truck camping checklist

A friend at church told me she wants to get back into the outdoor life and said she would like to pick my brain about camping. She said she has inherited a good deal of equipment, but hasn’t used any of it yet.

I thought about our conversation this afternoon and felt the first order of business would be to make a thorough inventory of equipment. The inventory serves as the basis of a checklist that will keep you from forgetting a critical piece of gear.

The season and your personal habits will determine what you need for any given trip. Since my favorite outdoor activity is black iron cooking, my list is heavy in the Chuck Box category. All of the cast iron makes me thankful for the heavy-duty suspension on my truck. Others may take a more lightweight approach. Regardless of your activities, the checklist is your key to a happy trip.

Another friend has convinced me that organization and identification are two more keys to happy camping. It’s one thing to have a large pile of gear, but quite another to be able to put your hand on the item you need. Everyone develops their own system over time, but the list below is what I use. I have large plastic lockers for my chuck box and my shelter box. For personal gear I use a duffle bag or small day pack. Items are the further subdivided into bags or containers for ease of identification.

Personal:

 Keep in mind that this is just a sample list to give you an idea of how to start your own. Let me know what you have on your list and be sure to leave me a reply if you have any questions

Happy camping!