Organizing your camper!!!!!!!!!

[Disney crazy mama]

Great sharing. This is my biggest issue as well. We have a 30 foot 5th wheel, 4 kids and two adults. It took me 6 months of planning before I felt like I had the organization thing kicked. The camping websites sell all kinds of junk, but only some of it is a must have. The following list is my must haves/dos.

#1. Use the rule that someone else used. Will i really use this? If it will not be used on this particular trip, then store it until you get back. Go thru the entire camper with this thought before each trip.

#2. Pack all the clothes in their area before you leave. We pack light and do a little laundry each day. We use small plastic tubs for each person. We store those under the couch.

#3. Making the beds - this one had me whipped until i stole and idea from someone else. Sleeping bags. Just have a sleeping bag on each bed/bunk. Its easy to fold up and everyone has plenty of their own blankets. I did spring for a fancy one for our bed, but the kids get simple comfy ones.

#3. Knife organizer in my upper cabinets. Had to buy this one, but it was worth every penny. Its up high, so the little kids can't reach it, and the knives are stored safely.

#4. Shoe organizer on the living room wall. This stores all the misc. crap that gets stuck in a plastic tote. Uno cards, batteries, spray bottle fans, its tall, so anything not kid friendly can be stored up high.

#5. Shoe organizer cut down to the size of the wall next to the sink in bathroom for all the toiletries. THIS ONE IS MY FAV. I can't remember how we stored all this stuff before. This works great during travel too. Hairspray, tweezers, q-tips, makeup stuff, deodorant, nail polish remover. You can see thru the little pockets, so you can store several things in each pocket. Its my best tip.

#6. A plastic shelf that completely breaks down. This is outside next to the door and under the awning. We also try to keep the sneakers out on this. If its raining we bring the shoes inside.

#7. Have a talk with everyone before you leave about keeping the camper tidy. I know this seems silly, but for me its a vacation killer to see a disaster everytime I open the camper door. I also make sure we all tidy up in mornings and evenings. It makes it easy to keep up with.

Pack all the clothes in their area before you leave. We pack light and do a little laundry each day. Pack your toiletries in the camper before you leave. Basically try to have everything in its place unless its place is outside the camper before you leave. If its cluttered before you leave, then it will be worse when you get there.

My toughest thing is the food. I love to cook, but hate to deal with the small kitchen, fridge and freezer. How about some food storage or cooking ideas?

 

[BradyBz12]

Does anyone have any good shoe/towel advice? Right now I'm thinking that reducing the size of the family might be the only good solution.

"Honey, it's you or the towels!"
Wet towels everywhere are a pet peeve of mine. I put over-the-door hooks on the bathroom door of our hybrid, and also hung an over-the-door towel rack off the little ledge up behind the toilet. I also mounted a spring-loaded bar in the shower. It's high enough so that it doesn't interfere with showering, but gives you an extra bar to hang towels (or whatever) on to dry.

As for shoes..... AARGH! Drives me crazy to keep kicking them out of the way all the time. Love the idea of cutting down a shoe rack though - may mount one under the tent end by the door.

My toughest thing is the food. I love to cook, but hate to deal with the small kitchen, fridge and freezer. How about some food storage or cooking ideas?

I found re-packing anything for the freezer in ziplocs helps by eliminating the extra packaging things come in (every little bit helps!) We usually bring chicken breast and steaks that are easy to throw on the grill. I pre-season/marinade them in ziplocs and chuck them right in the freezer. Tastes great and saves both space AND prep time.

Ziplocs in general are great for lots of things - especially if you are sure to squeeze as much air out as possible (amazing what a difference that makes when space is tight)

I also pack only as much as we're going to reasonable use. i.e., instead of a 3lb bag of rice, pack a ziploc with enough for whatever meals you're planning.

I save time/space by pre-making meals we can quickly heat up. Casseroles, mac & cheese, lasagna, etc. Whip them up ahead, pack as much as you need for a meal, and throw in the freezer/fridge.

Buy small bottles of condiments vs the bargain sized ones. A wee bit more expensive, but they fit much easier on the fridge doors and take up a ton less space than the bigger versions.

