After finishing my quest to visit every craft brewery in the state almost a decade ago, I usually rush to stay “completed” when new ones open. But these two opened during the height of covid and we decided to stay away for a bit. They sorta just sat on the back burner for awhile after that, always mentioned as a weekend option, but never quite making the cut for some reason.

Anyway, it was time to get them done, especially since this was one of the few campgrounds with availability after we got back from our big 100-day adventure. And as an added bonus, Jen would mark off Dead Horse Ranch, and we’d both be able to mark off Rockin’ River Ranch, a recently-opened state park not far away.

I also picked up a culture pass¹ for Arcosanti and made a tour reservation for our drive home on Sunday. So we’d finally be able to get that done for Jen’s Culture Pass quest. So while it might not be the most exciting of weekend trips, it was shaping up to be a productive one.

Friday night

We headed north after work on Friday, arriving around sunset to set up camp², then drove a couple miles into Cottonwood to grab dinner at Belfry Brewing. We ordered the two IPAs on tap, which (as expected) weren’t very good. But dinner was surprisingly excellent. We split a Detroit-style pepperoni pizza, and I added a caesar side salad too. We thoroughly enjoyed both and decided we’d return the following night for more—and this time, arrive a bit earlier to enjoy the live music that ends at 7pm. It was back to the campsite after that to enjoy the campfire for a bit before heading to bed.

Saturday

The following morning, we grabbed a quick coffee and breakfast on our way to Rockin’ River Ranch State Park, Arizona’s newest state park which opened last year. It’s been quite some time since I’ve marked off a state park on my Arizona State Parks quest, so it’d be good to get this one done while we were in the area.

As expected, the park isn’t especially interesting. A former working ranch, the land was acquired almost two decades ago, languishing under budget constraints and awaiting a plan for park development (and hopefully, more restoration) for most of that time. And you can see that in the visitor experience today.

The park includes about a mile stretch of the Verde River, with a handful of short trails and an interior that very much feels like an exhausted old ranch. We wandered the two trails close to the river, then moved along, confident that we’d never need to return (especially considering the $20 entrance fee). It’s really unfortunate that Arizona hasn’t invested better in its state park system, relying instead on nearby federal lands to bring in the tourism dollars.

Back at the car, we considered hitting Fort Verde State Historic Park or Jerome State Park to mark off another park for Jen, but in looking at the time, decided that it was best to head back towards Cottonwood instead—we wanted to visit Smelter Town Brewing, drive back to our campsite and possibly walk 2 miles to Belfry to get a seat and enjoy the live music, which starts at 4pm.

Smelter Town wasn’t quite open yet, so we decided to stop by the Clarkdale Historical Society Museum, a small building that overlooked the smelter that gave rise to the town. The museum isn’t much, but was worth a quick visit (I’d recommend pairing it with a stop at Jerome State Park too, which recounts the copper mine that led to the smelter). As we departed, we mentioned that we were heading next to Smelter Town Brewing, to which the docent smiled and said, “oh yeah, that’s the best thing in Clarkdale.”

Smelter Town Brewing is on the ground floor of a small historic hotel building, which still rents out rooms. We parked down the block and enjoyed passing some interesting brickwork and signs on our way there.

We arrived less than 30 mins after they had opened for the day and found only two empty seats anywhere inside. Apparently the docent’s assessment was correct. We wedged our way into a corner of the bar, spilling out into the walkway, and enjoyed a couple of pints each while we strategized about our travel options if Jen’s work schedule changed substantially. Per our tradition, we swapped glasses halfway through so we could each try all four brews we ordered.

The beer was certainly better than Belfry, but didn’t quite live up to the surprisingly lofty Untappd ratings I had seen. Nonetheless, we enjoyed our time there and would return.

From there we made our way back to Belfry, grabbed a table, ordered another pizza and salad (and a lackluster mushroom risotto), listened to the music (bleh, which was mostly country as opposed to the rock that had been played the night before). We eventually made our way back to the campsite for the night, enjoying some campfire time before snuggling into our respective sleeping bags.

Sunday

Sunday’s drive home would feature a tour of Arcosanti, an “urban experiment in arcology³” that is probably best described as an ecotopian hippie commune.

If you live in Phoenix, you’ve undoubtedly driven past the turnoff sign on I-17, perhaps wondering what it was. Or you knew someone who had bought their (semi-famous? locally famous? I’m not sure) wind chimes. Anyway, it’s an interesting—if far-fetched—story and experiment in rethinking how we could design small communities, and worthy of a stop at some point. Preferably using a free Culture Pass.

The site is adjacent to Agua Fria National Monument, so I had collaborated with residents there on related public lands and water issues, visiting the site a number of times for meetings and such. But Jen hadn’t been there yet and needed it for her Culture Pass quest, and this was a great time to get it done.

We got an email alert on Saturday that high winds were expected during our 11am tour—look, it’s always windy out on those mesas—and that we could come earlier for the 9:30am tour instead, or risk the elements and possible cancellation. We opted to keep the original time, and the winds weren’t a problem. I was surprised at how well attended the tour was, though several people clearly showed up with big cameras just to take photos.

Because of the tour time, we arrived home a bit earlier than we normally would, which gave us a chance to organize an afternoon get together with friends at our local brewery, which had a new beer release we wanted to try.

A quality weekend away

All in all, it was a relaxing and productive weekend away. We felt a bit out of sorts camping for the first time since the fall (our various systems are still in a bit of disarray), but I’m sure that’ll change soon—we have long weekend trips planned for the next month or so.

I’m hoping to get back to more regularly posting about our adventures, both big and small—but no promises.

1. Culture Passes are free admission tickets for two people to select cultural attractions around the state that you “check out” from the local library. ︎
2. I somewhat infamously rarely get to camp before sundown, so Jen usually doesn’t see where we’re camping until the sun comes up the next morning. Well, this time, we arrived just in time to get the tent up before sunset. ︎
3. Arcology “is a field of creating architectural design principles for very densely populated and ecologically low-impact human habitats,” according to wikipedia. ︎

The post A questing weekend in Cottonwood appeared first on rscottjones.

To make this process a bit easier, last year we put together a dedicated tent charging kit. While it might feel a bit redundant—I have copies of these same items in the car—having a separate kit makes it much easier to manage.

We just grab the whole kit and leave it in the tent all weekend, so we never have to worry about what charging cords or battery packs we need, and where they exactly are at the moment.

I figured it might be useful to review what’s in it, in case you’d like to make your own.

Our charging needs:

Items to charge every single night:

• iPhones (2)
• Apple Watches (2)
• Headlamps (2)

Items that don’t need to be charged every night:

• Tent lantern
• Desk fan
• Kindle Paperwhite (2)
• AirPods

Kit contents:

• TomToc storage pouch
• Battery pack¹ (2)
• Apple Watch chargers (2)
• USB-C to Lightning cables (2 of the standard 3ft cables)
• USB-A to micro USB (4 short cables)

How we operate

We each get our own charger, which lives on “our side” of the tent.

I wear my Apple Watch at night, but Jen doesn’t. So she uses a small usb-c-to-a adaptor and keeps it plugged in all night. I wear mine at night, so I quickly charge mine using the fast usb-c charger for 15-20 mins before going to bed, before swapping mine phone cable into that sub-c charger slot. We each use a usb-a to fully recharge our respective headlamps, and that leaves 1-2 usb-a slots open for charging the occasional items. We don’t really use the wireless charger (since it’s easy to bump the phone off at night), but certainly could if we need the extra charging ports.

If we’re on a longer road trip, then we’ll bring the kit into a hotel room when we have one to recharge the battery packs.

