April 15, 2025 • 40 mins
Planning your next camping trip? Let’s take the guesswork out of packing! In this episode, I’m sharing my go-to camping checklist — everything I bring to the campground, from essential supplies and food prep to personal items you won’t want to forget.
Plus, get a behind-the-scenes look at my recent road trip across Virginia as I scout out new adventures for upcoming episodes. And if you’re ready to connect in person, I’ve got details on where I’ll be next — come say hi at an upcoming event near you. Let’s Go!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jessica Bowser (00:00):
From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the
Chesapeake Bay, Virginia is amecca for outdoor travel and
adventure. Virginia outdooradventures Podcast is your local
guide for hiking, camping,kayaking, travel and so much
more. Get the information andthe inspiration to plan your own
adventure right here inVirginia. I'm your host, Jessica
(00:23):
Bowser, planning your nextcamping trip. Let's take the
guesswork out of packing. Inthis episode, I'm sharing my go
to camping checklist, everythingI bring to the campground, from
essential supplies and food prepto personal items you won't want
to forget, plus get a behind thescenes. Look at my recent road
(00:44):
trip across Virginia as I scoutout new adventures for upcoming
episodes. And if you're ready toconnect in person, I've got
details on where I'll be next.
Come say hi at an upcoming eventnear you. Let's go Virginia.
Outdoor Adventures is sponsoredby breaks Interstate Park
brakes. Park is a hikingdestination in the heart of
(01:06):
Appalachia. Every trail featuressomething that will awe you,
including geologic formations,scenic views of the canyon,
stream crossings and wildlifeviewing. Trails range from easy
to difficult. The convenience oflodges, campgrounds and luxury
cabins inside the park meansyou'll never need to wander far
from the trail. Come see foryourself why breaks is known as
(01:29):
the Grand Canyon of the South.
Download the digital trail guideat breaks park.com. Or click on
breaks Interstate Park in theshow notes of your listening
app. Hello, friends. I ampopping in with a short solo
episode this week, short becauseI just got back from a two week
(01:52):
long road trip, and whiletraveling around Virginia, is my
favorite part about making thispodcast. It leaves me with not
much time, not much sleep, andnot always with reliable access
to Wi Fi. So getting any sort ofwork done while I'm on the road
can be a real challenge, but Ido want to share some of my
recent adventures. I spent mostof the last two weeks in
(02:14):
southwest Virginia inpreparation for two upcoming
episodes. So my first stop wasat New River Trail State Park,
and I went wild caving withRanger Aaron Pitts, and also
with Haley from the comms teamat dcr. If you've ever sent or
received a message from Virginiastate parks on their social
media pages, that was probablyHaley on the other side. Also
(02:37):
with us was Katarina and willwho are cave and car scientists
with DCR and we had such anamazing trip. I mean, first of
all, how many people knew thatthere is wild caving available
at New River Trail State Park orany state parks for that matter.
These are Ranger led, guidedprograms, and they give people
(03:00):
an introductory feel to whatwild caving is like, and this is
not commercial caves. So you'renot going into a cave that has a
paved walkway and lights and allkinds of other features that
some of the more expensivetouristy caves have in the area.
This is truly a wild cave. It ismostly untouched, and you get to
(03:23):
go in with a helmet and aheadlamp and knee pads and
actually experience what a wildcave is truly like. We had such
a great time. It was especiallyneat to have the cave and car
scientists there. They werepointing out all the different
wildlife and the features of thecave and how the cave was
formed. It was so interesting.
We had a really fun time. Andthen it's not just new river
(03:47):
trail that offers wild cavingtours, but also natural tunnel
State Park does as well. So thatwas my next stop. But while I
was at New River Trail, I wassharing a cabin with Haley at
Claytor Lake State Park. This isthe time of year when you really
notice the seasons changing. Andbeing in southwest Virginia and
watching the mountains sort ofspring to life like every day,
(04:11):
the mountains got just a littlebit greener. The red buds are
absolutely spectacular rightnow, and the wildflowers are
too, and the cabins are allwaterfront. And it was just such
an enjoyable time to wake upevery morning and sit outside,
have my cup of coffee, listen tothe birds, and then go for a
(04:31):
short hike and just watch springcome alive. That was such a
great time. And then at naturaltunnel, I got to do two more
wild caving trips there, I metwith Rangers Lillian and Ranger
Stacy, and they took me in twodifferent caves. One we had to
hike to, and the other one wewere able to drive to. They were
completely different experiencesthan the cave at new river
(04:55):
trail. What I find mostinteresting about our caves and.
Virginia, and I've been insidemany of them at this point, more
so wild caving than entering acommercial cave. Even though all
of these caves are in Virginia,they are so different from each
other, like every cave you gointo is a completely different
experience than the one before.
(05:17):
I did this in preparation for anepisode about wild caving in
Virginia state parks. So RangerAaron, who I just mentioned from
new river trail, is going to bethe guest in that episode, and
we're going to be talking aboutall the opportunities to
experience wild caving inVirginia state parks. While I
stayed at natural tunnel in thecabins there, I was actually
(05:37):
spending quite a bit of time inBig Stone Gap, which is a town
nearby, and it is in preparationfor another new episode. It's
going to be one of Virginia'sadventure town episodes on Big
Stone Gap. I got to spend timewith the town manager, Steve
Lawson and also the tourismdirector, Ken Mead, and we rode
(05:58):
bikes on trails, and we went forhikes, and I got to experience
what is actually a really prettygood food scene in Big Stone
Gap, which is not something I'mused to in small towns. So that
episode is going to be comingout, maybe the next one. I'm not
sure if it's the caving episodethat's going to come out first,
or the Big Stone Gap episodethat's going to come out next,
(06:20):
but I'm really excited, becauseI haven't done a Virginia's
adventure towns episode since onancock, and that was this past
fall. I also had a chance to popinto the Daniel Boone wilderness
trail Interpretive Center, whichis just a few miles down the
road from natural tunnel, andtheir visitors get to learn
about the role wilderness roadplayed in westward expansion.
(06:41):
That is a brand new building.
You need to check it out ifyou're in the area. And then you
may remember that back inNovember, I did a solo episode
where I was going through all ofthe things that I have in my
bags that I take with me for acabin stay, visit in a state
park. And one of the storiesthat I told in there was about
this cabin journal that I have,that the former state parks
(07:02):
director Craig Seaver gave tome, and it was hand delivered to
my cabin at natural tunnel bythe park manager, Ranger
Roberts. So I was back innatural tunnel for only the
second time it was it's thefirst time I've been back since
he gave me that cabin journal.
After I checked out a naturaltunnel, I stopped by Ranger
(07:23):
Roberts office, and I had thecabin journal with me, and I
asked him if he rememberedbringing it to my cabin back in
2019 and he vaguely remembered,although I think he might have
been faking it a little bit.
And I told him that I have beenlogging every cabin stay in a
(07:43):
state park since he gave it tome. And the night before, I had
gone through all of the entriesand was rereading some of them,
but I decided to number them,because I don't actually know
how many cabin stays I've had,and people ask me this all the
time, and I'm like, Oh, I don'tknow, it's a lot. So I actually
went through and numbered themall, and it was 53 at the time
(08:05):
that I entered the most recentnatural tunnel visit. And that's
a lot. I was really surprisedthat it was that many. I thought
it was like somewhere in the40s. But even 40s a lot to get
beyond 50, I think isremarkable. And I was telling
this to Ranger Robert, and hesaid that he also has a journal
that he keeps in his camper. Andso we were kind of comparing
(08:28):
notes and talking about whatit's like to be able to record
all of these details that youwill otherwise forget, and then
to go back and reread them andsort of relive that whole
experience. So I kind of feellike the story of the cabin
journal just went full circle.
