Camping – What to Pack

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This post is part of a series of posts on camping.  See here for the rest.

So, you’ve got your pop up (or camper of your choice), you’ve found the perfect spot for your shakedown cruise, now it’s time to pack.  What do you need?  What’s good to have?  What should you leave at home?

Aside from the obvious things you’ll need – food and clothing – there are a few other things you’ll need.

You will definitely need a container for your gray water (that’s the water from your sink).  We bought a Barker Manufacturing Company 11104 22 Gal. Original Tote-Along.  It’s 22 gallons which gets us through a weekend.  I’m very careful with how much water I use though.  It’s easy to dump.  If the dump station is near by, it can be wheeled there with the handle.  If it’s farther away, there’s a handy attachment (that comes with it) to hook it to your hitch.  For the first couple trips we didn’t have this (actually, we didn’t realize we would need it until just a couple days before our shakedown cruise).  A pail with a handle works great too.  We used a 35 pound kitty litter container and a piece of old hose.  We (actually, my husband) had to dump it about every day.  Kind of a pain, but it worked (and it was free!).

Wood for leveling.  Some campsites are nice and level so this isn’t an issue, but some are not so you need a couple planks to put under the wheels to level it.  Leveling helps the refrigerator run more efficiently.  Also, make sure you don’t unhitch your tow vehicle until you’ve leveled your camper.

A hose to hook up for potable (drinking) water.  We don’t actually drink campground water though.  It’s too chlorinated for my taste.  I buy bottled water and use that for cooking & drinking.

An Straight RV Adapter, 5-15P to 30A RV for the power cord in case the campground doesn’t have a 30A hook-up.  The dealer we bought from gave us one when we picked up the camper.  You’ll need it if you need an extension cord to reach the power supply and to connect to your power supply at home.  Maybe an extension cord.  The cord in the pop up should be long enough, but just in case.

A lighter for lighting the hot water heater and for your camp fire.

Bedding of some sort.  We use sheets for our bed, our daughter uses a sleeping bag and the boys sleep on a sheet and cover up with their own blankets (avoids fights over covers!).  Pillows – don’t forget pillows!  We were all packed for a weekend trip and I was so proud of myself for getting everything loaded.  We could even see out the back window!  Just before we left I ran in the house for something and happened to remember that I’d forgotten our pillows!!  Five pillows take up a lot of room!

Wood for a fire, if you have room.  Otherwise, most campgrounds sell firewood.

Definitely take your patience!  Getting backed into your campsite can take some work.  We’ve decided that it works best for me to do the backing up and John tells me where to go.  I can’t argue with him and he can’t touch the steering wheel.  You have to find what works for you.

Leave your stress at home – this is a time to relax and enjoy your family.

Remember, have fun!!

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