Camping gear organization tips

[Shortpants]

Yeah, I know there are a million and one of these floating around on the internet and on Pinterest, but I'm looking for tried and true, best of the best, tips and tricks from the pros.

This year I made a hanging/roll up kitchen organizer out of a closet shoe hanger and it was awesome! It made finding stuff when you needed it so nice! I also packed a special setup kit with all our misc tools and electronics that we would need immediately when we got to camp. So handy!

My problem areas are clothes and food storage. Right now I just use duffel bags and backpacks for clothes and reusable grocery bags for non-cooler food. I hate digging through the bags/backpacks for clothes, and I worry about them getting damp if we get icky weather. The food would be nice to have enclosed somehow as I have to truck the bags back and forth to the car every night and morning at the moment so the critters don't get all our tasty vittles! I have been avoiding bins since we have two smaller cars and after we get our huge tent, cooler and bedding packed, there are only small spaces left to squish in smaller items/bags.

Any brilliant solutions to clothing/food storage to make camping life easier? I'm all ears!

[toedtoes]

Re: Camping gear organization tips

Try packing cubes. You can get various sizes; they are soft sided so can change shape; they zip close so things don't fall out; and you can find plastic ones that are water resistant. You can use them for a variety of things (I have my fresh water hoses in one). For clothes, you can easily keep things sorted to make it easy on you, and keep what you don't need in the car. For food, you can sort by food type.

For dirty laundry, I use one of the cloth laundry bags with a hook at the top. I keep it in the shower of my class C, but it could easily hang from a coat hook in the car. At the end of the trip, just pop all the contents in the wash.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Camping gear organization tips

I like your shoe bag idea a lot. Think I'll riff on it for shorter trips. Right now I use a retrofitted small wicker suitcase to store my utensils, tableware and such. Velcro, existing leather straps and elastic keep everything from shifting around. When the table is set I use the actual case as a trivet/errrrrr staging spot, LOL. Still it could be more minimal ish ish.

When I'm off on a trip of 5 days or more or throwing a BBQ at the campsite (I live in an apartment so been known to use a campsite as my rented patio) I drag (keyword that) along a Cabela camp kitchen. It's hugeee and heavy but makes for an exceptionally well organised kitchen space.

Were I to start again w/ camping equipment I think I'd take a good look at the Sherpa system by Camp Chef:


http://www.amazon.com/Camp-Chef-Sher...f+Sherpa+Table

or a Kelty kitchen:

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&key...l_5zwzkbwqcx_e

since with a few mods I could make them as utilitarian as the Cabela version and still be able to use it no matter the trip's duration.

I've no particular system for clothing storage besides insisting that everyone's clothing fits in a small weekend bag. The Princess and I use the gym size version which has lots of interior and exterior pockets. Unbeknownst to her mother I repack her suitcase every trip. Along with leaving all the electronics, A/V discs, her non matching clothes stay here too. This is the packing list I email annually for a 14-16 day trip w/ a one trip stop at a nearby laundromat:

2-3 bathing suits
6-7 tops
6 bottoms; at least 2 prs of leggings or yoga pants; the rest shorts. All preferably dark in colour. Denims have no use for this trip due to the heat.
3 sets of long PJs (it gets colder in the evening)
1 pr of flip flops,1 pair of sneakers, 1 pair of sport sandals
weeks worth of undies and 3 pairs of socks
1-2 zipper front hoodies
1 sundress (we're there for a coupla Sundays so she has to look Hannah Andersson or Ralph Lauren cute)

I pick a colour palette and don't deviate; allows everything to "cross match". Keeps Rainbow Brite moments out of the picture which unfortunately my darling grrlie is prone towards........yanno like fluorescent green/blue and white striped socks with pink, purple and black Monster High paisley leggings and an orange t-shirt? She actually walked down the street w/ her "Ompaah" (grandfather) in that outfit and the 2 of em were as happy as clams.... their love is blind and I better understand why I nevahhhhhhh ask him how I look in an outfit.

I fold roll all clothing since I find it generally takes up less space and use ziploc bags for footwear placing socks in one sneaker and sandwich bag(it's thinner than ziploc bags) store the undies in the other. Unless she's wearing the sneakers on the trip since they are bulky. One of the hoodies travels on the back of her car seat as a "blanket". Maybe this year it'll be 2 since she's getting taller by the minute. Adult hoodies are on the back of the seats as well mostly cuz they are bulky.

I also repack the man's suitcase but that happens no matter where we are going; just the nature of his beastie hood. Always surprised I don't find a dress suit + tie in his camping bag...

When we get to the camp site I hang longer clothing on bungee cords attached to the tent's interior. Works nice for never having to close windows when yer clothes changing too. All footwear are placed on the door mat outside the tent upside down to keep morn dew out. Also reminds peeps NO SHOES WORN IN THE TENT, one of 2 don't do that rules I have.

[ScooterGirlinALA]

Re: Camping gear organization tips

The shoe bag idea is wonderful! Also, like NYCgrrl, pick a color palette so that I can mix and match. I'm going to try the fold and roll technique next time and see about saving more space.

