Calling for ideas on multi-use items

[Mike]

I went the route of buying every camping gadget available until the car got so full of stuff, there was no room for passengers

Now, I am looking for ways to simplify and reduce all the gear

One way, of course, is to use each item in more ways than one

Some ideas?:

• Use Dutch Oven lid for canoe anchor
• Use tent mosquito netting as spaghetti strainer (ha ha just kidding)
• Food carry bags become garbage bags
• Sleeping pads become chairs

What ideas do you have?

[kcscout]

Re: Calling for ideas on multi-use items

Something that I saw that was very nifty was a 'bugaboo' camp set. I don't have one, but it is a system of plates, cups, bowls, and pans, utensils that all fit inside of each other such that you have all of your meal time needs met and can be stored in a relatively small space. So you may not always get things that can have multiple uses, but if you can minimize the bulk / size of what you have to take that will solve the same types of issues.

I also ran into an issue recently because I did the same thing and had way too much stuff to take camping, but I also took a large bag of wood for kindling and that took lots of room on the way down, but then was used up during the camp out.

Another thing I did was take a medium size plastic tote and filled it with some essentials so that it was compact and easy to carry. I think it has become my new camping box.

[MacGyver]

Re: Calling for ideas on multi-use items

The only way I've found to really eliminate bulk in the truck is to take stock of what I really need for a trip and to downsize whatever I can. I was famous for over packing food and clothing and taking tools that really aren't necessary. Solving the food and clothing problem was just a matter of looking back on trips to see what all I've consistently wound up bringing home uneaten and unworn. A chain saw is nice, but they also require carrying a gas can and a bottle of chain oil. Since we can easily drag long logs across the fire instead of cutting them to size, I stopped taking the chain saw and now carry a folding bow saw that fits in my tool box. I find a backpacking stove beats carrying the Coleman two burner. The stove and the fuel canisters are way smaller and fit in my food box. Colder weather means I don't need as much ice which means I can get away with a smaller cooler for the same amount of food. And, as I've mentioned in another thread, I stopped carrying gas lanterns in favor of LED lights.

[tplife]

Re: Calling for ideas on multi-use items

Over the years we've replaced our "Big Box" camping gear with smaller, lighter, more compressible replacements. Big bulky sleeping bags are small, light and warm goose down models, bulky leaky air mattresses or cots are sleeping pads, just flat rolled-up tubes. Polyester/nylon tents weigh half as much and store a lot smaller for transport than their heavy canvas predecessors. Big storage boxes and totes of gear are now soft nylon jobs with zippered closures, one has a food prep tabletop and slide-out bins. Pans are nesting stainless steel, tables are aluminum or the Roll-A-Table that fold and aren't all that heavy. Fryers aren't heavy cast-iron anymore, we take the GSI Pinnacle series pans that while non-stick, do permit metal utensil use. A set of Roll-A-Stools and Mac folding chairs all fold up and aren't that heavy at all either. Most of our lanterns are white gas, as besides being more economical, the red MSR fuel bottles take up less space than the several propane canisters or single bulk bottle we used to use. A Coleman 2-burner propane stove is slim and small, the Weber TableTop grill is also a compact version compared to the SmokeyJoe and doesn't require hauling a bag of charcoal, just a canister of propane. Cooking utensils are high-temp nylon and are light, knife/fork/spoons are the Coleman reusable polycarbonate instead of the old heavy kitchen stainless stuff. The Bugaboo set, while the highest of quality, doesn't work for us because they only give you one pot handle - and we use more than one pot at a time for food prep. We're using the stainless MSR pots instead as we slowly replace our aging LiCamp gear, poly bowls fit inside. A 2.5 gallon SolarShower is a shower device and a coupled with a square Nalgene tub is a faucett and sink for dishwashing. Our campsite appears to have a lot of gear with several tents, a couple extra tables, 12V AGM battery, audio system, charging electronics, lots of lighting and cooking gear, but it's deceiving. The gear is lightweight, nesting, softsided and flexible depending on the location and activities, as they change somewhat over the season. Starch and breakfast items like pasta, rice, pancakes are dehydrated and require only water to prepare, less milk and butter to worry about in the cooler. We're always picking up new tips and ideas on this website and try to incorporate them whever possible, even just to try them out for fun.

[MacGyver]

Re: Calling for ideas on multi-use items

...picking up new tips and ideas on this website and try to incorporate them whenever possible, even just to try them out for fun.

That's what camping and this forum are all about to me - especially the last part. I don't think I've camped the same way twice in the last 25 years. There's always something different I'm trying out.