RE: what to pack?

[madrone]

 
I ve been the proud owner of a 2000 Coleman Bayside for 2 weeks now. We took it out for its maiden voyage last weekend, and everything went well. At the end of September, we re taking off for a one-month trip to British Columbia. In the meantime, we re trying to figure out what to pack to keep a tent trailer running smoothly.
 
 What do you carry in your trailer?  What sorts of trailer maintenance and repair supplies do you carry?  What sorts of cooking and household equipment do you carry?  What are the things that you find indispensable that I d never think of packing?
 
 Thanks in advance.
 

[tlhdoc]

 madrone
Duct tape
 Fuses for all electrical items in trailer
 Tool kit that stays in my tow vehicle all the time
 Can opener
 Long lighter
 Clothes line
 Plastic sheeting for covering stuff when it rains
 Chairs
 Fire starters
 Pen and Paper
 DC powered air pump for tires
 and more...

[cb]

 madrone
Try tim5055 s website.  He has a very good list.

[wssfetch]

 madrone
Heather,
 
 If you don t already have these for your PU, you might want to invest in some stacking plastic drawers.  Many of use these to pack clothing and personal items, linens, foodstuffs.  They can ride in your tow vehicle or on the floor of the camper during travel and then when you are set up they can sit on a cabinet.  Much easier to keep the camper neat and tidy that way.  
 
 Don t forget some arrangement for dirty clothing because if you are out for a month you ll certainly be accummulating some.  The pop-up mesh hampers are great of this purpose.  The hamper can sit on a bunk during the day or under your awning and is easy to carry to when you do laundry.
 
 One thing that helps is to stock your camper with items that will belong to the camper and not be moved back and forth from the house--tool kit, cleaning materials, cooking and eating utensils, food storage items, first aid kit, etc., etc.  Think about whether you want to bring a small tv with you, or a microwave.
 
 Take care and have a great time on your adventure!

[SheBantam]

 madrone
Heather, if you have a Dollar Tree near you or other Dollar Store, they are great!
 Almost my whole tool box was stocked at Dollar and discount stores.
 
 Even though I have a wire clothes rack that folds flat, I also have 2 clothes lines (I use them to keep the egg crate matress pads rolled up when the beds are put up), but they are great to wrap around trees, where allowed to hang clothes, the ones I have the hooks on each one.
 
 I have a popup garbage can that fold s flat for travel and holds 30 gallon trash bags.
 
 A seperate sets of pots and pans and cooking utensils, as well as flat ware and plastic dishes, though we do use mostly plastic ware and styro foam plates.
 A must! a griddle pan, I have both the square one and the 2 burner kind, all depends if I need both burners to fix a meal.
 A Microwave just for the camper or a toaster oven, or both if room allows.
 
 A thermo electric cooler like the Power-chill, now called road trip (walmart has them with the $40.00 AC adapter included)
 A 5 day regular cooler, made by Rubbermaid, igloo or Coleman. Walmart has the Coleman for under $20.00.
 
 You will find out what you Need and what you want, it has take me two years to get what I need and want, my latest aquisistions is an 18 volt drill (Coleman for $39.99) and a socket Genie for my stablizers only. Also an old fashioned dining fly. Do have an EZ up awning and an Insta-set screened room also.
 Oh yes, do not forget a camping mat or rug. I started out with a Homedepot astro turf and now have a camping mat like PUT is selling. This was the talk of my neighbors at Harper s Ferry KOA this last weekend, no one had seen one, but then again, none of them had heard of PUT...
 

[madrone]

 madrone
Thanks for the replies so far.  This forum has given me a lot of food for thought. Reading through the old posts has even helped me solve a few minor problems already.
 
 The Bayside is at the high end of our towing capacity, in terms of the vehicle frame. We should have plenty of power, because the Sienna has the same engine that Toyota puts in its half-ton pickup (which can pull a trailer almost twice the size of ours). Anyway, we re trying to pack the essential into the vehicle, but not a lot of extra.  We figure we have about 800 pounds to spare for cargo.
 
