Tag Archives: camp cleanup

Camping LIst

My Camping List Part 10

Pets

  • Collar with ID Tags
  • Leashes
  • Tie Out
  • Food
  • Dishes
  • Toys
  • Crate or Bedding
  • Waste Baggies

Who wants to go on an adventure without their best friend? Dogs can make camping and hiking more fun. What would a hike be without my Freddy to help pull me up the hills? Watching them explore and smell and get excited about every new thing…letting the kids run around with their dog and knowing that the dog won’t let anything bad happen to their kid… You know you would hate to leave the dog behind. But it does take some planning to make the experience a good one.

Dogs are all about their people. If you have dogs, you know this. They want to be where their people are. But I will put one thought out there that some people don’t want to hear…Not every dog is appropriate for camping. I have had a friend join us who brought her dog. The dog was aggressive toward people and other dogs, nervous even with her person, and barked and cried all night in the tent. It was not a good experience for any of us, people or dogs. If you think your dog will be upset by going to a new place with new people you might want to make other arrangements for the dog while you are gone.

The first time out will still be very exciting for everyone. Routines are interrupted. Things can slip your mind. Your dog can slip its collar. Do make sure you have a collar or harness for your dog. Make sure you have tags with your name and contact info on your dog. Even better, make sure your dog is microchipped. our favorite dog was stolen from our front yard and was missing for 18 months, but when he was recovered clear across town his microchip led to a phone call and he came home. (Love our Bruno!) Leashes are a necessity. The kids don’t get to take the pup anywhere without one that they hold on to! Because you are in an unfamiliar environment your dog might not know what is a real threat and what is not. It’s best to make sure you can control the situation as much as possible.

A tie out can be as simple as a rope tied between trees, between your car and the picnic table, or anchored anywhere that allows your dog to be close to you without risk of tangling up with trouble. I like to use a cable tie out with clips on both ends and thread it through the loop of a 4′ nylon leash. I have put two dogs together on a single tie out, but it works better if they can have space to not tangle their leashes.

Bring your dog’s regular food. Measure out enough for the days you will be gone. I usually put it into a grocery bag, but be careful about leaving it out. Chipmunks and Jays like to steal dog food and can be surprisingly aggressive! It does make for good photo ops…but remember you are feeding your dog, not the local wildlife. Don’t forget to leave out water for whenever your dog is thirsty!

I would not recommend bringing a lot of dog toys. There are always sticks and such to chew and play fetch. Too many toys are too easy to misplace. I would probably limit dog toys to a good chewy and a floating toy if there is a lake. Our Bruno hated water at first, until he discovered that we could throw his toy into the lake for him to swim out to fetch over and over and over and over again. We finally had to put him in timeout because he was so exhausted we were worried he might not make it back out of the lake if we threw it again. He still wanted more.

Bruno’s first trip to the lake wasn’t his idea of fun. Fetch made a world of difference!

Crates… Everyone will have a different opinion on crates. I have found them to be useful. Our two older dogs came to us as puppies and we trained them in the same crate. I know that is not recommended, but it worked for us and them. I do like to bring a crate along. It makes a good place for them to relax where I know they are safe. I can put the crate in the tent overnight if I don’t want them on my bedding. I like to put something in there that is familiar to help calm them. Of course make sure they aren’t stuck in the sun to overheat and that they have water available while they are in there.

Bruno and Freddy share a crate to calm down from chipmunk patrol. Aug 2009

And finally, absolutely make sure to pick up after your pet. If you would hate to have it show up on your lawn or front porch, don’t leave it out for your camping neighbors. These days many campgrounds provide waste bags in case you forgot to bring your own. Be sure to have one or two available on every walk and teach your kids this important part of responsible pet ownership.

I think that does it for camping with pets. As always, feel free to comment if you feel like you can add something I forgot.

Camping LIst

My camping List Part 5

I could call this the Chuck Box Extras, except that they aren’t really extras. You could probably prepare food and eat without needing seasoning or washing dishes. You might even have some really good food that way. But most people are going to need some basics.

Cooking Kit

  • Salt and Pepper
  • Cooking Oil
  • A few favorite Herbs and Spices
  • Sugar

This is what I bring. I could probably leave some of it behind. The sugar is for my coffee because I am a wimp, but I am trying to cut it out as much as I can. If you want to be a minimalist just bring salt and oil. But if you want to cook a bit, even just an omelette, everything gets better with extra flavoring.

Dishwashing Station

  • Two Dish Pans or Large Bowls
  • Small Bottle of Dish Detergent
  • Sponge and Scrubber
  • Drying Rack and Dish Towels
  • Kettle to heat water

I guess this could be optional too. You could easily scrub your pots out with a handful of sand and rinse them in the creek. But that tends to be frowned on in more developed campgrounds. The more people you have in your group, the more important it is to get the dishes washed after each meal. Also, the more hands are available to get the job done. I’m sure my family is not the only one where the rule exists that whoever didn’t cook gets to clean the kitchen.

Dishes rinse best in warm water, so as everyone sits down to eat, set a kettle on the stove or campfire to heat up. Then get the dishes done before the water gets cold. When it comes time to dispose of the dirty water it is possible to throw it into the bushes at the side of the campsite, but it is often considered rude. Better to pour it down the graywater drain that is usually located every few sites in a developed campground.

I think that’s all for today. There really isn’t much more to say on these topics. Of course if I missed something, be sure to let me know. Tomorrow I’ll go on about the campfire.