 mins away for a couple of days before venturing out anywhere else in the new to us popup.

 

[2goofycampers]

this is the thread you need to start

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1818140

 

[bama_ed]

you can send me to threads, links or just tell me what you've learned.

I'm interested in the must haves ....what do I need to make sure I have always when I camp (not just @ FW).

Any food tips - is there something you always cook? Something you've learned just doesn't work camping (takes too long to cook/messy, etc). Would love to know what to cook besides hotdogs & pb&j when we have only a tiny fridge big enough for a dozen eggs & that's it.

Even if you have a tip on how to keep the kids from killing each other in a small space.

I'd love to read whatever, gathering info - our first night will be @ home, then about 30 mins away for a couple of days before venturing out anywhere else in the new to us popup.

I'll give you a suggestion or two.

First we bring an extra cooler to hold whatever the fridge can't. On the first night I like to load up the charcoal grill (most campgrounds have a grill at each site) and cook several nights worth of meat (as long as the charcoal holds out). I'll cook chicken breasts, burgers, hot dogs, brauts, and even fresh fish/shrimp when we're at the beach (we eat that obviously that night). The rest gets put in ziplock storage bags and into the cooler. Always keep the cooler out of the sun to help the ice last the longest (we put ours under a bunk end).

Our popup has a microwave to heat it up but you can quickly heat the meat on the stove top and serve it with a side of pasta, potato salad, instant taters, and the like. We'll put tomatoes or apples or something else on the side that's fresh and doesn't require cooking. This keeps meal prep and clean up quick and simple.

We try not to spend much time in the camper during the day unless it's to escape the heat, bad weather, or night time. We also have in the camper a stash of board games and playing cards. Bingo, Chutes and Ladders, Crazy Eight, Pokeno, etc were our favorites. We tried to leave the tv, mp3 players, ipods, etc either at home or limited their usage.

We are camping after all.

Bama ED

 

[rajak73]

I'll give you a suggestion or two.

First we bring an extra cooler to hold whatever the fridge can't.

We try not to spend much time in the camper during the day unless it's to escape the heat, bad weather, or night time. We also have in the camper a stash of board games and playing cards. Bingo, Chutes and Ladders, Crazy Eight, Pokeno, etc were our favorites. We tried to leave the tv, mp3 players, ipods, etc either at home or limited their usage.

We are camping after all.

Bama ED[/QUOte

Leave the tv, dvd and Sat dish at home..NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. LOL
We also bring extra cooler even though we have a nice fridge in the 5er. Some things are just better in the cooler. Bud light for a good example. You might check out RV.net have a lot of good forums on there including camp cooks. Have got some really nice ideas from them. If cooking is your thing, check out dutch oven cooking. Really good food, stew, chili, desserts, etc. Along with bama ed, if weather is nice, we spend very little time in the camper during the day. Welcome to the camping crowd btw.

 

[amylevan]

Ditto about the cooler. Invest in a quality one and it will keep cold for days.

We grill a lot when we camp. And I cheat to make meals, i.e. will grill a chicken and use a bagged salad to make grilled chicken cesar salads. Potatoes in a foil on a campfire are to die for! YUM! I will also bring along the crock pot and cook a meal or 2 in there.

I don't know if your pop up has a stove or not, but we prefer to cook on a coleman stove outside of the camper, particularly when doing something greasy like bacon. It keeps the smells out of the camper and leaves less of a mess. In fact, now that I think about it, I'm not sure the stove has ever been used in our 2 yr old camper.

 

[luvmyfam444]

thanks for the tips! We do have a stove in our popup & a grill that attaches to the outside.

I've camped quite a bit over the years but with my parents & mom did everything & it was a real size camper with full size fridge & decent storage space.

Right now I've got to figure out what kind of containers I need to organize everything.- dish soap, bath supplies all that...then on to the food stuff....