 Ah, but what s essential and what s extra?  My husband (who would have taken his pillow backpacking if he could have gotten away with it) has different views than I (who drilled holes in my toothbrush to lighten my load) do.  Naturally.
 
 For example, he likes the portapotty/Paha Que teepee idea.  I tend to think we can manage with a toddler potty seat and a beach towel.  I d love feedback on portapotties. How often do you need them? Do they pull their weight? Are they a bother to clean and maintain?
 
 Our other big area of disagreement is outdoor seating.  I think that a couple of folding chairs and a second table would help keep the natives happy.  My husband thinks this is overkill, and that I ought to be able to manage the cooking, feeding, and game-playing on the 4-person table in the trailer.
 
 After the last trip, I like the idea of camp mats.  The kids were constantly tracking dirt into the trailer.
 
 We already have a set of dishes and pots and pans in the trailer, along with bedding, toiletries, and other camping basics.
 
 Oh, I d love to stop talking about it and just go camping!
 

[wssfetch]

 madrone
Heather,
 
 You NEED an outside table.  Get one of those roll-up aluminum tables at Sams Club.  You won t regret it!   Wal-Marts and Targets have good camping supply departments if you find that you really need something that you didn t think to bring along.  What ever you do, you want to try to keep down clutter in the PU.  Hence the folding trash baskets, folding hampers, plastic drawers, etc.  
 
 As far as weight, your camper s owners manual may provide weights for the options on your camper like step, awning, spare tire, propane tanks, AC, etc.  Then look at weights on things you bring along like tv, microwave, tables, chairs, cookware, clothing, water, food, etc.
 
 Portapottie and tent is worth its weight in gold.  Portapotties are easy to clean.  The tent provides privacy, especially if you have visitors.  And if you have the tent set up outside with the pottie it can double as a shower tent and then you can also use the potty cabinet inside the PU for additional storage when you are set up.
 
 

[Camping Coxes]

 madrone

Our other big area of disagreement is outdoor seating. I think that a couple of folding chairs and a second table would help keep the natives happy. My husband thinks this is overkill, and that I ought to be able to manage the cooking, feeding, and game-playing on the 4-person table in the trailer.

 Tell your husband to make a meal, and he ll change his tune about the outside table being unnecessary.
 
 I have the table that folds in half.  It makes it easy to pack because it s flat and lightweight.  The table that rolls up is also great, but you have " seams"  for things to fall into.  I ve always prepared our food outside to avoid smells in the camper.  I set it up right next to the outside stove.  All the food prep is done out there.  The cooler is usually stored under the table, which keeps it close at hand and out of the sun.  The tables at most campgrounds are not in a convenient position for cooking or are too nasty to go near.  Bring a chair for each person for outside.

[garym053]

 madrone
My wife and camping friends have nicknamed me Gadgetman, for wanting and buying everything I can for camping! Now after 4 years of Popping up, I am downsizing!
 The plastic drawers for clothes and stuff is a very good idea. I am going to rig up some folding handles so I can pack them in the house and carry them to the camper.
 We NEVER cook or eat in the camper! We carry a small folding table or have used the dinnette table outside. The only food allowed to be stored in the camper is canned food. We camp with bears " in the  hood"  and while I love to see them, I don t want them visiting me. So I agree with you on a table. And by the way, I do all the cooking!
 We had a thermoelectric cooler- broke after the 3rd use! Never missed it! Besides if you forget and leave it plugged into a 12v source, it can drain your battery in less than 2 hours! I plan on changing out all my coolers for the newer extreme coolers as they wear out or get too grundgy looking. Ice is cheaper than calling for a jump start!
 I used to carry a Grill2go AND a Sports Stove, instead of suffering with the low pressure stove that came with the camper. Now I use a Road Trip Grill with all the different cooking surfaces and that replaces everything else. (of course there is usually only 2 of us, but have cooked for 8 on it!)
 Duct Tape, tarps, Tool Kit, spare fuses, bulbs, and batteries are all good ideas. Do a few weekend trips before the BIG one if you can. You ll soon learn what you need.
 I envy you on a month trip to BC! There but for the lack of winning the lottery go I! Have fun and good luck!