And so that was really cool. Igot a picture with Ranger Robert
and the two of us holding mycabin journal in the park office
with this really cool muralpainted on the wall of natural
(08:51):
tunnel and a train comingthrough the tunnel, which I got
to experience when I was theretoo. There was a train that came
through the tunnel while I wasstanding right near the entrance
to the tunnel, and, gosh, it wasso loud. But I digress. I don't
want to get into too much detailabout all of this, because I'm
going to be sharing it in theupcoming episodes. So then after
that, I drove to Harrisonburg,which is a good stopping point
(09:14):
between southwest Virginia andNorthern Virginia, and I was
there to do some promo work forvisit Harrisonburg. But I had
like, six hikes on my list thatI wanted to do. The hiking in
Harrisonburg is so fantastic.
Like all around the area,there's such easy access to the
(09:35):
GW forest, to ShenandoahNational Park, and then also
there's a state forest nearby,lots of bike trails, mass than
not. And, I mean, there's somuch to do there, and all it did
was pour rain the whole time Iwas there, which was really
disappointing. But I did get topop into several restaurants, a
couple of bike shops, and also acouple of breweries. So I had a
(09:58):
really good time. I. Bumped intoone of my listeners, Jeff. You
may have seen the selfie that hetook with me and posted on
Instagram, and it was justreally cool to run into somebody
that I message kind offrequently, and to see him and
his wife in person was a verypleasant surprise. So I got back
late last night, and then today,I hopped over to Mason, next
(10:21):
state park because I waspersonally invited to a party
for one of my other listeners,Kelly from Arlington, who
completed trail quest and earnedher master hiker certificates.
Kelly, I gotta tell you. Sofirst of all, congratulations to
Kelly for completing trailquest, but she really did it up.
I mean, this is now the thirdtime that I have been invited to
(10:43):
somebody's trail questcompletion. And Kelly threw a
whole big party. She reserved aspot on the picnic ground. She
invited a whole bunch of people.
There was lots of food. Therewere folks coming and going, and
then Ranger Jamie came over andpresented her with her master
hiker certificate. And everybodywas so excited for her. And
(11:04):
people brought her gifts. Imean, like, really thoughtful,
handmade gifts. I was impressed.
Somebody wrote a haiku andpresented it to her, framed with
this, like watercolor paintingof Virginia. It was so
beautiful. And then someone elsehad this thing. It's like
plaque, wooden plaque made onEtsy that had Virginia with all
(11:28):
of the state parks on the map,and it said, like Kelly's trail
quest completion engraved on theplaque. It was so nice. I mean,
really, people brought hercards, and everybody was talking
about her adventures. There werepeople there who had been to
several the parks with her. So Igot to meet those folks too and
(11:48):
and talk to people who are partof her journey. And it just got
me thinking about how cool trailquest is. And somebody there was
saying that they looked intoother states to see how many
other states have a program liketrail quest, and they couldn't
find one, and I found that hardto believe. I don't actually
know if there are other statesthat have programs similar to
trail quest, but I mean, howcool is it that we have this
(12:11):
incentive program to get peoplevisiting all of our state parks.
Now that I've been to threedifferent trail quest completion
ceremonies, it's so neat to seethe sense of accomplishment when
people get their certificates,and just how happy everyone is,
and the opportunity to reminisceon like some of their favorite
(12:32):
moments, either their favoriteparks or their favorite hikes,
or like special memories fromcamping or kayaking. You know,
everybody's got a unique storyto tell at every park, and it's
just really cool. It's cool tosee people enjoying it and
experiencing our parks andbuilding memories with their
(12:53):
partners, with their families,with their friends, meeting new
people along the way, or justexperiencing it solo. I know I
when I did trail quest, Iexperienced it solo quite a bit,
and it does not take away fromthe experience at all. In fact,
I really enjoy doing it solobecause it gave me a lot of time
to reflect on different things.
And if all of that wasn'twonderful enough, Kelly donated
(13:14):
to the Virginia association forparks $10 for every person who
celebrated with her at MasonNeck, I thought that was such a
lovely gesture of appreciationto give back to our parks by
donating to a fantasticorganization that promotes parks
across the state.
Congratulations to Kelly. Thankyou so much for letting me be a
(13:38):
part of your celebration. Andthen later this week, I'm going
to be backpacking with yetanother Ranger, Ranger Amelia,
from Powhatan State Park. Wehave an episode coming up about
backpacking, so I'm so excitedto go backpacking with Ranger
Amelia, and it got me thinkingthat I probably should add to my
(14:00):
to do list backpacking at allthe state parks that offer
backpacking opportunities orhiking campgrounds, and I've
already been to several of them,but there's a couple left that I
haven't yet done. So I feel likeI should just knock that out
this summer, and that way I cansay that I've done all of the
hiking campgrounds. But this isgoing to be like an intro to
(14:21):
backpacking type episode, andwhich state parks offer those
opportunities.
This might be the last soloepisode of season five, so I
wanted to be sure to mention allof the upcoming events between
(14:41):
now and the end of the seasonthat are potentially on my
calendar so that you can come onout and meet me in person. Most
of these events are tentative.
They haven't all been finalizedyet, so you'll want to keep an
eye on my social media pages toknow exactly where I'm going to
be and when, but the first oneis on april 20. Seventh at Fox
meadow winery, and they arereleasing a brand new trail
(15:03):
themed wine, and they're hostinga big event around the release
of this wine. If you're notfamiliar with Fox meadow winery,
it borders Thompson WildlifeManagement Area, which borders
sky Meadows State Park, and theAppalachian Trail passes through
both sky meadows and Thompson,W, M, a, if you have heard of
the Trillium trail, or you'vebeen to the Trillium trail at
(15:26):
Thompson, then you have drivendown the same road that the
winery is located on, so you'vegone right by it. Fox meadow
winery has invited me to thisevent. I'm going to be there
with Mills Kelly, who is thehost of the green tunnel
podcast, a show about thehistory of the Appalachian
Trail. So Mills and I will bethere, and I believe there is
(15:47):
going to be a group hike on theAppalachian Trail from the
winery. So it sounds like asuper fun event. You won't want
to miss it. I don't have theexact times yet, but I believe
it's in the afternoon. So keepan eye on my social media pages,
or I'm sure you can find it onFox meadow wineries calendar on
their website. The first fewdays of May, May, 1 through
(16:08):
fourth, I will be at theVirginia association for parks
annual conference at occaneechiState Park. Then jumping ahead
to may 10, I'll be at Eagle Festat Mason Neck and then may 16
through 18th, I am either goingto be at River Rock in Richmond
or possibly trail days inDamascus. I'm not entirely sure
(16:30):
exactly which one it's going tobe. Keep an eye out for that. I
am sure that more events aregoing to be added between now
and the end of May. So keep aneye on my social media pages,
and I hope to see you at one ofthese events with campgrounds
open and warmer temperatures onthe horizon. Virginia State
(16:50):
Parks is launching its springinterpreter programs, offering
visitors of all ages theopportunity to explore the
natural and cultural wonders ofVirginia, the diverse
programming is designed toinspire curiosity, foster
environmental stewardship andprovide enriching outdoor
experiences for families,students and nature enthusiasts
(17:11):
alike. Highlights include floraand fauna programs learn about
Virginia's native speciesthrough up close encounters and
expert talks, historical andcultural tours, step back in
time with interpretive walks andhands on history lessons,
outdoor skills workshops, gainvaluable knowledge on topics
(17:32):
like archery, camping, fishing,kayaking, backpacking and more,
Junior Ranger adventures, funand educational activities
designed to engage youngexplorers, citizen science
initiatives, participate in realworld research projects that
contribute to conservationefforts, self guided programs,
explore at your own pace withgeocaching, discovery,
(17:55):
backpacks, photo scavengerhunts, stargazing, tree
identification, birding andmore. Join us at Virginia State
Parks for exciting, familyfriendly events that invite you
to explore the outdoors. For afull schedule of events,
including park locations andprogram details, click on
Virginia State Parks springinterpretive programs in your
(18:18):
show notes let's dive into thecamping checklist. This is a
checklist of items that I bringwith me on a camping trip, not a
backpacking trip, a camping tripon a campground. And this is
assuming that you will have easyaccess to your vehicle nearby,
and that you're not actuallyhaving to physically carry all
(18:39):
of these things a long distanceto your campsite. I'm also going
to start off by saying that I ama minimalist. I do not have a
lot of stuff. I don't likebuying a lot of stuff, and I
especially don't like figuringout where I'm going to store all
that stuff once I get it home.