It’s nothing fancy, but as always, it’s useful to have a ready-to-go kit and a system for how you do common things.

1. It’s a knock-off battery pack from Amazon that’s 30800mAh with one PD usb-c port, 2 usb-a ports, and a 15W MagSafe wireless charger. It comfortably lasts a three-day weekend. ︎

The post Our charging kit for inside the tent appeared first on rscottjones.

Luckily, I had just upgraded our camping water system, so at least we have a place to wash our hands after, you know, peeing in the backyard (though sometimes, it’s the alternative: “Hey babe, I’m going to the bar…I have to use the bathroom”).

A simple water faucet system

My solution is a simple usb-powered water faucet that conveniently fits on top of a common Reliance Aqua-tainer. Toss in a collapsing sink, and you have a pretty handy system for camping—or using during major water leaks.

In short, you’ll swap out the standard manual spigot and substitute in a hollow pvc piece that screws in place to hold a faucet while allowing for the water tube to be inserted into the water jug. The faucet pump is powered by an internal battery pack that you can recharge with a simple micro-usb cable.

While the default spigot is a sufficient solution, this faucet setup offers several advantages. 

First, because you’re pumping water out of the top instead of relying on gravity while it’s on its side, you can use it on a table top—which makes doing chores like dishes much easier. No more hunching over to use the water, and with a portable sink, you can also avoid a muddy mess on the ground.

Second, you can simply press a button and get a preprogrammed amount of water dispensed, meaning it shuts itself off when you’re done washing your hands. It doesn’t seem like much, but it’s hard to go back to the manual valve after using this for awhile.

Third is better cleanliness. While the manual spigot is handy in that it cleverly converts from lid to spigot, its design leaves the main tube open to the world during transport/storage, which means that there’s nearly always some nasty crap in the tube when you go to set up. While the faucet doesn’t maintain a water-tight seal when not in use—as the manual spigot generally does—it does block dirt from getting into the water jug. We simply keep the faucet, water tube, and connector in a ziplok bag with our gear. We still use the manual spigot during home storage and transport.

Want a readymade solution instead? Here is a reasonably priced and very similar all-in-one product on Amazon that seems to use the exact same pump.

What you need

1. USB faucet ($14.72 on Amazon)
2. PVC 3/4″ x 1/2″ reducing male adaptor ($1.76 at Home Depot)
3. Aqua-tainer ($33/7 gal or $40/4 gal on Amazon)
4. Collapsing bucket ($20 for 2-pack on Amazon)

Some alternatives

We prefer using the smaller 4-gallon aqua-tainer (it’s easier to carry and we rarely need seven gallons between refilling) but this works with either size. We use the collapsing buckets as the sink (the two pack makes it easier to wash dishes), but you could also upgrade to collapsing sinks that have drain holes too.

There are a number of faucet options out there. This one has two buttons: on/off, and 600ml (which dispenses water until the limit is reached, which is perfect for hearty handwashing), a nice style, and an angled spout that shoots the water out at a bit of an angle, giving you more room for a sink. The base fits well over the pvc adaptor listed above, which still allows it to swivel depending on your needs. I’ve also added a slice of a thin pool noodle, which helps cut down on some minor wobbling when you press the on/off button. I use it about half the time.

Note that different faucets have different bases—which are often not shown in photos on Amazon—so you may have to alter this plan if you choose a different one. And keep in mind that some faucets have their water intake hose on the backside of the faucet base instead of the bottom, so they wouldn’t work with this setup.

Assembly

Putting this together is dead simple. Just unscrew the standard spigot, screw in the pvc piece listed above (mine only screws in a few turns, which is more than sufficient), insert the water tube into the jug, and set the faucet on top. Boom, you’re done.

Here’s what it looks like, with the addition of the pool noodle slice mentioned above.

And there you go! A simple and cheap solution. We’ll likely be using a similar set up in the minivan camper we’re hoping to build.

Here’s a prebuilt solution I ran across.

The post How to build a cheap water faucet and sink for camping appeared first on rscottjones.

And as a trip we hadn’t exactly budgeted for, I’d also need to keep expenses to a minimum. So that meant two things: I’d have to be very efficient in my travel days, and I’d basically need to use my vehicle like an RV.

I have done a number of fly-and-camp trips before, but for this trip, I wouldn’t be camping as much as living in my vehicle. Being able to sleep in Sam the Subie instead of having to set up a tent would give me the most flexibility in where I stayed each night. That was an important cost-saver, as it allowed me to avoid hotels and campground fees and either disperse camp on public lands, stay in a friend’s driveway, or even catch some sleep in a rest area or parking lot. And since I wasn’t sure how the weather would turn out, it’d also ensure that I had a warm place to sleep for the night—one where I could avoid the unrelenting wind I encountered the entire trip.

The video below will show you the main items I brought and where I kept them in the vehicle. Since I was driving my own vehicle, I could bring a few optional items I normally wouldn’t bring on a fly-and-camp trip—most notably, a large foam mattress topper and a full-sized cooler. I also brought a hefty amount of food and snacks, as evidenced by the huge black tote bin.

The setup I used here worked great on my trip. While the video explains quite a bit, I’ll go into more detail below on some additional topics.

What to bring and where to put it

When I’m traveling on a road trip like this, I prefer to keep my setup as simple and organized as possible throughout the trip. That means thinking about where everything goes before I hit the road, making sure that the things I’ll need to access—either while I’m traveling or when I’m in bed—are easily accessible. That’s why I try to keep everything in a container. So food and snacks go into one bin, and the cooking stuff goes into another. That makes it much easier to stay organized. The main exception to this is my clothes. I prefer to have clothes stored in batches so that it’s easier to pick out what I need without having to struggle to extract an entire duffel bag.

Keeping it simple and organized also means bringing a bit less and fewer “maybe I’ll need this” sort of items.. The fewer items you bring, the fewer things you’ll have to manage during your trip. In this case, I brought two things that I definitely didn’t end up needing: my backpacking chair and my multi-use camping bucket. Both items were small and didn’t clutter things up, so I tossed them in even though I wasn’t sure if I’d use them. And, like just about every time, I was right. Because I didn’t spend any time at an actual campsite, I never made a campfire—and therefore, I never needed the chair. When I ate, I simply sat in the backseat or at a picnic table. And I assumed that the bucket would come in handy for things like washing up and doing dishes. I really didn’t need to do much of those tasks either, given the more frequent showers I snagged and how few dishes I dirtied.

Food and cooking

In order to save money, I planned on snacking for breakfast and lunch, and then cooking a simple dinner like soup, chili, or a grilled cheese sandwich. I also assumed that I’d occasionally get some cheap fast food, especially if I was tired and still had a long drive before bed. And I also hoped that I’d try a handful of breweries along the way when time permitted.

As it turned out, I spent quite a bit more time hanging out with friends during the trip than I had anticipated, including joining them for some home-cooked meals. And since I managed to add in a number of additional destinations, I would often arrive to my intended campsite pretty late, opting to snack instead of cook in what were often some rather fierce winds.

In the end, I managed to stay within budget, even though I cooked far less than I originally intended. And I also managed to sneak in stops at nine craft breweries, too.

The not-cooking strategy

But just because my plan this trip was to cook doesn’t mean yours has to be. While one of the biggest benefits of camping is saving money on hotels and eating out, that doesn’t mean that you have to cook every time you camp on a road trip. In fact, sometimes you camp just so that you can afford that fun night out on the town, as I did when I brewery-hopped around Boise halfway through my trip. And you can still save a lot of money by sleeping in your car while eating most of your meals out. Indeed, that reduces quite a bit of the gear you need to bring—though I still recommend bringing a cooler for cold beverages and plenty of snacks for the road.

