Help me pack our PUP please...

[HappyGirl]

What do you you keep in your PUP all the time and what do you carry in totes that either doesn't fit or you prefer not to store inside?

Thanks,

[Red Barchetta]

Keep it simple and you'll enjoy camping and your PU that much more.   

Besides 4 items our PU is fully functional and ready to go including bedding once I take a few minutes to fill the WH, check the lug nuts/tires, & check the LP.

4 items needed for each trip;
- pillows
- clothes & personal items/kids' homework
- food from house (& store if needed)
- bikes


Welcome to PUX btw!   

[bonscott]

Inside the PUP we keep the following (off the top of my head):

1) Tools
2) Cleaning supplies
3) Paper towls/napkins
4) Dishes, pots, pans, silverware and cooking supplies
5) Bug stuff
6) Flashlights/Lantern/Awning lights
7) Candles
8) Games
9) Dish washing supplies and bins
10) Portable shelving, table
11) Extra blankets

In the garage I have a large tote with all the hoses, electric, leveling supplies, tarps.  This is typically in the PUP but will take it out when packing/cleaning.  Same with the porta potti and gray water tote.

What we repack each time is food, towels, sheets, coolers, clothes, pillows.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something.

Basically we can be packed up and gone in less then an hour if need be.

[Jean]

Keep it simple and you'll enjoy camping and your PU that much more.   

Besides 4 items our PU is fully functional and ready to go including bedding once I take a few minutes to fill the WH, check the lug nuts/tires, & check the LP.

4 items needed for each trip;
- pillows
- clothes & personal items/kids' homework
- food from house (& store if needed)
- bikes


Welcome to PUX btw!   

I know this is OT, but  I just can't imagine getting dd to take her homework, much less work on it.

Right now, it's the beginning of the season, and it feels like everything has to be put in the pup. (Most of it was out for the winter.) Other than the homework though, I think our lists are pretty similar. We like to keep it simple, and we like to camp close by. We don't like to spend all weekend driving and setting up, or all weekend unpacking/looking for things.  Something new we're trying this year is taking our kayaks with us, and of course we won't be leaving any of our kayak gear in the trailer. So, in addition to bikes and bike helmets, we'll have kayaks, kayak paddles and life jackets.  Dh usually is kind enough to supply wood scraps from his shop, so I have as much firewood as the tv will carry as well.

In the pup is all of our cooking/eating  utensils. Pans, stoves, bar b ques, gadgets I can't live a meal w/out, my dutch oven paraphenalia, plates, silverware, extra small propane tanks, and games. Our sleeping bags and camping chairs usually fit in the pup as well.

Jean

[Spirit Deer]

It's easier for me to say what we DON'T keep in the pop up.

~Fresh food, both dry and refrigerated.  Coolers and/or chillers are packed for each trip.

~Pantry basket.  That's mostly because it's used in both RVs and I don't want to have to pop up to get it if it's needed in the motor home.  This basket has all our food staples in it such as Bisquick, dry milk, cream soup mix, spices and herbs, powdered eggs, etc.

~Clothes.  Duffels are kept in the house partially packed, so it's easy to throw in what we need for each trip.  We have sweatshirts that stay in the campers in case we forget jackets.

~QuikShade.  That has to ride in the van because there's no place for it in the camper and again, it's also used with the moho so can't be stored inside the trailer.

~Electronics such as cameras, DVD player, cell phone, etc.  Again, shared items and also security is an issue with expensive stuff in a pop up, so we don't leave it there.

~Cast iron Dutch ovens.  Each camper has an aluminum oven, but the baby DO's are shared between the two campers and also used at home, so leaving them in the pop up wouldn't make sense for us.  We have quite a few ovens and needs vary depending on the trip too, so hauling all of them would add a lot of weight when we may not need them.  We also usually pack charcoal for each trip.

Pretty much everything else stays in the pop up.

[PattieAM]

My stocked camper has the following (and probably alot more):

4 wheel chocks, lynx leveling blocks, level, water bag containing white potable water hose, pressure regulator and a y for the spigot, sewer bag contains sewer hose and various adaptors and an aquaflush, bedding (sheets, pillows, heated mattress pads), cookware (pots pans and toaster oven sized bakeware), utinsels, corelle dishes and cups/saucers, silverware, can opener(s), knife set, corkscrew, bread machine, measuring cups/spoons, dish drainer and tray, table cloth and cloth napkins, fake flower in pot, fairly tall table lamp, extension cord, HD extension cord, drill and socket jenie, raft/mattress inflater, tent stakes, cleaning products for dishes floor, etc.  WD-40, duct tape, various tools - hammer, screwdriver(s), plyers and a rubber mallet, dog bowls, zip lock bags, toilet paper, paper towels, set of 4 bathtowels, washcloths, dish cloths and dish towels.  Two folding chairs and a 13-gallon trash can/liners.  Small television, DVD player, battery and electric clock, indoor/outdoor thermometer.

Basically when its time to go, I can just throw in a suitcase and pack a cooler.

[beacher]

EVERYTHING stays in the PopUp between trips.  Except for fresh clothes, food, and valuables which go in the SUV.

[Unstable_Tripod]

I follow the KISS rule and constantly seek to minimize what I take.  That helps with the space and packing/arrangement issue.  Another rule I follow is that if it is used in the PUP it stays in the PUP.  I don't want to lug stuff back and forth between PUP and TV.

