camping gear - loves/wants/necessities

Favorite Things "Camping Gear"

My family used to go camping as our summer vacation until this very unfortunate trip to the Smokey Mountains when it End of the World rained and water came in the tent and everything was wet and everyone was miserable. After that the camping thing sorta tapered off dramatically.

I thought I knew everything there is to know about camping and gear but I've learned so much doing it on my own. What to bring, how to pack, where to go, tool and tips. Most of the time I sit back, let David split logs and enjoy the fresh air.

COLEMAN TENT
When David came into the picture so many things about him needed to be fixed. He had 1 button down shirt and a pair of khakis and 6 inappropriate tshirts from Hot Topic. He couldn't name the Beatles. HE COULD NOT NAME THE BEATLES, he didn't even know how many there were. I'll give you a minute to pick yourselves off the floor. He also had never been camping as a child.

After the Beatles catastrophe and an introduction to the collared shirt I knew we were going to be camping folk. And my parents gave us a Coleman tent for our wedding gift.

Our tent has held up very well, it fits Dp which is also a chore for every.thing.in.life. Coleman makes great camping gear. If we ever get a new tent (this past trip I trying to remember how long we had been married and in 2015 we will be married 10 years! that tent is almost 10 years old? when did that happen??) which we certainly don't need cause it is like new, I think we will get a shorter ceiling so it is warmer in the cooler months. Even though we already have a pretty low ceiling compared to some of the monster tents people drag out into the woods.


SWEATY BANDS

I have a small head. In addition to my tiny head aliment, I have thin straight hair that doesn't stay in a ponytail or behind my ears and elastic headbands shoot off my head like missiles.

The Sweaty Band has velvet on the inside and it grabs hold to your hair. They stay on forever, through runs and hikes and even putting on sweatshirts!! I dont have this cute chevron one but I want it!

These are my new favorite thing ever.





SOAP ON A ROPE
My mom is a certified genius. She always packed a soap on a rope for the camp because there is never soap in a state park bathroom.
This is how my mom did it and this is how we have our SOR set up.
Take a knee high or the leg of a pantyhose; stick a hotel bar of soap in the toe; tie a knot at the top of the hose. Soap on a Rope! We keep ours tied to our water dispenser which we keep close to camp so running water and clean hands are always near by.

OTHER NECESSITIES

• We pack everything in one 116 gallon tub. Bugs/moisture stay out and it keeps the campsite clean and orderly.
• A nice hatchet and camp shovel. I'm not sure how you can function without one.
• We always bring extra freezer ziplock bags when we go hiking, if we see litter we pick it up and hike it out.
• I got Dp a camelbak for Christmas in a discontinued color and snagged a super deal. He loves it. Then he got all excited about me getting one too, and since the brand makes lady packs I looked into it and found my very own discontinued color - Mountain Fudge... wonder why they decided not to keep a pack with a name like that. ewwww. It is the best fitting backpack I've ever had! I think it is supposed to be a tiny pack on a normal sized human but it is just normal everyday sized on me, compared to past my butt in every other backpack I've ever owned!

CAMPING STOVE
Want one so bad. And after the cooking disasters we've had recently we can say we need on. Cooking over open flame is trickier than it looks...
Sometimes I can't believe that MeeMaw learned to cook on a wood burning stove. She was amazing.