What camping/cooking gear is “must haveâ€

[Mukilteo]

I camp alone & am not much of a cook. I'm out to relax and read a book, not slave over a stove. I've been known to load up a bunch of MRE's.
Coleman 2 burner propane stove.
Frying pan & lid.
2 quart Soup pot.
1 each knife, fork, spoon, spatula, metal plate.
Pepper, & Mrs. Dash
I still take too much and need to leave more at home. Now did I really need those solar patio lights? No.

[bobhenry]

Bob Henry you got my attention! I purchased a party ball as well.
Mike W

Hey that make 4 of us !!!!!! KOOL !

Is it something you just picked up off of E bay or a lucky find at Goodwill or something you had laying around ????

Either way you will love it if you hate paper plates like I do !

[ParTaxer]

Picked it off Ebay. Told my wife to look at it and she said " Oh my God we wanted those so bad when we were kids". Next thing I knew she had bought it off Ebay. Hope you and Ol' what's her name are doing well.
Merry Xmas!
Mike

[bobhenry]

The only reason I knew to look for one was mom and dad had one when we were kids. We never camped but we did a lot of day trips to the state parks and picniced with "Ingrid" so when I decided to go minimal in the teardrop I knew I had to find one.

Found one on E bay and it was missing a couple parts so I bid on a second for the extras parts . I bought it real reasonable and 5 weeks ago I was walking thru Goodwill and another partial set was on the shelf for $5.00 I grabbed it also.

The other thing I remembered was a 4 stack of aluminum pans that locked together into a tote. Mom would make 3 or 4 sides and clamp them together to carry them to the picnic. I found the exact same one in a resale shop for $7.00


Congratz "Ingrid will serve you well and you will love it.

[TwilightLane]

I don't know if this has been said yet, but I highly recommend a headlamp.

I really like this one: http://www.rei.com/product/791312

Steer clear of Princeton Tec. In my _experienced_ opinion their lights are garbage. Shoddy design and construction. I strongly recommend Petzl.

[ParTaxer]

Absolutely, head lamps are a must!

[Blumie]

Jenn wrote, "I'd like to get my gear into two to four 10 gallon (37.9L) 24 x 16 x 8¾" Rubbermaid containers," and made me smile. I once walked around a packed Tuolumne Meadows campground in Yosemite, looking at folks' camping containers. Almost 100% of campers had at least one -- usually more -- Rubbermaid. Some Sterlite plastics, a few cardboard boxes. Rubbermaid should run a line called Campmaid!

I discovered that the Rubbermaid tubs of the same length & width as Jenn's container dimensions will fit into the Coleman folding stove stand. We carry our main kitchen equipment in a deeper version of Jenn's Rubbermaid Roughneck, and now it rests up out of the dirt, at an easy height for reaching into for the colander or saucepan. DSH prefers sturdier surfaces for his camp stove than the folding stand (which can be aggravating if he wants to spread the kitchen all over the campsite -- that's what the galley is for!), so I set the kitchen tub on it & am a much happier camper to not have to stand on my head to find things.

Dear Sweet Husband & I have found the tubs so handy in teardrop living that we've dispensed with suitcases and duffle bags for our clothes, too. One Rubbermaid tub of the dimensions cited by Jenn is equal to a large dresser drawer -- one that can be stacked on the trailer tongue or roof & left out overnight in the rain, as long as the lid is snapped on.

[jhb]

One can always overstock one's galley, but at a minimum you need a sink with hot and cold running water, a 12v refrigerator, 3 burner stove with oven, and a someone to camp with that can bake a pumpkin pie.



It was amazing how friendly our neighbors became when the pie came out of the oven... (the pie was eaten before I remembered I needed a picture of it.)

What do you really need in a TD galley? What ever you want. Make it your own, and if you don't get it right the first time, change it!

[Alleged User]

We use these caps from LL Bean and we love them. The lights are so inconspicuous that you can wear the cap all the time and only use the lights when necessary. Well made, and the lights are bright and very effective. No more hunting for the flashlight. Just reach up and click on your hat.

I like those Ingrid party ball sets alot, but I'm not a big fan of bright primary colors, so hadn't bought one...until today, when I found this one on etsy. The price was right, and it's a nice retro color. Can't wait to get it.

[bobhenry]

One can always overstock one's galley, but at a minimum you need a sink with hot and cold running water, a 12v refrigerator, 3 burner stove with oven, and a someone to camp with that can bake a pumpkin pie.



It was amazing how friendly our neighbors became when the pie came out of the oven... (the pie was eaten before I remembered I needed a picture of it.)

What do you really need in a TD galley? What ever you want. Make it your own, and if you don't get it right the first time, change it!

I've said it many times before a 32 cup coffee maker make an excellent red neck hot water heater. A must for K.P. duty ya just can't wash greasy dishes in cold water.

[bobhenry]

We use these caps from LL Bean and we love them. The lights are so inconspicuous that you can wear the cap all the time and only use the lights when necessary. Well made, and the lights are bright and very effective. No more hunting for the flashlight. Just reach up and click on your hat.

I like those Ingrid party ball sets alot, but I'm not a big fan of bright primary colors, so hadn't bought one...until today, when I found this one on etsy. The price was right, and it's a nice retro color. Can't wait to get it.

WaHoo another convert. The built in flatware is a neat thing.

There is one thing to say for the multi colored sets if every user in the party is given" A " color you know who's is who's .

[jhb]

I've said it many times before a 32 cup coffee maker make an excellent red neck hot water heater. A must for K.P. duty ya just can't wash greasy dishes in cold water.

Is it "camping" if there is power in the camp site?

[bobhenry]

Good question !

They keep having our gatherings at State Parks in the electric sections and I have become soft and spoiled.

I did have 3 NO POWER outings this season just to get back to real Camping and it is different.

Yes I have a big pot and can boil water!

[legojenn]

I like the look of the party ball and himmed and hawwed about getting one, but I ended up getting the GSI Infinity 4 Person Deluxe Tableset.



http://www.gsioutdoors.com/detail.aspx? ... 7&p=75400&

It compresses down to 9.5 inches cubed into a nice little bag. I keep the flatware in the Kitchen 23.



http://www.gsioutdoors.com/detail.aspx? ... 23%26&c=3&

I'm a real fan of GSI productsand have no connection to them. It's just that I am a member of Mountain Equipment Co-op and they carry a lot of their products. I've never bought anything from that brand I didn't like.

I think that my next purchase is going to be one of the Bugaboo cooksets.

http://www.gsioutdoors.com/search.aspx?q=bugaboo&p=1&

Oooh, GSI even sells dutch ovens.... http://www.gsioutdoors.com/search.aspx?q=dutch+oven&

[Cliffmeister2000]

One can always overstock one's galley, but at a minimum you need a sink with hot and cold running water, a 12v refrigerator, 3 burner stove with oven, and a someone to camp with that can bake a pumpkin pie.



It was amazing how friendly our neighbors became when the pie came out of the oven... (the pie was eaten before I remembered I needed a picture of it.)

What do you really need in a TD galley? What ever you want. Make it your own, and if you don't get it right the first time, change it!

Nice Galley!