Article: Literal Car Camping

Read a great quick article on camping in cars (as opposed to my typical car camping in a tent) today over at adventure journal.

"When you set up your tent, you’re making a statement, you’re there for the night, you’ve arrived. You park your car, you could be gone any time, maybe you’re just closing your eyes for a minute. You can sleep in your car in far more obvious places — Walmart lots, for instance — than you can camp. Especially in the West, where so much land is public, you’ve got options."

Head over to check out the full article: Overlandia: Sleeping Alone in Your Car

Point Mugu Weekend Menu

I need to put a menu together for the Point Mugu trip. The weekend will be a two night, three day trip, leaving us with two breakfasts, two lunches, and two dinners. I'm looking for quick and simple menu items, preferably using all but a few perishables within the first 36 hours to save on ice. I also only have one burner so far, so the meal can't take too many d to prepare

Friday

Getting in around 2pm, so we'll have plenty of time to set up camp and not be rushed into a quick dinner.

Dinner

• Foil Packs
• Create a bowl out of heavy duty aluminum foil. Fill with ground beef, chopped vegetables (potatoes, onions, carrots, etc.). Season with salt, pepper, and whatever else you have on hand. Fold up foil pack and seal on top by folding over several times. Put on hot coals and let cook for 20-30 minutes. Open pack and check for how well the meat is done when time is up. Here's a good article for more on foil packs: Art of Manliness- Foil Packs.
• Hot Dogs- for those that can't wait for the foil pack to cook.
• Cook these over the fire with sticks

Saturday

Looking for something hardy for breakfast, something we can pack for a lunch on the beach or trail, and a full meal for dinner.

Breakfast

• Scrambled Eggs
• Scrambled in the cast iron skillet
• Fried Potatoes w/ Onions
• Sautee onions in oil on camp stove. Add potatoes and cook until crispy on the outside
• Breakfast Sausage
• Cooked in cast iron skillet

Lunch

• Sandwiches
• Have everyone prepare sandwiches after breakfast with their choice of lunch meats, sliced cheese, whole grain bread, and condiments.  Pack the sandwiches in the day packs.
• Chips
• Either buy individual bags of chips or fill up baggies from a larger bag of chips or pretzels
• Cut Veggies
• Cut up veggies and fill up a large bag to share with everyone. 

Dinner

• Baked Potatoes

• "Slice potato in half, smear each half with butter, place onions inside, put potato back together, and wrap with foil. Poke holes over the potato with a fork before you wrap it to allow for even, speedy cooking. Place potatoes on the coals or at edge of campfire. Let them bake for approximately 30 minutes or until fork tender." from Joy of Camping
• Baked Beans
• Peel the label of a can of beans, crack the lid so it doesn't explode (bean explosions are fun for no one), and set next to the hot coals to heat it up. Make sure you have something to grab this can with before you go this route though.
• Grilled (or Pan Cooked) Italian Chicken
• Marinate chicken breasts in Italian dressing in plastic bag for at least 30 minutes, or all day if you do it in the morning. Cook until well done. 

Sunday

I was looking for something quick so we can pack up and head out on time.

Breakfast

• Pancakes
• Use a quick mix, possibly one that just calls for water and make sure to oil the pan well so they don't stick.
• Scrambled Eggs (again!)

Hopefully this menu will make everyone happy, and is catered to this trip to make it simple and quick for all the meals!

Shopping list:

• Ground Beef
• Breakfast Sausage Links
• Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
• Lunch Meats
• Sliced Cheese
• Baked Beans
• Potatoes
• Onions
• Carrots
• Bags of Chips/Pretzels
• Pancake Mix
• Whole Wheat Bread
• Italian Dressing
• Seasonings- salt, pepper, etc

Car Camping Equipment Essentials Checklist (and not-so essentials)

One big thing everyone needs to be sure of for any camping trip is having the correct equipment...

Photo by Lan Bui

Which can end up being a lot.

For my trip to Point Mugu, we will be car camping (parking nearby and carrying the gear a minimal distance), so the weight and amount of gear is of little matter. At Point Mugu, we will also have picnic tables and a fire pit grill.

I have the following lists of important gear, optional gear, and items you need to regularly restock. Sorry, I currently have no specific gear listed, but I will update this later with links to all the gear that I currently own, and how you should or should not make the same purchase/mistake that I did.

Main gear for all car camping- what you need:

Shelter and Sleeping

• Tent w/ Rain Fly- unless you plan on sleeping/passing out on the ground by the fire.. no judgement
• Ground Tarp or Footprint for Tent
• Good Tent Stakes- the included stakes aren't worth the headache more often than not
• Rubber Mallet
• Sleeping bag- get an appropriate one for the weather you'll be camping in
• Sleeping pad (or air mattress, see below)- because sleeping on the bare ground sucks
• Pillow- basically necessary
• Rain Jackets or Ponchos

Cooking

• Fire Starters- matches, lighters, flint kits, or all of the above
• Way to cook your food:
• Camping stove
• Cast iron cookware for cooking on fire
• Portable Fire Pit Grill
• Cookware- Pots, Pans, Bowls, Knives
• Oven Mitt- cookware tends to get a little warm
• Water Kettle- Campsite water quality is often iffy pre-boiling
• Coolers- to keep your perishables cold
• Plastic Storage Totes- to organize dry foods and keep them dry
• Water container(s)- be it a 7 gallon tank or lots of plastic gallon jugs

General Campsite Setup

• Seating- foldable chairs, sturdy coolers, stumps at the campsite, etc
• Lanterns
• Paracord- for hanging clothes, lanterns, tarp shelters, etc.
• Extra tarps- Creating temporary shelters (in depth post eventually later)

Day Trips/Hiking

• BPA free water bottles/Nalgenes- 7 gallon tanks are no fun to take on a hike
• Backpacks- for the day trips and hiking
• Compass

Miscellaneous 

• Plastic Storage Totes- to organize everything and keep it relatively waterproof
• Duct Tape- it'll fix anything, including a tear in your tent
• Utility Knife- cut rope to size, open beers, defend your campsite, etc.

Optional gear- it's nice but not really critical to a trip:

Shelter and Sleeping

• Air mattress (for the glampers out there)
• Way to inflate air mattress (if applicable): rechargeable pump, hand pump, lungs of steel, etc.
• Portable/Travel Alarm Clock- if you don't exactly rise with the sun

Cooking

• Reusable plates and silverware- go green!
• Wind Screen for your heat source
• Coffee Press- if instant coffee in boiling water isn't good enough for you

General Campsite Setup

• Battery operated speakers- I have the GoalZero Rockout speakers
• Foldable Table- if your site has no picnic table or you just need more surface room
• Hatchet/Axe- if you feel the need (and are allowed) to get your own firewood
• Flip flops- if your campgrounds has showers you'll probably want something to cover your feet

Items to restock every time you go camping:

• FOOD- who doesn't like to eat
• Sunscreen
• Trash bags
• Paper Towels- lots
• Disposable plates and plasticware- Protip: paper plates burn far cleaner than plastic
• Dish washing soap
• Plenty of Booze- not so optional
• Firewood- although bulky for transport, is often overpriced at the campgrounds
• Stove Fuel Source (if applicable)- propane tanks, charcoal, alcohol fuel, etc.
• Aluminum Foil- good for cooking, storing food, cool hats, etc

Hope that gets everyone started on getting their gear together and thinking about what all they'll need for a car camping trip.  Let me know in the comments if I missed anything vital!

Coming up, I'll be putting together a camp menu with some easy recipes.