Camping :)

[Catrin]

I went camping the first time in June for a women's clinic, but in August I am heading out by myself for at least 2 nights to play in the woods with my mountain bike. I've no camp cooking gear, and my budget is limited, so will take munchies/bike food and go into town for dinner. There is a park lodge that has a nice breakfast that isn't expensive.

Have reserved an electric tent site in full shade and have the following, what am I missing that I need to have?

I have:


tent
air mattress
sleeping bag
first aid kit (needs expansion)
small fan
coffee pot
2 coolers


I need:
extension cord
whistle or small air horn for the trail (if something should happen)
2 extra tubes for the mountain goat
ground cloth for tent
extra drop cloth to cover bike when not in use if it should rain?
bottled water


Keeping in mind my campsite won't change, and I have a tiny budget for this - is there anything else I NEED to have? I am unsure that I need something to cover the Jamis at night, but if it should storm at night I really would like to have something to cover it. With this heat wave that might not be a concern, though I hope it won't be quite so bad then....but the fan will help a bit if it is :cool:

[ACG]

I bet you have lots of things in your home you can bring with. We camp a lot it has taken time to come up with a good collection of multi use items. And try the discount/second hand stores and clearance areas of hardwares stores.

You may have this in your mental list but here goes:

A flashlight or two
Matches in a plastic bag
A small knife
Large plastic boxes or buckets for food and equipment storage
Emergency blanket; also called space blanket
Clothes pins or large binder clips for Tent seam sealer
Folding chair or stool
Binoculars
A mirror, can be used to signal for help or make a fire
Rope and twine or string
Something to cut the rope/twin or string or knife see above
Small shovel
Sunscreen
Toilet paper
Moist towelette or baby wipes, they can be handy in lots of ways
Insect repellent
Tool (such as a hammer or axe)
Towels and washcloths


HAVE A WONDERFUL TIME.

[Catrin]

Oooh, this is helpful, thank you! I do have a lot of this stuff lying around. While I am borrowing a tent, I am also looking around as I decide what I want to purchase - I don't want to buy one too quickly so I pick the one that is right for me :)

So far at least there are no other spots reserved in my particular portion of the campground, so there is a chance I might have much of it to myself, but we will see.

[limewave]

I can't camp without my kindle and a book light ;)

ACG's list is very good, I can't think of anything to add.

[Catrin]

I've a light I can strap on my head for reading at night :) Eventually will need to get some other lighting option, but for now this works. I will have my Sony Reader and probably a real book.

I am getting excited about my trip :cool:

[jessmarimba]

Thanks for making my packing list for me! I think I'm going to camp this weekend too for my birthday, I just haven't decided where yet.

Have fun!

[indysteel]

Sounds fun, Catrin! I love camping out there.

Most of the extra stuff DH and I bring are related to cooking/eating, e.g., plates, bowls, and utensils, the food itself, a camp stove, and stuff to clean up with, including dishsoap, towels and a bucket. I always try to think through the prep for each meal so that I don't forget anything. What are you doing for food?

Beyond that, I'd bring your floor pump, extra lube, and a rag to wipe down your chain. Your bike will get incredibly dusty from the trails right now.

[Hi Ho Silver]

Biking wise:
If you are going to leave your bike outside overnight, bring a lock and chain. If the area is muddy and/or very dusty, bring a small bucket, sponge, and rag to use for cleaning the bike. And most importantly, bring bike tools to tighten bolts, etc, that might loosen.

Camping wise:
Insect repellant, folding chair (if the site doesn't have a picnic table), flip-flops (for showering in less than immaculate state park shower stalls), a pocket knife and some twine (gotta hang those wet biking clothes somewhere!), and did I mention insect repellant?


Envious,

Jean

[Bike Writer]

ACG provided a good list and so have others. Small addition would be that if you aren't going to cover your whole bike at night you could put a shower cap over the seat to keep that dry for you from dew or rain. They're small and lightweight.

Call me a neatnut but I usually take a scrap piece of carpet for a door mat for the tent and then dispose of it when I break camp down. I just don't like sand or dirt in the tent. You could even keep one inside the tent and one outside.