So I have a minimal amount ofthings. These are the things
that I consider essentials, andI don't have a lot of frivolous
(19:02):
extra stuff. As I got intocamping, more and more, I
started making upgrades tothings that I thought would work
better, and investing a littlebit more money in things that I
thought would make my lifeeasier. So I'll share with you
some of those things as well.
And then lastly, I have a coupleof brands that I want to
recommend, because I really,really like these items, but
also nobody is paying me toendorse them. So if I recommend
(19:24):
a brand, it's because Igenuinely really like it and
would recommend it to youwithout anybody giving me
anything in exchange. So I'vegot this list divided up into
three categories. I've gotsupplies, I've got food, and
then I've got personal items. Solet's start with supplies. First
of all, you're going to need atent or a camping hammock. I
have two tents. One is a oneperson backpacking tent that's
(19:48):
super lightweight, and then Ihave a larger five person tent.
So depending on how many peopleare with me and what the
situation is, I'll bring one orthe other the. One person
backpacking tent is made byPeria outdoor products. The
company did send me this tent,and I have to tell you, I really
love it. The design isexcellent. Packs down small,
(20:09):
it's lightweight, but the bestpart of it is it's super
affordable compared to otherbackpacking tents. So if you
want something that's going towork for either backpacking or a
campsite, this thing'sfantastic, and you're not going
to break the bank on it either.
That's Perea outdoor products.
And then the five person tent issomething that I bought off
(20:30):
Craigslist when I first startedcamping, like the very first
camping trip I ever went on, andI needed something, but I wasn't
going to invest a lot of moneyin it. And I think I've just
went to Craigslist and found thefirst thing, I will admit, it
had a little bit of like amusty, moldy odor when I brought
it home, so it took somecleaning to get it even into
usable shape, but it has lastedthroughout the years, and I
(20:53):
still use it on a regular basis.
Now I don't attempt to sleepfive people inside of it. It it
would be a really tight squeeze,but it's fantastic for two
people and maybe a dog or two,or just a whole lot of extra
space around you, so that youcan put your duffel bag full of
clothes or other personal itemsin the tent with you. So I
(21:14):
really like it for that. Peoplehave asked me about my
backpacking hammock. I have twoof them. One is just something
generic. I think it's from REI,and then the other one is from
Hennessy Hammock. The differencebetween a backpacking hammock
and a regular hammock is thatone is more recreational. It's
meant to take a nap in or justhang out in, whereas a
(21:36):
backpacking hammock is designedfor someone to sleep comfortably
inside of it. It's usually got abug net over the top so that
you're not getting eaten alivewhile you're sleeping in it. And
then oftentimes it will comewith a rain fly too, so that way
you're also not exposed to theelements. Hennessy Hammock is a
brand that I highly recommend.
They are so innovative. The onethat I have the entrance to the
(21:57):
hammock is actually in thebottom of the hammock, so the
bottom of it opens up and youcrawl up into it. And they
designed it that way so that thebugs don't get into it, which I
think is just genius. HennessyHammock has lots of different
designs. I really like all ofthem. It was hard for me to
choose between one, but I'mreally happy with the one that I
(22:17):
have. Then I have extra tentstakes and a lightweight rubber
mallet. Now the mallet is greatfor actually hammering the tent
stakes into the ground. You willneed that trying to push them in
with your bare hands is a badidea, and stomping on them is
also a really bad idea. So I'vegot that to help get the stakes
into the ground. And then thereare holes in the handle so that
(22:39):
when it's time to pull thestakes out of the ground, you've
got some leverage, and you canwedge them out of the ground,
also really great. And then thetent stakes are actually meant
for sand or snow, and that way,if you are if you are tent
camping at the beach, you'regoing to need a larger tent
stake that has more surface areaand is designed specifically to
(23:00):
hold in that terrain. If you owna cheap tent, there is a good
chance it came with cheap tentstakes, and oftentimes they're
too small, or they're too thin,or they will bend when you
hammer them into the ground, orthey just don't hold the tent in
place. Especially if it's awindy day, the wind could
literally lift your tents offthe ground and carry it away. So
(23:23):
invest in some better tentstakes. They're also just nice
to have around in case you loseone. The chances of losing a
tent stake while you're campingis also pretty high, so having
the extra ones around is a greatidea. Okay, then you're going to
need some sort of a sleepsystem. I used to use an air
mattress, like a cheap airmattress that you would go to
Target and buy for your guestswhen they come over to your
(23:46):
house. And that worked fine fora while. I had an air pump that
had to be plugged into thecigarette lighter in my car. And
of course, that doesn't reachvery far, so then I would have
to inflate the mattress next tomy car and then attempt to shove
it through the entrance of myfive person tent, which is the
only tent that it would fitthrough the entrance of, which
(24:08):
was fine. It worked fine. It isa little bit of a pain, though,
because it's big and bulky. Andalso, if you're sleeping with
somebody else in the tent, ifthat person moves, then you're
gonna move. My husband's kind ofa big guy, so we would have some
restless nights where he wouldroll over and it would
practically launch me to the topof the tent.
(24:29):
So then, after a while, welearned our lessons. We bought
separate sleeping pads. They'reextra thick. Spent a little bit
of extra money on them for thecomfort. They are too big and
too heavy for any sort ofbackpacking, but if you're
taking it out of your car andputting it directly into your
tent, it's fine. Now recently, acompany called zenbivi sent me
(24:50):
their sleep system, which is asleep pad that comes with a
sheet that fits over the sleeppad perfectly, so the sheet
stays in place and then thesleepy. Bag clips to the sheet
so the sleeping bag doesn'tmove, which is especially nice
because you're not sliding offthe sleeping pad in the middle
of the night. It also means thatthere's a lot less fabric that
(25:12):
needs to be used. And I likethis company because they have
the option of non animalproducts. Oftentimes these days,
companies that make sleepingbags and jackets and things like
that, they want them to belightweight and warm, so they
use down. And I don't like usinganimal products. This company
offers an alternative, and Ihave had no problems with it.
(25:34):
It's warm, it's lightweight, itpacks down, small. I really love
it, and it works for bothbackpacking and camping. So it's
ideal. It doesn't take up a lotof space in my car. Now, before
I had the Zen bivid, I hadsheets and blankets and pillows
and all of those things workfine. If you've got them sitting
around your house, use them, butthey are bulky and they do
(25:54):
create a lot of laundry. So whenyou get home, then you're
washing all of those things, andthen it becomes a process when
you get home, and I don'tparticularly like that. I try to
keep things simplified, and bynot having to make work for
myself when I get home, then I'mmore likely to enjoy the trip
and not get stressed out by it.
I have firewood on my list, butactually, I don't think this
needs to be on the list. Mostcampgrounds have firewood
(26:17):
available on site, and dependingon where you are, you may be
required to use the firewoodthat is on site, and that's
usually because it cuts down onthe likelihood that a non
native, invasive insect could bebrought in on firewood from
somewhere else, and then it getsloose in the ecosystem and
(26:37):
wrecks havoc. So sometimes it'sbetter just to buy the firewood
on site, and oftentimes it'scheaper, and even if it's not,
the extra funds go to supportthe park or the campground, and
I would much rather put my moneyinto that than the 711 down the
street, so my personalpreference. But just keep that
in mind as you're packing thenyou're going to need some kind
(26:58):
of fire starter, and then, ofcourse, lighters are matches. I
usually bring chairs with mebecause I think they're more
comfortable to sit on than thewooden picnic table, and also
gives you the flexibility ofmoving your seat around. So if
you want to be closer to thefire, you can do that. I've got
a small folding table that Ilike to put next to the chair
(27:18):
too. It's just somethingconvenient, so you've got a
place to rest things or putthings down on the list. I also
have some sort of a lightsource. Now, I used to bring
flashlights with me, becausethat's what I had, and
flashlights will work fine, butit's a lot more convenient to
have a headlamp and or alantern, because that can give
light off in all directions, andit makes it possible that you
(27:40):
can go hands free. How manytimes do we see people trying to
hold a flashlight in betweentheir teeth because they need
both hands for something? Soit's just much more convenient
to have a headlamp and or alantern. Also on the list. I've
got a rope, because you willneed to hang things up to dry
when you're a camp. So stringingup a rope between two trees is
something you're going to wantto have. You're going to have
(28:02):
wet towels. You may have wetclothes, wet washcloths, things
like that. And then I've gotcitronella candles and sticks to
keep the bugs away. A canopy.
