Food & other stuff

[Javi]

DW and I were talking this morning about camping stuff and the conversation came around to how much food and stuff we have to load and unload for every trip. She says that if it weren't so much work that she's enjoy camping more...

DW is fairly new to camping (less than 2 years) but I've camped all my life including several extended solo backpacking trips into the mountains for hunting and fishing. I'm used to packing light and carrying only what I need, but it seems we carry more food, snacks, movies, books, and clothing than Carter's got little liver pills. It takes over an hour to unload and at least 6 loads of washing after every trip. I don't understand it... I can fit every piece of clothing I take in a carry-on bag, where does the rest come from...

Any of y'all have the same problem???

[jsmith948]

Yes! It is amazing how much 'stuff' we carry. But, would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. I know I carry more tools than I need (hopefully I won't need them) and spare parts and supplies - extra water hose, extra sewer hose, etc.
I guess 2 1/2 million miles over-the-road has taught me that Murphy's law will bite you eventually. I don't want to be the guy along the road without the wrench that would get me going again.
As far as food - well - I like to eat and, unless it's a really long trip, we try not to buy on the road.

[Kristi]

Yes! Somehow we load up more for just me, DH & a couple kids then we did when we tent camped with 5 kids. I guess the more room you have to pack stuff, the more you take. I can definitely say we take more food & a better menu at that!

[PARAPTOR]

Originally Posted by Javi

DW and I were talking this morning about camping stuff and the conversation came around to how much food and stuff we have to load and unload for every trip. She says that if it weren't so much work that she's enjoy camping more...

DW is fairly new to camping (less than 2 years) but I've camped all my life including several extended solo backpacking trips into the mountains for hunting and fishing. I'm used to packing light and carrying only what I need, but it seems we carry more food, snacks, movies, books, and clothing than Carter's got little liver pills. It takes over an hour to unload and at least 6 loads of washing after every trip. I don't understand it... I can fit every piece of clothing I take in a carry-on bag, where does the rest come from...

Any of y'all have the same problem???

Question: If you had to guess an average weight that is added to the trailer for basic stuff such as clothes, food. utensils, etc what would the range be. I know we do not weigh anything before putting it in there, just load it up and yes the bigger it is seems like more goes in.

Thanks

[Javi]

Originally Posted by PARAPTOR

Question: If you had to guess an average weight that is added to the trailer for basic stuff such as clothes, food. utensils, etc what would the range be. I know we do not weigh anything before putting it in there, just load it up and yes the bigger it is seems like more goes in.

Thanks

750 - 800 pounds

10 bags of tater chips don't weigh that much until you got to unload 8 of them cause they weren't eaten. I bet we got 50 towels and 50 wash rags and there ain't but two of us and I don't bathe that often...

[PARAPTOR]

Originally Posted by Javi

750 - 800 pounds

10 bags of tater chips don't weigh that much until you got to unload 8 of them cause they weren't eaten. I bet we got 50 towels and 50 wash rags and there ain't but two of us and I don't bathe that often...

Was just thinking We have not really taken everything out from last season so I am sure when we get ready to leave again it will be NEED THIS, Do we have it out in camper already? I do not know TAKE IT!!!..

[GaryWT]

Most things should stay in the trailer. Shop before you go and bring the bags straight to the camper. Clothes go in at the start of the year, after a trip the laundry basket goes in the house. Clothes and towels are washed folded put in basket and back out in camper, one or 2 loads for a weekend. Everything else is there ready to go. When you shop buy and put in the camper just what you need. Other than shopping we can be on the road within 30 minutes if we really want to be.

[ohiocougar]

We have our TT at a seasonal site but every time we go the Expedition is completely packed with stuff even for a 2 day weekend. DH is never happy about that

[JRTJH]

When we bought our Cougar last July, I weighed it and the truck on the way home (empty trailer) and again on our first trip out with it. With 50 gallons of water (400 lbs) the trailer "gained" 1400 lbs total. So we had about 1000 lbs of "our stuff" in it. That included all the tools, camping gear, clothing, food, adult and "anybody" beverages, and the extra equipment (chocks, blocks, hydraulic jack, lug wrench, compressor, etc). Much of what the DW carries in the kitchen is a "double set" like 2 coffee pots, one coleman propane type and one electric type, 2 toasters, one to sit on the stove burner and one to plug in when on shore power. I can't convince her that we can use the same one even if we're plugged in, so there are duplicates of several things.

Since then, I'm sure I've added a couple hundred more pounds, but not as much as I had thought I would.

[flybouy]

Reminds me of when we had our 30' Sea Ray boat. Every fall I'd unload it to get ready for winter, then I'd take her out for one last ride and be amazed at how it would run 7 or 8 m.p.h. faster at the same engine r.p.m.!

[GaryWT]

I guess I don't understand why you take everything out after the trip.

[Kristi]

Originally Posted by GaryWT

I guess I don't understand why you take everything out after the trip.

We just take out the perishable food, dirty clothes, linens, & towels, and any pots & pans that I feel may not have gotten quite clean enough. Every thing else stays. I guess it also depends if you're gonna turn around and take another short trip in a week or so, or if you take one or two really long trips a year.

[Javi]

Originally Posted by GaryWT

I guess I don't understand why you take everything out after the trip.

Well we store the trailer a few miles from the house and there is no electric. This pretty much rules out leaving the fridge running for more than a couple of days at most. So we pull the trailer home before going to storage and empty anything that will ruin, freeze or melt (this is Texas) and all the dirty clothes and the wife's books and stuff.