Finding places to camp

Aside from one night at a friend’s house, I didn’t preplan where I’d sleep each night. But because most of my primary destinations were BLM Conservation Lands areas, I knew that I’d have quite a few dispersed camping opportunities. I also knew that there were a number of developed campgrounds around that would likely have space if I needed them. And because I was sleeping in my car, I could also get some shut-eye at a rest area, truck stop, or even a Wal-Mart parking lot if I absolutely needed to.

The first night I ended up stopping at a rest area right along the Pony Express Trail in northern Nevada to use the restroom. Since I kinda wanted to check out the trail the next morning and was already tired, I decided that I might as well sleep there. But boy, for being such a remote place, it sure was a busy rest area—and given the layout of the parking lot, it was hard to block out all of the rest area lights and approaching headlights.

After about an hour, I decided to find another spot. I hopped on Google Maps, turned on satellite view, and took a look around the area. It took just a handful of seconds to find a better spot about a quarter mile away, and probably about 90 seconds to drive there. It’s a whole lot easier to move your campsite to a better location when you don’t have to pack up a tent. Once I relocated, I slept great under the dark and quiet sky. When you’re traveling in the West, there’s often a good campsite not too far away—especially during the shoulder season.

There are a number of apps and websites you can use to locate possible places to camp. When looking for dispersed camping sites, I usually start by scouring a state atlas or gazetteer, then when I’ve narrowed down my target area, I switch to Google Maps satellite view and zoom in to identify specific sites that might work. In addition, I also regularly consult FreeCampsites.net, Campendium, Boondocking.org, and the iOverlander app for sites that others have already identified. When I’m looking for developed campgrounds, I check recreation.gov, Reserve America, or just google “campgrounds in my area,” though those search results tend to include RV parks. Allstays is a highly rated app you might also want to check out.

Driving versus sleeping mode

While most of my stuff stays in the same spot throughout my trip, I do move a few items when I shift to sleep mode. When I’m driving, I like having the passenger seat free for things like maps, a snack I’ve pulled out of my food bin, or any other items I might need quick access to. But when I get to my destination for the night, I move any items that had occupied the rear seat (usually my food bin and my computer backpack) up to the passenger seat. This gives me a completely empty rear seat right next to my bed.

An empty rear seat

Having this rear seat available is great. Once I get the car set up for the night, this tends to be where I spend my time before I lay down to sleep. I can easily change clothes, watch a movie on my tablet, put on my shoes, snack or eat dinner, work on my laptop, scour maps while I revise the next day’s itinerary, and so forth—all while escaping the elements and not drawing any attention to the vehicle. Importantly, it’s also the easiest way to get in and out of bed, something you’ll want to consider if your vehicle doesn’t have an easy way to open the rear gate from the interior. I just climb up onto the bed and swing my legs around. When I’m sleeping, the seat conveniently converts into a handy bedside table where I place my glasses, headlamp, and phone for quick retrieval in the middle of the night.

Parking for the night

When I park for the night, the first thing I do is decide on how I want to position the vehicle. The primary considerations here are blocking any annoying lights, and pointing into the wind. If there’s any annoying light, I try to point the car towards it so that the sunshade I put in my front window blocks it from shining into the rest of the car. If it’s windy, I often position the car into the wind, which cuts down on the vehicle shaking or the windows whistling.

Once I have the vehicle pointed the right direction, I put on the emergency brake to limit any rocking when I’m moving around in the vehicle. I transfer the items from the rear seat to the front seat and get my bed ready.

I then put on the mesh window coverings, always covering both of the rear windows. These are the perfect solution to keeping annoying bugs out, but they also help shield bright lights and even light rain. If it’s hot out or I’m worried about it raining, I’ll add them to the front windows too. I then roll down the windows to the desired level. If it’s cold out, that might just be an inch or two for both of the rear windows. If it’s hot and I want a lot more airflow, then I’ll roll all four windows all the way down. This is something you can play around with, but you’ll want to keep at least one window cracked during the night.

I usually keep the car keys easily accessible on my center console and lock the doors when I’m ready for bed. I like to keep the drivers seat completely clear so I can quickly hop in and move the car quickly if I need to. When I’m camping in my own car, I always bring a full size pillow and also a cheap fleece blanket to cover my face in the night if the breeze is cold or to block out any unexpected light, like a bright moon moving across the night sky.

The entire process of shifting from driving to sleeping mode takes less than two minutes—much quicker than setting up a tent. When I wake up in the morning, I get dressed and shift it back before hitting the road again.

Toilets and showers

Probably the most popular question I get about these types of road trips is how and/or where I use the restroom and shower. For the most part, the answer is pretty easy. Except in some pretty remote areas, there’s nearly always a restroom available somewhere—whether at a rest area, gas station, fast food restaurant, or even a campground or wilderness trailhead. In the event that’s not the case, I have a trowel and toilet paper. If you want something a bit more convenient, there are a number of other options, including luggable loo and other portable toilets, female urination devices, and so forth—though none of these really works inside the vehicle.

As for showers, I knew that I’d be staying with a friend about halfway through the trip, so I was guaranteed at least one shower. Beyond that, I knew I could either pop into a truck stop or developed campground and pay for one, so I came prepared with my normal public shower kit (sandals, quick dry towels, shampoo/body soap, and a plastic bag to keep my stuff dry). But in a pinch, I could also rig up something shower-like on top of my car if it was warm enough out, or make sure to get to the hot springs on my itinerary, or just make due with a “backpackers shower,” also known as a wet wipes bath. I could have brought my camp shower, but it just didn’t seem like I’d need it. There are a lot of other showering solutions available out there, but I’ll wait to tackle those in a future post.

In the end, I got a bit lucky on the trip and ended up having access to a shower at each place where I visited an online friend. And because we ended up having a meal together, I also ended up cooking far less than I had expected. It’s great when things like this happen—but on trips like these, I always try to be self-contained as possible.

Sleeping in a rental car

Not taking your own vehicle on a road trip? Don’t worry, you can pull off much of this in a rental car, too. Because not all vehicles have seats that fold flat, however, you’ll have to manage to snag a vehicle that does. I’ve had the best luck with full size SUVs and minivans with stow-and-go seating. Either way, don’t drive off the lot until you have one that will work for you.

Here’s a video of what I brought when I camped in a rental car a few years back. The video quality isn’t great, but it’s still useful in understanding what items I brought with me.

You should also check out my extensive post on travel camping, which outlines which camping items I bring when I “fly-and-camp.”

Some other tips

• You don’t need a mattress set up as stupidly comfy as mine. Most of the time I sleep in my vehicle, I just use a simple backpacking sleeping pad.
• Not all Wal-Marts allow overnight parking. Here’s a listing of recent reports.
• Passing by a national park unit on your trip? Remember that many of the visitor center restrooms stay open all night.
• I use a pool noodle slice to cover up the hook that the rear seat attaches to. Trust me, this is preferable to bashing your hip against it when you shift in your sleep.

