Blauert on Outdoors: Gear up for camping season

With warm weather here to stay and school just about over, camping season is about to begin.

For most people who don’t camp regularly, the hardest part of going camping is rounding up all of the gear and getting it packed. If you have to start from scratch every time you plan a trip, it takes a lot of time. With some planning and a good packing list, however, it doesn’t have to be so daunting.

Over time, I’ve developed a system of storing essential camping gear that works well for me and the types of trips I take. It allows me to pack for a trip in less than half an hour – even if I’m providing all of the group gear for several people. I’m sharing it in today’s column because it may help other readers develop a system that works well for the camping they do or have always wanted to do.

The biggest time saver is to store all of the kitchen items together with many other smaller items necessary for a trip. I have all of mine in a big plastic tub that’s always waiting on a shelf in my garage for the next trip.

When I return from a trip, I restock it with items that have been used up and wash other items so the box is ready to go for next time.

After years of fine-tuning and adjustments, my current cook kit is a heavy-duty plastic tub known to friends and family as the “chuck box.” This container holds all of the essentials for preparing and cleaning up meals. It also doubles as an extra seat around the campfire.

I picked out my current chuck box because the lid seals tightly. This is important when it is bouncing around in the back of my truck on a dirt road. I also keep most of the smaller items in zippered plastic bags to protect them from dust and moisture.

The chuck box can easily be put into a vehicle or bear box at night to prevent it from attracting animals.

Everything I include is listed with this story, and most of the items are shown in the photograph accompanying this story. If you create your own chuck box you can add or subtract items – they’re not all necessary to cook a good meal.

This is the perfect time of year to build or fine-tune your own cook kit and have it ready for the first big trip of the summer.

Most of the items can probably be collected from extra or mismatched items in your kitchen or purchased for minimal cost at a discount store, yard sale or thrift store.

Keep a notepad or tablet in the box. When something gets used up or breaks, write it down. If you forgot an item or decide you want to add something else to your cook kit, write it down, too.

When you get home, all you have to do is to clean the contents of the box, read over your notes, and then store the box in the garage for the next trip.

This story was originally published May 26, 2015 at 8:23 PM with the headline "Blauert on Outdoors: Gear up for camping season."