Camping How-To: The Packing Edition

It's an unspoken agreement in our household that most October and November weekends are reserved for camping and hiking trips. The cooler weather and changing leaves are just begging for campfires, smores, and apple cider, and we are more than glad to appease.

One thing that can quickly turn a trip south, however, is poor preparation. In our lucky experience, we have always been neighbored by kind soles who pitied our lack of firewood, a can opener, or lighter fluid and shared their own. If, however, you are not so lucky or happen to be the only people at the campsite, poor preparation can almost ruin a trip. Here's my plan for ensuring you will have everything you need.

Make lists
1. A list of what we will have for each meal (dinner, breakfast, lunch on the trail, etc) plus the kitchen items needed (spatulas, foil, bowls, plates).
2. A list of things I need to make for the trip, such as cookies or chicken salad.
3. A grocery list of what I don't already have on hand (charcoal, lighter fluid).

After a grocery store run, I mentally think through each component of each meal as if I were making it. This ensures I not only have the food items but other necessities as well. It keeps me from forgetting things like can openers, trash bags, and charcoal. I like to lay out everything on the kitchen table as a way to double check myself. This also ensures that everything gets packed.

Once it's all laid out, I pack the food stuff into one reusable shopping tote and kitchen items into another. Voilà! It's that easy. I know I have everything I need, down to the smallest detail.

What do you do to stay organized when planning a trip?
xoxo


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