One disappointment I had with my Boy Scout troop was the adherence to procedure. Breakfast and lunch have to use the propane stove and dutch oven in equal measure. Cleanup always uses three buckets of water: slop, boiling and bleach. It required all three, anything else and you did not do dishes correctly. This was at best overkill and at worst a hindrance. We were 11-15 year old boys, we joined the scouts for anything but kitchen duty.
The time it took to clean up would cut into the day’s scheduled activities. There’s obviously a lesson on time management and leadership, but even under the best circumstances the rigid cooking and cleanup requirements inevitably overran the fun stuff.
Now I’m in charge
When I was patrol leader, the guy in charge of about eight other boys, I reasoned we could hit the trail earlier and enjoy the waterfall to ourselves for a moment if we modified some parts of the process. We’d cook and eat our instant oatmeal in our mugs, and instead of using the metal plates from our patrol box we’d use paper plates to serve the bacon and eggs. I asked the guys to try not to use utensils if they could help it, which went over surprisingly well when I explained my thinking. We were the first one ready and dismissed to explore the trails.
Later, a scout master called me over for a one-on-one. He’d noticed we didn’t do a full and proper kitchen duty and wanted to know why. I can’t remember whether my point landed or not, but I was instructed to get that approved next time and otherwise stick to the process. But I do remember the feeling: that I came here to camp, not do dishes.
Now I’m free to camp however I like, buckets be damned. I’ll cut whatever corner or invest in any gadget that gets me back on the trail or in the hammock. Here’re a few of the tools, doodads and gizmos which I’ve found save a bit of time setting up or cleaning. You’ll probably see these again in our packing list you receive when you subscribe.
Some of our favorites for a camping weekend:
- Manual wine key
Any style like this one will help take car-camping to the height of luxury. If you have the real estate, throw a bottle of champagne in your cooler and toast the park rangers. I’m not a fan of electric or purely corkscrew style openers. This type is the size of a pocket knife, will fit into any bag and runs on manpower. - Metal garden trowel
Many of my recommendations are small forms of regular tools. For example, a long shovel would not be necessary for a weekend campout. Still, I’ve brought this trowel on all our excursions because I can use it to even out the fire pit, rearrange hot coals, and mix the wet ash when the fire’s done. It’ll also do everything else a hand shovel does, get creative but leave no trace. - Collapsible bucket
Remember the buckets I mentioned? Those were ten gallon metal buckets, and we had to have multiple for clean-up and fire control. Great for a camp of twenty people, overkill for a couple of car-campers. It’ll do everything a bucket does, but can be shaken out, dried, rolled up, packed down, resued, and requisitioned as a tote bag should the need arise. - Roll-top folding table
Every outdoors brand makes some version of the same table with varying materials. Whatever brand you go with, choose something that is more metal than plastic, especially on the roll-top. You can worry a little less about accidentally melting through it with a hot object from the fire or stove. If your campsite is fortunate enough to have a concrete picnic table, great! Only consider one if you’d prefer to make a dedicated cooking/prep/random table or want more room. - Aluminum camping hammer
When weight and space are not limiting factors, we usually use a large cabin-style tent. Which is great for our Exped MegaMat Duo 10 Sleeping Pad but ensures we’ll always need to drive some stakes. Instead of buying a new one, use the hammer from your toolbox. I got this so that we always have a hammer in the kit ready to go, and it can serve as another digging tool. Most come with a hook to pull stakes and I will gladly pay to avoid bending at the back beyond what’s required. - Handheld squeegee and scraper
This yielded the highest ratio of low expectations versus convenience; it’s an item I recommend to anyone who cooks something beyond instant oats straight out of the bag while camping. Save on paper towels and water by using the pliable side to push off all leftover liquids and solids and use the solid edge to bump off crispy bits. We have a non-metal version, which I prefer as one piece and easier to give a thorough cleaning. - Popup trash can
Tying off a garbage bag to your table or car door will get the job done in most cases. That arrangement gets grody quickly. Next, the wind picks up or the load gets so heavy that it sags, transforming throwing away scraps into a far harder chore than it should ever be. I wanted a trashcan structure without the trashcan. It can be staked down and zipped up to help prevent the wind picking up any light refuse, but I wouldn’t leave it overnight. If you use a sturdy liner, you can leave it out as a catch-all for random stuff after you remove the trash at the end of the night
