Packing for a camping trip for your whole family isn't easy. There's a lot to you have to prepare, alot you have to remember, and alot you have to pack. When I pack for a camping trip, I follow a system that keeps me organized.
Since we usually leave on the weekend, I plan ahead and buy certain things for the trip on the week's before grocery trip.
1. I stay organized with my planner. This can be done on just regular paper though. I make lists for what needs to be done such as buy gas, fill propane, clean out the car, the menu, what I need to prepare ahead of time for the menu, and what I need to buy.
2. I make as much food ahead of time as I can. If we are having corn bread, I buy the ingredients in the week's prior grocery trip. Anytime during the week, I can make the corn bread (or muffins, coffee cake, or quiche) and freeze it. This allows me to have alot of things already prepared and frees up time the night before for packing and cooking other things. Freezing items for the cooler also ensures they won't spoil in the cooler before we get to eat them.
3. I return to the store the day before our trip to get all of the perishable food items as fresh as possible. This includes ingredients for salads, meats, fruits and veggies. Then I prepare everything I can the night before. If we are having burgers, I make the patties, cook the bacon, and grill the onions.
4. I make zip lock bags for each meal to place in the cooler. Everything for one meal is all organized together. I can grab it easily out of the cooler at the campsite and make the meal. If we are having French toast, the bag will contain the French toast mix and the breakfast meat. For burgers, everything gets its own bag inside the big zip lock. Burgers are individually bagged, then bagged again together so it doesn't leak. I then add anything I will marinate with (like teriyaki sauce) in a separate bag. I'll add the cheese , a bag for mushrooms and onions I sautéed, and a bag for cooked bacon. If I plan to cook something fresh such as hash browns, I chop the onions and bag them so they are ready to add to the pan. If I prepare a salad, I put it in the bag with whatever meal it will be served with. This method really helps when the cooler is full of ice, drinks and food.
4. We have four rubber maid boxes that hold all of our non perishable items. I have one for food (everything that doesn't need to go in the cooler plus extra drinks), one for kitchen items (everything I need to cook, wash dishes, and serve meals plus my kitchen caddy that holds all the supplies I will need ready at the campsite such as utensils, tongs, foil, knives, cutting boards, and BBQ lighters), one for camping supplies (flashlights, propane, fire starting, lights, first aid kit, ropes extension cords, sunscreen, citronella candles, ext) , and one that I call the fun box (bubbles, glow sticks, magazines, coloring books and markers, inflatable inner tubes, games, ect). These boxes are pretty much ready to go at all times. They are organized and stacked and basically just need to be loaded in the car. When we return from a camping trip, we remove the perishable items such as bread and replace items we used such as wipes, paper towels and plastic bags.
5. I try to use as little as possible from our everyday lives. We have extension cords, sheets and blankets and a lot of equipment that is specifically for camping. We keep it all together making it easier to remember everything we need, saving time while packing.
6. I pack everyone's clothing in a separate bag. I use the reusable tote bags that a lot of people use for groceries for this. They are cheap and fairly durable. I pack everyone by bag design(like star wars for my son and husband, monster high for my daughter, and a flowery bag for me so when we are camping, we just look at a bag and know who's it is.
7. We have a bag for towels and a dirty clothes bag ready to go and a bag for bathroom stuff also prepared. We bought extra shampoo, body wash, and toothbrushes and toothpaste and everything else we will need, specifically for camping. The bag is always packed and ready to go. When it takes time to give the kids showers, I already have everything prepared. We grab the bags and off we go.
8. Before we leave, we grab cash and quarters to buy wood at the camp ground and for showers. I make sure this is on my list for when I go to the store. The quarters are put in the bathroom bag before we leave.
As something gets done, I check it off the list. This organization method helps us streamline the packing process and never forget anything. I hope these tips help you on your next camping trip.
Since we usually leave on the weekend, I plan ahead and buy certain things for the trip on the week's before grocery trip.
1. I stay organized with my planner. This can be done on just regular paper though. I make lists for what needs to be done such as buy gas, fill propane, clean out the car, the menu, what I need to prepare ahead of time for the menu, and what I need to buy.
2. I make as much food ahead of time as I can. If we are having corn bread, I buy the ingredients in the week's prior grocery trip. Anytime during the week, I can make the corn bread (or muffins, coffee cake, or quiche) and freeze it. This allows me to have alot of things already prepared and frees up time the night before for packing and cooking other things. Freezing items for the cooler also ensures they won't spoil in the cooler before we get to eat them.
3. I return to the store the day before our trip to get all of the perishable food items as fresh as possible. This includes ingredients for salads, meats, fruits and veggies. Then I prepare everything I can the night before. If we are having burgers, I make the patties, cook the bacon, and grill the onions.
4. I make zip lock bags for each meal to place in the cooler. Everything for one meal is all organized together. I can grab it easily out of the cooler at the campsite and make the meal. If we are having French toast, the bag will contain the French toast mix and the breakfast meat. For burgers, everything gets its own bag inside the big zip lock. Burgers are individually bagged, then bagged again together so it doesn't leak. I then add anything I will marinate with (like teriyaki sauce) in a separate bag. I'll add the cheese , a bag for mushrooms and onions I sautéed, and a bag for cooked bacon. If I plan to cook something fresh such as hash browns, I chop the onions and bag them so they are ready to add to the pan. If I prepare a salad, I put it in the bag with whatever meal it will be served with. This method really helps when the cooler is full of ice, drinks and food.
4. We have four rubber maid boxes that hold all of our non perishable items. I have one for food (everything that doesn't need to go in the cooler plus extra drinks), one for kitchen items (everything I need to cook, wash dishes, and serve meals plus my kitchen caddy that holds all the supplies I will need ready at the campsite such as utensils, tongs, foil, knives, cutting boards, and BBQ lighters), one for camping supplies (flashlights, propane, fire starting, lights, first aid kit, ropes extension cords, sunscreen, citronella candles, ext) , and one that I call the fun box (bubbles, glow sticks, magazines, coloring books and markers, inflatable inner tubes, games, ect). These boxes are pretty much ready to go at all times. They are organized and stacked and basically just need to be loaded in the car. When we return from a camping trip, we remove the perishable items such as bread and replace items we used such as wipes, paper towels and plastic bags.
5. I try to use as little as possible from our everyday lives. We have extension cords, sheets and blankets and a lot of equipment that is specifically for camping. We keep it all together making it easier to remember everything we need, saving time while packing.
6. I pack everyone's clothing in a separate bag. I use the reusable tote bags that a lot of people use for groceries for this. They are cheap and fairly durable. I pack everyone by bag design(like star wars for my son and husband, monster high for my daughter, and a flowery bag for me so when we are camping, we just look at a bag and know who's it is.
7. We have a bag for towels and a dirty clothes bag ready to go and a bag for bathroom stuff also prepared. We bought extra shampoo, body wash, and toothbrushes and toothpaste and everything else we will need, specifically for camping. The bag is always packed and ready to go. When it takes time to give the kids showers, I already have everything prepared. We grab the bags and off we go.
8. Before we leave, we grab cash and quarters to buy wood at the camp ground and for showers. I make sure this is on my list for when I go to the store. The quarters are put in the bathroom bag before we leave.
As something gets done, I check it off the list. This organization method helps us streamline the packing process and never forget anything. I hope these tips help you on your next camping trip.
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