Now, like for years, I used towatch these people roll in who
had these really elaboratesetups, and they would have big,
expensive canopies. Sometimesthose canopies would be screened
(28:24):
in and they would put it aroundtheir picnic table to keep the
bugs out. And I thought, that'sgreat, but then I started
looking into how much thosethings cost, and they are pretty
pricey. I never invested in thatuntil just recently, and I
bought a canopy only because Iactually needed it for tabling
at festivals and events andthings like that, for the
(28:44):
podcast. So I needed it fortabling, and then I started
using it for camping as well.
And it's nice to have somethingover the picnic table to keep
stuff from the trees and thebirds and the rain and other
stuff out of your food, and tokeep your picnic table dry. So I
think it was worth the money. Ithink I spent maybe 200 bucks.
So it's not terrible, but if youdon't camp a lot, it doesn't
(29:06):
make sense. If you camp a lot,this is a great investment. And
then I said, I don't have a lotof frivolous things, and this
might be the only frivolousthing I have in here. This is a
very small string of LED lights.
I actually think someone giftedthis to me. I don't. I can't
imagine that I bought it, but Iusually string it up, either
inside my tent or around theentrance to my intent, and that
(29:28):
way, it gives you some light onthe inside of your tent, and it
makes it easier to find theentrance to your tent if it's
dark out. So it's batterypowered. It's totally small.
It's no big thing. So I don'tmind having that. Let's
move on to the food list. Thisis the longest list of the
three. If you're going to beeating or cooking a camp, you're
(29:48):
going to need a lot of supplies,but I have found ways to make
this more manageable, so thatyou're not bringing your entire
kitchen with you to camp. I usedto have a lot of cheap and
disposable things with me inthe. Bag. I had paper plates and
bowls. I had plastic cups,plastic utensils, napkins. And I
(30:09):
got really frustrated with theamount of waste that that
created, but also I got tired ofhaving to resupply all the time,
so I decided to invest in somebetter stuff and things that I
could use, not just to camp, butalso for backpacking. So I have
this fantastic backpacker cookset from GSI outdoors. And this
thing is really small, but Iswear to you, it has everything
(30:30):
in it. So you open it up andlike, stuff just keeps coming
out. So it is a pot, it is alsoa pan. It comes with cups, it
comes with bowls, it comes withutensils, and then it's got this
little pouch on the inside thathas all of these extra things,
like a salt and pepper shaker, alittle container for oil, like
cooking oil, cleaning suppliesto wash it all when you're done.
(30:53):
And then it all goes backtogether like a puzzle again,
and you strap it up, and it'sjust a small little thing. And I
love it. It's fantastic. Theonly thing it doesn't come with
that you have to buy separatelyis a camp stove and a small
propane tank, which I have forbackpacking, but I don't usually
bring that with me to camp.
Recently, I bought an actualpropane stove, like a large one.
(31:15):
It kind of resembles a grill, soyou can have more than one pot
or pan cooking at the same time.
It also gives you theflexibility, in case the weather
doesn't cooperate, to make afire. We used to do a lot of
cooking over the fire, and Ienjoyed that, and I like getting
creative with it, but it doesn'talways work out if it's raining
and if you're cooking somethingthat requires temperature
(31:38):
control, you can't really dothat well over an open fire. I
like having this propane option.
You can set it up on a picnictable so that you're out of the
weather, if you've got an awningor a canopy or something like
that to keep you dry. So thatworks out really well. Those
were some upgrades that I'vebeen really happy with. Let's
see what else is in this baghere. I've got a roll of paper
(31:59):
towels. I've got wet wipes. I'vegot a bag of condiments, so
little packets of ketchup andmustard and hot sauce, things
like that, so you're not havingto bring all those bottles out
of your fridge every time. Extrareusable utensils, hand
sanitizer, a bottle opener. I'vegot tin foil marshmallow sticks.
Don't forget the marshmallowsticks, and then a couple of
(32:23):
water storage containers,because when you're at camp, you
need a lot of water, and it'snot just for drinking, but also
for cooking. You might have towash your dishes with it if you
don't have access to a sink,washing your hands, things like
that. So I've got this waterstorage cube that's collapsible.
(32:43):
I think it holds like fivegallons, but I love that it's
collapsible so it doesn't takeup a bunch of space when I'm
back home. And it's also reallylightweight, but it holds a lot
of water. And then I have awater cooler, which I think also
holds five gallons of water.
It's not collapsible. It's oneof those hard sided coolers, but
(33:03):
between one or the other, orsometimes both. I've got what I
need. Okay, then I've got trashbags. I have a tablecloth,
because sometimes you get tocamp and the picnic table is
grody from the people before, orthere's bird droppings on it, or
something else gross. So I havereusable table cloths. I've got
grill tools, a grill brush, someextra foil trays, a pocket
(33:27):
knife. Then I've got an enamelpercolator coffee pot with a
mug. And I do use coffee filterswith this, like it said when I
bought it on the disc, on theitem description, that you don't
need that because it has, it hasa container to hold the coffee
grinds inside of it, but I foundthat the holes are just a little
(33:48):
too big, and the coffee grindstend to get through the holes
and into your coffee so I packextra coffee filters for that
reason. I've got oven mitts.
I've got what is this? This is agrill thermometer. And then I've
also got a food thermometer. I'msure my husband threw this in
here, because as a plant eater,this is not something that I
(34:08):
need, so I'm sure he put that inhere. And then I've got extra
food storage containers, so ifyou've got leftovers, you have a
place to put them. These are pothandles. These are handles that
have hooks on them, and so youcan hook the handles of the pot
and lift it up away from thefire without having to touch the
(34:29):
pot and without having to getyour hands too close to the
fire. Then I've got some drinkkoozies for your cans, and then
I've got a couple of pie irons.
Now, my husband wanted these. Hesaid that his grandparents used
to use them when he was a kid,so there's some nostalgia there
for him. I had no idea what apie iron was when he brought
(34:49):
this thing home, but I found acookbook. It's a campfire
cookbook with nothing butrecipes for pie irons. And so
instead of just making grilledcheese, we've got. Graduated to
some really elaborate recipes,including desserts, and so it's
been a lot of fun using the pieirons for those. The last
section of this list is personalitems, starting with soap. I
(35:12):
really like Dr Bronner's purecastile soap. It's liquid, and
it comes in like one ounce orthree ounce bottles, so it's
small, and you can use this onpretty much anything. You can
wash your hands with it. You canwash the dishes. You can shower
with it. You could wash the dogif you wanted to. So it is good
for a lot of uses. It iscertified fair trade and made
(35:34):
with organic oils. Next on thelist is toothbrush and
toothpaste, comb or hair brush,some sort of sandals or crocs,
or something that you can wearin the shower in the bathhouse,
or you can kick them off asyou're crawling into your tent
and leave them outside the tentdoor, or just something you can
wear around camp that's morecomfortable than having to wear
(35:55):
your boots all the time. Nextthing on the list is a towel.
