Doing these research trips, my camps are just for overnight stops.
I have a Coleman Instant Tent, takes seconds to pop up... and just a few minutes to take down, roll up, and stuff back in the bag.
I have an air mattress, and the Tacoma has a 110v outlet in the bed. Using an extension cord, I have power up to 50 feet to inflate the mattress.
I have a folding camp chair with a little table on the side. I use the tailgate of my truck for the main table to cook and prep on.
I have an ice box (the 5-Day ice life model). I get three 10 lb. blocks to keep milk, OJ, some fruit, water, and beers cold. I have added one bag of
ice near the 5th day, but so far, the blocks last 7 days.
My camp gear is in one plastic tub and a duffle bag: Stove (Coleman propane), Lantern (LED), Coffee pot (for boiling water mostly). I have another tub
for food (cereal, freeze dried meals, canned goods, PB &J, bread, etc.). I have a flat of water bottles with several in the ice chest.
I have one of those blue 6-gallon water jugs, for cleaning, cooking... but rarely use even half during a week trip. I do spend 1-2 nights at a motel
during a week for showers and an easy night without setting up camp.
All the bouncing, the blue jugs have gotten dented and formed cracks that leak. I tried a different tie down method this past trip and no leak yet.
The sleeping bag and clothes bags are in the back seat of my truck, along with the air mattress when driving, the tire pump, etc.... keeps dust off
them.
I take a box or several of the artificial fire logs... for an easy a pleasant camp fire. If there is native dead wood, I may add to it.
Pretty easy... I have camp up in 20 min. and I can then relax, go over notes, text with my wife and friends with the inReach device, and see the stars
before I go in the tent.
I would forego the case of bottled water and buy water as you go...we carry 1 gallon jug and refill our steel drinking bottles. I also use a calcetin
or coffee sock instead of a coffee pot or french press...they are flat and real compact. I LOVE my Colman cot...dont need to blow it up!
There are no stores where I go, so the water bottles are what I drink mainly... Singles so they are cold... Too big and it would be warm before
drinking it all. I do sips not gulps and only a couple bottles a day, usually.
When I see broken down vehicles, walking ranchers, or soldiers who are thirsty... I can offer them a cold water bottle and they all seem very pleased
with that.
I use the coffee pot to boil water for my freeze dried dinners, tea, or cocoa. If I feel a need for coffee in camp, I have coffee bags or instant with
powdered creamer.
I have a cot as well... okay for a couple nights. On extended multi night trips as I am doing for this new book research, the cot was just not
comfortable so I got a single air mattress. Getting old sucks! I did not sleep comfortably in January with the cot.
Hope to see you again soon Shari, as I research the Vizcaino Peninsula on a future trip... maybe soon? September with you and Juan with my tour group
was epic... the fireworks were a nice touch, too!
If you have room in your freezer at home I like to freeze one gallon water bottles and use as ice in your cooler. When they thaw no water in cooler
and cold water to drink
There is only so much beer one can drink before one cannot drive, or at night when the stomach can take no more. I have a beer when I set up camp and
maybe a second when sitting at the campfire. Now, if I was camping with others, maybe the socializing and conversation may require a third? I got by
on one six pack of XX last week's trip... and brought one beer home! I am easy.
If you have room in your freezer at home I like to freeze one gallon water bottles and use as ice in your cooler. When they thaw no water in cooler
and cold water to drink
That is a neat idea... maybe next trip I will try it? I do freeze several of the single water bottles and put them in the ice chest to have ice cold
water ion the tent at night. They stay frozen most of the week, too.
DK, I am envious of the luxurious camp you are able to travel with in your Tacoma! If you removed your back seat, and put nothing in the bed of your
truck, you would have an idea what camping in my Kia is like.
I don't carry any cooking gear, I can live out of an ice chest and a box of canned and dry goods for a few days or weeks at a time. I pack a tent,
but most nights, I put the passenger side seat all the way down, and sleep in the car with my dog right next to me.
It is more comfortable than it sounds, and I have a 110v inverter and battery back-up if I feel like watching a movie.
I also freeze water in jugs to start my trip, mainly because the water in Grass Valley is about the best drinking water I have found, and I have it on
tap!
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
I would forego the case of bottled water and buy water as you go...we carry 1 gallon jug and refill our steel drinking bottles. I also use a calcetin
or coffee sock instead of a coffee pot or french press...they are flat and real compact. I LOVE my Colman cot...dont need to blow it up!
Single use disposable plastic water bottles are environmentally wasteful. best to have a re-usable 1 liter bottle, and a 5 gal jug in the vehicle
I use the coffee pot to boil water for my freeze dried dinners,...
Freeze dried dinners? Yuck!
If car camping with cooler full of ice, take meat and perishable goodies. Veggies keep fine in a cardboard box for a week plus. Your Toyota has
capacity to carry good food (I think a double cab Tacoma can carry maybe a 500 lbs load, eh?), so why eat reconstituted cardboard for dinner?
Because I want EASY and QUICK.
I cooked when I was young and had kids. Now, I am researching and am only stopping to sleep and rest in a different place each night.
I thought I explained all that in one of my trip reports in 2017?
If I was in a town, like El Rosario or Santa Rosalillita, I have a well-cooked meal as it is someone else doing the cooking and cleaning.
I also explained why I use 19 oz water bottles earlier.
As for the single serving waters as long as they are recycled whats the problem?
I like to cook and eat well, so when I'm camping I bring along meals that I made at home and froze in plasic containers , lasagna, eggplant
parmigiana, tuna noodle casserole, etc. It sure is worth it for a quick easy and good meal while camping.
And as everyone knows , leftovers are always better, especially while camping.
Soon to be on your heels as I just acquired a Toyota Tacoma TRD meslf.
Ice chest A/C unit for the tent, the white noise from the fan and cool air helps me sleep. Its SO quiet in Baja in the morning just before dawn that
you can hear the ants crawling
Use the cot and put your air mattress or a pad on it, make it as soft as what you are using on the ground. Much easier to get up off the cot. Pull
it outside the tent for star viewing.
As for the single serving waters as long as they are recycled whats the problem?
I like to cook and eat well, so when I'm camping I bring along meals that I made at home and froze in plasic containers , lasagna, eggplant
parmigiana, tuna noodle casserole, etc. It sure is worth it for a quick easy and good meal while camping.
And as everyone knows , leftovers are always better, especially while camping.
Soon to be on your heels as I just acquired a Toyota Tacoma TRD meslf.
Congrats on the Tacoma... I hope you have a fun time with it. Join Tacoma World forums to get absolutely everything you may need to read about
Tacomas. The frozen meals in a bag is great... I have done this before. Maybe because of my age, but I just don't make cooking and food such a big
deal as I used to. I am losing weight, slowly, too. A great side effect. Thank you for your reply! I am 'David K' on Tacoma World, too.
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