Mostly it's the bed clothes and the wife's towels, clothing and food that is the most work to unload. I haven't been able to teach her to wear the same shirt and pants for a whole day. Although she caught on to Navy showers pretty quick I can't get her to limit them to one a day just yet.

Outside of the laundry it is the tremendous amount of food that she buys for a 4 night trip, last one was over $200 and that was before the whiskey. We've never eaten 10 cans of pork and beans, or 10 bags of chips in 5 days and I don't see it happening ever. But it gets loaded and unloaded nearly every trip.

[PARAPTOR]

Originally Posted by Javi

Well we store the trailer a few miles from the house and there is no electric. This pretty much rules out leaving the fridge running for more than a couple of days at most. So we pull the trailer home before going to storage and empty anything that will ruin, freeze or melt (this is Texas) and all the dirty clothes and the wife's books and stuff.

Mostly it's the bed clothes and the wife's towels, clothing and food that is the most work to unload. I haven't been able to teach her to wear the same shirt and pants for a whole day. Although she caught on to Navy showers pretty quick I can't get her to limit them to one a day just yet.

Outside of the laundry it is the tremendous amount of food that she buys for a 4 night trip, last one was over $200 and that was before the whiskey. We've never eaten 10 cans of pork and beans, or 10 bags of chips in 5 days and I don't see it happening ever. But it gets loaded and unloaded nearly every trip.

If and when you figure this one out, please share Same here with quantity of food. Oh well, with the TH and back patio could always open a store front

[GaryWT]

For me a pair of jeans or pair of shorts last the weekend for the most part. My wife's pile of clothes is always larger than mine. Not have you trailer in the yard I can see taking more things out. We are plugged in all season in the driveway so everything stays. Sometimes we actually shop in the trailer if we are out of something in the house, it works as long as we remember to add it to the list for Thurs night shopping we also go every weekend or every other weekend for most of the season May to Oct.

[canesfan]

Originally Posted by GaryWT

For me a pair of jeans or pair of shorts last the weekend for the most part. My wife's pile of clothes is always larger than mine. Not have you trailer in the yard I can see taking more things out. We are plugged in all season in the driveway so everything stays. Sometimes we actually shop in the trailer if we are out of something in the house, it works as long as we remember to add it to the list for Thurs night shopping we also go every weekend or every other weekend for most of the season May to Oct.

We do the same thing, comes in handy, doesn't it? Ours stays plugged in in the back yard year round. It was a PIA when we once lived where we had to store it, but we dealt with it. I'd bring it home a week beforehand and reload the food and clothes and anything else we had taken out.

As for weight, I've slimmed down, trailer empty is ~12,700 and when I ran it across the scales the other week on the way to a NASCAR 4 day weekend it was ~13,300. No water in it because I fill up when I get there so that helped, but I was amazed at how little I had in it. Used to carry around ~2000lbs of "stuff", but that was for 4 people.

[Ram189]

I take all the consumable stuff out of the trailer and usually whatever pots and pans we use to clean them good. They go back in before the trailer gets put back in storage though.
I am like everyone else though usually pack/buy more than we need. Groceries especially. Been getting better but seems like everytime we go somewhere we buy ketchup and mustard. At the end of the season I usually have 4 or 5 partial bottles of mustard in the home fridge for the winter.

[byrdr1]

Originally Posted by Javi

Well we store the trailer a few miles from the house and there is no electric. This pretty much rules out leaving the fridge running for more than a couple of days at most. So we pull the trailer home before going to storage and empty anything that will ruin, freeze or melt (this is Texas) and all the dirty clothes and the wife's books and stuff.

Mostly it's the bed clothes and the wife's towels, clothing and food that is the most work to unload. I haven't been able to teach her to wear the same shirt and pants for a whole day. Although she caught on to Navy showers pretty quick I can't get her to limit them to one a day just yet.

Outside of the laundry it is the tremendous amount of food that she buys for a 4 night trip, last one was over $200 and that was before the whiskey. We've never eaten 10 cans of pork and beans, or 10 bags of chips in 5 days and I don't see it happening ever. But it gets loaded and unloaded nearly every trip.

Javi,
You need to make a daily meal plan and stick to as close as possible, use this list to shop buy. I do this every trip and it keeps cost down and we never have a lot of left overs. Your condiments will be your biggest things that you can move back and forth. it is on ours. BUT a meal plan and shopping list will go a long way to controlling extra expenses.
Hope this helps!
randy

[Javi]

Originally Posted by byrdr1

Javi,
You need to make a daily meal plan and stick to as close as possible, use this list to shop buy. I do this every trip and it keeps cost down and we never have a lot of left overs. Your condiments will be your biggest things that you can move back and forth. it is on ours. BUT a meal plan and shopping list will go a long way to controlling extra expenses.
Hope this helps!
randy

I've been trying to make a meal plan and grocery list for 41 years... so far no joy

At least I'm not alone in the leaky boat....

I did move the trailer last night to another facility that has a covered parking spot with electricity, so at least occasionally we can leave some food stuff in the fridge. Cost nearly tripled compared to the old place but ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do...

[LuvsPalmTrees]

I leave staples (can good, dry foods) in all season and take them out just before the freeze in Michigan. After a trip I pull out the clothes that need to be washed (we leave jackets and sweatshirts in year round), bedding and dirty towels. Wash the bedding and towels and back in they go. We do make a "Menu" for the week and shop for it, we may decide to go out once or twice too. We try not to shop in town (expensive) but sometimes we change the menu. Since we have the larger refrigerator with this TT we can store more frozen meat so this saves more money. We could probably be ready to go in about an hour if we wanted to. Just have to chill the refrigerator and we are out.