If you're big milk drinkers and have a small fridge - Parmalat. It's the specially pasteurized milk that comes in cartons and stores for months without refrigeration. You can pack a bunch in a cupboard and just put it in the fridge as you need it. The cartons tend to fit pretty well on the fridge door too.

 

[Disney crazy mama]

Those are great food packing tips, BradyBz12. I will use those. I never thought of streamlining the packaging. I also totally love the marinade and throw in the freezer trick. That's a great one too. Also, the just pack what you need for the recipe trick is great. Cool. I will have to practice my meals and packing tips and see what I can do.

Thanks, Dee

 

[BradyBz12]

You're welcome! Good luck and have a great trip

 

[luvmyfam444]

bumping this up for more ideas for this newbie camper.


My main concern is keeping meat. We want to have hamburgers/steaks...but how to keep the meat fresh?

We had to throw a ton of meat out after a hurricane beacuse the cooler didn't keep it cold enough.

 

[2goofycampers]

bumping this up for more ideas for this newbie camper.


My main concern is keeping meat. We want to have hamburgers/steaks...but how to keep the meat fresh?

We had to throw a ton of meat out after a hurricane beacuse the cooler didn't keep it cold enough.

We have a dorm frig, works great. You can get them with or without a freezer.

 

[Jedana]

I haven't camped at WDW, but we camp a lot with the scouts (and personal camping too) and this is how I do it.

1. Clothing is packed with outfits together, including socks and undergarments. folded and flattened into ziplocks. ziplocks loaded into packing cubes for each person. DS has a blue cube, he knows to get in there for his clothes. PJs, jackets go into a fourth cube (PJs ziplocked and are used 2 nights)

2. I have a large tub tote that I use to pack pillows/blankets/airmattresses/pump in. That tub goes outside the tent. I have a chair by the tub. Shoes go off before coming in the tent, and they go into the tub. If it's nice out, I can leave the lid off to air them out. If it's bad, the lid goes on to keep them dry.

3. Sleeping bags--I have the kind that have liners for summer use and those go in the bags for winter use. They also have zips on the sides, for air flow.

4. Tent set up: tarp on the ground, tent on top. I have these foam interlocking pads I put on the inside of the tent--helps insulate the air mattresses from the ground and keeps people from poking holes in the floor of the tent. Air mattresses go up, I put a mattress pad on each one to help insulate them, and the sleeping bags on top. I always bring each of us a blanket, just in case it's really cold.

5. I have bags that I use for dirty clothes. Those go in the tub that the tent, tarp and foam pads go into. It sits outside the tent.

6. Food: Everything gets packed in ziplocks or hard contatiners. Non perishables go into a tub and that is put in the 2nd tent. Kitchen equipment goes in the 2nd tent (in a tub). I pull out what I need as I need it. The only things that stay out are the camping stoves.

7. Meat is in salted ice in the cooler, and I don't drain it until I need to add more ice in--the water stays very cold. I fill the cooler from last used to first used, so I don't have to dig around in there for the food. I have a heavy duty Coleman cooler (red w/handle/wheels). I have a 2nd cooler that I keep drinks in. It doesn't work as well (cheaper Coleman) but it keeps everyone out of the meat cooler. I have a 3rd cooler for things we need that I don't want with the meat--veggies, fruits, etc.

8. I use single serve packets of mustard, mayo, etc. Oil I will bring bottles of, since they can get warm and not spoil. i don't bring milk, I have instant milk if it's needed for cooking.

8. Trick I learned from scouting: If you need a bit of spice, but not the whole bottle, melt the end of a straw with a lighter to close, put your spice in the straw, cut off the extra and melt the second end. When you need it, cut it open.

9. I cook as simple as possible. Hot dogs, spaghetti, chili, tacos. Why make more work for myself when I'm on vacation? Breakfast is usually poptarts, fruit and cheese sticks, or eggs and sausage, depending on if I want to cook or not. I have a dutch oven and we'll use it once or twice a campout--I make sure to use liners for easier clean up.

10. for all the misc junk that floats around--there are small totes. a tote for games, a tote for books, a tote for toys. If someone leaves something out--just like at home---it becomes mine until they earn it back.