 

[DisneyDiva8401]

We use plastic storage totes for our clothes instead of suitcases (waterproof!). We leave them under the pull outs or even in the bed of the truck and our clothes always stay dry. Don't forget your crock pot! You can cook a lot in it.

 

[FloridaTeacher]

Take a crockpot. You can throw something in it in the morning and supper is pretty much done. Like Bama Ed said - pair it with a quick and easy side dish. In the summer, we plug it in outside so it doesn't heat up the motor home.

 

[arthuruscg]

Anything you can cook at home I can cook camping.
Then again I grew up cooking in Dutch ovens in boyscouts.

If you want an oven camping CampChef makes a nice portable one.
http://www.campchef.com/outdoor-camp-oven-2-burner-range-and-stove.html

 

[luvmyfam444]

I would have NEVER thought to take a crockpot! Its so big I invision it being in the way all the time.

 

[FloridaTeacher]

I would have NEVER thought to take a crockpot! Its so big I invision it being in the way all the time.

It's worth making the space for.

 

[JanL]

If your camper has a stainless steel sink, that is where I would put the crock pot while I am away for the day. If it boils over or spills, it is an easy clean up and also it would make me less nervous about a possible fire (I'm a Nervous Nellie about things being plugged in while I'm away).

I also take a small electric rice cooker so I have something to stick to the ribs and serve under whatever is in the crock pot.

I take a small second cooler just for drinks. That way the main food cooler doesn't get opened except at meal prep time and I try to pack it so the last item in is the first item out. For instance, the Friday night meal is on top, the Sat. breakfast stuff next, then Sat. lunch, then Sat. dinner, and so on. I use tupperware type items, sometimes with zip locks inside for extra protection, but I have yet to have an incident-free outing, LOL.

I also make camping meals at home from left overs of our dinners, layer them in foil packets (meat on bottom, then veggies, then cheese, sauce, or gravy), put the packettes in zip locks and label them with a Sharpie marker and toss them in the freezer. These supliment ice for the cooler and usually stay frozen til the second day when I just reheat them and serve. We often just eat them out of the foil and save on cleanup.

 

[Running_Bell]

If you are planning to camp a lot, you will find that you will have different supplies for different types of camping. With space being a challenge in a pop up... If you are camping at a statepark with no electric, then a crockpot, coffee pot, etc... is just a space taker. Also, if you are doing just a weekend camp... you may only need minimal things where as a 10 day stay at FW can lead to packing everything but your kitchen sink. Once you start camping a lot, you will get your system down. We keep tubs stored in our basement. Some tubs are the "bring everything" supplies ready to go for longer . The other (smaller) tubs are more the roughing it supplies. It's all trial and error and different for everyone. Have fun....

 

[luvmyfam444]

We do plan to take many trips ----gotta make it worthwhile - ha!

We won't be taking long trips - never more than a week - but mostly 3-4 days.

I want to figure out what supplies I can pack & leave in the popup....

 

[starjazz]

Anything you can cook at home I can cook camping.
Then again I grew up cooking in Dutch ovens in boyscouts.

If you want an oven camping CampChef makes a nice portable one.
http://www.campchef.com/outdoor-camp-oven-2-burner-range-and-stove.html

Holy crap!! Did someone say a crock pot was big??!!

 

[karibritt01]

I camp with Girl Scouts often. Our favorite go to dinner is "Walking Taco". Brown hamburger with taco seasoning. Spoon into an individual sized bag of Fritos, and top with cheese, salsa, and sour cream. Very easy and fast, and only a couple dishes to wash.

For breakfast, try an omlet in a bag. Put eggs and omlet fixings in a heavy duty freezer bag, zip closed, and mash. Use tongs to hold it in boiling water until cooked through. Yummy eggs... no dishes!

 

[OrlandoEsq]

Great tips, thank you for sharing!