This is something that I alsoupgraded. After a while, I used
to just grab a bath towel andbring it with me, and that works
fine, but it takes a long timefor a bath towel to dry,
usually, and so I upgraded to amicrofiber towel that packs down
really small. It's lightweightand it dries super fast. I also
(36:16):
have a microfiber wash cloththat I upgraded to now. This
comes with a little clip on it,so it's meant for backpacking
too. You can clip it to yourpack, but it's also really good
for clipping to the rope thatyou string up between trees, to
hang things to dry that way,when the wind blows, it doesn't
go flying away. Then I've got abag of quarters, because
(36:37):
sometimes the showers and thebath houses require change to
operate, so never be withoutquarters. I've got bug spray,
but then I also have thisproduct. I first found this in a
gift shop in a state park. Thisis made by a small local
business. It's by Bates familyfarm. And this is moisturizing
(36:58):
natural insect repellent madewith lemongrass essential oils.
There's no diet or harmfulchemicals in it. So not only is
this great because you'recutting down on the amount of
toxins you're using, but you canwear this long term. So let's
say you just got out of theshower, but you still want to
hang out at the campfire for alittle bit before you go to bed,
but you don't want to be eatenalive. This is a great product
(37:21):
to use, and you can sleep in itand not worry about having those
chemicals on your skin. I've gotsunblock on the list. I have
body wipes. Now, this is funny,because I just had a
conversation with somebody aboutthis today. She owns a camper
and spends a lot of time campinglong term, but she hates using
bathhouses. She thinks they'redisgusting, and I totally get
(37:43):
that. So she's got a stock ofbody wipes that she uses instead
of showering. I have a productthat I have recently discovered
that I really like. It's calledgood wipes, and these are
flushable and biodegradable,hypoallergenic, plant based and
toxin free, all the things thatyou would ever want in a wife
without having to feel guiltyabout using it. So those are
(38:04):
great. Let's see. I've got afirst aid kit. This is my first
aid kit from keep going. You'veprobably heard me talk about
this before. You can get adiscount on this kit if you sign
up for my email newsletter andthat link is in the show notes.
But if you want something smalland compact to have with you, a
camp that has absolutelyeverything from sting bite care
(38:24):
to nose plugs to tick removersto band aids, everything in
between. This is such a greatproduct. And then I've got a few
things just to keep me busy, incase the weather's bad and I'm
stuck inside my tent, so I'vegot some adult coloring books,
some colored pencils, crosswordpuzzles, word searches, and
then, let's see, I've got a deckof cards, and then I've got some
(38:46):
small games, not like big boardgames, but like small card
games, things like Uno. There'sa bird trivia game because, of
course, I have a bird triviagame, some kind of bicycle game,
or there's an Appalachian Trailtrivia game, things that are
like outdoorsy theme that I'vepicked up in gift shops along
the way and are great to have onhand in case you just need to
(39:09):
keep yourself occupied a camp. Ihope you found this checklist
useful. If there's anything thatyou pack to go to camp that I
forgot on this list, please letme know. You can send me a
message by clicking on SendJessica a text message in your
show notes, until next timefriends adventure on
(39:29):
Virginia Outdoor Adventures isinspired by and supported by
listeners like you, which is whyyour messages and feedback means
so much to me. You can text medirectly by clicking on Send
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(39:50):
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time. Adventure on you.
From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the
Chesapeake Bay, Virginia is amecca for outdoor travel and
adventure. Virginia outdooradventures Podcast is your local
guide for hiking, camping,kayaking, travel and so much
more. Get the information andthe inspiration to plan your own
adventure right here inVirginia. I'm your host, Jessica
(00:23):
Bowser, planning your nextcamping trip. Let's take the
guesswork out of packing. Inthis episode, I'm sharing my go
to camping checklist, everythingI bring to the campground, from
essential supplies and food prepto personal items you won't want
to forget, plus get a behind thescenes. Look at my recent road
(00:44):
trip across Virginia as I scoutout new adventures for upcoming
episodes. And if you're ready toconnect in person, I've got
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Come say hi at an upcoming eventnear you. Let's go Virginia.
Outdoor Adventures is sponsoredby breaks Interstate Park
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(01:06):
Appalachia. Every trail featuressomething that will awe you,
including geologic formations,scenic views of the canyon,
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(01:29):
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Download the digital trail guideat breaks park.com. Or click on
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app. Hello, friends. I ampopping in with a short solo
episode this week, short becauseI just got back from a two week
(01:52):
long road trip, and whiletraveling around Virginia, is my
favorite part about making thispodcast. It leaves me with not
much time, not much sleep, andnot always with reliable access
to Wi Fi. So getting any sort ofwork done while I'm on the road
can be a real challenge, but Ido want to share some of my
recent adventures. I spent mostof the last two weeks in
(02:14):
southwest Virginia inpreparation for two upcoming
episodes. So my first stop wasat New River Trail State Park,
and I went wild caving withRanger Aaron Pitts, and also
with Haley from the comms teamat dcr. If you've ever sent or
received a message from Virginiastate parks on their social
media pages, that was probablyHaley on the other side. Also
(02:37):
with us was Katarina and willwho are cave and car scientists
with DCR and we had such anamazing trip. I mean, first of
all, how many people knew thatthere is wild caving available
at New River Trail State Park orany state parks for that matter.
These are Ranger led, guidedprograms, and they give people
(03:00):
an introductory feel to whatwild caving is like, and this is
not commercial caves. So you'renot going into a cave that has a
paved walkway and lights and allkinds of other features that
some of the more expensivetouristy caves have in the area.
This is truly a wild cave. It ismostly untouched, and you get to
(03:23):
go in with a helmet and aheadlamp and knee pads and
actually experience what a wildcave is truly like. We had such
a great time. It was especiallyneat to have the cave and car
scientists there. They werepointing out all the different
wildlife and the features of thecave and how the cave was
formed. It was so interesting.
We had a really fun time. Andthen it's not just new river
(03:47):
trail that offers wild cavingtours, but also natural tunnel
State Park does as well. So thatwas my next stop. But while I
was at New River Trail, I wassharing a cabin with Haley at
Claytor Lake State Park. This isthe time of year when you really
notice the seasons changing. Andbeing in southwest Virginia and
watching the mountains sort ofspring to life like every day,
(04:11):
the mountains got just a littlebit greener. The red buds are
absolutely spectacular rightnow, and the wildflowers are
too, and the cabins are allwaterfront. And it was just such
an enjoyable time to wake upevery morning and sit outside,
have my cup of coffee, listen tothe birds, and then go for a
(04:31):
short hike and just watch springcome alive. That was such a
great time. And then at naturaltunnel, I got to do two more
wild caving trips there, I metwith Rangers Lillian and Ranger
Stacy, and they took me in twodifferent caves. One we had to
hike to, and the other one wewere able to drive to. They were
completely different experiencesthan the cave at new river
(04:55):
trail. What I find mostinteresting about our caves and.
Virginia, and I've been insidemany of them at this point, more
so wild caving than entering acommercial cave. Even though all
of these caves are in Virginia,they are so different from each
other, like every cave you gointo is a completely different
experience than the one before.
(05:17):
I did this in preparation for anepisode about wild caving in
Virginia state parks. So RangerAaron, who I just mentioned from
new river trail, is going to bethe guest in that episode, and
we're going to be talking aboutall the opportunities to
experience wild caving inVirginia state parks. While I
stayed at natural tunnel in thecabins there, I was actually
(05:37):
spending quite a bit of time inBig Stone Gap, which is a town
nearby, and it is in preparationfor another new episode. It's
going to be one of Virginia'sadventure town episodes on Big
Stone Gap. I got to spend timewith the town manager, Steve
Lawson and also the tourismdirector, Ken Mead, and we rode
(05:58):
bikes on trails, and we went forhikes, and I got to experience
what is actually a really prettygood food scene in Big Stone
Gap, which is not something I'mused to in small towns. So that
episode is going to be comingout, maybe the next one. I'm not
sure if it's the caving episodethat's going to come out first,
or the Big Stone Gap episodethat's going to come out next,
(06:20):
but I'm really excited, becauseI haven't done a Virginia's
adventure towns episode since onancock, and that was this past
fall. I also had a chance to popinto the Daniel Boone wilderness
trail Interpretive Center, whichis just a few miles down the
road from natural tunnel, andtheir visitors get to learn
about the role wilderness roadplayed in westward expansion.
