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Well last year we started our camping adventures with a long trip out to Yellowstone. It was a challenging trip since I hadn't camped since a kid and woman and 3 kids had never camped. Things went good and everyone enjoyed the trip so we have been on another 5 or so weekend and week long trips around WI, 2 so far this year. Things have been tight using our 09 malibu, 5 people and a small trunk makes for long trips and really have to watch what and how we pack it. Since camping has been such a big hit we have made a few new purchases in the recent months.
We decided that we really needed a trailer. The kids have been squished in the back seat and we can't take everything to be comfortable. Only a small cooler fits in the trunk so limited food and drinks. The trip to Yellowstone was rough with all of us crammed in and trying to take everything we needed. So it was time to find a trailer! I bought and installed a trailer hitch and wire harness and then the search started. We ended up finding a nice 5x8' utility trailer at fleet farm for about 750 out the door. About 150 more than the box store ones but it has all metal sides and some other nice features. We took it on our trip to Devil's lake state park this week, Monday thru Thursday and it was amazing. I had 4 big stanley plastic tubs from construction that we used, they have wheels and lock and hold lots of stuff. We could take an extra cooler also and many items that were considered "luxary" to us with only a small car! It was nice to just load the tubs up and throw them on the trailer, strap them down and drive the 2.5 hour trip. We could take our two coolers with plenty of food and drinks and another plastic tub for all the dry food. Just made camping so much easier and more enjoyable and less time packing. We also got pretty good fuel milage also having the bigger 3.6L engine actually was nice for fuel milage for once.
We bought a coleman fan for the tent since the temps were in the high 90s all week. It ran on 6 C batteries. It worked alright but at times it would shut off and come back on and the batteries didn't last anywhere near what they claim they should. We took it back but will be looking for something else since it was brutal trying to sleep in the heat.
Got back last night and decided to look at a few items today at fleet farm. At devil's lake they have fishing poles you can use for free so the girls went fishing for their first time ever and caught a bunch of blue gills and small mouth bass and had a great time. So we got them some poles today and some other fishing supplies.
While at fleet farm we decided to get a new lantern. We have a coleman CPX rechargable battery lantern that is pretty nice but not the brightest. We ended up getting a coleman dual fuel 2 mantle lantern and case for 70 bucks. Tried it out tonight and it will be nice to have when we have a late dinner or just hanging out in the dark. We'll still use the battery lantern for in the tent and for night time bathroom runs but looking forward to the new fuel lantern. Really impressed with the construction of the lantern and it's made in the US still, some of coleman's products have been going downhill but the lantern seems to be quality still.
Also bought a couple new cast iron pans and griddle. After buying my first cast pan last year I love them for cooking, especially camping. Easy to cook with and easier to clean.
Looked at a new cooler also. We have a couple but they need ice almost everyday and that gets expensive. We didn't get one yet. But will before our next trip. We are looking at a coleman extreme 5 day cooler, not sure on the size yet. Also looked at the igloo 5 day coolers but not sure about them. Amazon and walmart have some pretty good prices on the colemans so will probably pick one of them up this week.
Also on the list but on hold for now is a new stove, we bought a used one last year since money was tight since we started with no gear at all. One of the kitchen setups, they just look nice to have and keep things organized. A grill so we don't have to start a fire for grilled lunches and other times we just want a quick meal without the time/cost of getting a fire ready for cooking and the cost of the wood, 5 bucks gets a pretty small bundle of pine wood.
Guess I was just sharing some of my excitement about getting a trailer which allowed us to get some of the camping gear that we needed but couldn't take due to room. Each camping trip gets a little smoother and more enjoyable as we add a few items here and there. Sorry for the long rambling story! If anyone has some advice on a new cooler or tent fan or anything else I mentioned please share.
Hope everyone else is having a good summer of camping!
We decided that we really needed a trailer. The kids have been squished in the back seat and we can't take everything to be comfortable. Only a small cooler fits in the trunk so limited food and drinks. The trip to Yellowstone was rough with all of us crammed in and trying to take everything we needed. So it was time to find a trailer! I bought and installed a trailer hitch and wire harness and then the search started. We ended up finding a nice 5x8' utility trailer at fleet farm for about 750 out the door. About 150 more than the box store ones but it has all metal sides and some other nice features. We took it on our trip to Devil's lake state park this week, Monday thru Thursday and it was amazing. I had 4 big stanley plastic tubs from construction that we used, they have wheels and lock and hold lots of stuff. We could take an extra cooler also and many items that were considered "luxary" to us with only a small car! It was nice to just load the tubs up and throw them on the trailer, strap them down and drive the 2.5 hour trip. We could take our two coolers with plenty of food and drinks and another plastic tub for all the dry food. Just made camping so much easier and more enjoyable and less time packing. We also got pretty good fuel milage also having the bigger 3.6L engine actually was nice for fuel milage for once.
We bought a coleman fan for the tent since the temps were in the high 90s all week. It ran on 6 C batteries. It worked alright but at times it would shut off and come back on and the batteries didn't last anywhere near what they claim they should. We took it back but will be looking for something else since it was brutal trying to sleep in the heat.
Got back last night and decided to look at a few items today at fleet farm. At devil's lake they have fishing poles you can use for free so the girls went fishing for their first time ever and caught a bunch of blue gills and small mouth bass and had a great time. So we got them some poles today and some other fishing supplies.
While at fleet farm we decided to get a new lantern. We have a coleman CPX rechargable battery lantern that is pretty nice but not the brightest. We ended up getting a coleman dual fuel 2 mantle lantern and case for 70 bucks. Tried it out tonight and it will be nice to have when we have a late dinner or just hanging out in the dark. We'll still use the battery lantern for in the tent and for night time bathroom runs but looking forward to the new fuel lantern. Really impressed with the construction of the lantern and it's made in the US still, some of coleman's products have been going downhill but the lantern seems to be quality still.
Also bought a couple new cast iron pans and griddle. After buying my first cast pan last year I love them for cooking, especially camping. Easy to cook with and easier to clean.
Looked at a new cooler also. We have a couple but they need ice almost everyday and that gets expensive. We didn't get one yet. But will before our next trip. We are looking at a coleman extreme 5 day cooler, not sure on the size yet. Also looked at the igloo 5 day coolers but not sure about them. Amazon and walmart have some pretty good prices on the colemans so will probably pick one of them up this week.
Also on the list but on hold for now is a new stove, we bought a used one last year since money was tight since we started with no gear at all. One of the kitchen setups, they just look nice to have and keep things organized. A grill so we don't have to start a fire for grilled lunches and other times we just want a quick meal without the time/cost of getting a fire ready for cooking and the cost of the wood, 5 bucks gets a pretty small bundle of pine wood.
Guess I was just sharing some of my excitement about getting a trailer which allowed us to get some of the camping gear that we needed but couldn't take due to room. Each camping trip gets a little smoother and more enjoyable as we add a few items here and there. Sorry for the long rambling story! If anyone has some advice on a new cooler or tent fan or anything else I mentioned please share.
Hope everyone else is having a good summer of camping!
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