[Catrin]

Thanks for all of the good advice, and what I don't have sounds inexpensive :)

Indy, the food part is more challenging yet easier at the same time. I am planning on having breakfast at the Lodge there in the park - a good variety and the price is pretty good.

For food that I am carrying in, since I've no cooking gear this year, I will carry in fruit, bike food, salty munchies. I will have two coolers, one of which will be reserved for ice to put in my Camelbak. Beer, yogurt, and anything else will be in the larger cooler. So I will need to make certain I have cups for beer, paper towels, something to eat my yogurt with :)

While I may not feel like heading outside the park, will likely just go into town for dinner. With several days full of mountain biking and hiking I won't have to worry overly much about calories - though I need to make certain I get the right kind of food...

Tonight after my ride I will sit down and start making my list to see what I need to start shopping for.

First Aid kits are interesting, right now I just have several sizes of band-aids and a triple antiobiotic. I know there are threads where we have discussed this, so will visit them tonight to see what else it might be good to have with me on the trail by myself. I won't be going fast enough to have a high-speed crash or anything, but stuff can happen.

[indysteel]

Good luck, Catrin! I'm sure you'll do great. With the IGA right there, if you forget something, you'll be able to pick it up pretty easily. I'm jealous. I'd love to spend more than a night out there, but we don't have another camping trip lined up until Columbus Day weekend.

As for tents and other camping supplies, be sure to keep an eye on REI's outlet if and when you decide to pick up some things. We've gotten some stuff there for decent prices--especially when coupled with a coupon. Our tent is an REI tent, and we love it.

[Kathi]

Earplugs, in case you have noisy neighbors and eyeshades in case your neighbors have bright camp lights, or other lights are nearby.

Also, be careful where you pitch your tent, a flash flood got us the one time we camped there. The ground was very dry and we didn't see the little gully that ran under our tent. Before we got back to our site we had a down pour and everything in the tent got wet from underneath except for 1 sleeping bag. We had just bought a Jeep Wagoneer and both of us slept in it that night. Now, if I suspect rain when I leave the campsite I put my sleeping bag and mat on top of my camp chair inside the tent. The lodge has a wonderful dinner, as we found out that evening.

I also have a mesh bag for carrying my bath stuff to the shower. I second the flip flops for the shower.

[soprano]

I just got done with a 6-week tour and have lots to say on the subject of camping. If anyone's interested, I have a complete packing list here (http://titianknitter.wordpress.com/2011/05/31/tour-packing-list/). Bear in mind that some of that stuff is necessary only for a long trip into remote areas.

I'm of the opinion that the old axiom "pack half as much stuff and twice as much money" applies to camping. Just because you have a car doesn't mean that you need to fill it full of gear. More stuff = more work. If you're car camping and you forget something critical, just hit the nearest Wal-Mart.

You can't be too picky about where you pitch the tent. If you don't like your assigned site, pick something else and ask the ranger if you can move. Look down to see where water will flow in a heavy rain, and up for dead trees or large dead limbs. Check for anthills.

If you can possibly survive without a campfire, then don't have one. Campfires are a ton of work and responsibility. It has to be completely out before you go to sleep or leave the site. Do you really want to be the person who's unattended campfire burns down half the state? They're fun if you're with a group and plan to drink beer and toast s'mores all night, but if you're alone it's nice to be able to take off and go for a walk or go to bed when you're tired. If you do build a fire, please for the love of all that is good, don't be lazy and burn your trash. It never burns completely and the next group will have to pick it out. Find a dumpster or pack it out.

Cookware is a good place to cheap out. I swear by my Pepsi-can stove, $10 Wal-Mart cook set and regular cutlery from the kitchen drawer. Be careful about sanitation and where your water comes from.

If you're worried about the bike getting wet overnight, stash it in the car. Also, make it a habit to keep all food and anything smelly (like toothpaste or deodorant) in the car when you're not using it.

Bug spray and earplugs are both indispensable. Too many people treat campgrounds like their personal party houses. The reason I'm moving into backpacking is that I love to camp, but I can't deal with other campers.

