Perpetual Ruminations

Out of Chaos Comes Order

After our first camping trip, we've been reorganizing, adding items, and removing unneeded items from our camper. We had some of it organized, but with the idea that our two teens would also be camping with us. Now, no teens, just my wife, the dogs, and I are camping.

Also, much of our camping gear was packed in storage for the winter, with the intent to put it away properly before going camping. But, it's a pop-up, or as I like to call it, a mobile tent, so we didn't want it wet, and the weather ensured that we would not be opening it up before we left. So, we hastily threw much of the gear in the front storage compartment and in the back of the SUV.

Once on-site, we hurriedly set up, since it was getting late in the afternoon, and things kind of got stuffed wherever we could find room. It was fine for the time being, but we knew we would have to go through everything and organize our camper. We also had more room since we didn't need extra bedding and clothing, and we only needed to pack one cooler for the two of us. (Of course, it would have been better to put most of the refrigerated food items in the little fridge in the camper, but that would require opening it, which we didn't get the opportunity to do.

The cooler also doubled as a place to keep water and beverages cool since the camper fridge is pretty small. But, we have a half-sized fridge that I thought would fit in the camper, and we brought that out of storage. It fits nicely, and now we have no need to bring the cooler.

Another issue was the vault toilets! They were pretty clean, but the flies were terrible. The shower and modern facilities were at the other end of the campground, so a long walk or the need to drive. During the day it wasn't as bad, but at night it's a pain to have to run to the bathrooms, or even use the vault toilet. I mean, by the time I get dressed enough to wander out, keep the dogs mellow, and slip out into the cool night air, I've woken my lovely spouse who will likely also need to use the toilet now. By the time I return, I doubt I'll be going back to sleep anytime soon.

So, the only other option was to bring a portable urinal. Now, this wasn't anything fancy, just a glorified plastic jug that holds about a gallon. The lid screws on or off, and it works fine for me, but for my wife, it's another story. First off, the opening is about six inches if that. Another is it's only about a foot high, so she's practically sitting on the floor to use it. Actually, it's more like she's trying to squat over it; very uncomfortable to say the least.

So, we decided to order a six-gallon portable toilet that doesn't take up a lot of room, is about the same height as a regular toilet, and is easy to use and dump. We also needed some squeeze containers for condiments, a padded mattress topper, and an awning. The camper had one, but it didn't survive well after a big storm hit during the night.

See, the awning that a mobile tent has is in a bag that attaches to the roof. Once the tent is up, it's difficult to reach, so it's easiest to set it up before raising the tent all the way. The other problem is, the only way to take the awning down is to undo the legs and support ropes, then roll the canvas up into its protective bag, and zip it shut. This is a pain in itself, but once the camper is set up, it's impossible to reach the bag unless you have a stool. Well, two stools, since it's damn near impossible to roll up as stow the thing without two people.

I found an awning that is designed to fit a porch or any type of overhang, it has a crank to close it up, and I think I can modify how it fits and make it work with the camper. So, now if a storm blows in, I just have to step out, loosen to screw knobs and crank it up.

Tomorrow, we will finish putting everything away. Most of it's done, except for the new items and a few odds and ends we added. With all the stuff we took out we found we have ample room for everything and even some room to spare. It's great to have all our camping items (except perishable foods) already packed and ready to go.

So, this weekend we finish organizing. We find out what it's going to take to put the awning up and make it stable, and then we are ready to hit the road and enjoy an organized and orderly camp trip.