Put your Camping tips here

[static]

I own some old Coleman lanterns, but they are banned from my campouts. Too bright! If I wanted a street light, I would stay home.

Plain 'ol kerosene lanterns are the way to go.

[steve74baywin]

Chee, I don't know if they are tips or preferences....

We now go light on the cooking food department,,,fruits, veggies, nuts, pre made stuff..

I prefer Huricane Lanterns using citronella over coleman laterns which I think are too bright and artificial...

I set up a tarp going from the pop top to poles or trees if it is going to be very sunny or a chance of rain...

[chachi]

i love those premade indian food packets that you just boil and serve.

[Sylvester]

i love those premade indian food packets that you just boil and serve.

I will have to check those out. I will have a couple of MRE's just in case. My laterns by the way are the old kerosene ones too. I will need to get rods to hang them from. I am thinking of getting a screened in dining fly to have outside the Bus, so we can drive away and leave stuff. Good for the daytime (shade, breeze thru screens) and nightime (mosquito's, had enought of them in Korea and Florida). Maybe with zippered windows, just in case it rains. Not much worse than all your gear getting wet.

[PDXpaulie]

not exactly revolutionary, but we bring a small 2-person tent we call "the shed". takes up about as much space as a loaf of bread when stored. When we want/need to drive somewhere, everything is hidden from view and not in-bus. Gives us more space at night too.
I like this thread. I'll be referencing it for sure before the next trip. Thanks for the great ideas.

[twinfalls]

Take a shot gun. Well, may be, don't.
I camped, my Westy in the Las Vegas campgroud.
( this was ( 1978 ) mostly a parking lot, but near center city, with decent laundry facilities and shitters ).
I made a late move, to visit the city; I came back to see, a ass hole had move my stuff to sit at my place with a huge RV, with plenty of AC's running.
Thanks to not carrying fire weapons, at that time, this shit head is alive, and I am not in some Nevada jail, today.
Please, give hell to those kind of guys. Kick their ass for me.
You know what. Bring me this thash in front of me, and I won't care about any jail.
In 1978 I was a french with shy respect. Nowdays I do not care with un-limited no shame respect, Whatever happens.
In 2 words: Fuck off.
I DO NOT CARE

[Elwood]

twinfalls you really make me smile- I like you and your input here. I,ve been camping for over (glitch) yrs. starting with parents pulling a teardrop trailer behind a buick to see yellowstone, carlsbad caverns ect. Drove thru the giant sequois when I was 5yrs old. As Static said about keeping the feeling of family camping alive, I agree. These new propane laterns are so bright but really easy to use. I will be taking my trusty little kersosen on the arctic trip. And the sprayer for a shower you suggested Joe is a really good thang. Have a sunshower bag but for one night stop overs won,t work. This is a great thread and almost even bought folgers coffee for my tp but at $6+dollars I passed and will buy some baby wipes but worrie about the bio sitch. I use a large commercial laundry soap bucket w/ tight lid. Height is right and put a small amount of water in it to ease cleaning and dumping and flushing or digging a hole and covering. Always use the bushes when possible and cover my tracks.

[IFBwax]

Oh boy I can hear you guys calling me wimp all the way from here, but I actually perfer the battery powered laterns. Not only is it very safe, but can also serve as a nightlight. You don't have to worry about relighting it in the middle of the night if you have to turn it on.. and through a whole season of camping, I didn't need to change the batteries.

Yeah it's not the same as my old Coleman one, but my new Coleman one gets the most use.

Has anyone definitively figured out who the front curtains work in a Westy.. I just kind of wrap them around the visors. Are there supposed to be snaps in the middle above the windshield. It always sags in the middle.

[Elwood]

IFBwax, almost called you Jimmy because of your sig. Ha Ha

Have you read his books? fun reads and good insite about about travlin with children.

Everyones sitch is differant and I sure do understand with your family why you like the new trick stuff. I camped alot with my then little girls in vw buses and used all that was available at time It is all good and fun. No judgment from me on your choices.

[LiveonJG]

Has anyone definitively figured out who the front curtains work in a Westy.. I just kind of wrap them around the visors. Are there supposed to be snaps in the middle above the windshield. It always sags in the middle.

Had the same problem with the OG front cutain in my first Westy, ended up using small clamps to hold it to the visors. I needed to make new curtains for my current bus. The pattern came from here. The front curtain is a two piece deal that works really well.
-John

[Elwood]

Lots of wooden close pins are a good thing. I too have two misterious snap fasteners over windsheild that if used would sag in middle. But alas mine is a '69 westy walk-thru weekender and have never found what goes where in the curtain dept. Just been jury riggin' privacy for years

[77_Bus_Girl]

As for good mood lighting, you just can't beat tiki torches. I've got 2 small tabletop ones and these - the holders I made are pretty ghetto, but they work! I get a lot of comments on these - (you may have to click on it to make it big enough to see...)
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[Hippopotabus]

Oh boy I can hear you guys calling me wimp all the way from here, but I actually perfer the battery powered laterns

WIMP!!!!!!!!!!!!

[covelo]

i love those premade indian food packets that you just boil and serve.

Those Tasty Bite things with some Trader Joe's couscous and a good beer go a very long way for dinner. These are our favorite:



They even sell them at amazon now!

[LiveonJG]

All fine and well, but how do you grill something like that?

-John