[indysteel]

Great advice, soprano. Boy are you right about people treating campgrounds like their own private party. Last year, we had a site next to a group of twenty-somethings. They got drunk and played a rather loud gave of "Never Have I Ever." For those unfamiliar, it's basically an opportunity for people to talk about their mostly sexual exploits. It was beyond obnoxious. DH and I are exceedingly quiet when we camp, and try to be respectful of the environment, but we're increasingly alone in this attitude.

[Brandi]

Ummm how about a pillow!

[cosc]

Mabe you'll have dry nights, but if not, a coffee can to pee in is a good alternative to going out in a storm or rain, especially if bathrooms are far away.

[Catrin]

My campsite could not be further from the real bathroom/bathhouse, though not too far from a pit toilet. I went for a full shaded site given the weather we have had recently...

[Miranda]

Mabe you'll have dry nights, but if not, a coffee can to pee in is a good alternative to going out in a storm or rain, especially if bathrooms are far away.

That's a good cheap idea.

We have a portable air plane type camping toliet we use in our pop-up tent camper. Even if it's not raining, and you wake up in desperate need (those of us women who have had a couple big babies in life and can't have the toliet be far when the bladder is full and screaming mid night:rolleyes:) you have something there.

Regardless of that, some spare toliet paper from home is nice. In case the bathhouse hasn't been re-stocked before you need it.

An addition to your first aid kit in the car/tent... hydrocortizone cream (covers a lot ouchies) and/or anti-itch meds, i.e. bug bites, poison ivy etc.

I put a gallon size freezer zip lock baggie over my bike saddle and rubber-band it down. A cheap plastic table cloth could work to both cover your bike, and any other outside gear in a flash rain. Plus, makes table bit more sanitary. Think I paid $1 for mine at Dollar Tree, or Walmart.

I usually lock bikes to the pop-up frame, or put inside a vehicle and lock that down too (that was my carbon roadie- was good map outside park, plus had mtb for trails). Last time I took my xc bici to the beach I locked it to the hitch of my suv- U lock & cable.

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http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg230/rotarydial/100MEDIA_IMAG0797.jpg

[AnnieBikes]

We always have a VERY small travel umbrella (from the dollar store) for nights when you HAVE to go (and don't use the coffee can). It has saved us on several occasions. Also, if you need to walk to the shower/toilet in the rain, it keeps you dryer than rain gear, especially if your rain gear is already wet! :(

[soprano]

Peeing into any container that is stored inside your tent is a bad idea, unless you really think that you might enjoy waking up in a shower of coyote piss. Ask me how I know :rolleyes:

If the bathroom is really far away, I find a good spot about 50 feet from my tent (and not close to any natural water source) and do any urgent nightime peeing there.

[Trek-chick]

A small garden trowel and some TP will do the trick. That is what we have to do while we are hiking/camping in the backcountry. I would rather do my business outside than use a container and keep it in my tent.

[kermit]

Back in the day when my husband and I had a pop-up trailer, peeing in a ziplock bag was a regular occurrence. Not pretty but better than running out in the rain.

[Irulan]

A small garden trowel and some TP will do the trick. That is what we have to do while we are hiking/camping in the backcountry. I would rather do my business outside than use a container and keep it in my tent.

Pack out your tp. Do not bury it or leave it behind. Animals dig it up and then that looks really lovely. I keep a ziplock in my pocket for used tp.

There's no need to bury pee. If you have to poop, bury it 6" deep, at least 200 ft from any water source, and pack out your paper. If you are thinking "oh, it will biodegrade", no, it won't. TP roses are rather disgusting to come upon after someone has left one behind.

[Catrin]

I've got most of what I need and will have everything by Monday morning. I've several soft-sided zipped bags from Trader Joe's...is it safe to put dry food goods in those instead of getting hard plastic containers or am I asking for trouble from a talented raccoon or two?

[soprano]

Either hang the food from a tree or raccoon hook, or lock it in your car. The car is better. Squirrels can and will chew through bags to get at your food.

You should also lock/hang anything with a food smell or fragrance. I've had raccoons make off with soap. It's best to keep your site completely clean and picked up; when you turn in for the night, you want EVERYTHING either in your tent or in the car.