MUST HAVE
[1] Propane torch for starting a fire using green or
wet wood.
[2] Tie wraps 8 & 12 inch long MANY USES
[3] 1 Group 27 Marine battery for operating a Ham Radio.
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We usually go camping with two or three other couples. We usually coordinate the food. We think in large quantities and space efficiency. We've also done a lot of motorcycle camping which requires getting down to the real essentials.
Pre-cook meat, then freeze it. Cooked meat will keep much longer than raw. Get a small lunchbox sized cooler (I have an Igloo Munchmate). Put your frozen stuff in the small cooler, put in ice (crushed if needed) to fill it up, then put the small cooler inside your big cooler. I have had steaks, chicken, hot dogs, etc. stay frozen for over a week in the inner cooler.
Lay a wet towel over the top of your cooler. This can reduce the temperature at the lid by ten degrees, especially in a dry climate or with a good breeze.
I think we're going to give up on bacon. We love bacon, and the smell of cooking bacon is an integral part of camping. But it takes too long to cook, makes a mess, and I don't want to pre-cook it, because it breaks so easily and packs inefficiently. This year, I might try half-cooking it so it's still limp, then freezing it. But I think we're ready to go to pre-cooked sausages instead.
Tupperware had some airtight salt and peper shakers. We've had the same set for over a decade.
To do this year: before it gets dark, before we all get tired, before we indulge in our fill of adult beverages, fill two buckets with water to douse the campfire.
Speaking of adult beverages: Scotch whisky is simply beer that's been distilled. Therefore, Scotch is more efficient to pack than beer. A splash of Scotch, then soda and ice (locally procured) is equivalent to one or two bottles of beer.
Try to find items that can be used for at least two purposes. As was mentioned earlier, your biggest cooking pot can also be your dishpan. A single-bit hatchet both cuts wood and hammers in tent stakes. A free map from the State highway department both you to your campground and doubles as an interesting tablecloth.
Enjoy kite-flying? Find a parafoil - a kite with no sticks. It packs down to the size of a paperback book, and there's nothing to break when it crashes.
Something I never thought about until I bought a pop-up.
We bought one of those breathable mats to go in front of the pup. It's 8' x 14'. I brought it with me last cub scout camp. My camp became the center of attention. Kids were able to play various games, toys, etc while sitting on the matt.
If you're not familiar with these, they are a woven material that water and sand filter through and allegely doesn't kill the grass on extended stays. Not only did it provide a play area, but it essently eliminated all sand being tracked into the tent.
It cost me $70 on ebay. Many sizes available as mine is a bit big. too big for bp'ing, but car camping is great.
Cook everything in one skillet and then wash everything in the skillet with a little Joy detergent. Wash and rinse with boiling water and everything is good to go next time.
Don;t let bears peak into your tent. Don't cook inside tents, Don't even smell like cooked steak ect. Don't go camping in Woodstock, Ill LOL
1. We always get sleeping bags that zip together. Sharing body heat when it's cold makes sleeping much easier. If Allison's warm, she's happy. And if Allison's happy, everybody's happy!
2. If we are on a road trip where we'll be sightseeing more than hanging out at camp, we've gotten to the point we take our backpacking gear. Sure the tent's smaller and we only have a single burner stove, but we can set up and take down the tent quite quickly and the stuff doesn't take much space in the trunk (esp. important if we've flown somewhere and rented a car.) And our backpacking gear is actually much better at handling adverse weather conditions and keeping us warm and dry than our larger tent.
3. A few days before we head out camping, I'll take some of the old 20# cat litter containers and rinse them out well. Then I'll fill them with water, squeeze the sides in and put on the lid, then put them in the deep freeze. By squeezing some of the water out and pushing the sides in, when the water freezes and expands it won't break the container. These make big solid blocks of ice that we can either put in the cooler whole, or take a sledge hammer to them, break them up, cut the container off with a razer blade knife, and pour the chunks into the cooler. This ice is so much harder (and therefore longer lasting) than any block you can buy at the store, and if your cooler is big enough to handle the whole thing without breaking it up, it will keep things in the cooler chilled for days before it finally melts away.
Just got back from a camping trip and saw a great idea from my friends who camp next to us. She takes a knee high panty hoes and places a bar of Ivory soap in the toe. Then she ties the open end around the water spigot. It stays off the ground and is always there to wash you hands just grab it and use it like a regular bar of soap. It also dries out so it is never slimy.
Another thing I had not seen was cooked bananas stuffed with chocolate. I am sure I am the only one in the world who has not seen this, but... Take a banana and slice open the skin on the inside of the bend from stem to tip about half way through the banana. Peal the skin back from the cut enough to stuff small pieces of Hershey chocolate or M&M's into the slice return the peel, wrap in aluminum foil and set on the coals for a few minutes. Open peel and enjoy.
Also I just way a standup cooler that was really cool. IT is a collapsible cooler that has a metal frame about waist high. The top flips open or you can reach through a small round flap on top and pull out a drink. The cooler folds up to the size of a camp chair and can hold but to 200 pounds. There is a small drain hole in the bottom. The guy who had it said it was $5 at WalMart on Clarence. We often camp for 4 or 5 days with 5 -10 other campers so everyone can store there drinks in one cooler.
By the way I love this site and will be visiting it quite frequently. Thanks for all the tips and advice from fellow campers.
Welcome aboard, Rob. I made the first suggesion you list (soap in pantyhose) at another camping site, but the collapsable cooler was all new to me, Dude. Cool idea! Thanks for sharing.
Besides dryer lint (which IMHO is great) to help start a fire, use a few cotton balls slathered with Petrolum Jelly. They will start a fire even on snowy ground or after a rain storm. Also, they pack well in a zip-lock bag that you can place in your pocket or backpack while you are hiking, to use later to help start your fire.
As mentioned, freeze all meat and place in cooler to help the rest of your food to stay cooler longer. Also place water in a gallon, plastic 'milk' jug and freeze. Place this jug in your cooler instead of bagged ice. It will last longer and when it thaws out...you have more water to drink. (a great boon-docking trick)
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