[James.]

Re: Camping gear organization tips

I don't think I will be of much help to you. I made a chuck box for all the kitchen gear (including spices and storage for stakes, camp shovel, saw, hammer, etc). For clothes I just use a duffel bag and since I drive a truck space isn't an issue so I can put dry goods in storage boxes or another ice chest.

So, I guess my advice to you would be to buy a truck :mdr:

[hwc1954]

Re: Camping gear organization tips

Here's my latest bit of camping organization. A Weber Go Anywhere charcoal grill that packs up to a tidy little package. Tools fit inside. Charcoal and a compact charcoal chimney fit in a mini Kingsford Kaddy. Weber makes a table for it that has a locking mechanism to hold the grill so you can pick the whole thing up and move it around without the grill sliding off. Even better, it has six hooks for cooking utensiles, a perfect spot to hang them for the entire time. Cooks a mean steak....

[hwc1954]

Re: Camping gear organization tips

And, an action shot from last week:

[James.]

Re: Camping gear organization tips

I have to get outdoors. Its been too long.

[MacGyver]

Re: Camping gear organization tips

I have to get outdoors. Its been too long.

I've now missed 3 trips with the gang due to truck issues. I'M DYIN' HERE!


As for the OP and getting space in a small car, as far as I know, just about every car can get class 2 hitches installed. Then you can add a hitch rack to carry a few of the bulkier items. Roof racks are another option to free up space inside the vehicle.

[Shortpants]

Re: Camping gear organization tips

Riff away NYCgrrl! LOL! I think I may modify the hanging utensil holder a bit more before our next trip. I used the horizontal shoe holder instead of the vertical ones I have seen before, and I liked it better since I could roll it right up and pack it away easily. I also want to add a paper towel roll hanger to it somehow and I haven't quite figured that one out yet. Now, if you will excuse me while I wipe the slobber off my screen.... I have been hankerin' for and drooling over the Cabella/Kelty camp kitchens for YEARS now and would love to add one to our camping gear, but I just can't with our limited space. Boooo! Thanks for the clothes packing tips too, I really like the bungee cord inside the tent idea, I might riff on that one from you! hehe! I have been brainstorming on inside-tent storage as our Taj Mahal tent has lots of room but I find the storage pockets and hangers are in all the wrong places for us, not convenient at all. Bungees would really help keep the piles off the floor at least. I am a "NO SHOES IN THE TENT!" girl too, hubby tracked muddy pine needles into the tent in the middle of the night last trip and I about skinned him alive when I found them. Grrrr...

James, have you been talking to my hubby Longpants? hahaha! He has been bugging me to get a truck for quite some time now, and now I'm definitely seeing the advantages of not trying to jam all our stuff into a VW Jetta! I have been looking at plans for chuck boxes too, there are some super cool designs out there, and I really like how you can customize it to fit exactly what you need. I'd love to build one for our camp stove, kitchen utensils, and stuff that can stay packed away in between trips. I really like the "grab and go" philosophy of the chuck boxes and gear bins, makes it so much easier!

hwc1954, that is one nice grill! Much nicer than our little cheapy propane one we bought off one of our camping buddies last summer! LOL! Definitely putting that one on the wish list! I really, really like that it is charcoal and not gas. I much prefer the charcoal over propane since that is all we use at home, but try as I might, I couldn't figure out where to pack our good `ol trusty Weber from home. hehe! I love the compact size on that one (no bigger than our propane one) and it looks like a great, functional unit.

MacGyver, I wondered about a hitch and small trailer or hitch rack. Both of us have VW Jettas, I have a wagon and Longpants has a sedan. We usually use the wagon and can fit everything pretty well, but I am having exhaust and front end noises with my rig, so we've been using the sedan for long trips lately, not to mention that I have over 130K miles on my car and LP's sedan is still under 100K (but just barely). A hitch and small trailer or rack would put all our space issues to rest, for sure! We actually do have a roof bag I picked up last year, I pack all our air mattresses, bedding, life jackets, and any lighter stuff in there and that has helped a ton. Bedding takes up so much space!

Thanks again to everyone for the tips and info, love the ideas and appreciate ya'lls help!

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Camping gear organization tips

And, an action shot from last week:

Nice set up for your Go Anywhere. Looks like you've a diff model than my own since the feet have been squared(stands easier) and you've a CI grill surface accessory. That Kingsford Kaddy seems a good place for the coals and starter. Even though it just reminded me that my collapsible chimney was lost last year. Bought another one by Kingsford similar to this:

http://www.amazon.com/Kingsford-KST4.../dp/B00D13V8J0 but wish the handle would collapse as well.

Shortpants- a change I made to my tent packing was to remove the poles from the bag, tape them together and store them either: along the bottom door side of the rear seats or if the car allows place them in the back seat well. This last method only works if the axle doesn't make a hump. By removing the poles the tent bag becomes more malleable to be squished and the car weight is better balanced.

As for pantry goods I've found storing them in a box, removing excess packaging and the hardiest part of all estimating amts needed to be useful. For instance if we're bring popcorn kernels I move em out of the round container they come in and place the contents into a square/rectangular one or just a ziploc bag.

