I'm personally working with a primitive setup.

1. 7' x 7' tent
2. Queen sized air mattress
3. 2 coolers (1 for drinks only and 1 for meat, etc to be stored in)
4. Electric lantern (No fire risk)
5. 2 cell Maglite (LED for longer battery life/ Brighter light)
6. 8' super light graphite fishing pole/Open face setup (For catching dinner) with assorted baits and lures.
7. Cooking stove (Cheap charcoal one about 16" in diameter)
8. Cooking utensils/eating utensils are just kept in a plastic bag.

I'm looking for a few ways to simplify my load, and make things tidier at the campsites; While allowing more gear to be hauled (Without removing the bed tarp) such as extra fuel cells, firewood, etc.

Here's a few pics of my setup:





My storage solution for tooth brushes, toothpaste, etc.


And here's my "Get yourself outta trouble" kits

My medical pack is up first. I have it setup on "Tier" systems that can work in tandem or be split apart for 2 people to carry.

Here's Tier 3; Everything in 1 pack.


Tier contents:


From L-R:

-Flashlight (AA)...
-Pain Reliever Capsules & Acid Reducing Capsules
-Baggy full of assorted Band-Aids, Alcohol Swabs, etc
-Hand Sanitizer
-Baggy full of Gauze/Medical Tape
-Baggy full of gloves (Approx. 4 pairs)
-Bottle of Isopropyl Alcohol and Hydrogen Peroxide





Quick med. reference charts. Laminated, waterproof... Ready to rock and roll.





Here's the Tier 2 system all packed together. It's housed in a waterproof tackle box with 3 independent latches for extra security.






The little plastic vial also has sinkers in it, and has about 30' of 10lb test line wrapped around it for extra line.








The emergency pack for the truck...

-Tire plugging kit
-Jumper Cables
-Gloves
-Waterless hand cleaner
-Magnetic 12v light with a retractable cord


So now let's see what you guys carry on a normal camping trip!

*RV's and Pull-Behind Campers are also welcome, but please be thorough with pics!

If you don't have pics, please don't "Tell" about something that we cannot visualize.

 

I forgot to add this in the first post.

I added LED cargo lamps with a toggle switch (Fused power of course, via my extra Fuseblock)

Here's the fuseblock first. It came from a Ford Ranger:








Here's the extra power point I wired in (Excuse the messy wiring, it's now all taped together and splitloomed)






And here's the cargo lamps:

The toggle switch


And the lamps on:

 

Nice, Sidewinder! A thread after my own heart!

I have basically carried what you do for years...the big difference is that we loaded everything into labeled flat-and-wide Sterilite containers which would be stable when we stacked them. Food items like salt/pepper, utensils, napkins, etc. went in one labeled container (and that's ALL that ever went in that container), tent stakes, collapsible shovels, etc. went in another labeled container...and so forth.

There are six nice things about doing it this way.
1.) Because everything is in the same type of container, you essentially "palletize" all of your gear and maximize your space by being able to stack it.
2.) Because everything is labeled, you know which container to look in if you need to find something specific.
3.) You can pack and organize everything according to its sanitary value without worrying about cross-contamination.
4.) Because the containers are containers and they have lids, you can store kindling, charcoal, matches, etc. and not have to worry about if your tonneau or camper cover leaks into the floor of the bed.
5.) Items that tend to get very dirty or wet are stored in their own container, meaning that the mess stays in the container and doesn't get all over your bed. Then, all you have to do is take out the gear, rinse out the container, and boom...you're done.
6.) If you store your gear in the containers long-term (between seasons), the containers will protect the gear, not to mention make stuff a heck of a lot easier to load out of the shed when it's time. Keep a checklist of items in each container, and if you have kids, you can let them be responsible for checking certain containers and resolving any issues. It gives them some ownership of the event.

 

Talk about a sweet thread.


Here's Myrtle the Turtle, she's still a work in progress. The camper is an 8 foot pop up Alaskan, it has two beds, one converts to an eating space. 3way fridge, stove and oven. I know Sidewinder, you said not to "tell" about something that cannot be visualized, but I got excited about the thread. I'll add pictures as things get done...