(06:41):
That is a brand new building.
You need to check it out ifyou're in the area. And then you
may remember that back inNovember, I did a solo episode
where I was going through all ofthe things that I have in my
bags that I take with me for acabin stay, visit in a state
park. And one of the storiesthat I told in there was about
this cabin journal that I have,that the former state parks
(07:02):
director Craig Seaver gave tome, and it was hand delivered to
my cabin at natural tunnel bythe park manager, Ranger
Roberts. So I was back innatural tunnel for only the
second time it was it's thefirst time I've been back since
he gave me that cabin journal.
After I checked out a naturaltunnel, I stopped by Ranger
(07:23):
Roberts office, and I had thecabin journal with me, and I
asked him if he rememberedbringing it to my cabin back in
2019 and he vaguely remembered,although I think he might have
been faking it a little bit.
And I told him that I have beenlogging every cabin stay in a
(07:43):
state park since he gave it tome. And the night before, I had
gone through all of the entriesand was rereading some of them,
but I decided to number them,because I don't actually know
how many cabin stays I've had,and people ask me this all the
time, and I'm like, Oh, I don'tknow, it's a lot. So I actually
went through and numbered themall, and it was 53 at the time
(08:05):
that I entered the most recentnatural tunnel visit. And that's
a lot. I was really surprisedthat it was that many. I thought
it was like somewhere in the40s. But even 40s a lot to get
beyond 50, I think isremarkable. And I was telling
this to Ranger Robert, and hesaid that he also has a journal
that he keeps in his camper. Andso we were kind of comparing
(08:28):
notes and talking about whatit's like to be able to record
all of these details that youwill otherwise forget, and then
to go back and reread them andsort of relive that whole
experience. So I kind of feellike the story of the cabin
journal just went full circle.
And so that was really cool. Igot a picture with Ranger Robert
and the two of us holding mycabin journal in the park office
with this really cool muralpainted on the wall of natural
(08:51):
tunnel and a train comingthrough the tunnel, which I got
to experience when I was theretoo. There was a train that came
through the tunnel while I wasstanding right near the entrance
to the tunnel, and, gosh, it wasso loud. But I digress. I don't
want to get into too much detailabout all of this, because I'm
going to be sharing it in theupcoming episodes. So then after
that, I drove to Harrisonburg,which is a good stopping point
(09:14):
between southwest Virginia andNorthern Virginia, and I was
there to do some promo work forvisit Harrisonburg. But I had
like, six hikes on my list thatI wanted to do. The hiking in
Harrisonburg is so fantastic.
Like all around the area,there's such easy access to the
(09:35):
GW forest, to ShenandoahNational Park, and then also
there's a state forest nearby,lots of bike trails, mass than
not. And, I mean, there's somuch to do there, and all it did
was pour rain the whole time Iwas there, which was really
disappointing. But I did get topop into several restaurants, a
couple of bike shops, and also acouple of breweries. So I had a
(09:58):
really good time. I. Bumped intoone of my listeners, Jeff. You
may have seen the selfie that hetook with me and posted on
Instagram, and it was justreally cool to run into somebody
that I message kind offrequently, and to see him and
his wife in person was a verypleasant surprise. So I got back
late last night, and then today,I hopped over to Mason, next
(10:21):
state park because I waspersonally invited to a party
for one of my other listeners,Kelly from Arlington, who
completed trail quest and earnedher master hiker certificates.
Kelly, I gotta tell you. Sofirst of all, congratulations to
Kelly for completing trailquest, but she really did it up.
I mean, this is now the thirdtime that I have been invited to
(10:43):
somebody's trail questcompletion. And Kelly threw a
whole big party. She reserved aspot on the picnic ground. She
invited a whole bunch of people.
There was lots of food. Therewere folks coming and going, and
then Ranger Jamie came over andpresented her with her master
hiker certificate. And everybodywas so excited for her. And
(11:04):
people brought her gifts. Imean, like, really thoughtful,
handmade gifts. I was impressed.
Somebody wrote a haiku andpresented it to her, framed with
this, like watercolor paintingof Virginia. It was so
beautiful. And then someone elsehad this thing. It's like
plaque, wooden plaque made onEtsy that had Virginia with all
(11:28):
of the state parks on the map,and it said, like Kelly's trail
quest completion engraved on theplaque. It was so nice. I mean,
really, people brought hercards, and everybody was talking
about her adventures. There werepeople there who had been to
several the parks with her. So Igot to meet those folks too and
(11:48):
and talk to people who are partof her journey. And it just got
me thinking about how cool trailquest is. And somebody there was
saying that they looked intoother states to see how many
other states have a program liketrail quest, and they couldn't
find one, and I found that hardto believe. I don't actually
know if there are other statesthat have programs similar to
trail quest, but I mean, howcool is it that we have this
(12:11):
incentive program to get peoplevisiting all of our state parks.
Now that I've been to threedifferent trail quest completion
ceremonies, it's so neat to seethe sense of accomplishment when
people get their certificates,and just how happy everyone is,
and the opportunity to reminisceon like some of their favorite
(12:32):
moments, either their favoriteparks or their favorite hikes,
or like special memories fromcamping or kayaking. You know,
everybody's got a unique storyto tell at every park, and it's
just really cool. It's cool tosee people enjoying it and
experiencing our parks andbuilding memories with their
(12:53):
partners, with their families,with their friends, meeting new
people along the way, or justexperiencing it solo. I know I
when I did trail quest, Iexperienced it solo quite a bit,
and it does not take away fromthe experience at all. In fact,
I really enjoy doing it solobecause it gave me a lot of time
to reflect on different things.
And if all of that wasn'twonderful enough, Kelly donated
(13:14):
to the Virginia association forparks $10 for every person who
celebrated with her at MasonNeck, I thought that was such a
lovely gesture of appreciationto give back to our parks by
donating to a fantasticorganization that promotes parks
across the state.
Congratulations to Kelly. Thankyou so much for letting me be a
(13:38):
part of your celebration. Andthen later this week, I'm going
to be backpacking with yetanother Ranger, Ranger Amelia,
from Powhatan State Park. Wehave an episode coming up about
backpacking, so I'm so excitedto go backpacking with Ranger
Amelia, and it got me thinkingthat I probably should add to my
(14:00):
to do list backpacking at allthe state parks that offer
backpacking opportunities orhiking campgrounds, and I've
already been to several of them,but there's a couple left that I
haven't yet done. So I feel likeI should just knock that out
this summer, and that way I cansay that I've done all of the
hiking campgrounds. But this isgoing to be like an intro to
(14:21):
backpacking type episode, andwhich state parks offer those
opportunities.
This might be the last soloepisode of season five, so I
wanted to be sure to mention allof the upcoming events between
(14:41):
now and the end of the seasonthat are potentially on my
calendar so that you can come onout and meet me in person. Most
of these events are tentative.
