Preparing for Your Camping Trip (video)

This started out being one post but I realized that it was becoming too long. So I created this as Part 2. If you would like to see Part 1, Click Here. Okay so on to what to pack. Especially for first-time campers I think it's really important for a first-time camper to feel as comfortable as possible. These items you will be able to bring with you whether you are camping in a tent or you have a camp site that provides a sleeping area like a yurt or a basic cabin. 

When I went on my first family camping trip, that I was in charge of planning and not just showing up with my stuff, I went on to a website it might have been REI, and printed a list of things that I would need I'm just not 100% sure if that's where I went but I do know that they have a list. So after looking over the list, some of the stuff I had from when we would go on hikes or just because, other stuff of course I needed to purchase and the rest were not necessities. I decided to go to Goodwill, Walmart and Dollar Tree. They are perfect places to purchase stuff for your camping trip. But If you have no intentions of ever going on another camping trip then it would probably be best to bring some of the items from home. However, for me I decided that it would be best to buy the items so that we would be able to use them over and over again for camping in the future and keep them in my camping box. Right now, I'm going based off memory so don't hold it against me but I will try to explain what new items I purchased and what pre-owned items I purchased and where I purchased them from. Since our 1st trip I've made a lot of purchases so for my list I'm going to just focus on our 1st trip.

Goodwill - used
Hot Water Kettle
2 Frying Pans

Walmart 
Lantern
Headlamps
Propane Camp Stove
First Aid Kit
Face Towels
Flashlights
Batteries
Storage Box
Cooler

Dollar Tree
Knives
Bowls
Oven Mits
Dish Gloves
Dish Scrubbers
Buckets/Basins
Cooling Racks
Cutting Mats
Tea cup w/Lid
Garbage Bags
Dish Soap

Hand Soap and Sanitizer
Cooking Utensils

Sandwich Bags

Lighters

Flashlights 

I know there is more that I purchased from Goodwill but unfortunately its not coming to mind right now. However, everything else that I used for this trip I already had at home and it's typically items that I would have to renew and can't keep in my camping box or items that I have that I don't necessarily use on a daily basis like our flood lamp and other utilities that I use or have on hand because I do a lot of work around the house.

While on our most recent trip I decided to purchase a larger 30 gallon storage bin because I found that the 10 gallon bin I've been using all of these years had become too small for the items that we bring on our trip so some of the items that we brought were actually in the back of the car where as they should have been inside of the storage bin. After transferring items from the smaller bin to the bigger bin at the campsite I decided that when I got back home I was going to organize the bin just a little bit so that certain items were easier to access and I would be able to keep those items all together. I had three small bins that I had initially purchased to start storing shoes in and wanted to see how they'd fit; but unfortunately I'm going to need about 100 or more of these bins and they've been sitting on my dresser for quite some time because I never actually built up the collection of bins that I'm going to need in order to organize my shoes but that's a whole another story. Anyhoo, I decided to take those bins and start organizing my camping bin. 

A quick rundown of some items that are not on my start-up list are:

Canopy

Camping Kitchen

Utility Carrier

Air Mattress

Plastic Egg Holder 

Disposable Tablecloths and Dinnerware

Firestarters

Screwdriver

Can Opener

Wash Bin

Mini Headlamps

Towels

Sheets
Inflatable Boat and Life Jackets
Beach Towels
SoundBot Bluetooth Speaker
IPod
Games

You can also use a twin fitted sheet as a tablecloth. I will be purchasing some Two-Way Radios for future use. Just in case our cell service gets fuzzy and an additional canopy.

As for food, I keep it fairly simple. I bring 2 dozen eggs, red potatoes, and turkey sausages for breakfast. Turkey sandwich meat, turkey hot dogs and ground turkey with buns and bread for lunch or dinner. Chicken, salmon, and veggies for dinner which we grill. Then snacks, juice and tea. I'm going to make it a point to be more adventurous with my camping meals. I usually cook breakfast while my other half cooks dinner. He loves to grill and we love when he grills so its a win/win. Lunch is a coin toss...lol
*Use a bag of ice or frozen water jugs to keep your food cold in the cooler. 

Take a look at the video below to see how I decided to organize my camping bin and what's inside. You can use this video as a guide for putting together your own camping bin. Keep in mind that even if you are only going on one trip, it is good to carry everything in a bin, if you don't already have one, you can find a 10-gallon bin for less than $5.00. Also, you can find a lot of the Walmart items I purchased at Goodwill and save a few bucks, I'd start there first.

And...It Is What It Is!