Organizing Camping Supplies
by Jessica Crouch

Description: Tips for organizing and packing your camping supplies.

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After hours in the car, achy legs, and a chorus of “are we there yet?”, you arrive at the campsite. The kids are hungry, but where did you put the plates? You want to set up the tent, but where did you put the hammer? . . . Right before you go to bed, you need to make a trip to the bathroom. The flashlight is burnt out, but where did you put the batteries? Would you like to spend less time searching and more time relaxing on your next camping adventure? Getting organized at home, planning, packing early, and labeling can help turn this headache into a little piece of heaven.

When camping supplies are organized at home, preparing and packing is a breeze. At the beginning/end of each season, decide what needs to be replaced, repaired, cleaned, or pitched. Delegate the jobs at home and create a shopping list. If you get stuck in the middle of this sorting, call on a friend, family member, or professional organizer to help you refocus and succeed. Once everything is in good shape, you can store all the camping supplies together in clear, labeled containers. When it comes time for camping, most supplies can go straight from storage to the car.

Now that everything is organized, we need to prepare. Most camping supplies pack well in plastic bags and containers. Using clear plastic prevents leaking and makes things easy to see and find. Even items you think are already sealed may benefit from an extra layer of protection. Also, removing items from bulking packaging may condense packing. If you prefer relaxing on your trip instead of slaving over a hot stove, you can always do a little mixing and chopping before you leave to make meals a snap. Food, clothes, wipes, papers, toiletries, medicine and emergency supplies, etc. travel well in plastic. Keeping like items together, possibly even bags within bags or containers, can make camping activities (i.e. cooking, swimming, showering) a little easier. If you are not sure what the easiest or most efficient sorting is, do a little internet research or consult someone removed from the situation (i.e. a professional organizer) for a fresh perspective.

Once you complete preparations, you can tackle packing. As with any organizing, you want to keep the most often used items easily accessible and like items together. Make sure to keep “road trip” items such as crossword puzzles and MP3 players near the front. You may want to pack in the reverse order that you will use items once you arrive at the camp site. This way you can start setting up immediately instead of digging for the tarp so you can set up the tent. Note: keeping rain gear and the tarp and supplies handy allows you to set up cover quickly if you are greeted with rain.

Just because you are on vacation does not mean you have to live in chaos. In addition to all your organizing before you leave home, you can employ some simple organizing in your tent. Decide where you want to place clothes, beds, and shoes so you can get to things easily without stepping on beds or tracking in mud. You do not need to keep your tent immaculate to have fun, but no one wants extra cleaning on vacation.

If you would like to find the path to a less stressful, more relaxing summer vacation, let us help you get organized now. Consultations are always FREE. Whether you need a couple ideas to jump start your organizing project, an extra set of hands, or a little focus and some encouraging words, you have come to the right place. For your free consultation, questions, comments, speaking and training needs, tips, or gift certificates please contact Jessica at organizedforyou@mchsi.com or 319-504-6689. Let me help you make every day like “a day at the beach”.

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