I've also found that children's activity stuff takes up a heck of a lot of space and purchased a specific container for them. If your stuff doesn't fit in it it's not going: http://www.rubbermaid.com/category/p...427&Redirect=1

Keeps contents from getting damp(important for books, boardgames and paper), locks beautifully. I'm sure I really bought it for stuff like lanterns, fan, axe, etc. but was co-opted. Besides this year.......I'm not taking any of my larger space eating lanterns. They've been replaced by smaller ,great light output LED lights by SnowPeak:

http://www.campsaver.com/mini-hozuki

and
http://www.campsaver.com/tulip-lantern

the 2nd lantern also doubles as a computer lamp at home so it's used year round.
Not inexpensive but the amt of space they save when packing makes em priceless. And allows space fer my manual blender.....

[Shortpants]

Re: Camping gear organization tips

Oooo, I like the removing the tent poles idea! I currently use them as the core of my tent roll, but I will say that it is pretty much a WWF wrestling match to get that dang thing back in the bag! It is monstrous and heavy, the poles do take up a bunch of room and are certainly not malleable! I could easily stash the poles behind the headrests or on the floor of the backseat. Brilliant!

I think I will move back to the bin for non-perishable foods. I hate digging in bags and I already have some shorter under bed storage boxes with locking lids that might work. Taking stuff out of packaging would save a ton of space. I tend to leave it in the packaging now so things don't get squished in the bags, but in a bin that wouldn't be such a big issue. Plus in a locking bin I wouldn't have to truck it back and forth from the car in most parks we go to. Bonus!

I've actually got the kids playthings in a couple ziplocs that get tossed in the "games" bag as we are game nerds and bring Magic the Gathering cards, cribbage, Uno, dice games and the like with us too. Adult games, shall we say. LOL! I was just saying this last trip that I wanted to get like a bigger toolbox with a handle on it to stash everything in, or one of those file boxes with the handle. Longpants has decided we now need to add a dartboard to our games bin too, so a file box or tool box is perfect for the smaller things like darts, etc.

You must have been reading my mind on lanterns NYCgrrl! We really need to invest in some better ones and I have to say I simply adore the ones you linked! I had hesitated buying one of the craptastic larger ones from Wally World before this last camp, and now I'm really glad I did! I had grabbed some small, cheapy ones a couple years ago when first testing the waters of camping with hubby and they just suck pond water. OK in a pinch, but not good for casting any substantial amount of light after the sun goes down. An evening game of cribbage ends with everyone having sore necks from hunching over to see cards and the board. Ugh. Thanks for the link to those two, they look like just the ticket!

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Camping gear organization tips

Oh right just remembered. I had a non Luddite moment and bought a Kindle this year. The Princess needs to bring almost 20 books from her summer reading list with us and the idea of keeping that many books from getting damp, where to pack em in the car and recall where they all were, at any given time seemed ripe for issues. Thank goodness for reward points!

[Shortpants]

Re: Camping gear organization tips

That made me giggle, heck, we don't even have cell phones! LOL! But I will admit to picking up a used iPad off a friend really cheap this past spring and there was one time it came in handy with DD(5) on this last trip when Mama really needed a little break in the action to just sit and ponder the beauty of nature while DD(2) was napping, without the endless stream of almost-six-year-old how, what, when, why and where questions. hehe! I'm still getting used to this new-fangled gadget at my disposal and all it's capabilities, but I can see that it will be really handy for e-books for the girls instead of packing along the paper counterparts.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Camping gear organization tips

As far as lanterns, I've been through Cabela's, Coleman's and somebody else's versions and realised that the money I've saved by purchasing less expensive ones that have a short life span is a false economy. And yes, gotta have good quality light for game playing. None of that oops I thought that stone wuz mine moments whilst playing backgammon anymore. We also take UNO, a deck of cards (gotta play Old Maid and Fish or it's not camping) and Twister for those "How well have those yoga classes been going?" moments.
Every year around December, Michael's, sells an artist kit that's about 14" in length maybe 1" thick for about 5 bucks. Thing of beauty w/ water paints, brushes, glue stick, paper clips, colour pencils, crayons, everything you need to keep lil people busy for an hour or two, no matter the weather. I buy a large spiral bound book of paper fer a few bucks and they are happy. Kit is good for painting rocks too but but crabs aren't wanting to be painted because their mommies won't recognize them when they return to the marsh that evening....
Then there are the boxes of sidewalk chalk, kites, the ladder golf game the kiddos were given by another camping grandmother last year that found em amusing. Actually, the other grandmother said I had more fortitude than she cuz she could only camp w/ her grands for a weekend before she got tuckered out; told her not to worry my day would come:he:. Can't forget the water guns (when short on space or parts those dollar store spray bottles work nicely too), the sand castle blocks(we camp at the beach mostly) and shovels. Oh right and the 50 piece set of glow stick necklaces and bracelets that gets opened on the 4th of July...I can always find those kiddos no matter how far they wander and the way I see it if they get bored they're not trying hard enough, LOL.