 

[luvmyfam444]

I camp with Girl Scouts often. Our favorite go to dinner is "Walking Taco". Brown hamburger with taco seasoning. Spoon into an individual sized bag of Fritos, and top with cheese, salsa, and sour cream. Very easy and fast, and only a couple dishes to wash.

For breakfast, try an omlet in a bag. Put eggs and omlet fixings in a heavy duty freezer bag, zip closed, and mash. Use tongs to hold it in boiling water until cooked through. Yummy eggs... no dishes!

Did the omelette in the bag...dh thought I was crazy! he was surprised when it worked! THANKS! LOVED it!

 

[Southern Bell]

KITCHEN:

Electric Skillet (Teflon)
Toaster Oven(one that will bake can biscuits or cinnamon rolls)
I have bought the toaster & oven combination( to not take two) but oven doesn't work as well! I go back & forth from combination or both oven and toaster! LOL
Toaster
Pots & Pans (Coleman stackable set is good if space is limited)
Teapot
Coffee Pot
1 cookie sheet(small size)
1 square pan (small size)
Crockpot (taken on occasion)
Grill (small one on camper now)have a larger one that collapses if needed!
Grill Brush & Cleaner
Grill set (includes steak knives)
Ice trays & bin for ice
I have a kitchen inside and outside. I keep a couple of pans, spatula, fork, 1 big spoon, stored outside as well, just incase I get up early and start breakfast , before everyones up in the morning. I keep toaster, electric skillet, stored in camper handy to outside door.

SOMETIMES ICE CREAM MAKER
(Rock Salt, Milk, Cream, Eggs, Sugar, Vanilla, Extra Ice)

Silverware
Kitchen Set (consisting of Spatula, Ladle, Whisk, Big Spoon, Spoon with slats ,etc.,) I keep this inside hung above stove!
Knife (a medium size one good one for slicing tomatoes or potatoes! A large one to cut watermelon)
Can Opener (non electric)
4-8 plates (plastic, Tupperware or Corning Ware. Knives will ruin your Tupperware or plastic so I put a set of Corning Ware too!)
4-8 Glasses & 4 cups
4-8 bowls
1-plastic and Corning ware platter
Cups, plates, silverware for kids
Paper plates, cups, napkins ,paper towels, plastic silverware
1 Colander
1 measuring cup
1 measuring spoons
1 cutting board
1 Big Bowl with a lid for my watermelon
1 pineapple Corer/Slicer (love fresh pineapple!)
2 Pitcher(at least one) I use for tea, lemonade, good to fill ice trays up from outside water!

Paper towel holder (either attached or free standing, I use both.)
Napkin holder(I have one attached under cabinet & one for table)
Paper plate holder(I have one attached under cabinets for those cheap paper plates)
Salt & Pepper shakers with lids(Tupperware is good)
Canister set for meal, flour, sugar
1 small (size of a large glass) plastic or Tupperware holder for sugar with lid
1-2 canisters for cereal
Bag of plastic color clothes pins for chips(everyone kept carrying the chips and chip clips off)
3 Dish Pans (collapsible at campers world if needed for space)
Timer
Radio clock(Electric)
Clock on the wall (Battery operated)

GROCERIES
(I leave in camper when we are camping in the summer often!)

Oil
Meal ,flour, sugar,
Salt & Pepper
Catsup, Mustard, Mayo, Pickles (always have extra unopened on shelf)
Canned goods
Crackers (in Tupperware)
Cereal(in Tupperware)
Dish liquid
Bars of extra soap
Liquid hand soap(I use one inside at sink, inside at bathroom, and one outside! Sometimes a small bar of soap at the water hose hookup!)
Paper Towels& Napkins
Aluminum foil
Saran wrap
Baggies (sandwich, quart, gallon)
Garbage bags (kitchen & large size)
Toilet Tissue(for RV)
Kleenex
Cleaners(Windex, Scrub & Bubbles, Clorox Wipes, Lysol, cleaner for black water tank, etc.,)


LINENS
(Pillows ,Sheets, blankets, towels, beach towels(more if I go to the beach), wash cloths, dish towels dish rags, potholders,)

MEDICAL KIT
(band aids, kids band aids, thermometer, Tylenol, kids Tylenol, Advil, alcohol pads, mosquito stick, Sting & Poison Ivy)
first aid creme
Bactine
Benadryl
Neosporin
Sunscreen
Aloe
Bug spray for us(safe for children to use)

ANY MEDICATIONS SOMEONE IS ON!