They haven't all been finalizedyet, so you'll want to keep an
eye on my social media pages toknow exactly where I'm going to
be and when, but the first oneis on april 20. Seventh at Fox
meadow winery, and they arereleasing a brand new trail
(15:03):
themed wine, and they're hostinga big event around the release
of this wine. If you're notfamiliar with Fox meadow winery,
it borders Thompson WildlifeManagement Area, which borders
sky Meadows State Park, and theAppalachian Trail passes through
both sky meadows and Thompson,W, M, a, if you have heard of
the Trillium trail, or you'vebeen to the Trillium trail at
(15:26):
Thompson, then you have drivendown the same road that the
winery is located on, so you'vegone right by it. Fox meadow
winery has invited me to thisevent. I'm going to be there
with Mills Kelly, who is thehost of the green tunnel
podcast, a show about thehistory of the Appalachian
Trail. So Mills and I will bethere, and I believe there is
(15:47):
going to be a group hike on theAppalachian Trail from the
winery. So it sounds like asuper fun event. You won't want
to miss it. I don't have theexact times yet, but I believe
it's in the afternoon. So keepan eye on my social media pages,
or I'm sure you can find it onFox meadow wineries calendar on
their website. The first fewdays of May, May, 1 through
(16:08):
fourth, I will be at theVirginia association for parks
annual conference at occaneechiState Park. Then jumping ahead
to may 10, I'll be at Eagle Festat Mason Neck and then may 16
through 18th, I am either goingto be at River Rock in Richmond
or possibly trail days inDamascus. I'm not entirely sure
(16:30):
exactly which one it's going tobe. Keep an eye out for that. I
am sure that more events aregoing to be added between now
and the end of May. So keep aneye on my social media pages,
and I hope to see you at one ofthese events with campgrounds
open and warmer temperatures onthe horizon. Virginia State
(16:50):
Parks is launching its springinterpreter programs, offering
visitors of all ages theopportunity to explore the
natural and cultural wonders ofVirginia, the diverse
programming is designed toinspire curiosity, foster
environmental stewardship andprovide enriching outdoor
experiences for families,students and nature enthusiasts
(17:11):
alike. Highlights include floraand fauna programs learn about
Virginia's native speciesthrough up close encounters and
expert talks, historical andcultural tours, step back in
time with interpretive walks andhands on history lessons,
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Virginia State Parks springinterpretive programs in your
(18:18):
show notes let's dive into thecamping checklist. This is a
checklist of items that I bringwith me on a camping trip, not a
backpacking trip, a camping tripon a campground. And this is
assuming that you will have easyaccess to your vehicle nearby,
and that you're not actuallyhaving to physically carry all
(18:39):
of these things a long distanceto your campsite. I'm also going
to start off by saying that I ama minimalist. I do not have a
lot of stuff. I don't likebuying a lot of stuff, and I
especially don't like figuringout where I'm going to store all
that stuff once I get it home.
So I have a minimal amount ofthings. These are the things
that I consider essentials, andI don't have a lot of frivolous
(19:02):
extra stuff. As I got intocamping, more and more, I
started making upgrades tothings that I thought would work
better, and investing a littlebit more money in things that I
thought would make my lifeeasier. So I'll share with you
some of those things as well.
And then lastly, I have a coupleof brands that I want to
recommend, because I really,really like these items, but
also nobody is paying me toendorse them. So if I recommend
(19:24):
a brand, it's because Igenuinely really like it and
would recommend it to youwithout anybody giving me
anything in exchange. So I'vegot this list divided up into
three categories. I've gotsupplies, I've got food, and
then I've got personal items. Solet's start with supplies. First
of all, you're going to need atent or a camping hammock. I
have two tents. One is a oneperson backpacking tent that's
(19:48):
super lightweight, and then Ihave a larger five person tent.
So depending on how many peopleare with me and what the
situation is, I'll bring one orthe other the. One person
backpacking tent is made byPeria outdoor products. The
company did send me this tent,and I have to tell you, I really
love it. The design isexcellent. Packs down small,
(20:09):
it's lightweight, but the bestpart of it is it's super
affordable compared to otherbackpacking tents. So if you
want something that's going towork for either backpacking or a
campsite, this thing'sfantastic, and you're not going
to break the bank on it either.
That's Perea outdoor products.
And then the five person tent issomething that I bought off
(20:30):
Craigslist when I first startedcamping, like the very first
camping trip I ever went on, andI needed something, but I wasn't
going to invest a lot of moneyin it. And I think I've just
went to Craigslist and found thefirst thing, I will admit, it
had a little bit of like amusty, moldy odor when I brought
it home, so it took somecleaning to get it even into
usable shape, but it has lastedthroughout the years, and I
(20:53):
still use it on a regular basis.
Now I don't attempt to sleepfive people inside of it. It it
would be a really tight squeeze,but it's fantastic for two
people and maybe a dog or two,or just a whole lot of extra
space around you, so that youcan put your duffel bag full of
clothes or other personal itemsin the tent with you. So I
(21:14):
really like it for that. Peoplehave asked me about my
backpacking hammock. I have twoof them. One is just something
generic. I think it's from REI,and then the other one is from
Hennessy Hammock. The differencebetween a backpacking hammock
and a regular hammock is thatone is more recreational. It's
meant to take a nap in or justhang out in, whereas a
(21:36):
backpacking hammock is designedfor someone to sleep comfortably
inside of it. It's usually got abug net over the top so that
you're not getting eaten alivewhile you're sleeping in it. And
then oftentimes it will comewith a rain fly too, so that way
you're also not exposed to theelements. Hennessy Hammock is a
brand that I highly recommend.
They are so innovative. The onethat I have the entrance to the
(21:57):
hammock is actually in thebottom of the hammock, so the
bottom of it opens up and youcrawl up into it. And they
designed it that way so that thebugs don't get into it, which I
think is just genius. HennessyHammock has lots of different
designs. I really like all ofthem. It was hard for me to
choose between one, but I'mreally happy with the one that I
(22:17):
have. Then I have extra tentstakes and a lightweight rubber
mallet. Now the mallet is greatfor actually hammering the tent
stakes into the ground. You willneed that trying to push them in
with your bare hands is a badidea, and stomping on them is
also a really bad idea. So I'vegot that to help get the stakes
into the ground. And then thereare holes in the handle so that
(22:39):
when it's time to pull thestakes out of the ground, you've
got some leverage, and you canwedge them out of the ground,
also really great. And then thetent stakes are actually meant
for sand or snow, and that way,if you are if you are tent
camping at the beach, you'regoing to need a larger tent
stake that has more surface areaand is designed specifically to
(23:00):
hold in that terrain. If you owna cheap tent, there is a good
chance it came with cheap tentstakes, and oftentimes they're
too small, or they're too thin,or they will bend when you
hammer them into the ground, orthey just don't hold the tent in
place. Especially if it's awindy day, the wind could
literally lift your tents offthe ground and carry it away. So
(23:23):
invest in some better tentstakes. They're also just nice
to have around in case you loseone. The chances of losing a
tent stake while you're campingis also pretty high, so having
the extra ones around is a greatidea. Okay, then you're going to
need some sort of a sleepsystem. I used to use an air
mattress, like a cheap airmattress that you would go to
Target and buy for your guestswhen they come over to your
(23:46):
house. And that worked fine fora while. I had an air pump that
had to be plugged into thecigarette lighter in my car. And
of course, that doesn't reachvery far, so then I would have
to inflate the mattress next tomy car and then attempt to shove
it through the entrance of myfive person tent, which is the
only tent that it would fitthrough the entrance of, which
(24:08):
was fine. It worked fine. It isa little bit of a pain, though,
because it's big and bulky. Andalso, if you're sleeping with
somebody else in the tent, ifthat person moves, then you're
gonna move. My husband's kind ofa big guy, so we would have some
restless nights where he wouldroll over and it would
practically launch me to the topof the tent.
(24:29):
So then, after a while, welearned our lessons. We bought
separate sleeping pads. They'reextra thick. Spent a little bit
of extra money on them for thecomfort. They are too big and
too heavy for any sort ofbackpacking, but if you're
taking it out of your car andputting it directly into your
tent, it's fine. Now recently, acompany called zenbivi sent me
(24:50):
their sleep system, which is asleep pad that comes with a
sheet that fits over the sleeppad perfectly, so the sheet
stays in place and then thesleepy. Bag clips to the sheet
so the sleeping bag doesn'tmove, which is especially nice
because you're not sliding offthe sleeping pad in the middle
of the night. It also means thatthere's a lot less fabric that
(25:12):
needs to be used. And I likethis company because they have
the option of non animalproducts. Oftentimes these days,
companies that make sleepingbags and jackets and things like
that, they want them to belightweight and warm, so they
use down. And I don't like usinganimal products. This company
offers an alternative, and Ihave had no problems with it.
