Here are some of the handy things I probably would have forgotten were it not for my very organized friends:
1. Dishwashing tub
I knew we would have dishes to wash, I just never thought about exactly how we would wash them when hunched over the outdoor spigot. Jenny came to the rescue with an especially innovative solution: Two stackable plastic tubs, one with holes in the bottom. We would wash the dishes in the stacked tubs, and then remove the slotted one to easily drain and then rinse the wet dishes. Genius! [Buy on Amazon: Rectangular Dish Pan]
2. A clothes line and clothes pins
Things get wet when you’re in the great outdoors. Having a clothesline that we could tie from tree to tree allowed us to hang up wet clothes and towels to dry quickly. And having the clothes pins kept them from blowing away. You could also look for a travel/camp clothesline that include built in clothespins. [Buy on Amazon: MSR Dry Line Kit]
3. Plastic tablecloth
This is probably the most unexpectedly handy thing that Jenny packed. This cute red/white checkered tablecloth covered up the old, warped wood of the campground picnic table giving us a clean surface to prepare food on. It also covered up the warped spaces, giving us a smoother surface, and kept food from falling down into the mouths of the hungry hounds that stood in wait. If disposable, bring duct tape to attach it firmly to the underside of the table or (if reusable) bring one that includes clamps to attach it to the table. [Buy on Amazon: Tablecloth with six clamps]
4. Cutting board
I remembered to bring a chef’s knife, but somehow forgot to bring a cutting board. Thankfully the ladies were on top of that, too. [Buy on Amazon: Lightweight cutting boards, set of 3]
5. French press coffee maker
I’m not a regular coffee drinker so I didn’t think about this, but it’s a handy way to brew coffee without electricity or disposable filters. Sometimes the glass on these coffee makers is pretty fragile so look for one that has a firm plastic frame (like this one) or one that is made from stainless steel (like this one).
6. Paper towels (Extra credit if you bring a contraption like this ^^^)
Paper towels can be used for napkins and all sorts of cleanup tasks. Rolls always seem to blow away, fall on the ground and unravel. Jenny brought this handy contraption (a milk crate with a steel rod through it) to keep the paper towels clean and always within reach.
7. Bug spray and sunscreen
It seems like everyone always forgets to pack one or both of these. We have skin cancer in the family so I never forget sunscreen, but I ALWAYS forget bug spray! Luckily Rocio remembered this. [Buy on Amazon: Badger Natural + Organic Bug Spray ]
8. (Several) spare containers of propane
Both Rocio and Jenny packed spare propane containers, and surprisingly, we used them all! We went through the tanks faster than I expected, but we were cooking three full meals a day. If you aren’t doing as much cooking over the camp stove you won’t need as much, but bring at least one canister more than you think you will need. [Buy on Amazon: Coleman Camping Fuel Cylinder]
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