SEWING KIT

FLY SWAT
Wasp & Hornet Spray
Ant & Roach Spray


GAMES & FUN STUFF!
Scrabble ,UNO, regular deck of cards, coloring books, crayons, story books for the kids, Frisbee, bubbles, bat & ball etc.,
Pad & Pens
Floats & Arm Floaties
Beach floats (beach)
Sand Buckets(beach)
Life Jackets (especially at the lake)
Other? toys kids may take

OUTDOOR:

Broom & Dust pan
Hand vac ( I bought one with long handle)
Fan
Flashlight
Coleman lamp
Radio with light (Battery operated)
Matches(keep mine in a plastic container that icing came in) & lighter
Candles for outside(bug repellent)
Tiki Torches(tall ones for ground, small ones for table)
Oil for torches
Fire starter
Firewood when we camp near home!(especially at the lake with a group)


SCREEN ROOM

SMALL PUP TENT (we use when I go ahead and claim a site before my husband takes the camper to the lake). A few times kids have slept in it just because they wanted too!

Folding chairs for adults a kids
Folding table
3 matching Table Cloths (1 large for picnic table, 1 large cut in half for benches, 1 smaller for folding table)
Table cloth holders( I find that most of the time these never work because the table is to thick and use bungee cords linked together (hooks facing ground under table) to hold my table cloth and bench covers on.


Clothes line & clothes pins(cloth clothes pin holder)
Folding clothes line(I have one attached to camper & one for ground)
I have 2 very small clothes lines (campers world)that hang on the corner of screen room or camper awning. Just for a swim suit or two!
Collapsible garbage bag holder(we have ended up with 2) 1 that holds a bag with a flip lid that we put inside another that zips with a lid.(home depot for leaves)
Bag Holder(very helpful to hold grocery plastic bags in)Plastic and attaches, to wall.
1 small & 1 med plastic garbage bins (bath & kitchen)
2 small rugs 1 inside & 1 outside door
Rug outside camper(open weaved from campers world-my favorite & easy to fold!) but I have used everything from a $ 5.00 tarp with a small rug at door to outdoor green grassy looking carpet.

Cooler(big one supposed to keep ice for several days)
Cooler(sometimes I bring the smaller one , too! Holds about 12 drinks.)
Collapsible cooler(very small-6 drinks)
Ice machine(We had to have, nice to have, but hardly ever use! Its just easier to buy a bag of ice!)

Hose with a sprayer especially at the beach! We saw someone use black vinyl mat from their truck to stand on when rinsing their feet and we bought a small one last year. Works Well!
Tasteless water hose (supposed to be!)
Water filter (between camper and water hose)
Double connecter for water hose hook up
Sewer Hose & connecters

Antenna cables
Satellite Dish & Receivers
Movies
CD's

Folding step
Folding ladder
Sand pads for Jacks to set on
Blocks of wood
Wheel Chock(Block in between tires)


Tool bag(hammer, small axe, tape, drill, wrench, pliers, screw drivers, assorted nuts, bolts and screws, extra fuses) ropes, tent stakes, battery powered drill. My husband used to lower the stabilizing jacks.
2-4 old rags

REFILL GAS TANKS

CHECK WATER SOURCES FOR LEAKS


PERSONAL ITEMS I KEEP IN THE CAMPER:
When I did this! It made camping easier for me!
Seems like I always had to hunt one of these items for someone!

