Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 09:44:24 -0500
Reply-To: Jim Felder <felder@KNOLOGY.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jim Felder <felder@KNOLOGY.NET>
Subject: Re: What do YOU store in your (camping) van?
In-Reply-To: <BAY114-F23ED152F597251FF80FA04B8FC0@phx.gbl>
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We pretty much camp year round (except for the really hot summer) AND
the camper gets driven locally a good bit so some things stay on
board and some things come and go as needed. I don't carry the
portapotty or food (except a few items like seasoning) around all the
time. I do carry the bedding (it's washed immediately upon return and
then goes back in the van) and changes of clothes in the closet and a
collapsible outdoor table as these things are light, don't rattle and
are hard to keep track of when they are out of the van.
All the electronics stuff--flashlights, spare batteries, inverters--
live in the small cubby by the outlets. Pots and pans, wrapped in
grocery bags so they won't rattle, stay on board in the pantry.
The drawer carries its contents year round. The stuff in the drawer--
the corkscrew, to name one--is to valuable to misplace. If I brought
it inside, the contents would become part of the household stuff by
osmosis. Same with the plates and cookware. I once let it go into the
house at the end of spring, and that fall found myself in a state
park "country store" buying a huge enameled bucket just to be able to
cook rice. Never again!
Virtually everything else is either in a tub in the garage, organized
to be loaded in quickly and without long consideration; or it is in
the kitchen shelves in containers that slide into the pantry.
Anything else that's not a personal item is probably going in the
fridge or pantry as a consumable.
We plan what we eat, so we don't have bulky stuff on board that we
aren't going to use. I have friends who show up after a trip to Sam's
Club with five pounds of butter and huge bottles of condiments. We
don't do that. Oh, and no glass, as far as is practicable.
Jim
On Jul 11, 2007, at 11:31 PM, Ellen in Oregon wrote:
> I've been preparing tonight for a three day camping trip, starting
> tomorrow.
> It amazes me how much "stuff" I keep in the van, especially non-
> perishable
> goods. As an ASI coversion, I have one small cupboard beneath the
> sink that
> has one shelf. Here's a list of what I have in just that one
> cupboard:
>
> Tea, coffee, sugar, hot chocolate, fruit bars, scooby snacks (graham
> crackers shaped like dog bones....DON'T ASK), oatmeal, dried fruit,
> jambalya
> rice mix, top ramen, marshmallows, soy sauce, olive oil, salad
> seasoning,
> soup, tuna, baby corn, garbanzo beans, tomatoes, black olives,
> black beans,
> white rice, kidney beans, salsa, mushrooms, plates, cups, wine
> glasses,
> storage containers, campers soap.
>
> Really, it's just a matter of figuring out menus for the weekend, then
> adding to what is already there. Throw the perishables in the
> fridge when I
> get off work tomorrow afternoon, and off I go. Everything I need
> to camp is
> kept in the van. Add some clothes & food, and she's ready to
> roll. It is
> so much easier than the tent camping I used to do!
>
> Of course things vary depending on whether it is summer or winter
> (I camp
> all year around) but it is nice to have things pre-packed. Does
> everyone do
> this? Or is your van unpacked when you get home?
>
> Ellen
> Lola, '85 Vanagon ASI
>
>
> Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will
> flow
> into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own
> freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will
> drop away
> from you like the leaves of autumn.
> --John Muir
>
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