Wisdom from Wanderers
Helpful tips and tricks for camper travels and road trips!
Some I thought of, Some I owe credit to others, but can't remember who....
Some I thought of, Some I owe credit to others, but can't remember who....
  |
* Place shampoo and other toiletries in a plastic basket with holes drilled in the bottom. It is easy to grab to go to a campground shower and you can leave everything in your carryall while you are showering - Bonus......you won't forget the soap in the first campground shower and be without for the rest of the trip!
|
  |
Have a dog? Carry those little key tags that you can write on. Write your campsite # on it and hook it to the dogs collar. You never know when the smell of steak cooking 5 sites away will turn your dog into Houdini and he will learn how to escape his tie up. (True Story about Mason)
|
|
A vented basket, hooked to the counter with Velcro makes a great bin for fresh produce on the road. All of these pretty veggies came from our garden.... yum! |
  |
Take your crockpot on the road? Occassionally we do and these liners make clean up a breeze! |
  |
Gas oven cooking tip - place an air bake cookie sheet at the bottom of the oven. This will help the air circulate your food better and even out the temperature to prevent hot spots that lead to burnt spots! |
  |
Add a collapsible crate and store it on the floor of the bathroom shower..... It can have multiple uses, but we use ours to corral dirty shoes. It keeps the camper cleaner, and it is easy to pick up and place somewhere else when the shower is in use.
|
  |
Need to hang something on the camper wall securely but with no damage? Command Picture Hanging Strips are easy to use and do the job well!
|
*Take a picture on your phone of the license plates on your truck and camper and mark it as a favorite photo..... It will make registering for a campsite so much easier and save you trips back to your site to get your license number! I cannot tell you how often I use this tip!
*Know how tall, long, and wide your rig is. Put the cargo box or kayaks or whatever else you might ever have on board and record your measurements. The length will come in handy when making reservations where there are length restrictions in smaller sites. Your width make come into play on some road restrictions such as Zion national park or the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier. And most important - Your height! Last thing you want to do is have an accident going under an overpass on vacation.
*Worried about weight? Every change of season we go through the camper and take out what we do not need at that time. You would be surprised how much weight that amounts to. For example, for snow camping in winter an extra comforter goes on the bed - but the beach towels and outdoor griddle come out. It is also a good opportunity to get rid of junk you collect. We have a large tote that we keep in the garage and the extra stuff goes there seasonally so the switch out is quick.
*Travel Day Rules - Never travel more than 3 hours at a time, 300 miles a day, or past 3pm. And....do not do this distance 2 days in a row. We break these rules all the time! But they are good rules to try to follow when planning a route to avoid being a sleepy driver.
*Dilute Bug and Tar Remover with water and put in a spray bottle. When you stop for gas you have an easy to use & effective windshield cleaner.
*Fill your refrigerator (beer, soda, water restocking) in the evening when it is cool - we do ours right before bed. That way nighttime temperatures allow for the most efficient cooling of those new items overnight.
*Parking Tip - when a site is flat and you can park in any direction, park with your refrigerator side away from the least amount of direct sun.
*Always carry small bills, $10s, $5s, and $1s. Forest Service Campgrounds have odd amounts for per night fees and often nobody to make change. Also carry a roll of quarters. Some campgrounds charge for showers and you also might need to do laundry on a trip........ Which brings me to my next tip......
*Keep a small bottle of your laundry soap (a travel shampoo bottle works well) and your dryer sheets in the rig. You may need to do some laundry on the road and the last thing you want to have to do is use a detergent that might make you irritated or smells bad.
*When you grocery shop, empty large packages into smaller storage containers etc, so that you can dispose of the excess packaging, paper, cardboard where you have services instead of storing in your rig where space is a premium.
*Have multiple memory cards for your camera for long trips, on the off chance that your camera is lost or stolen you will still have some of your memories.
*Carry rubber gloves for Black tank dumping..... Enough said!
*In a pinch, you can make a funnel from a folded paper plate. This will allow you to fill your tank with some water in places where you can't hook up
*My family will appreciate this one....... Always tell them when you are taking off, even if you plan just a couple days. You never know when you will find a great camping spot with zero cell phone service and decide to stay for SEVERAL days. They start to worry when they can't reach you unexpectedly. True Story....... Sorry Mom, Sorry Sis!
*Know how tall, long, and wide your rig is. Put the cargo box or kayaks or whatever else you might ever have on board and record your measurements. The length will come in handy when making reservations where there are length restrictions in smaller sites. Your width make come into play on some road restrictions such as Zion national park or the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier. And most important - Your height! Last thing you want to do is have an accident going under an overpass on vacation.
*Worried about weight? Every change of season we go through the camper and take out what we do not need at that time. You would be surprised how much weight that amounts to. For example, for snow camping in winter an extra comforter goes on the bed - but the beach towels and outdoor griddle come out. It is also a good opportunity to get rid of junk you collect. We have a large tote that we keep in the garage and the extra stuff goes there seasonally so the switch out is quick.
*Travel Day Rules - Never travel more than 3 hours at a time, 300 miles a day, or past 3pm. And....do not do this distance 2 days in a row. We break these rules all the time! But they are good rules to try to follow when planning a route to avoid being a sleepy driver.
*Dilute Bug and Tar Remover with water and put in a spray bottle. When you stop for gas you have an easy to use & effective windshield cleaner.
*Fill your refrigerator (beer, soda, water restocking) in the evening when it is cool - we do ours right before bed. That way nighttime temperatures allow for the most efficient cooling of those new items overnight.
*Parking Tip - when a site is flat and you can park in any direction, park with your refrigerator side away from the least amount of direct sun.
*Always carry small bills, $10s, $5s, and $1s. Forest Service Campgrounds have odd amounts for per night fees and often nobody to make change. Also carry a roll of quarters. Some campgrounds charge for showers and you also might need to do laundry on a trip........ Which brings me to my next tip......
*Keep a small bottle of your laundry soap (a travel shampoo bottle works well) and your dryer sheets in the rig. You may need to do some laundry on the road and the last thing you want to have to do is use a detergent that might make you irritated or smells bad.
*When you grocery shop, empty large packages into smaller storage containers etc, so that you can dispose of the excess packaging, paper, cardboard where you have services instead of storing in your rig where space is a premium.
*Have multiple memory cards for your camera for long trips, on the off chance that your camera is lost or stolen you will still have some of your memories.
*Carry rubber gloves for Black tank dumping..... Enough said!
*In a pinch, you can make a funnel from a folded paper plate. This will allow you to fill your tank with some water in places where you can't hook up
*My family will appreciate this one....... Always tell them when you are taking off, even if you plan just a couple days. You never know when you will find a great camping spot with zero cell phone service and decide to stay for SEVERAL days. They start to worry when they can't reach you unexpectedly. True Story....... Sorry Mom, Sorry Sis!
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.