• Headlamps fit great on the back of headrests.
• If you don’t want to wake up at sunrise, consider where the sun will be rising. I use the Peak Finder app to determine this, but you can also just make an educated guess. Same with a full moon, which can seem incredibly bright when you’re trying to sleep.
• Have a membership to a national gym chain? Well, that’s a great place to grab a shower while traveling.
• Too hot? Too cold? You can always turn on the vehicle for awhile to cool off or warm up.
• I like bringing a small pack towel in with me when I stop at public restrooms so I can dry off after rinsing my face when there are just hand dryers available.
• Not a great sleeper? Bring some ear plugs to help drown out weird noises. You can also bring a sleep mask to help shield bright lights from other campsites, vehicles, or lampposts.
• If you want to add some additional privacy or black-out those weirdly shaped rear windows, try using some reflectix and trim it to fit. If you’re planning on stealth camping, spray mount some black fabric to one or both of the sides. These also work great for insulting the vehicle and you can store them flat under your mattress when not in use.
• These headrest hooks are quite handy. I use these frequently throughout the day when I’m on the road, and later at night, I hang a water bottle from one attached to the drivers headrest so I can easily find it when I’m in bed.
• Don’t forget these important tips on making ice last longer in your cooler.

The post How I camp in my car during road trips appeared first on rscottjones.

Eliminate packing stress

You can alleviate much of that stress simply by having a camping bin—a plastic storage container already set up with the stuff you need to pack for your average camping trip. Because it’s already ready already, you can just grab it and go. Ok, well, you’ll probably want some other stuff like a sleeping bag, tent, cooler, and food, too. But having all of the main camp items in one or two ready-to-go bins makes packing a snap.

Makes finding things a breeze

With everything all in one spot, a camping bin also makes it easy to carry your stuff to the picnic table, too. It all stays clean and organized, tucked inside a plastic bin until you need it. You’ll be able to quickly find what you need instead of scrounging around the car for various items. That means you’ll spend less time managing your stuff and more time enjoying your trip. And best of all, when you’re ready to pack up the campsite, it’s just as easy to return the whole kit to the vehicle.

Here’s exactly what I use

I’ve broken down the contents of my various adventure bins below so you can get a better sense of what these look like.

A few caveats

Before you start stalking—or critiquing—what items we bring, I should explain why this kit works well for our needs. First, we have no kids, so everything here is just for us. We’re also not huge camp foodies. For some people, camp cooking is the main reason for going camping. That’s not us. We nearly always prefer simple to extravagant, and we’re usually just cooking for the two of us. We also prep much of the food before we go so we don’t have to spend as much time making dinner at the campsite. That makes sense, as we’re often just camping to save money on hotels. So your bin may look exceedingly different than ours, and that’s totally fine. This is all about putting together a system that works for you.

I should also note that I’m not holding this up as the World’s Best Camping Bin set-up. It just happens to be what I use—as of today, at least. It’ll change over time as I refine further or upgrade. Some of this gear is 20 years old while other components were acquired in the last year. I usually only upgrade gear when there’s a substantially better product that improves my experience and seems worth the money. Most of these items are cheap and unspecial in any substantial way. If you’re just starting out, I recommend starting with cheaper stuff first and only upgrading later, if it’s necessary. Most of the time, it isn’t. Keep in mind how incredibly easy it is to overspend on camping gear and save some of that cash for trips instead.

Click to expand or retract each section

Click on the bin name to “open” the lid and peak inside. To head off some anticipated questions, I’ve linked to a few items that people might want to know more about.

Main camping bin

Main camping bin

What I use this for

This is my primary camping kit—it goes on every single camping trip I take.

I prefer using a shallow bin so that there aren’t too many layers of things, which makes it easier to both find and repack items. The 10 gallon “stacker” style bin I use measures roughly 25″ x 18″ x 7″ and has locking handles to keep the lid tightly secured. Two 4 gallon bins stack perfectly on top of this one, as does the 19 gallon version, so there are a lot of options that work well together if I decide to expand in the future. The current bin is fully packed, so there’s not a lot of extra room for additional items.

I also keep some cheap Ikea doormats on top of this bin. We use them outside our tent (or vehicle doors, if we’re sleeping in the car) to make it easier to put on our shoes after we crawl outside. The doormats fit perfectly on top of the bins and our trusty two burner Coleman stove sits on top of them. This works especially well, as the doormats keep the stove from rattling against the plastic bin on washboarded roads.

Bin contents

• Silicone strainer/splatter screen/hot plate

• Flexible plastic cutting boards (3)

• 1lb Coleman propane canister

• All-purpose fixed knife blade

• Nesting pot/pan set (3 each) & handle (an older version of GSI Outdoors Bugaboo that’s sadly no longer available)

• Silicone coaster/pot handle (2)

• Plates (7)

• Bowls (7)

• Disposable paper plates (about 6)

• Butter knives (7)

• Big spoons (5)

• Regular spoons (5)

• Forks (7)

• Spatula

• Stirring spoon

• Tongs

• Camping spatula & spoon set

• Kitchen scissors

• Can opener

• Kitchen knife

• Bottle opener

• Wine stopper

• Small lantern (2)

• Collapsing sink

• Tervis-style insulated cups w/lids (3)

• Yard trash bags

• Kitchen trash bags

• Paper towels

• 2.5 gallon ziplock bags

• Gallon freezer bags

• Quart size freezer bags

• Beverage koozie (4)

• Para cord

• Bug head nets (2)

• Campsoap

• Two-sided dish sponge

• Dish scraper

• Bug spray

• Hand sanitizer
• Wet wipes

• Toilet paper

• Trowel

• Small blacklight

• Lighter

• Dish towel

• Pack towels (3)

• Carabiners (2)

• Medium binder clips (3)

• Spices

Notes

I quickly made a rather poorly-produced amateur video showing all of these items while camping a few weekends ago. I’m (somewhat reluctantly) linking to it here so you can get a better sense of how it all fits together. I’ll try to put together a better one in the future.

I keep the serving utensils, cooking utensils, plates & bowls in separate bags. I happen to use some old Eagle Creek travel bags for that, but gallon ziplock would work just fine, too. Also, the utensils, bowls, and plates I use are all lexan-style.

The large 2.5 gallon ziplock bags are used for dirty dishes, when we’re feeling lazy and would rather just bring them home to the kitchen dishwater. That probably describes 75% of our weekends. Ok, fine…maybe 90%.

Yes, we bring three flimsy plastic cutting boards, but they’re mostly just used as clean surfaces to set food on. We do most of our slicing and dicing back at home before we leave.

I use the binder clips as bag clips for chips and other snacks.

The small blacklight is used to look for scorpions at night. I kinda just tossed it in there one day, but it can be fun to play around with, especially in the desert.

Campfire bin

Campfire bin

What I use this for

This storage container is identical to the one I use for my main camping bin. I bring it when we’re planning on having a campfire, or on longer trips when we might have a campfire. It also contains our camp shower, though that rarely gets used unless we’re camping for quite a few days—trips in which we’d also likely have a campfire. We might also bring this bin when we might need some shade or rain protection, or expect to sleep in Sam the Subie.

Bin contents

• Fire poker

• Plastic serving trays (2)

• Telescoping campfire forks (3)

• Roll of paper towels

• Lighter fluid

• Lighter
• Fire starter

• Hatchet

• Folding saw

• Cooking oil

• Aluminum foil

• Trash bags

• Extra 1lb propane canister

• Utility towel
• Heavier duty plastic shopping bags
• Camp shower
• Para cord
• Bungee cords (4)
• Bag of tent stakes

• Tarps (2)

• Clamps (5)
• Bug netting, blackout cloth, and magnets

Notes

We use the tarps, clamps, bungees, tent stakes, and para cord—along with some telescoping tent poles that get packed with our camp chairs—to create various shelter configurations, often utilizing the roof rack or open rear gate of my Subaru Outback.

The bug netting, blackout cloth, and magnet set is a custom solution I use for covering the windows when sleeping in the car. I’ll have more specifics on this in a future post, but it’s basically comprised of a set of no-see-um netting and dark “blackout” cloth trimmed to fit my various car windows. I have about two dozen rare earth magnets that I’ve individually covered with gorilla tape to create a sort of tab so I can easily grab them. I use the magnets to mount the netting or blackout pieces over the open car windows at night. That way, I can have some good airflow without dealing with insects, or sleep through the bright rising sun (or, sometimes, a full moon that’s too darn bright).