I want to build some boxes to go where the sides of the factory pickup bed were. Think outdoor kitchen, storage for water tank, "outside gear", such as chairs, grill, shovel, machete.
An underbody tool box is in the works to house the house batteries, which will be charged by the (3G) alternator when we're driving, and solar panels when we're kickin' it.
I think I'll be looking for a horizontal propane tank to go under the flatbed too.
ARB awning with mosquito net, Hi lift jack, bike rack.
Lot of stuff to get done before Sep 30, our planned departure date. Whew.

 

For me it depends completely on where I'm traveling at the moment, I'll post some pics and more detailed info later .

 

Too bad you didn't start this thread last week!

I have a truck box in the back of the Buffalo but we still manage to pack a 'full campsite' in it. We had 'kit' for three adults for three nights, two tents, two coolers, etc. A real load of stuff that didn't stick up out of the bed by much.

I will say this; To get more in your 'kit', you have to think like a backpacker sometimes. We go on reconnoiter missions to REI, Dick's, Big 5, Sports Chalet, Dom's, Mel Cotton's, Any Mountain and Sports Authority quite often. We're always looking for an item that can take up less space and still be as durable or better than the item we're replacing.

Ray

 

Neat thread idea. Your kit will/should always be changing as the more camping you do the more you will refine the things that go in it. If it doesn't work like it should discard it and replace it with something that does. If you don't use it, discard it and don't let useless items overtake all your space.

 

What I have accumulated pretty much stays. Everything in the 2 "Kits" is behind the seat and isn't taking up much real estate.

However, I do plan on adding a complete set of tools soon:

Wrenches, screwdrivers, Socket/Ratchets. Never know what you'll have to replace on the roadside or on a trailhead.

You're right, and I'm looking into adding a setup to work off the frame rails, to hold gear up in the bedsides, outta sight/outta mind.

It honestly doesn't get all that wet in that area, and it's a prime "Real Estate" area.

 

Y'all make me feel like a rookie. We just throw my o-$%/t kit (big tool bag) in and pile stuff up depending on the campground were going to. Bikes, trailer for the 1 year old take up lots of space. And again 1 year old means that plans are a waste of paper. Or must be executed to the minute, which is no fun for me. I'll try to throw up pics today.

 

We did the same thing in my Boy Scout Troop, except that we found that Sterilite containers didn't hold up as well as Rubbermade. Sterilite has the advantage that they're available in see-through plastic so you can tell what's inside. But the tubs tended to crack with the abuse they got being loaded into the trailer by a bunch of boys and we didn't sem to break Rubbermade ones. We overcame the "what's inside this one?" issue by buying Rubbermade tubs in different colors and labeling them. Eventually we just knew that the plates were in the bright purple tub, pans were in the grey one, paper towels in the light green one...

Oh, and we encouraged the boys to pack in 18 gallon Rubbermade tubs for longer campouts too. The tubs kept their clothes dry if the tent leaked, and could be used as a bed-side table. Like Schmowtie said, they pack into the truck (or trailer in our case) really well.

 

I used to be into the pack-everything-up-and-get-out-oftown-crowd,but then I moved out into the country. It's better then ANY campground out here!! Me and the kids can have a fire anytime we want,and see more wildlife then any other campground in a 200 mile radius. Also,there are no other people close,so it is QUIET except for the night creatures.

 

I live 100' from the treeline; But coincidentally 30' from the main highway.

I can drive 1/8 mile up on the hill to deer hunt, squirrel hunt, camp out and do whatever.

To be honest, I couldn't live in the city with all their restrictions and BS..

 

We live 28 miles from a town of 3100 in NW wyoming. We are way out in the sticks and have mule deer, whitetails, bears and wolves around. But we still like going camping and seeing new places. Here's our camping setup. This was last weekend at Dead Indian Pass.

 

Nice looking rig!

Any pics of how you store extra stuff, etc?

 

I don't use these camping but have many that I use in the garage. They are susceptible to cracking in the cold weather. They get kinda brittle actually. Nice to organize things but sometimes don't handle the wear and tear. The Rubbermade seem to hold up better than the Sterilite.

Almost all of our camping was ultralight backpacking. 30lb pack not counting the water. We'd do anywhere from 4- 7 days depending on location. There is always a tendency to take more stuff just because you might need it. A few backpacking trips helped break me of that habit. If it's not absolutely essential then it doesn't go.