11. DH gets disposable washcloths from the center for his dialysis. He's suppsed to use them to wash his arm before sticking himself, but we just use paper towels. These washclothes are like a heavy duty papertowel. So, we use them on camping trips to clean up with and then I can toss them in the fire. Wet towels get hung on branches to dry and then are put either in the tent or in the dirty clothes, depending if we're using them again.

12. Oh, bathroom stuff. It's all in ziplocks. Each person has a small one for their toothbrush (and holder), deodorant, etc. Then there is a one for toothpaste, etc. I like to use antibacterial hand wipes and baby wipes for camping, if it's for 3 days or less. Cleans up easier than fighting soap and water, and can be done in the tent, before bed. Dry shampoo, also, for me.

 

[Lilliputian]

We're a family of 7 in a travel trailer that includes triple bunks. The kids all have their clothes in their own duffel bags. Those bags go on the bunks during the day and under the table at night. DH and I each have one cabinet with a hanger rod, and we use those.

Popup hampers are great for dirty clothes. I can fit a few of them in the space between the end of the bed and wall in the "master bedroom," such as it is. Once one is full, it goes in the van.

The bathtub also makes a good place for dirty clothes if you're using the bath houses exclusively. We do that sometimes when we camp places without sewage hookups.

I like cooking, but I avoid it as much as possible in the RV because it makes me crazy. Instead, I precook and preassemble everything I possibly can and keep as much of it as possible in the freezer. I can get 4-5 days' worth of food in there for our big family. For trips longer than that, I plan meals that are super-easy to cook for the end of the trip when I have to go shopping to replenish our food.

When we go on trips about a week long or longer, I make my plans for packing and meals in a document on my computer. When I get home, I make notes on the document about how it all worked and what I'll change next time. We make some of the same trips every year, like 9 days at a homeschool family camp in the fall, so it's good to be able to check my notes the next year to know how to pack. And I can look at meals we've used before so I don't spend so much time deciding what to cook.

I have a shoe organizer hanging over the bathroom door. I use all the little pockets for toothbrushes, toothpaste, sunscreen, and so many other things. I also used my label maker to label some of the pockets. That way we can keep toothbrushes in the RV, and we don't forget who has what color even though we don't use them that often. You just put your own toothbrush and other personal items in a pocket with your name on it.

The kids just use fitted sheets and blankets in the RV--no flat sheet. I just wash the blankets every time we get home. Sleeping bags are one option, but with young children who might wet the bed or have upset tummies in bed, cotton blankets are easier to wash in a laundromat if you have to.

In high school, I went to WDW with a family of 6 in a pop-up. They brought along a tent for our clothes. It worked great. It was a nice area for getting dressed, and it really reduced the clutter in the pop-up.

 

[Ds4angels]

We've not camped at the Fort yet either (hoping for Aug '14).
Like pp said, we marinade the meat, then put it in the freezer, take it out the night before to defrost, really good this way.
We use a collapsible towel rack to dry our towels. It gets put in the bath tub as soon as everyone is done showering so it's out of the way. (we also use the quick dry towels for the camper)
Here's a link to some handy suggestions I did for Woodalls a few years back
http://blog.woodalls.com/2010/04/easy-modifications-for-your-camper/:thumbsup2

 

[luvmyfam444]

I bought some collapsible cubes....not sure what I'm gonna do with them yet...HA!

Still thinking thru the shoe thing...

 

[Brendonsmom]

We camp in a Pup and there is no really great place for clothes. I use a collapsible drying rack outside under the bunk end. The previous owner found snapping storage shelves that are about 12x12. We snap two sets of four together and place them side by side. Easily organize food on the long counter between a bunk and the sink. We carry our clothes in duffle bags and stack them on top of each other on another counter. Not great so I may invest in the drawer system. I also bought a hanging wrack that I am using for the first time in a week. It will fasten to the hanging bar. I plan to store flip flops, unused towels, and miscellaneous things like games and books.
I also made a hanging pocket organizer for my hubby. We will us it on the bunk end for his magazine, phone, and glasses. It has one large pocket and two small. Straps velcro over the bunk end bar and fasten on the back of the large pocket.

 

[Southern Bell]

 

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[Southern Bell]

 

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[teacup princess]

I love the modifications you husband did. Great ideas for our new camper! If only my husband was handy like that.