We use the heavier plastic shopping bags (meaning, the ones just slightly nicer than grocery bags) to hold our clothes and other items when we’re using campground showers. Since everything seems to get wet in public showers, the bags help keep our things dry, especially when shower curtains are missing. If we’re using our own camp shower, the tarps and related items also allow us to create a makeshift shower privacy curtain if we need one.

The serving trays make it much easier to eat dinner in a camp chair near the campfire. I sometimes snag these for our daytrips too.

Daytrip bin

Daytrip bin

What I use this for

We grab this smaller bin (roughly 16″ x 13″ x 9″) for daytrips, which serves us well for basic picnic-style meals. We tend to keep our daytrip meals very simple, like cold sandwiches and some sides, so there’s not much we need. It’s rare that we’d heat anything up, so we don’t need to bring a lot of gear as a result. To make things easy, we just use disposable plates and bowls from our tailgating supplies.

Contents

• Roll of paper towels

• Baggie of shopping bags

• Beverage koozies (4)

• 2.5 gallon ziplock bags

• Gallon/quart/snack ziplock baggies

• Disposable plates & bowls

• Disposable solo cups

• Plastic silverware

• Silicon coasters/pot holders

• Lighter

• Kitchen knife
• Binder clips

Notes

Why have a lighter when there’s no stove on the list? Two reasons. First, we might use it to fix the ends of newly cut para cord we might use to string up a shade tarp. On the rare occasion that we do want to heat something up (probably hot chocolate or cider), we would have grabbed my backpacking stove, fuel, and pot—which requires a lighter. Those three items are small enough to toss into this half-full bin, so it’s an easier solution that bringing the normal bin.

Creating your own camping bin

Now that you have a sense of what I bring and why I bring it, it’s time to put together your own bin. Start with brainstorming the items you’ll need. It might help to mentally walk through an average trip. Everyone travels a bit differently, so consider what you’ll need and what you don’t.

What does your average trip look like?

Are you cooking a big meal, or just roasting some hot dogs? How many people will need plates, bowls, and cutlery? How much food prep will you need to do at camp? What other items will you need access to (such as a can opener, bottle opener, vegetable peeler, etc)? What’s your dishwashing strategy? Do you need cups that work with hot water? What might you need for a campfire, if you often have one?

Basically, the point here is just to run through all the usual scenarios you’d encounter and list things you may use. Then, pare down the list to the things that you think should come along every time you go. Those are the items you put in your camping bin.

In addition, consider any items that you should have along, just in case. For instance, I only occasionally use a can opener, but we sometimes buy camp groceries on the drive to the campsite, so I make sure I have one of these in my kit—even though it might only get used once in awhile. Same goes for the bug head net; it’s something I might not know to bring on any specific trip, but would dearly miss if I did need it. Be careful with how many “just in case” items you bring, though; it can be easy to end up with a cluttered mess of rarely used items.

How will the bin fit in your vehicle?

This might sound a bit silly at first, but I assure you it’s not.

If your main camping gear bin is awkward or doesn’t fit cleanly in your vehicle, it’ll add frustrations you don’t need. I’ve found that it’s best to “test load” your vehicle with your main big items: tables, chairs, tent, cooler, sleeping bags—and consider what things must go where. For example, my camp chairs must go across the back of rear seats if I want my cooler to be easily accessible, so that influences how wide of a bin I can use. If you’re planning on using multiple bins, you’ll also want to consider how well they fit together, too. I bought matching, stackable bins specifically so that it’d be easier to pack them in the car together.

I used to use a taller, more narrow bin, but it was too tall to put anything useful on top of it and it created a weirdly-shaped void that usually resulted in unused space. If your bin doesn’t “play nice” in the vehicle configuration you’d prefer, find yourself one that does. It’s worth the hassle now to get it right than dealing with repeated consternation every subsequent trip.

Putting it all together

Now that you have your camping bin items together and have found a bin that will work for your space and gear, it’s time to bring it all together. After a few times packing and repacking your bin, you’ll probably notice that things seem to fit better if you pack them a certain way. I try to pack the bigger items in the same spots each time, and then fill in with the other items around them. Smaller items I use frequently go in designated spots (usually corners, for me). It’s useful to have a system—that way, you don’t have to rummage through the whole thing just to find that little spice container. That’s basically what this entire post is about—creating systems that make your camping life easier.

What other bins would be useful to have?

My main camping bin is primarily focused on camp kitchen items. I suggest that you have a similar one, as it makes it easy to bring everything you need right to your cooking area. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have bins dedicated to other types of gear, too. For instance, we also have a sleep bin that contains our comforter, sleeping pads, pillows and lightweight throw blankets that we often use in warmer weather. I also have one for much of the gear I usually bring kayaking. If having a pre-organized gear bin would reduce the hassle of packing and help you get out more often—as it does for me—then you owe it to yourself to put one together.

Replenishing the bins

Since our goal is to be able to pack quickly—so that we can leave right after work on Friday, for instance—we keep these bins fully stocked and ready to go. Instead of having to look through the bins before each trip to see what needs to be replenished, we try to take care of that while we’re at the campsite or on the road.

Our solution is to use the free Microsoft To Do app so we can add to a shared “camping bin replenishment” list as soon as we use something up at the campsite. Uh oh, down to only one trash bag? Add it to the list. Lantern batteries going dim? Add it to the list. Propane canister feeling a little light? Add it to the list. Do it right when you think about it. Yes, it’s ok to whip out your phone at camp to do this. I also add anything here that I might want to add to the bin for the next trip. Again, log it when the idea hits you; don’t expect to remember later.

Once we’re back home from the trip, we’ll replace anything that needs replacing (including recharging the batteries for the small lanterns) before we put the bins away. This is important—if you’re not diligent in replenishing the camping bin, then you’ll undermine your ability to just “grab and go” or you’ll end up without something you need.

Auditing your kit

Once or twice a year, I like to take everything out of the bin and review if it’s still something I should be hauling around. For instance, have I really used that blacklight? Maybe that can stay at home from now on. Doing this review helps reduce clutter and make it easier to manage the stuff you actually do use regularly.

I want to hear about your camping bin

Did an interesting item make it into your camping bin? Have a tip I missed above? Think I should add something specific to my own camping bin? Let me know in the comments. I’d especially love it if you linked to a photo of your own camping bin. I love hearing what everyone else brings.

Pin it

The post Why you should use a camping bin appeared first on rscottjones.

But there’s often no substitute for experiencing a new place with friends. Unfortunately, not everyone has a go-to travel partner, or an available crew to camp with. If you’re looking to expand the number of friends you get outside with, you’ve found the right post.

Your existing group of friends

The first step is to check with the friends you already have. Maybe one of them has been dying to get outside, and just needs someone to suggest a destination. Or maybe you never quite realized that someone loves to hike or camp, but similarly doesn’t have someone to go with. It’s funny how often I see someone post a photo of a hike they did, or a new tent they just bought, and thought to myself, “wow, I didn’t know they enjoyed that sort of thing.” So, ask your friends. Post a few messages on facebook, then mention it at your next happy hour get together. Start here first.

Your existing irl social networks

After you’ve checked with your circle of friends, expand a bit to the other social networks you belong to. Check with your co-workers—the ones you can stand, at least. Check with the folks at your _____________ club, whatever that might be. Work, school, hobbies, parents of your kids’ friends, neighbors, regulars at your gym class…we’re all connected to various groups of people we already somewhat know, each of which may yield some new hiking partners. But only if you ask.