1-Beach Bag for each person (for clothes & towel)
1-Pair of flip flops for each person
1- small shaving or makeup kit that zips(Walmart) for each person!
I bought the clear bags & put name inside with a piece of tape. My husband has a black one, my son in-law has camouflaged one.

Each makeup bag or shaving kit contains:
(1- travel size shampoo & conditioner, lotion, deodorant, spray perfume toothpaste, toothbrush & holder, floss, small scope, shower gel & sponge(in case we forget our wash cloth), bar soap in container, shaver & gel or cream,1 band aid, small Kleenex, brush, set of pony tail holders, nail clipper set etc.,)

(my husbands in addition has electric shaver, pre electric shave, after shave)

(Kids & babies are fixed with kids tear free shampoo & baby wash, their toothbrush, baby lotion, other items they may need.)

At Walmart (in the travel size section)I bought a couple of small travel bags with travel size bath items included for $5 each for when I have guest that come without. They have them for men & women.

BATHROOMIn the bathroom I keep the same things we need above in the cabinet. Adults & Kids Shampoo, Conditioner, Deodorant, brush, etc., I have a net with pockets on the shower tub that also holds shampoo, etc., I have a vinyl shoe holder with pockets hung on the back of the door. (keeps hair brushes or whatever we've drug out up). I did shorten this last one because of grandkids taking stuff out! LOL!

Hair Dryer
Curling Iron
Mirror
Travel size iron
Downy wrinkle releaser spray

CLOTHES & ITEMS I KEEP IN CAMPERI don't leave my clothes packed in the camper but theres a few things I leave! I always take different clothes depending on weather, where I am going & how many days. So my clothes go in and come out after the trip.

Jacket
Rain Poncho's
Sweatshirt
PJ'S
Swimsuit
Hat for husband
Belt for husband
Flip Flops
Umbrella
Hairspray
Small bag of makeup
sunglasses
1 pair of reading glasses
Solution for contacts & Contac holders

STORAGE IDEAS:Plastic Bins with lids(Walmart, Home Depot Etc.,)
Plastic Drawers
Plastic Collapsible bins( I have 2 and I set under camper for toys and shoes) These are the easiest to store out of the way and can just pop up when needed!
I like anything that folds down, No matter if Its made of plastic or cloth. I will usually buy it!
I've also found good storage sometimes is under the mattress for an extra blanket for example. I had to do this in my pop up!

FOR THE DIRTY CLOTHES:
Clothes Hamper
Clothes Basket
Plastic Bin
Garbage Bag
Other?
You need something and somewhere out of the way, even if its dirty laundry in a garbage bag thrown in the back of the truck! Just make sure your husband doesn't think its garbage and throws your dirty laundry away!


COOKING:
I've been known to bring one of the following already baked, ham ,roast, lasagna, or sauce made for spaghetti or tacos, and some kind of desert already fixed to start the camping trip off! it makes it a little easier for when you first arrive! It varies what I do!
After I get there I usually will cook at least one big breakfast even on a weekend trip. I usually fix enough that we have enough biscuits, eggs, bacon, or pancakes left over for breakfast the next day. Other than that I fix as we need to eat.
We usually always grill something, chicken, steak, pork chops, hamburgers, hotdogs, potatoes, veggie packs. Sometimes we will have a few hotdogs or hamburgers left over for another meal. It just depends!

PACKING
I've always packed to how much room I have & how many are going, no matter if its in the back of the truck taking a tent, in a Pop-up, or an RV!
Sometimes our camper can end up having too much especially after a trip to the beach! Thats when you have to go thru and weed it out if its not being used! For instance I just took out a hand mixer this spring! LOL! It wasn't really in the way but I never bake while camping and if I fix potatoes their baked, grilled or instant!

 

[lodge]

someone posted this a while back: http://home.gwi.net/~spectrum/list.html