Bow Tote

A Camp Kit for Your Car or Truck

An item you will find indispensable for car or truck camping is a camp kit. You can store all the basics, such as stove and lantern, in a simple tote box. You can find them at most hardware and department stores.

I have found that a plastic tote with a locking cover works best. This way the tote is light and will not spill the contents if it falls over. The tote I use measures sixteen (16) inches high by twenty-four (24) inches long by seventeen (17) inches wide and has locking handles. It carries all the basics you will need, plus a couple of extras.

Basic items your camp kit should hold are:

1. Coleman stove- This can be duel fuel or propane.

2. Lantern

3. Cook Kit w/ plates and cups

4. Silverware Kit- Described later

5. Foil

6. Dish soap

7. Brillo Pads

8. Two Dishcloth’s

9. Two Small Towels – These can be used to wrap the lantern during transit.

10. Salt and Pepper

11. Spices – You will want your food to taste good at camp. Maybe it’s time to try something new.

12. Campfire Grill

13. Utensils for the cooking over the fire, all with long handles.

14. Duct Tape

15. Twenty-Five to Fifty feet of rope – Clothes line or parachute cord will work.

16. Mason Twine – for tying down tarps

17. Two decks of playing cards

18. Cribbage Board

19. Reflector Oven or Camp stove Oven

20. Hatchet

21. Bow saw

22. Trash bags – Use grocery bags during the day and put in a large bag at night.

23. Assorted baggies

24. Matches – The strike anywhere type

25. Toilet paper

26. Extra tent stakes

27. Fuel funnel- For stove and lantern, in a plastic bag

28. Tent repair kit

29. Mixing bowl

As you pack these items, make a list on 3X5 cards. When you are done, tape the cards to the inside of the lid. The list is always there to check that everything is in the kit before you leave.

When setting up the silverware kit, start with new utensils. You can find good deals on utensils at most department stores. You will also need a small cotton towel, a dish towel will do.

The towel will be used as a pouch. Just fold one third up and sew the edges together. When you are done, fill the pouch with utensils and roll it up. After washing the silverware at camp, you can throw it in the towel and let the towel dry it.

Utensil List:

1. 8 forks

2. 8 spoons

3. 8 knives

4. 4 soup spoons

5. 4 steak knives

6. Spatula

7. large spoon

8. large spoon with holes

With your kit, you are ready to go camping anywhere at anytime. So make your list and take a day to gather supplies and set up your own camp kit, you will be glad you did.

About the Author

Ron Shannon is a Reg. Maine guide from Clinton, Me. USA. He has been camping for over thirty years, using camp as a base for fishing, canoeing and hunting trips. Though he now uses a travel trailer, he has amassed his knowledge from tents to trailers through years of trial and error. His camps have ranged from camping alone to as many as twenty people.
Copyright Ron Shannon

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