[GNAPLUS2]

 madrone
CONGRATS ON YOUR PU PURCHASE - YOU LL ENJOY IT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU RE WELL-PACKED!
 
 HERE S A TIP OR TWO:
 
 CLEANING: THE ANTIBACTERIAL/DISINFECTANT WIPES ARE A BREEZE WHEN IT COMES TO CLEANING THE STOVE TOP & TABLES AFTER COOKING.  THEY USUALLY COME IN A CANISTER TYPE CONTAINER WHICH IS EASY TO STORE.  BETTER THAN A SPRAY CLEANER AND A TON OF PAPER TOWELS.
 
 KEEPING THE FLOOR CLEAN:  WE HAVE A LARGE FAKE GRASS RUG WE ROLL OUT FROM THE STAIRS TO THE END OF THE AWNING.  WE USE A BROOM A FEW TIMES A DAY TO KEEP THE ROCKS AND DIRT OFF AND BEFORE WE STEP INSIDE, WE HAVE A ASTROTURF GRASS MAT THAT CATCHES A LOT OF DIRT.  
 
 PLATES: WE USE PAPER PLATES AN AWFUL LOT BECAUSE THE SINKS IN THE PU S ARE SMALL!!  THE LESS I HAVE TO TRY TO WASH IN THE SINK, THE BETTER!
 ( I ALSO THROW COOKING AND EATING UTENSILS IN THE DISHWASHER ONCE I GET HOME TO BE SURE THEY GOT A GOOD CLEANING BEFORE THE NEXT TRIP.)
 
 TOILETRIES:  I ABSOLUTELY LOVE MY LL BEAN PERSONAL BAG.  IT HOLDS EVERYTHING WE COULD NEED!!  IT ZIPPERS CLOSED AND HAS BOTH MESH AND SOLID INSIDE POCKETS FOR SMALL ITEMS, PLUS A WIDE ARRAY OF POCKETS FOR LARGE SIZED SHAMPOOS, SOAPS, SHAVING STUFF, HAIR DRYER, DEO S,  SUNSCREENS, ETC.  AND IT ALSO HAS ELASTIC LOOPS WHICH ARE PERFECT FOR TRIAL SIZED TOILETRIES.  
 THESE BAGS COME IN DIFFERENT SIZES TO ACCOMODATE OVERNITE TRIPS TO WEEK LONG TRIPS!!
 
 A FEW MORE NECESSITIES: HOOK FOR KEYS, UMBRELLA, POTHOLDERS, TRIVETS, TABLECLOTHS, CITRONELLA CANDLES, GLOW STICKS FOR EMERGENCIES AND TO SEE KIDS AT NITE, EXTRA POWER STRIP, NOTEPAD AND PEN FOR CAMPGROUND LIKES AND DISLIKES, HANGERS FOR CLOTHING, CLOTHESPINS AND ROPE, WALKIE TALKIES, THROW BLANKET FOR CHILLY NITES BY THE FIRE.
 OH AND GAMES FOR RAINY DAYS.
 
 BEST OF LUCK TO YOU!
 -AMY & GARY

[birol]

 madrone
The most important item : Beer.
 
 
 You are welcome [8D][]

[TheWallRocks]

 madrone
You will love your Bayside!
 
 Sometime later I ll post what we pack in our Bayside, but I saw your question specific about porta-potties.  We picked up a Thetford 235 last Fall because we did a lot of cold-weather camping and didn t want to walk to the restrooms in the cold in the middle of the night.  I have to say we use it all the time......  not sure how we ever lived without it before.  They are very easy to use, fill, and empty.  They are designed very well so emptying is a very " clean"  process.  
 
 Someone had a post here a while back about porta-potti rooms for $20 and we picked one of those up..... though I can t seem to find the post.  It is perfect for such a use and it folds flat to lay on the beds while popped down.  Maybe someone can find the post and let you know where they are available.  We get asked almost every trip where we got the room, and I honestly can t remember.
 
 More later.....
 

[TheWallRocks]

 madrone
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?p=WX2&i=70406
 
 That s the link for the $20 potti/changing room.  Worth 5 times that.