After reading several posts here it seems that one thing I do differently from many others is to keep a tote in the back of the TV for the crank, wheel chocks, level, leveling blocks and related tools.  These are not in the PUP because I need them before I pop up. 

[Camping Queen]

I tend to keep all the kitchen staples (pots/pans, dishes, eating & cooking utensils, wash up supplies, coffee maker, a basic array of spices) either in the drawers or in a tote inside the pup on a permanent basis. I also keep the bedding and pillows (which I pop up for after a trip and wash, then I remake the beds and they're clean and ready to go for the next trip).  I also have a 5 gallon bucket for gray water use and use it to keep the stabilizer and crank handles, electrical cord, short length of garden hose, lubricant spray, and misc. small parts in otherwise.  I keep that near the pup door and pull it out first to set up with.  Also near the door go the chocks, wood scraps for under the stabilizers, and the BAL leveler - anything that you need quick access to for setting up camp.  Basically, I just have to pack up our clothes, chairs, and cooler, put them in the TV, and take off! 

When I was coming up with what to put in there, I kind of went through a typical day and thought about what I would need. I.E. get to camp - set up (what do I need for that...pup set up supplies, chairs, beer!) Hang out/play for a while (what do I need for that...bikes, games, beer!)  Make dinner (what do I need for that...cooking supplies, spices, wash up stuff, beer!)  Now it's nighttime (what will I need...lantern, bug spray, beer!)  Anyway, you get the general idea.  Just do your own mental run through and you'll come up with the things that will work for your particular flavor of camping.  You can always add or remove things from your list if you find you've missed something or maybe it turned out that you never used it.  Organize your drawer and cupboard space as much as possible - use trays, utensil organizers, etc to keep things neat and orderly.  Use plastic totes for oversize things, or for things that can't fit in your drawers (like the pots/pans and dishes).  Keep them organized too so that what's in the tote is generally related.  They'll fit under the table or down the aisles for storage when not being used.  The more you can be organized up front, the easier your life will be at the campground!  Hope this helps, and happy camping!  Jane, Dennis, and the girls

[Outbound]

Our PUP is stored in a lot about 2 miles from the house.  Its never brought home to be loaded: we pick it up on our way out, and drop it off on the way back.  As much as possible, we have duplicates of everything in the PUP.

In the TV:
- Clothes, towels, sheets
- Coolers & dry goods that won't keep (bread, etc)
- Camera / assorted electronics
- Dog food
- Kayak
- Spare group 27 battery (if we'll be dry camping for more than 3 nights)
- The wheel chocks, picked-up after we've hitched-up the PUP
- Anything on the "to be restocked in the PUP" list from last time

In the PUP:
- Lawn chairs, awning mats, frisbee, football
- Dog leashes, toys, bowls, spare poop bags
- Miscellaneous hoses, cords, etc needed for hydro/water
- Lynx levelers, level
- About a dozen paperback books picked-up from the used book store because they looked interesting
- Coleman hot water on demand
- Themocells, bug spray, suntan lotion
- Paper towels, phosphate-free soap, garbage bags, strike-anywhere matches, nylon rope
- Spare light bulbs for the interior fixtures (*new this year - the last trip of last year was a bit dark)
- Flashlights, Coleman lantern
- Air-tight pantry box with dry goods that will keep (spices, olive oil, coffee, muffin mix, etc)

[fdtd]

in the pup...pots and pans
                dishes
                soap
                first aid kit
                flashlights
                garbage bags, ziplock bags, etc
                broom, dust pan
                spare blankets
in the pup storage bin
                folding chairs
                gas lantern with spare cyclinders
                cast iron mountain pie makers
                table cloth for camp picnic table
                folding shovel
                ax/saw/hatchet
                citronella candle
                lynx levelers
                wheel chocks
                wood for under stabilizers
                fire gloves
                some luggage
in the TV
                clothes
                bedding
                coolers with food
                fire wood
                bikes/toys
                DW/DKs/Me
                electronics/camera/dvd
                rain gear in cab

[Eaglecamper]

  ...and some other stuff. 

[pcfeld]

...and some other stuff. 

I thought that should be kept in the TV so it was handing immediately after hitting the campground.  No sense in waiting until PUP is opened to open them.

[Eaglecamper]

I thought that should be kept in the TV so it was handing immediately after hitting the campground.  No sense in waiting until PUP is opened to open them.

It motivates me to set up fast...real fast 

[saeedi]

Wow. We just bought our "new to us" pop-up last weekend and have just been able to set it up today. I've been inside doing some cleaning and realized how little space there really is for storage. WHERE do you guys keep all this stuff? Hehehe. Mostly, we'll be camping with our 7 yr old son and two (XL) Great Pyrenees, along with hubby and me.

We have a 1999 StarCraft Spacestar with the slide out dinette area. That has two large cabinets under the seating, but we were told the cushions go in there. Outside of that, there would be a couple of small cabinets here and there but nothing where I can load up with pots/pans, coffee makers, Dutch ovens, towels, clothing, dog stuff, lawn chairs, games, (homework?), and everything else you all are taking. We do have a TV with a lot of room UNTIL the dogs are in the back. I think we'll be making good use of the rack on top of the TV too.

Anyway, the lists were interesting and informative. So thanks for posting this in the first place.

Bonnie