What is your "packing list" for camp?

[Maestro]

We'll be attending our first rondezvous next month (Eastern Primitive in PA)! We're excited but a little nervous at the same time. I was hoping some of you experienced trekkers and rondezvous-ers could help this pilgrim out by showing us a list of things that you pack for a week-long event or just give us some little "tips & tricks". I'm "dragging" :winking: Mrs. M. along and need to keep her happy too! She's not into the shooting activities, but she sure does like to talk and I'm sure she'll meet some new friends that she can do that with! :: We'll also have our two kids - ages 4 & 6. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

The following list was provided in another thread by Wart :thanks: and has already made me consider some things I wouldn't have thought of - but I thought I'd start a new thread so's not to hijack that other one. Do you have anything you might add to this list?

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Wart's Packing list for EPR -

1, Tent,poles,ropes,stakes, plastic tarp & ground cloth - don't laugh, many have forgot one or the other. Extra rope and a few stakes is always good to have.
2. Whatever you wish for bedding and comfort inside the lodge as whats in your lodge doens't need to be pc if its kept out of site (cots, mattress - if you use an air mattress you'll need plenty of covers over it to keep you warm as they tend to freeze you in cold weather)- sleeping bags, blankets (wool) - sheets for warm weather is nice - a couple towles and wash cloths.
3. Wood table, wood chairs, wood boxes, lanterns (wood or metal - please remember candles, leave the lamp oil ones at home).
4. Cooking irons, grate, pots & pans (you can use granite ware if you must, cast iron is good - cooper & tin would be better ... pewter or wooden ware for eating & drinking is proper anytime/place.
5. A braiser - you can use lump charcoal or kingsford (not matchlite)- keep charcoal in a burlap bag or hidden - wooden matches, flint & steal. - if your going to use starters, try to make up some at home that don't stink.
6. Extra canvas, burlap or blankets to keep non-pc items covered (like your cooler)- you'll need a burlap bag to tote ice.
7. Dried foods, can goods, easy fixings that will keep - you need to figure this out for yourself (don't forget the can opener) - couple of plastic garbage bags.
8. Water - take more than you think you'll need even though they have water on site, things happen and you'll wish you had brought some with you.
9. Some good firewood from home - yep, same as water a shovel to dig the firepit.
10. Plenty of period clothing for all - pack for hot, cold and wet conditions - a hat or two - don't forget your capote.
11. Extra mocs, period shoes, boots, wooden shoes - extra socks.
12. A first aid kit and extra medications you may need - extra contacts and a mirror.
13. Your gun, shooting bag, bow & arrows, hawk & knife.
14. Toilet paper & baby wipes - keep a hooter bag made up to take with you to the hooters (a canvas or cloth bag will do)- laugh if you must but once you use one, you'll wonder why you hadn't thought of it before.
15. A list of what you think you'll need - then one with what you can afford - MONEY

Go, enjoy yourself - try not to burn yourself out the first day or two - this goes for your money as well. You'll have plenty of time to buy what you want and visit with friends as well as make new ones.
Also remember - after dark, all those white tents tend to look alike should you happen to be far from home and have tipped the jug a bit more than you should have. - Wart

 

[Trina]

I will second the baby wipes...they are great for a quick clean up..adults and babys alike... if you have two kids.. take refills...

I would also recomend sitting down and figuring out a food plan (menu) for the week... you can always use one cooler with dry ice in it to keep some things frozen for later in the week..

alot of the BIG rendezvous have classes, so maybe DW will get interested in some of the artwork, or crafts...I take an inkle loom with me to rendezvous, but I also shoot and enjoy dutch oven cooking.. so I am always trying a new recipe as well...the list you have looks pretty good to me, Have fun eace:

Oh one more thought...A&D ointment for the chapped areas, neosporin ointment for the little owies, and sunscreen. A couple of burlap bags for your garbage sacks...

 

[soquili]

Babywipes are indeed a lifesaver at a 'voo, and not just for babies! I always take them, no matter where I'm camping now. Great for freshening up if it's hot, better than bathing in ice water if it's cold. ::

I'd add a cell phone (TURN THE RINGER OFF AND KEEP IT OUT OF SIGHT or in the tent) for emergencies only. I bring a shovel to dig a fire pit, and some iron stuff for the fire - Hitching-rail-type-thing (sorry I forgot the name of it) for hanging coffee pots and kettles off of, some s-hooks for that, a grill, etc. But if you have a braiser, fire irons aren't necessary, just maybe a long-handled fork and wooden spoon. I just like the look of wrought iron, but it is heavy.

I bring a spare piece of canvas to lay on top of the bed blankets in case some rain comes down through the tipi at the top - I don't have an ozan. Never really needed it much, but it can be used for other things - covering the stack of firewood, for example, to keep it dry.

Bring a dishpan and a little dish soap to wash plates and pots with, and a PC scrubby thing or dishcloth. Don't use very much soap when washing, not like you do at home - soap is hard to rinse off, and if you leave it on, well, it will make you wish you had camped a LOT closer to the hooter!

Bring a flashlight for emergencies, like taking a kid with diarrhea to the hooter in the middle of the night. God forbid, but sometimes it happens! ::

If it's a big event, some of the vendors are bound to have kid toys there, like wooden pop-guns, wooden swords, etc. so wait till ya get there and see what they have in the way of kid entertainment. A deck of cards is good, if they like to play go-fish. They'll make friends with other kids there and be having a great time.

I bring something easy to fix for lunch, like sandwiches, since I'm usually busy with weapons events or shopping till I drop, during the day and don't want to slave over a fire for an hour cooking just then. If it's a big week-long event, there will more than likely be some kind of cook-tent/restaurant there, where you can get meals - bring money, but they're priced reasonable. Those packages of instant oatmeal and grits are good for breakfast, cheap and quick. Don't forget coffee and/or hot chocolate.

