Planning Your Trip

How to Plan for Any Camping Trip

Kim and I are both planners. So we go through a pretty specific routine prior to any of our camping trips together. This is more or less how we do it. 

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Pick a Style of Camping

     I spent a lot of my camping time in primitive campsites, ones that you make for yourself. Where there isn't any potable water, fire rings, restrooms, or any kind of facilities. Kim has mostly camped in state or national park campgrounds that offer a variety of other services. In either case, there are ton of pieces of equipment that are total necessities or completely useless. It doesn't pay to bring gear that you don't need.

Pick a Destination

     When we look at a potential camping trip. We want to know what each area has going on. What hikes there are nearby, attractions, activities and such. After doing a little "research", as Kim calls it, we usually have a rough outline of what we will be doing before we make the call about where we want to go. 

Check the Weather

     Generally, we will look at the weather at this point to determine what kind of gear we might need and this also might contribute to the next step. Which is...

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Decide on a Menu

     Once you know where and how you want to camp, what the weather is looking like, and what you are going to be doing while you are there you can decide on what you're going to be eating. Time plays a factor, preparation plays a factor, equipment available plays a factor. When we do our planning we usually make a rough menu plan organized by day, activity, and meal period. Then for each meal we list & discuss all the ingredients & equipment needed, what we have, as well as writing down all the things that we will need to buy at the store. Oh, and don't forget to think about what you're going to be drinking. If you want something other than drinking water, put it on the list!

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Check Your Gear

     Who unpacked last time you went out? Who refilled the camp fuel? Did we use the last of the paper towels? These are just a few questions that can become a problem for you when you go to use something only to find out you ran out on your last trip and never replenished before you went back out for another trip. While we know things never go quite as planned, It is always a good Idea to double check and add anything to the shopping list before you head to the store.