Alpen Light XT - Lightweight 4-Season Tent

“What hammer?” was not what I wanted to hear. Setting tent stakes was hard enough in this campground’s packed clay – without having to use a rock. After mashing a few knuckles, I decided I would have a better plan next trip.

One of the hardest parts of packing for a camping trip is gathering everything from throughout the house and garage without forgetting something. After considering a “master packing list,” I went one step further. We love to camp, a lot. For us the best option was to dedicate our camping equipment rather than take regular household items.

This method does a good job of saving time and can be economical. Once we put it in place, all we had to do was load three boxes and shop for food on our way out of town. We also found that we camped more often now that it was so simple.

Here is how to set up your own “quick escape” camping system.

1) Write up a master list of everything you normally pack for camping. I found the best time to do this is when you return from a camping trip. Not only will what you packed be fresh in your mind, but so will what you forgot.

2) Divide the list into perishable items such as most food and non-perishable items such as tent stakes and salt.

3) Look through the list for the items that you gathered from your regular household equipment. For example, plates, pans and hammer (maybe). Could you dedicate any of these things to your new camp boxes without replacing them? I had too many pans in my kitchen and lots of extra utensils, so I dedicated the excess to camping.

4) Make a list of the items you can’t dedicate to your camp boxes and buy “camp” versions of those items. I’m not suggesting spending a bunch of money. Visit discount stores for things such as plastic plates, bowls and a hammer, or visit Good Will for an extra set of flatware. They don’t need to be pretty, but anything that can “nest” together is a plus. All of my cups and bowls stack tight to save space and I didn’t spend more than 50 cents apiece.

5) Place all of your camping equipment in one location and try to estimate what size and number of boxes/bags you will need to contain it all. I divided my equipment based on function – one box for cooking stuff. And where it must be stored – sleeping bags and pillows stay inside the house. I ended up with two large boxes, one small box and a couple of big laundry bags for sleeping bags etc.

6) Label the boxes with a list of what is stored in each one. This makes it easy for helpers to pack up at the end of your trip. Also keep a list of standard perishable items you want to bring such as butter or milk. This speeds up your shopping or you may want to use what you already have in the refrigerator.

Over the years I have tweaked my boxes and you will too. I keep a full set of spices, coffee fixings and cooking spray in my “kitchen” box now. This works only if you camp often. I also remove all batteries from flashlights and lanterns at the end of every trip. If they leak (burst) inside of your equipment it will be ruined.

If you enjoy backpacking also, this system works well for that too. I store everything I can in my pack. The sleeping bag lives in a laundry bag when not in use so that it doesn’t get over-compressed (reducing its lifespan).

You are now ready to go camping on short notice. Just grab the boxes and bags, do some shopping and you are set.

Happy trails folks!