Meetup groups

Meetup has been an absolute treasure trove of outdoor clubs for me. I regularly kayak with three groups, day hike with another two, and occasionally jump on backpacking trips led by couple others. But it wasn’t always that way.

A few years ago, I decided that I didn’t have enough backpacking in my life. While several of my friends routinely said they wanted to go, I could never quite pin them down for a trip. So I headed over to Meetup.com and searched for some groups. I found half a dozen that were backpacking-focused and seemed pretty promising, joined each, and took a look at their trip calendars. There was one trip coming up to one of my favorite destinations, Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness, which requires permits that the trip leader had already secured. They had a spot open, so I RSVP’d yes. A few days later, I was sleeping under cottonwoods gazing at the stars with five people I had just met. They weren’t all going to be future friends, but one of them is. And best of all, I got a fun overnight trip out of it.

A week later, I went with another meetup group that was heading to Havasupai, one of the jewels of the Southwest. I hadn’t been there before, and the permits can be hard to get. It was only four days long, but I made a ton of friends on that trip—many of which are among my most cherished friends today.

Within a week, I was organizing unofficial trips for my new friends and have helped lead trips (and happy hours for connecting with new members) ever since. That group basically became my primary “outdoor adventure” crew, the ones I spent most weekends with. I’m not guaranteeing you a similar outcome, but it’s a common meetup experience I’ve seen so frequently that I’m confident you’ll make some outdoorsy friends if you give it a sustained shot.

“But I’m too shy for that”

Meeting new people and doing a trip with them isn’t necessarily easy or fun for everyone to do. I understand, I do. I generally felt the same way. I’m not an outgoing guy. I’m rarely the popular one in groups. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to keep up. I was worried that there’d be some creep or asshole on the trip that drove me nuts. I was worried that someone might be totally unprepared and we’d have to help him along the whole trip. I was worried I’d be the outcast on the trip, that I just wouldn’t fit in. There were a thousand other worries I had, too. And yet, none of those things happened. Not one. That’s the thing with most fears—your imagination is far worse than what’s likely to actually happen.

If the idea of this simply terrifies you, and you’re unwilling to force yourself to try it just once or twice—no matter how uncomfortable it might seem—then don’t. It’s that simple. Stop reading and focus extra energy on the first two steps, instead. But if you’re intrigued, even just a bit, but still pretty anxious about the idea? Well, I say go for it. Talk a friend into going with you. Start with a group that does a social activity so you can meet the regulars first. You’ll feel less anxiety if you know you can bail during one of these event more easily than an outing in the wilderness. Don’t see any outdoor recreation groups that offer one? Email the organizer and suggest it. Likewise, if you’re a woman and worry about spending a weekend with a bunch of strange, possibly horny, men who might constantly hit on you? Well, email the group organizer and suggest a girls-only trip. There are often ways to mitigate the fears or hesitations you might have. Start slow and work up to an actual outing if you need to. Or do what I did and just thrust yourself into it——like jumping into a cold lake instead of trying to ease your way in. Either way, give it a shot.

But what about small towns?

I should note that I live in Phoenix, a large metro area with great weather, abundant public lands, and plenty of people who enjoy getting outside. You may not live in such a place. You may live in a small town, far from a population center large enough for a single outdoor rec meetup group, let alone the dozens I can choose from. Bummer.

But all is not lost. Try searching for specific destinations instead. In the search box, type the place you want to go (it works best if it’s a somewhat coveted destination). Change the “distance from” your location to “any distance” and select “all meetups” from the options on the right, then look through the results. You may find groups from across the state, or even from across the country, leading trips to that destination. It’s not uncommon for people to join trips being led by groups far from own city.

Facebook groups

Check facebook for various hiking or outdoor-related public groups in your area. Often, individuals from these groups will lead hikes or other outings, sometimes formally and sometimes informally. If you don’t see events being mentioned, ask if anyone might want to join you. Even if you don’t have a lot of luck here, you’ll probably enjoy conversing with them anyway. In addition, these facebook groups often offer the side benefit of providing some great ideas on future destinations to explore.

I couldn’t find a kayaking trip scheduled for this Sunday in my normal meetup groups, so I jumped into a new facebook group I recently joined for kayaking the lower Salt River outside of Phoenix. One post and one day later, I have a small group of paddlers joining me on Sunday morning. It turns out that there are often people who would love to join a trip; they just need the suggestion to go. I see this regularly in other hiking facebook groups I belong to. Don’t see an outdoorsy facebook group for your area? Create your own and see what happens.

Other clubs & organizations

You’re probably already familiar with a number of national outdoor/conservation/recreation groups, many of which have a local chapter or partner that’s active in your state. For instance, the Sierra Club in Arizona has a pretty regular calendar of member led-hikes and activities where you’d undoubtedly find others who enjoy the outdoors. Groups like IMBA have lists of local mountain biking clubs you could get involved in. American Hiking Society has a similar list of hiking groups. Hike it Baby has a network of local branches offering outings for families. There are obvious too many to list here, but a quick search will likely uncover plenty of local groups to investigate.

There are a number of new female-focused hiking groups springing up recently, such as Hike Like A Woman. Some of these are set up as national networks with local chapters—often with one or more local ambassadors—that organize hikes and other events.

There are also a number of  local or regional outdoors groups, too—and even some outdoor retailers that offer women-focused events. REI’s Force of Nature program also hosts a number of classes and events geared specifically for women. Other organizations, such as Outdoor Afro, Latino Outdoors, OutVentures, and Unlikely Hikers host events for communities often underrepresented out on the trail. I’ve listed just a small sample of the groups out there, so spend some time googling in your local area.

An often overlooked place for finding outdoor clubs is community colleges. Student orgs can be pretty hit-or-miss and don’t always persist thru the summer, but it’s worth checking your local community colleges for any active groups. The community college crowd usually has a much wider age distribution than four-year universities. So while you’ll likely find many twenty-somethings in these clubs, you won’t seem totally out of place even if you’re 40-something.

Guided hikes & volunteer projects

In the suggestions below, the goal is to connect with others who enjoy the outdoors and who also live in your area. Since these things can vary greatly depending on where you live, you’ll need to do a bit of digging to see what’s available in your own area.

Some outdoor outfitters, like REI, offer various outings and outdoor ed classes. If you’re anything like me, these are your people. It shouldn’t be hard to get a conversation going about various trails or destinations, which provides a perfect segue into a “sounds great, so when do you want to go?” comment. Climbing gyms are also great places to make some new friends, though not everyone who climbs indoors enjoys outdoor activities.

Volunteer service projects on our public lands, such as trail maintenance or trash cleanups, can also be a great way to meet people who enjoy the outdoors. Not only might you make some new hiking friends, but you’ll be giving back to the outdoor community. Check in with your local land manager for opportunities near you. You might also want to contact local outdoor outfitters, conservation groups, and “friends of” groups, which often sponsor or organize volunteer service projects, too.

If you have a county or regional park system, you might want to see if they do any guided or interpretative outings. You’ll want to focus on places where locals routinely go, not the more touristy destinations that might attract out-of-towners. For instance, most visitors to metro Phoenix probably don’t even know about the Maricopa County Regional Park system, so they’re unlikely to attend their events. That might not be the case for nearby Lost Dutchman State Park, which sees its fair share of tourists given its popular RV campground and proximity to the famed Superstition Mountains Wilderness.

Some cities and counties also run their own outdoor programs through their respective recreation departments. Many times these are focused on general exercise and fitness, but plenty of them also include outdoor recreation activities—especially in places with urban mountain preserves and other outdoor rec opportunities.

