Have you ever noticed that when you organize your space, you find needed things much faster? Of course, you have noticed! It’s so much easier when each possession has its place and is stored reasonably. The same rule can be applied when camping.
When camping, we need so many things to pack and take with us, that we sometimes feel lost and confused. Well, if you store everything nicely, you won’t have any problems. Reasonable storage of your camping equipment, tools, and other possessions can even help you to prepare for the trip faster. Not to mention that it will be much easier during the trip too! So, check out some simple but useful ideas in the current article.
Preparations And Planning: What To Do Before The Trip?
Every experienced camper will tell you – organize camping gear and plan everything. There are multiple simple tricks and tips to use when planning a trip and storing your gear.
Sticking To The Most Needed Things
Make a list of the most needed things. If you forget your camera, you will survive such a loss, but if you forget to take a bear spray, that’s a whole different story. If you have to buy something, also make a list. Visiting camping stores could be an overwhelming experience – they have everything, so you may get confused and purchase useless things. That’s why it’s best to make a checklist. It’s useful in other situations too.
Making A Checklist
Don’t be that person who procrastinates everything, and start planning several days ahead. Begin with creating a checklist. Such a simple thing as a checklist is useful even when you go shopping – you don’t buy anything unnecessary, and you don’t forget anything.
To begin, start writing down the most needed things. Then consider the camping spot that you are planning to visit. Consider weather conditions, are there any bears, mosquitos you should be aware of? Will you take cans of water with you, or there is a source of water so you only need a water filter? Write down everything, and then double-check whether you didn’t forget some things.
Using Plastic Containers
Plastic containers are great at keeping the odors so that they won’t attract wild animals, like bears. But they are also extremely convenient to store different things too. You can sign every container to quickly find everything that you need.
Color-Coding The Gear
Color-coding is a perfect way to make sure your gear won’t get mixed with the gear of other participants of your camping trip. Make sure you and your friends color-code your gear in different colors, so you will be able to tell which gear belongs to whom. You will be surprised how easy it is to mix the gear if it isn’t color-coded.
Planning Meals
You don’t need a special camping organizer storage container, you can use simple plastic containers. When planning meals, take a sheet of paper and write down all meals that you are planning to cook while camping. If your trip takes three days, you need around nine meals – three per day.
Calculate how many products you need, how many people will go with you on your trip, etc. As a result, you won’t find yourself in a situation when you eat everything during the first day and starve for the next two days.
Take What You Need To Set Up A Camp Kitchen
It’s all fun and games when you watch campers eating marshmallows while sitting around a campfire. Well, the reality is less romantic. You may not be able to light up the campfire, or there might be rain all the time, etc. You never know, so don’t rely on external conditions, use a cooking stove.
You can buy a cooking stove or ask a friend to lend you one. A lot of people already have small mobile cooking stoves. It’s easy to cook food by using cooking stoves, and you won’t rely on a campfire.
Pack Rope
You don’t know what might happen during your trip, especially in the forest. The rope isn’t too heavy, it doesn’t take a lot of storage space, so consider taking rope to make sure you won’t get caught off guard during your camping trip.
Pack Carabiners
Just like in the case with rope, you don’t know what might happen. Carabiners can be bought in a camping or hardware store, pack them just in case.
Take A Hanging Shoe Rack If You Have One
You will be surprised, but a hanging shoe rack can serve as a perfect outdoor camping kitchen. A hanging shoe rack has multiple storage holes where you can store knives, spoons, forks, and other kitchen tools. It will be much easier to cook when you take out your hanging shoe rack with all the tools and hang it to the tree.
First, you won’t have to run back and forth to the camp to take something that you have forgotten. Second, it’s easy to take out a hanging shoe rack and hang it on the tree rather than keep transporting all the tools separately.
Consider Bears When Packing
If you live in a bear country, you may encounter bears. It’s great to be an optimist, but better to be a realist who knows that most likely they will encounter bears. Encountering bears is not such a scary thing, especially if you meet black bears. Campers know that they should make lots of noises when walking so bears leave before they meet humans.
But if the encounter happens, you need to have a bear spray. Guns aren’t recommended for two reasons – officials don’t like when the bear’s population gets lower because of campers, and a wounded bear is lethal for campers. You will most likely just wound a bear if you shoot, and it won’t end up good. Use a bear spray if it wants to attack you.
Make Use Of Empty Coffee Cans
One of the best camping gear storage ideas is to use your empty coffee cans. If you are an enthusiastic camper and you love exploring the world, don’t throw away your empty coffee cans. Instead of spending money on plastic containers, use your empty coffee cans. You can store small details, food, etc.
Have A Plan For Trash
First of all, you don’t casually leave trash in the forest. As a reasonable person who cares about the environment, you need to throw away your trash in special containers. Most camping parks have them outside of the territory.
Second of all, if you live in a bear country, you don’t just leave food where a bear can find it. You may not encounter a bear, but other campers might have such an unpleasant experience. If a bear finds food somewhere in the forest, he will return again and again to check whether there is more. And one day, he will encounter campers.
So, take containers that don’t reveal the scent of residue food. Make sure to have containers to store trash until you can throw it away in a specially designed place.
Pack Clothes With Lots Of Pockets
If you are planning to stay in the forest for a while, make sure you have clothes to change. But note one thing – you need clothes with lots of pockets. You should have a pocket for a bear spray, a bug repellant spray, your map, matches, etc. You can take another backpack with you, but why? You can store everything in your pockets.
When Nature Calls, Make Sure You Know What To Do
Make sure to store some toilet paper. Note one important tip – if you need to go to the bathroom to satisfy your basic needs, go away from the camping spot and water sources. Make sure to choose a spot that isn’t used as a camping spot – so as not to spread any illnesses to other campers.
If You Are Taking Your Dog, Keep Dog Stuff In One Place
It’s simple – dog food, toys, care products, etc., of your favorite puppy, should be in one place. You don’t want to go through your dog’s stuff while looking for products or other necessary things. Just keep the dog’s stuff in a separate container or bag, and don’t forget to sign that those are your puppy’s possessions.
Camping Gear Storage Tips For When You Get Back Home
One important thing, camping storage is useful not just when you are about to go camping. It’s also extremely important to keep your gear neatly stored after the trip. That’s how you make sure no tools or other possessions get damaged or spoiled.
Keep Your Gear Stored In A Cool, Dry Place
Cool and dry places are the best to store gear so it won’t get damaged or spoiled. It will allow you to increase the life span of your tools, so you can keep camping whenever you want.
Keep Things In Labelled Containers
One of the best gear storage ideas is to label your containers. It’s so much easier to find everything you need when you don’t have to open up a container after a container. Just read the label and open the needed one.
Air Out Sleeping Bags And Blankets
You might think that your blankets and sleeping bags are perfectly clean, and you might be correct to assume that. But if you won’t air them out once in a while, you will have a very unpleasant experience next time when you go hiking. The smell of an unaired sleeping bag reminds you of mold and other unpleasant things. So, make sure you air out your sleeping bag once in a while, or at least a day or two before the actual camping trip.
