Tips to stay organized while camping
What is something you struggled with when you first started camping? Or is there something you're afraid to struggle with if you're interested in camping and going on adventures? For us, we struggled with organization and taking too much stuff. When we first started camping, we joined the overpacking club. We owned lots of bulking equipment and took up heaps of room. Although we have upgraded our packing system doesn't mean you need to go out and buy all new stuff, but there are ways to downsize and get things a bit more organized.
Our old set up with the bins behind Charlie. Not much room to utilize with the bins in the truck.
Until a few months ago, we would haul four bins and a cooler. Organizing the bins was challenging because some things either didn't fit or didn't seem to belong in a particular bin, but we weren't going to buy another bin just for a few items, etc. So, we will tell you how we previously organized our bins and then explain our new system. If you're not familiar with action packers sold at REI, we highly recommend them. They are great bins and very durable. The bins also come in a couple of different sizes. We would use two 24-gallon action packers for the more oversized items. One was labeled "camp gear," and the other was "adventure gear." In our camp gear bin, we had all the necessities for camp. This included our stove, pots, pans, cleaning supplies, utensils, etc. The adventure gear bin had all the fun stuff: camp chairs, hiking poles, hiking shoes, backpacks, hammocks, a table, etc. Now we also have an 8-gallon action packer which is perfect for the stuff you want quickly and don't want to dig through a massive bin to find. This bin included wipes, toilet paper, a mini shovel, cards, headlamps, hand warmers, feet warmers, and a fire starter kit. The 8-gallon is a perfect size for little things that you want to be able to grab quickly. Our fourth bin contained all of our dry food, snacks, and spices. You should want to keep food away from all of your other stuff just in case you get a visitor, and they only get into that bin, whether it be a bear or another furry friend. We highly recommend looking up bear safety or getting bear-safe bins if you are going to a bear area and always keep food and trash away from the vehicle at night—lastly, our cooler. We have a 55qt cooler that we bring with us; unless we go on a two-day trip, we opt for something smaller. Four bins, a cooler, a dog bed, and a water jug make loading and unloading a little longer. It is also challenging to figure out the best way to put the bins in the truck. However, having to go through the hassle (which isn't a big issue) of dealing with so many bins makes our new setup even more appreciated, like our old tent set up compared to having a GFC. We love our GFC more than anything, but it made us appreciate the quick and easy setup because we had a tent that would take us 10+ minutes to set up each time, even longer if it was cold and snowing!
Our camp set up with the bins inside and outside of the truck.
Onto the new and improved organization! We got a drawer installed in the bed of the truck. The drawer is only on one side and latches when completely shut or pulled out to the halfway point; that way, everything is secured when off-roading and driving. The drawer and bed of the truck are also layered with felt covering, which is incredibly lovely when it's cold when you're getting ready for bed and getting up in the morning. It is also an excellent step stool to get into the tent and also is multi-purpose, and can be used as a daybed for a little nap. We put the items from the 24-gallon bins and the 8-gallon bin and transferred everything into the drawers. There are six sections within the drawer. We put wipes, toilet paper, a lantern, and hand warmers in the first section to easily access. The second section is the best one of them all, the coffee section. This section has our Jetboil, kettle, coffee beans, aeropress,and grinder. Next are all of our camp essentials to be able to relax, our chairs and hammocks. Our next section is a little miscellaneous one. This section has a mallet, a pee bottle for Charlie at night (lol, who wants to have to leave the tent to pee at night), a mini shovel, an ax, and duct tape. We currently have an empty section in the drawer which gets filled with our propane,lighters, and bear spray when heading on a trip. The last most significant section is our cooking supplies. We have a stove, pots, pans, bowls, cleaning supplies, utensils, trash bands, hand towels, and an entire mini kitchen set.
Daytime reading on the new drawer set up.
It is so nice to have everything in once space!
Having a drawer system instead of multiple bins is exceptionally convenient. Everything is in one place; we don't have multiple bins spread out around camp or have them in the truck and have to pull them in and put them back. A little switch makes the camping experience a little more relaxing. As I said, you don't need a drawer system to enjoy camping. Trust us when we say we loved camping before with our bins just as much as we do now; the only difference is a little less work. When you first start camping, you find out the best system for you, and I think everyone is different on what is important to them versus what is important to us! For some, they have way more extravagant cooking set ups, but for us, we aren't huge cooks while camping and like to make good food, but make it easy. Let us know if you have a certain way you organize your camp gear for trips! Or if you have good tips and tricks to help others stay organized if they don't know where to start. Check us out on Instagram @Opentrailsopenminds to find out more about our camping adventure and what goes on.
Cabana mode with our GFC for lunch.