Other social media networks

If you’re a regular user of social media, especially open networks like instagram and twitter, then you probably “know” quite a few people. That is, you follow them, they follow you, and you at least occasionally have some sort of conversation with them. Well, maybe it’s time to meet in person for a hike!

Sure, distance is often an issue for these sorts of relationships; these networks are worldwide, after all. But that doesn’t mean you can’t put a little energy into following more people in your own area. It’s particularly easy to do this on instagram. Simply search by some local hashtags and you’re bound to find others who enjoy the outdoors. It might take some time to develop an online relationship with the people you find, but it’s a quick and easy way to find fellow hikers. Like facebook groups, you’re also sure to learn about some outdoor gems in your area. Oh, and feel free to give me a follow on twitter or instagram while you’re at it.

An important note on “meeting people from the internet”

Nope, this isn’t a cautionary disclaimer. It’s the opposite, actually. Sure, you should be safe when it comes to people you don’t know. That’s true whether they’re people you meet at the grocery store, on the internet, or at your local church.

But, here’s the thing. Most people are just fine. Sure, some can be socially awkward. Some are weird. Some are even creepy. And anytime your spidey sense alarm goes off, it’s best to pay attention. But the vast, vast majority of people are perfectly safe to spend time with, especially in a larger group setting—whether or not you’ve met them on the internet.

Fifty years ago, it was perfectly acceptable to make friends at the bowling alley, back when being in a bowling league was far more common. But let’s face it, it really wasn’t much different than meeting someone from the internet. They were a complete stranger, you got connected because of a shared interest, and here you are doing stuff together in real life. It’s basically the same thing as what happens with meetup, except that now you can actually stalk their profile a bit before you ever show up. And that’s just one of many precautions not available to previous eras.

The internet is a fabulous tool for finding people with similar interests as you. For finding your tribe.

The bottom line

If you want to make outdoorsy friends, you live in the very best era to do so. Go on, make it happen!

Photo credits

Jessica Schultz took the featured image, as well as the one of our group at Havasupai. She’s currently adventuring around the West in her Airstream full-time. Follow her on instagram or at CampfireHappy. You’ll be happy you did.

Want more stuff like this? Subscribe to the email list to get notified of new posts.

The post How to make more hiking or camping friends appeared first on rscottjones.

They looked skeptical, trying to process what that sentence could possibly mean.

To them, camping was itself a largely weekend endeavor: full of beer coolers and dutch ovens, carloads of friends, pine trees and hammocks. It was the central feature of the weekend—billed as a chance to let off some steam, day drink with some friends, eat more than you should, and escape the city heat. The point of the weekend was the act of camping itself.

But that wasn’t what I was doing. I was camping—well, I was sleeping in a tent at a campground, at least—specifically to avoid paying for an expensive hotel room. As a result, I hadn’t brought much beyond the basics: a tent, headlamp, sleeping bag, and sleeping pad. I also had some snacks, a disposable cooler, and a barebones cook kit, though I had opted to grab a cheap sub on my way to the campground instead of cooking some elaborate dinner over a campfire. I was doing it all wrong, in their minds.

Don’t get me wrong, I love camping for camping’s sake. There are fewer things I enjoy more than sharing some adult beverages with good friends next to a campfire with a view. I’m constantly pestering my friends to join me for a night or two on the Mogollon Rim during hot Phoenix summers. Lounging in a hammock, staring up at the star-filled night sky above, the cool breeze carrying with it the relaxing scent of pine trees? Yes, please! I need that in my life.

But for me, camping is both a means and an end. It’s not solely a weekend activity with friends, it’s also the way I can afford my other travel adventures. And there are many other travel adventures to be had, after all.

Camping is the single best strategy to save money while traveling here in the USA. Hotels are expensive, and they often entail additional hidden costs. Once you have some camping gear, the primary cost of camping is a far cheaper campground fee and maybe the occasional $5 propane canister. Or you can find a dispersed campsite on our public lands and save the campground fee altogether. For budget travel, camping is a great deal—even if it requires a bit more time and gas…and far less glamour.

If you can get comfortable with camping for traveling’s sake, then you can unlock a whole new set of travel adventures. So when I’ve set my eyes on a new trip, and glanced into my wallet only to see moths fly out, I’ve quickly turned to “sleeping at a campsite,” or what you might call travel camping.

Want to travel to Maui, but can’t afford the $300 hotel rooms? Maybe tenting it at that $20 campground that’s 10 minutes outside of town isn’t so bad—especially if doing so allows you to spend 9 days on the island instead of just 2.

Want to take that long road trip to visit a bucket list destination, but can’t afford both gas and hotel rooms? Maybe a quick overnight stay at that state park along the way can help.

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t stay in a hotel occasionally, or cash in some points for a room with your own private bathroom and complimentary little shampoo bottle. But adding the travel camping routine to your repertoire? Well, that gives you quite a few more options to play with. Suddenly, skipping that second hotel night stay to camp instead means that you can now afford that special boat tour, or maybe to extend the trip an extra day, or to indulge in a night of bar-hopping around the trendy downtown district. That flexibility can sometimes mean the difference between an experience you’ll never forget, and a slightly more private place to take a shit.

If you follow my travels, you know that I spend a ton of nights each year sleeping in a tent. But the majority of those are actually travel camping nights—not nights I’m spending backpacking or “camping with friends” (though I’d certainly love far more of those last two). Most of the nights I camp aren’t for the camping at all—it’s simply a way to spend more of my time traveling, exploring, and adventuring. And that’s why I do it. And why you should too.

My primary goal with this website is to help you Just Get Out More. Since travel camping is one of the key strategies to doing that, I’ll be writing in much greater detail on how I go about doing it in the not-too-distant future.

The post Camping? No, I’m just sleeping at a campsite appeared first on rscottjones.

While we often disperse camp on BLM or National Forest lands, we had decided to reserve campsites last weekend, given our rather aggressive itinerary. Kodachrome Basin State Park seemed like the natural first night’s stop, since we’d be driving Cottonwood Canyon north through the middle of famed Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. We selected site 12 from the available options, and it did not disappoint.

What makes a good campsite?

For me, there are a few things that I tend to prefer in campsites. Please note that I’m referring to developed campgrounds here—not dispersed or backcountry sites, which I’d evaluate using much different criteria.

First, I prefer small to medium-sized campgrounds, usually between about 15-40 sites. Larger campgrounds tend to have very small sites that feel nearly on top of each other, and tend to be more crowded to begin with (hence, their large capacity). Extremely small ones often lack useful amenities, like flush toilets and sinks. Don’t get me wrong, I’m fine using vault toilets and otherwise roughing it. But if I’m paying $15-30 for a place to sleep for the night, I expect a few additional conveniences. It’s often nice to have showers too, especially if you’ve been outside all day. I tend to sleep better when I feel clean. I don’t rely on firewood being available for purchase at the campground, but it’s always nice to have as a backup or supplemental option.

While campgrounds can sometimes be a fun social experience, I usually prefer more privacy. So I look for sites along the outer loops and especially those that have a visual barrier between my site and neighboring ones. Shade can be an important factor too, especially here in the desert southwest, so some tree cover or a shade structure is often appreciated.

I usually don’t care much about distance to the restrooms or water spigots; neither is usually too far way to cause much hassle. However, the inverse isn’t true—proximity to the restrooms or water can mean a constant stream of visitors passing by your tent. Worse, occasional whiffs of an overly ripe vault toilet can really ruin the camping mood.