And try to restrain yourself on buying ALL the gear you'll think you need at your first 'voo. :: Not all of what you see will be totally PC, and you may change your mind later about what you want/need, or just plain don't want to carry. :: Give yourself time, ask folks like you're doing here, and see what works for YOU.

Most of all, remember to HAVE FUN!!!!!!!
:m2c:
Patsy

 

[donk]

With the two youngsters, don't forget stuff for smores the kids will never forgive you. Also be sure to have extra bedding in case one should get sick (I know this from a very bad experience) there is nothing worse than having a kid trying to sleep in a wet sleeping bag or one that smells bad. :boohoo:

 

[Ridge]

I've been doing this for 9 years now and the best advice I can give you is this;

You can never have too many socks or too much beer.

 

[LFord]

A few other things that come in real handy:
A small toolkit. Mine has a small saw, brace and bits, screwdrivers, pliers, claw hammer, a small box of assorted nails and screws, spokeshave, roll of string, 50' of 1/4 rope and a roll of duct tape.

Corn broom, cleaning the tent off as you fold and pack it away could end up saving you quite a bit of money.

Leave one full set of clothes packed up in the car, in a worst case, everything gets flooded out situation you still have something warm and dry to wear.

For fire starters I fill cardboard egg cartons with fabric scraps, dryer lint, and sawdust and then pour candle wax over them.

Period and non-period lighting. Until you get used to doing this a small battry powered lantern will be one of the most inportant things you own.

I have a game bag that travels to every event with me. It is a wooden box with a reversible lid and has all of the parts for chess, checkers, backgammon, cribbage, and dominos. I also toss in a bag of wooden poker chips and a deck of period style playing cards. The whole thing fits into a leather haversack that a friend of mine made for me. With two young kids you are going to want to have something for them to do and these games can provide a bit of distraction while you get done a few things that need to be done.
Plan on getting the kids as involved as possible, sneak a bag of marshmallows into your food bag, I don't think there is a 4 year old alive that doesn't love marshmallows roasted over a camp fire. A little walking scavenger hunt with the kids where you have a list of about 10 simple items and you walk the kids around the camp and they have to try and spot things is a great way to get them used to being in a primitive camp and learn what things are called.

 

[graybeard]

At the end of each trip make a note of what you didn't use and don't take it again. Obviously, this doesn't include rain gear, first aid kits and the like. But most folk take way too much stuff on camping trips. graybeard

 

[Mad Irish Jack]

Lots o' gooood advice here. eace: Just a note on water. Like stated, Take way more than you think you'll need. Your body has a liking for it's usual hydrating liquids. :thumbsup: So most of what you bring is for drinking, mouth/dental care and cooking. Strange water CAN make food taste different. :hmm: To help on space savin', you can use 1/2 gallon plastic containers and freeze water in and use as ice in your coolers; and when it melts, you drink it. Bring a fire, water bucket for your fire pit safety. Should be at least 2 gallons. :winking: Also have another 1 to 2 gallon container to haul water from the buffalo or local water water source. This water you use for the fire bucker, to wash up in, and whatever else you need to clean. Boil this water to wash and rinse cook and eat wares. Boil this water and temper it with cold to wash yourselves in. This will go a long way in keeping your health on the sunny side. ::
Oh, yeh, Maestro, be a little like you say your wife is. Ask lots of questions of the folks you meet. I guar...en...darn...teeee you they'll answer by a talkin' you a new set o' ears. :crackup: :crackup: Enjoy yourselves. :crackup: :crackup:

 

[Doc Arroyo]

Watch fo the last minute changes and repairs. Those are the things that get left behind. Sometimes for near disaster!

A friend of mine used to put his waterproofing solution on and then stick the mocs in the oven to warm the leather...I guess he did this the night before he went to the rendevous. I got a call a day or two later...his wife got ready to put a batch of cookies in the oven, and found a pair of moccasins still in her oven. ::

I got to the rain-de-vous and Chicken Glenn was a little on the miserable side. Soaking wet feet from three days in the rain. He was damned glad to see me carrying his #1 pair of wet weather moccs! ::

 

[Johnny Tremain]

Wow,

Cept my shootin stuff, I take my blanket coat and canvas to sleep in. Find a friends fire to cozzy up to at night


Some jerky and bread and cheese to eat. Canteen for water.

Lots and lots of powder and ball

 

[oomcurt]

Sounds to me like the way to travel! That said...er..how does one get dressed in the morning in mixed company? I can see it on a personal hunting trip but for a rondy? Might be a bit interesting...Seriously...I have thought about that..I do like the idea of traveling light..always have. I haven't as yet gone to a rondy, but was thinking along the lines of using a diamond tent..but if the weather was decent I would rather do what you do. Any ideas or info?

 

[Doc Arroyo]

This is usually the way I go to weekenders when the wife is staying home. I usually roll an extra shirt & such in the blanket.

As for gettin dress in the morning, I can do most of it under the blanket if I feel modest. But I am often the first one up in camp, and the ladies are in their tents, so not many folks are about to see anything anyway! :thumbsup:

 

[Maestro]

Thank you all so much for the replies. You've all given me some ideas I never would have thought of some of which are...
- extra water & firewood from home & burlap bag to tote ice
- dry ice to keep things frozen longer
- use only a LITTLE soap!
- extra bedding for kids
- extra socks!
- toolkit & scavenger hunt for the kids
- freeze extra water in containers
... and all the others.
MANY :thanks: :thanks: :thanks:!!!!!