Yeah, I’ve had camping on the brain lately. I keep seeing RVs and try to imagine what kind would be reasonable with my truck. I think about what tent I should get to replace the one that died an early death last year. I dream about trips I’d like to take and places I want to see. My summer camping group finally got a messenger group started and spent yesterday determining who is likely to go in June. Another friend came over for coffee and we were talking about how she tries to keep their gear organized for impulse trips, but her husband keeps raiding the bins. So I’ve decided this is the year I’m going to make the list.

I’ve been a camper most of my life. My parents had an old green canvas tent that could open on one side to connect to the back of a station wagon. My mom told stories of when her family went to Yellowstone and came back from a walk to find a bear in their tent. She said the bear decided to leave really fast and made a door for itself in the side of the tent. I celebrated my 10th birthday on a backpack trip with the church youth group. I took my husband camping early in our relationship and we kept the tradition going with our kids. Along the way I’ve figured out a lot about what works and what is unnecessary.

I’m a tent camper at heart. I’ve tried the RV style of camping, but it just isn’t for me. I like the feel of being down to the bare basics. I like to leave the rain fly off and see the stars. RV walls keep nature at a distance, and that ruins the entire point of camping in my opinion. If I ever do get one it would be no more than a glorified tent, a mechanism to bring along a more comfortable bed. Camp cooking is best done outside. I hate RV kitchens for how cramped they are.

Yeah, I’m pretty opinionated. But I know what I know and the biggest thing is that camping doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. I think you should be able to throw a couple of bins in the car, a bag of clothes and a box of food, and just hit the road. That’s an idea of camping Nirvana that I strive for and have not yet been able to reach. That’s why this year is going to be all about the list.

Every camping trip starts with a list. I pull out a notebook and write the same thing I did last time. Then I go through my bins and organize and make sure everything is there. Then I wonder what I forgot and why I don’t just print out my list and tape it to the bins to make my life easier. That’s what I’m gearing up to do this year. I’m making my list and running it past my kids and my friends to see if they can add anything helpful. Then I’m going to share it. And I’ll discuss my choices for the items on the list. And maybe someone will find the list and the discussion and it will help them have fun camping. So for the next couple of weeks I am going to be all about the camping list. This should be fun!