Monday, August 18, 2014

Must Do Camping Hacks - Tips for Easier Organized Camping

Must do camping hacks for organized easier camping. We have been camping since before we were married so I consider myself an expert (trial by fire) on how to organize RV camping and tent camping for that matter less work and my enjoyable with some of these camping and RV tips and tricks.

Must Do Camping Hacks, camping tips and tricks, travel, rv, travel trailer organization

We have been camping in a trailer for years now and I love it. It is like my play house. I like to decorate it and have it all nice and ready to go so that when we get to the campground, we set up and start enjoying the great outdoors quickly. Hubby and I have a system. He does the outside trailer set up and I quickly get the inside and patio area dialed in.

RV Hacks For Organized Camping

1. One thing we have begun to use is a folding table right outside the door and on our trailer mat. We eat outside and do not cook in the trailer. I am there to be outdoors so we like our meals outside. However, I do not want to go back and forth in the trailer to get what I need so I set up a table with plates, napkins and utensils, cooking utensils, salt and pepper, coffee fixins and cups and our water filter pitcher. We keep it filled to make coffee and tea anytime of the day. I have screened food covers on there and plastic trash bags.

When it is snack time we often set it out on this table for everyone to nosh on at their leisure. I keep all this stuff in one plastic bin right inside the trailer so I carry that one thing out to set up my table. We just bought a new piece to hold our Coleman stove right next to this table. I love to cook outdoors and not dirty the trailer with splatters and food smells so I cannot wait to try it out on our next trip.

folding table set up for coffee and food stuff outside of rv,Must Do Camping Hacks, camping tips and tricks, travel, rv, travel trailer organization

2. If you have kids then you have to get one of these pop up trash cans but for us it is used as a hamper. They store flat but when we get there, it pops up and goes right outside the door. Dirty clothes, socks, wet towels all go right in and when we get home I set it on the back porch outside my laundry room to wash. No dirty clothes or stinky towels to lie around the trailer. You can order one here.

camping laundry hamper




3. A shoe basket is a must when camping with a family. I set this right outside the door of the trailer and all shoes are kept in here. No dirty, muddy shoes in the trailer and no searching for shoes cause you know they are in the basket. We keep shower shoes in here too and they are always right where we left them.

Camping shoe basket


4. Speaking of shoes, if you have little kids you MUST get them rubber rain boots for camping. I started using these when my oldest was little so almost twenty years ago. This is genius if I do say so myself. Kids love the dirt and filthy dirty feet and even dirtier socks were a drag and required washing before bed and such. Not with the rain boots. They love them and wear them with shorts and all. Keep the feet clean, dry and they are high enough to keep socks clean, and stickers and thorns out and even better...they are so easy for them to take on and off. The kids can pull them on and off without help as they go in and out of the trailer or tent. You will thank me for this one.

5. Another great tip for camping with kids is an easy, cheap outdoor washing station. We use an old large laundry soap dispenser that has a spigot and has been rinsed clean. We set it on the tailgate of the truck by the trailer with a towel and pump hand soap dispenser. Makes for easy washing and the kids don't have to go in the trailer to wash up.

6. If you dry camp like us, that is camping without hookups, then you know you have to preserve battery life in the trailer. Our kids like to read at night in the trailer in their bunks and this can easily wear down batteries but the answer is battery operated LED lights. I have tap lights over each bunk for reading, one in the bathroom and a large remote controlled one I love over the sink area. I bought all of these at Walmart and they were all very inexpensive.

remote control batter operated led lights for the trailer


7. FREEZER MEALS!! Enough said. I came to camp not cook and all food is cooked ahead and frozen at home if possible. We love to eat good when we are camping but if it can be made ahead or sliced and diced ahead, I do it at home before we leave.One meal we love every camp trip is cabobs. I cut and slice and skewer the meat and slide in a large ziploc and pour the marinade right in the bag and pop in the freezer till we take them camping and thaw the day of cooking.
See How I set up my camp kitchen here.