1 Week till camping!

1 word to describe me... ANAL

Yea, I plan every detail of camping. Not to say we have a schedule, but packing, unpacking, purchasing, organizing, and planning... it's all done by me... and it's all ... analy done. Control freak? Sure I admit it. But because of this, our camping trips have been smooth sailing... even when they've been wet.

I book sites early... because I want a good site. I book rafting early... because I want a good time. I start going through my gear at least 2 weeks before to know what I need to buy. And then, I finally pack.

My clothing & personal item list:

• Underwear (1 per day + 1 extra)
• Socks (1 per day + 1 extra)
• shorts (1 pair)
• pants (1 pair)
• Tshirts/tank (1 per day)
• Sweatshirt (1)
• Bathingsuit (1)
• Water shoes (1)
• Flip Flops (1)
• Towel (1)
• Soap, Toothbrush, toothpaste, tampons, toilet paper & baby wipes
  

Aside from this, I'm wearing shorts + shirt + sneakers.

I can usually fit all these items in a medium sized back pack (school bag size). I try and only pack a backpacks worth of clothing... and if it is a bit tight, I forgo some shirts or the shorts and wear one more than once.

My Must Have List: It' wouldn't be fun without these....

• Tent, sleeping bag, tarp & lantern
• Firewood
• Food & Drinks
• My Water Bottle
• Good company

My Food Organization:

• Ice Blocks - I make my own. I fill water bottles and milk jugs with water, freeze and throw them into the cooler instead of ice. It lasts much longer. I try and clean out the jugs well and put in drinkable water too, so that on the last few days we can drink it if we are running low (mmm ice cold) or can use it to clean up right before we leave.
• Seperation - I separate food and beverages. I keep food items (meat) and milk in 1 cooler and soda, juice, beer & water in another. It helps makes sure the food cooler keeps sealed most of the day and stays ice cold.
  
• Order... the key to packing a cooler well is to have some order to your menu. I pack the last days food at the bottom (usually the meat is frozen or semi frozen) and work my way up so that the top includes the meal we will be eating first. I try and systematically freeze or chill the items based on when we are planning to consume them. Sausages, burgers and hotdogs are okay to freeze and usually thaw quickly so I freeze those most of the time.
• Fruit & Veggies, I like to place in reusable grocery bags. I leave them in the car or in the shade and they usually do fine. I try not to bring fruit and veggies that can't take a little bruising or heat. (Good veggies to bring are: eggplant, corn, assparagus, etc) (Good fruit to bring are: apples, oranges, watermelon, etc...)
• Dried goods: I keep bread, cereal, snacks, etc... in reusable grocer bags that I leave in the car and only take out when it's time to use. I've had no real problems doing this thus far.

I also bring a small soft cooler to pack our lunch for the rafting trip. We additionally bring a medium sized hard cooler for beer and water.

I can't wait for our trip!!!!!