So as I promised in a previous post called Lemons, Life, and Lemonade Goes Camping, this post is solely devoted to the Camping Box concept. If you haven’t read it already, please do. It contains some really helpful ideas for family camping. Camping Boxes are also known as mobile kitchens or kamp kitchen. For me, it’s not just kitchen stuff though. It is everything camping that is not edible or wearable. It also excludes things like sleeping bags and our tent. Those have their own duffle bags. I am a follower of the “Grab it and Go” mindset. | One of the more important concepts to master is repurposing with the intent of saving money. |
As you probably know by now, I grew up in the Great Outdoors. Camping isn’t something that Captain Stud and I woke up one morning and said, “Hey it’s a rite of passage. Let’s take the kids camping!” Outside has always been a part of me. It was practically beaten into me that you have a camping box, and I grew up thinking that everyone did it. We went camping with a large group last year and one lady mentioned to me how put together we seemed. I was surprised because I really didn’t feel like it that trip. Mary had spent the week prior trying to gather everything she thought her family needed for camping. She then stored it all in plastic grocery bags in the kitchen, because she had to unpack what she had packed when she needed it in the house. Needless to say, a lot was forgotten and some stuff she had packed was never used. Poor Mary seemed frazzled and frustrated for most of the vacation. She is the inspiration for this post.
You use whatever your little heart desires for your camping box. Some people make their own. I know a welder who custom made their own a couple of decades ago and since they are welded steel, they are still in amazing shape. I have seen old leaky ice chests become camping boxes. Some camping boxes have a lot of sentimental value. An outgrown toy box works well. I have seen a military style storage trunk. I know of a lady who even uses a ginormous suitcase as her kitchen box. And honestly, it works really well with the wheels and the pull handle.
You use whatever your little heart desires for your camping box. Some people make their own. I know a welder who custom made their own a couple of decades ago and since they are welded steel, they are still in amazing shape. I have seen old leaky ice chests become camping boxes. Some camping boxes have a lot of sentimental value. An outgrown toy box works well. I have seen a military style storage trunk. I know of a lady who even uses a ginormous suitcase as her kitchen box. And honestly, it works really well with the wheels and the pull handle.
I think one of the more important concepts to master is repurposing with the intent of saving money. My kitchen sinks are currently two plastic tubs that started life out as puke buckets in the local ER. A dear friend of mine went to the dollar store and bought two of the largest containers she could find. In her case, it ended up being salad bowls. The biggest salad bowls I have ever seen! If I had tried to purchase a camp sink, it could have easily cost me upwards of $20 to $50!
My camping box has taken 6 years to put back together. When I left for military service, I left nearly everything behind. Everything I saved fit into a 5 x 5 storage room closet with room to spare. When I was discharged from the service, I could fit everything I owned in 2 duffle bags and a trash can. So I am the queen of piecing it together as you go along. My go to place for used stuff is garage sales. Goodwill is also good sometimes. The dollar store is amazing. So is the clearance section in your local big box store, especially after major holidays. As you replace your old kitchen pots and pans, put them in the camping box. Your hand towels have weird yellow spots? Throw them here. That souvenir coffee cup from OhWhatWasHerNameThreeCubiclesDown? Put it here. Please keep in mind that some campgrounds don’t allow glass of any kind, including ceramic coffee mugs.
Check out this camping checklist. Yes, it is the same one from The Clever Pink Pirate. I am all about working smarter and not reinventing the wheel. Modify it and make it the perfect list for your family. Then put it in a plastic protective sleeve and tape it to the inside lid of your camping box, so it is always right where you need it.
In my effort to be completely real and transparent, if you opened my camping box right now and dumped it out, here is a list of what you would find and where I got it from. Hopefully it will give you some direction as to where to begin your own search for camping gear.
In my effort to be completely real and transparent, if you opened my camping box right now and dumped it out, here is a list of what you would find and where I got it from. Hopefully it will give you some direction as to where to begin your own search for camping gear.
- napkins (store)
- manual can opener with attached bottle opener and triangle can punch (bought new from the store. Worth the splurge!)
- scissors (retired from my kitchen)
- whisk (retired from my kitchen)
- zipper storage bags (about 5 of each size) (my kitchen)
- minimum of 100 feet of nylon rope (bought new from the store, get it new so it’s not dry rotted and fragile)
- 2 mesh popup food tents (sweet find in the after 4th of July clearance section)
- plastic plates, bowls, cups, and mugs (dollar store and retired from my kitchen)
- strainer aka colander (retired from my kitchen)
- cutting board with a knife and sheath (dollar store, yard sale, Captain Stud made it)
- aluminum foil (dollar store since I don’t need much)
- sponge, dish soap, and kitchen sinks (I prefer Dr. Bonner’s soaps. They are nontoxic and biodegradable. That’s important when you are dumping wash water at the base of a tree.) (kitchen, store, and local hospital)
- 2 gallon collapsible water carrier with carabiner (my splurge from an expensive hunting store)
- several feet of duct tape (garage, you won’t need a whole roll)
- BBQ meat fork (retired from my kitchen)
- pot holders (retired from my kitchen)
- small first aid kit (pieced together)
- notebook, pen, and playing cards (dollar store finds)
- umbrella (yard sale)
- wet wipes (store)
- hand towels (retired from my closet)
- tea pot (retired from my kitchen)
- telescoping rotating camp forks (another sweet after summer clearance sale find)
- bug spray in its own sealed container
- citronella candle in its own sealed container (gift)
- lighter
- small headband style flashlight
Now that you finally got this camping thing all figured out, go here for more camping ideas that made me go, "Why didn't I think of that?!"
Good luck, my friend. You will be fine!
Good luck, my friend. You will be fine!