Well, it's been a long, long time since I've done a blog post. Lots of illness and family things happened. But I finally finished a pretty Family Camping Checklist (as a pdf) to share with you all..
(To download a pdf: family camping checklist PDF)
There are lots of items on that list... cross them off if you don't need them! Add what you do need! This list was made after many camping seasons of experience but we know some people can camp with less, some with more. I like to think this list is the happy in between! We have a Pontiac Vibe and everything on the list fits in to it along with our family of three. We're planning on adding a four legged family member soon so it may be time to look at a rooftop carrier or tiny trailer.
We all camp frequently from Spring through Fall whether it be as a family or as an individual... and I even camp in the winter. The individual checklists are easy as it's for only one person!! The only way we can get out the door as a family quickly on a Friday afternoon is to have checklists. Over the years, we've had many a lesson learned! Thank god we were camping with friends the time we forgot our camp stove!! We weren't the time I ran out the door in my slippers, didn't realize it until we were halfway across the province and we had to find the closet store so I could buy a pair of sandals. Last summer was the refinement of the checklist and the always packed kitchen bin... we got back from PEI on one day and were out the door to go camping the next!
The kitchen bin is always packed and is restocked as soon as we get back from a trip. I have everything in the kitchen bin fit into a medium-large rubbermaid bin! Amazing!! By thinking outside the box and using small versions of items, you can fit everything in! Things like the dish dryer and the garbage can are two of those items... the dish dryer is one of those round mesh hanging storage towers sometimes used for stuffies and the garbage can is a small folder mesh hamper! Decanting liquids (like the bleach, soap, and cooking oil) into bottles that are just the right size for a few weekends of use makes things easier to pack in. And for other consumable items, we only take what we'll need. I'd rather refill after a trip than take too much that I won't use. Everything in the first column fits in a little dollarstore basket with handles. Just pull it out of the bin and put it on the picnic table!
I hope you find the packing checklist useful... after the missing stove incident, I added the car packing list and I'm forever writing notes to myself so I added that section.
Sometime soon I'll add a few of our weekend menus, each of which have the menu, the grocery list, and the packing list. The packing list on the menus is because I prepare as much as I can ahead of time and I pack the items for each meal together for easy grabbing. It's a very easy to cook at camp when things are like that and even my husband can get a meal started!
I'll also do another post down the road with pictures of the kitchen bin... or as I like to call it the kitchen cabinet!
Let me know if you have any questions about the items on the packing list or if you want to know what exactly we use!!