If you’re tenting it as I often am, a flat tent pad that’s not too rocky is key. After that, it’s all bonus. Being a westerner, I have a relatively high expectation that really good campsites should offer some sort of expansive or scenic views, too. Proximity to streams or lakes is usually nice as well, though sometimes that means more bugs or higher winds.

Evaluating campsite 12 at Basin Campground

On par, campsite 12 was nearly perfect for our needs last weekend. The campground is the perfect size, and offered just the right amenities. The restrooms were clean and modern, and the shower stalls were spacious. While there wasn’t any way to adjust the shower temperature, it was exactly the right temp for me. In addition, a sink for washing dishes and a self-serve supply of firewood—a handy to carry bundle for just $5, with proceeds benefitting the Boy Scouts—were appreciated conveniences.

The site is well isolated from neighbors with its own mini loop, making it feel like you were alone. Due to the configuration of the campsites, all RVs were on the other side of the campground. Best of all, it was at the far end of the campground near the head of the basin, making for some excellent panoramic views. We’ll be back the next time we find ourselves looking for a campground in the area.

If you go

There are multiple campgrounds atat Kodachrome Basin State Park, but the one you’re looking for is the largest one, Basin Campground. Campsites are $20 per night, plus an $8 registration fee. Check availability on site 12; if it’s already taken, there seemed to be several other sites that looked like quality backup choices. Not all sites are reservable online, so you might be able to snag one on a first come, first served basis, too.

The post Campsite 12 at Kodachrome Basin State Park appeared first on rscottjones.

Because they’re accessed from the exterior, these restrooms are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week—even when the visitor center itself is closed.

That’s a great tidbit to know, especially if you’re camping in the park’s campground or on nearby public lands.

Unlike the available facilities at many park campgrounds, the visitor center restrooms will have flushing toilets, sinks, and even mirrors. And since they’re often cleaned right after closing, you’ll usually find them freshly stocked with paper products and in spic-and-span condition. You’ll usually find a water spigot there, too.

This last weekend, Jen and I camped at Natural Bridges National Monument in southern Utah. The park campground is small and a bit sparse in amenities—there’s no drinking water and only two pit toilets are available.

That might not sounding like a particularly appealing campground to some. But don’t let that keep you from staying there.

It’s a short walk down the park road to the visitor center restrooms, where you’ll find flushing toilets, sinks and mirrors, and fully stocked paper products. And did I mention that the floors will have been freshly mopped?

And since few people seem to make use of these restrooms after hours, you’ll likely have the place to yourself. We certainly did this weekend.

Keep in mind that many state parks and other recreation areas also have “always open” restrooms attached to their respective visitor centers, too.

So the next time you feel skittish at the thought of using a campground pit toilet, consider making a stop at the visitor center on your way to the campground each night (or morning, or both).

photo credit

The post The secret about National Park visitor center restrooms appeared first on rscottjones.

There’s one simple way to save money on your trips:

Camp.

Yep, not an earth-shattering secret, I know. But it’s still a powerful way to travel. Not only does it allow you to experience the local environment in a more intimate way, but it allows you to save some serious bucks along the way.

By camping instead of staying in hotels, you can often save enough to extend your trip by 30% or more. That’s huge.

If your goal is to travel cheaply enough to afford an additional vacation or two this year, camping might be the answer.

A fraction of the cost

I never stay at the high end resorts or hotels, but I usually try to avoid the bottom-barrel motels, too. For me, a clean room and preferably a good pillow is what I’m looking for. That means that I’m routinely spending $75-200 a night on a room. That adds up quickly, especially considering how little time I usually spend in the room.

By contrast, camping is a fraction of the cost. Campsites at developed campgrounds usually run between $15-45 or so, with full service RV campgrounds starting around $50. And you can also camp for free in dispersed campsites in most national forests and BLM public lands—that’s tens of millions of acres where you can sleep for free.

To put some numbers to it, here’s what a stay in Grand Canyon National Park would cost you for a 3-night, mid-week trip over July 10-13, 2017. The cheapest hotel currently available on hotels.com is a nice 3-star Best Western in Tusayan, about 6 miles from the park boundary.

Best Western in Tusayan: $270/night ($810 total)
Mather Campground: $18/night, ($54 total) 

➞ Savings: a whopping $756

Maybe this is a bad example, and you’d be cool with staying 60 miles away in Flagstaff where you might be able to snag a $120 hotel instead. Ok, fine. But you’d still be saving $300 by camping. And you’d be within walking distance of the sunrise or sunset over the canyon. And yes, you’d still have flushing toilets and showers, plus a picnic table and fire ring—and even a free ranger campfire program.

It’s not just about not paying for a hotel

The most obvious expenditure you’ll save by camping is on hotel bills. For my travels, that’s usually the highest cost. But camping provides another possible cost-saving measure: the ability to cook your own meals.

Cooking for yourself will undoubtedly save you gobs of cash. Sure, it’s much more work to cook for yourself. But if you’re looking to save money, this is another great way to do that.

Don’t want to cook? No worries, you can just as easily eat out and head back to camp whenever you’re ready to unwind and go to bed.

Speaking of unwinding, is there anything better than an adult beverage around a campfire? Yeah, that’s a lot more fun than drinking in the hotel bar or alone in your room.

Camping isn’t always an option

Granted, camping won’t always be an option. If your goal is visiting Manhattan…well, camping probably isn’t a particularly viable choice. But it does work for a surprisingly large subset of America, especially when you’re on the move between places.

Weather plays a major consideration as well. I don’t recommend camping during your summer swing through Phoenix, for instance—though you could camp an hour north in the cool pines of the Mogollon Rim without any issues. Likewise, camping in extreme cold or snow offers other unique challenges that you might not want to deal with.

On the other hand, lodges in popular national parks often sell out weeks or months before the campgrounds.

Camping does require an initial investment

Now, you’ll need at least some gear to make camping a reality. But you probably don’t need as much as you think. Even better is that after that initial your gear will last years and years, reducing the cost of future trips.

The most basic gear needs:

• tent
• sleeping bag
• sleeping pad
• headlamp

You don’t need the very best of these, though the more you spend the better gear you’ll get. But for occasional use, some of the cheapest models you can find at Wal-Mart or on Amazon could be perfectly functional for your needs.

And you don’t actually need a tent, or a sleeping bag, or a sleeping pad—you just need to accomplish the same function. You can use your own blankets as a sleeping bag, or a foam mattress topper as a sleeping pad, for instance. And I often sleep in the back of my Subaru Outback instead of pitching a tent.

You can also rent gear from places like REI, or simply borrow it from friends. In fact, that’s probably the best way to get started.

The other benefits of camping

Saving money—often in order to extend my trip—is usually my primary motivation for camping during road trips. But there are quite a few additional benefits of camping you shouldn’t overlook.

• Camping provides a more intimate connection to place. You’ll learn more about your destination by spending time in its native environs.
• It’s also good to disconnect from screens, and it’s good to see the stars once in awhile. Disengaging from the digital world can refocus your mind on more important aspects of life—not just how many likes your last instagram post has gotten.
• Camping also fosters deeper personal connections with your traveling companions. Shared experiences such as camping create stronger memories and nurtures relationships.

But probably the most obvious benefit is the flexibility it provides. When you’re self-contained, your schedule has a bit more give in it and you’re not quite as locked in to your initial itinerary. So if you run across something unexpected that you really want to do, you can. And if you’re not enjoying where you’re at, you can move along to a new destination.

Stay tuned

You’ll read quite a bit here about camping, including both tricks and gear to make your time outside that much better. So don’t worry if you’re not quite an expert just yet. I’ll help you get there.

The post The single best way to save money on travel appeared first on rscottjones.