(25:34):
It's warm, it's lightweight, itpacks down, small. I really love
it, and it works for bothbackpacking and camping. So it's
ideal. It doesn't take up a lotof space in my car. Now, before
I had the Zen bivid, I hadsheets and blankets and pillows
and all of those things workfine. If you've got them sitting
around your house, use them, butthey are bulky and they do
(25:54):
create a lot of laundry. So whenyou get home, then you're
washing all of those things, andthen it becomes a process when
you get home, and I don'tparticularly like that. I try to
keep things simplified, and bynot having to make work for
myself when I get home, then I'mmore likely to enjoy the trip
and not get stressed out by it.
I have firewood on my list, butactually, I don't think this
needs to be on the list. Mostcampgrounds have firewood
(26:17):
available on site, and dependingon where you are, you may be
required to use the firewoodthat is on site, and that's
usually because it cuts down onthe likelihood that a non
native, invasive insect could bebrought in on firewood from
somewhere else, and then it getsloose in the ecosystem and
(26:37):
wrecks havoc. So sometimes it'sbetter just to buy the firewood
on site, and oftentimes it'scheaper, and even if it's not,
the extra funds go to supportthe park or the campground, and
I would much rather put my moneyinto that than the 711 down the
street, so my personalpreference. But just keep that
in mind as you're packing thenyou're going to need some kind
(26:58):
of fire starter, and then, ofcourse, lighters are matches. I
usually bring chairs with mebecause I think they're more
comfortable to sit on than thewooden picnic table, and also
gives you the flexibility ofmoving your seat around. So if
you want to be closer to thefire, you can do that. I've got
a small folding table that Ilike to put next to the chair
(27:18):
too. It's just somethingconvenient, so you've got a
place to rest things or putthings down on the list. I also
have some sort of a lightsource. Now, I used to bring
flashlights with me, becausethat's what I had, and
flashlights will work fine, butit's a lot more convenient to
have a headlamp and or alantern, because that can give
light off in all directions, andit makes it possible that you
(27:40):
can go hands free. How manytimes do we see people trying to
hold a flashlight in betweentheir teeth because they need
both hands for something? Soit's just much more convenient
to have a headlamp and or alantern. Also on the list. I've
got a rope, because you willneed to hang things up to dry
when you're a camp. So stringingup a rope between two trees is
something you're going to wantto have. You're going to have
(28:02):
wet towels. You may have wetclothes, wet washcloths, things
like that. And then I've gotcitronella candles and sticks to
keep the bugs away. A canopy.
Now, like for years, I used towatch these people roll in who
had these really elaboratesetups, and they would have big,
expensive canopies. Sometimesthose canopies would be screened
(28:24):
in and they would put it aroundtheir picnic table to keep the
bugs out. And I thought, that'sgreat, but then I started
looking into how much thosethings cost, and they are pretty
pricey. I never invested in thatuntil just recently, and I
bought a canopy only because Iactually needed it for tabling
at festivals and events andthings like that, for the
(28:44):
podcast. So I needed it fortabling, and then I started
using it for camping as well.
And it's nice to have somethingover the picnic table to keep
stuff from the trees and thebirds and the rain and other
stuff out of your food, and tokeep your picnic table dry. So I
think it was worth the money. Ithink I spent maybe 200 bucks.
So it's not terrible, but if youdon't camp a lot, it doesn't
(29:06):
make sense. If you camp a lot,this is a great investment. And
then I said, I don't have a lotof frivolous things, and this
might be the only frivolousthing I have in here. This is a
very small string of LED lights.
I actually think someone giftedthis to me. I don't. I can't
imagine that I bought it, but Iusually string it up, either
inside my tent or around theentrance to my intent, and that
(29:28):
way, it gives you some light onthe inside of your tent, and it
makes it easier to find theentrance to your tent if it's
dark out. So it's batterypowered. It's totally small.
It's no big thing. So I don'tmind having that. Let's
move on to the food list. Thisis the longest list of the
three. If you're going to beeating or cooking a camp, you're
(29:48):
going to need a lot of supplies,but I have found ways to make
this more manageable, so thatyou're not bringing your entire
kitchen with you to camp. I usedto have a lot of cheap and
disposable things with me inthe. Bag. I had paper plates and
bowls. I had plastic cups,plastic utensils, napkins. And I
(30:09):
got really frustrated with theamount of waste that that
created, but also I got tired ofhaving to resupply all the time,
so I decided to invest in somebetter stuff and things that I
could use, not just to camp, butalso for backpacking. So I have
this fantastic backpacker cookset from GSI outdoors. And this
thing is really small, but Iswear to you, it has everything
(30:30):
in it. So you open it up andlike, stuff just keeps coming
out. So it is a pot, it is alsoa pan. It comes with cups, it
comes with bowls, it comes withutensils, and then it's got this
little pouch on the inside thathas all of these extra things,
like a salt and pepper shaker, alittle container for oil, like
cooking oil, cleaning suppliesto wash it all when you're done.
(30:53):
And then it all goes backtogether like a puzzle again,
and you strap it up, and it'sjust a small little thing. And I
love it. It's fantastic. Theonly thing it doesn't come with
that you have to buy separatelyis a camp stove and a small
propane tank, which I have forbackpacking, but I don't usually
bring that with me to camp.
Recently, I bought an actualpropane stove, like a large one.
(31:15):
It kind of resembles a grill, soyou can have more than one pot
or pan cooking at the same time.
It also gives you theflexibility, in case the weather
doesn't cooperate, to make afire. We used to do a lot of
cooking over the fire, and Ienjoyed that, and I like getting
creative with it, but it doesn'talways work out if it's raining
and if you're cooking somethingthat requires temperature
(31:38):
control, you can't really dothat well over an open fire. I
like having this propane option.
You can set it up on a picnictable so that you're out of the
weather, if you've got an awningor a canopy or something like
that to keep you dry. So thatworks out really well. Those
were some upgrades that I'vebeen really happy with. Let's
see what else is in this baghere. I've got a roll of paper
(31:59):
towels. I've got wet wipes. I'vegot a bag of condiments, so
little packets of ketchup andmustard and hot sauce, things
like that, so you're not havingto bring all those bottles out
of your fridge every time. Extrareusable utensils, hand
sanitizer, a bottle opener. I'vegot tin foil marshmallow sticks.
Don't forget the marshmallowsticks, and then a couple of
(32:23):
water storage containers,because when you're at camp, you
need a lot of water, and it'snot just for drinking, but also
for cooking. You might have towash your dishes with it if you
don't have access to a sink,washing your hands, things like
that. So I've got this waterstorage cube that's collapsible.
(32:43):
I think it holds like fivegallons, but I love that it's
collapsible so it doesn't takeup a bunch of space when I'm
back home. And it's also reallylightweight, but it holds a lot
of water. And then I have awater cooler, which I think also
holds five gallons of water.
It's not collapsible. It's oneof those hard sided coolers, but
(33:03):
between one or the other, orsometimes both. I've got what I
need. Okay, then I've got trashbags. I have a tablecloth,
because sometimes you get tocamp and the picnic table is
grody from the people before, orthere's bird droppings on it, or
something else gross. So I havereusable table cloths. I've got
grill tools, a grill brush, someextra foil trays, a pocket
(33:27):
knife. Then I've got an enamelpercolator coffee pot with a
mug. And I do use coffee filterswith this, like it said when I
bought it on the disc, on theitem description, that you don't
need that because it has, it hasa container to hold the coffee
grinds inside of it, but I foundthat the holes are just a little
(33:48):
too big, and the coffee grindstend to get through the holes
and into your coffee so I packextra coffee filters for that
reason. I've got oven mitts.
I've got what is this? This is agrill thermometer. And then I've
also got a food thermometer. I'msure my husband threw this in
here, because as a plant eater,this is not something that I
(34:08):
need, so I'm sure he put that inhere. And then I've got extra
food storage containers, so ifyou've got leftovers, you have a
place to put them. These are pothandles. These are handles that
have hooks on them, and so youcan hook the handles of the pot
and lift it up away from thefire without having to touch the
(34:29):
pot and without having to getyour hands too close to the
fire. Then I've got some drinkkoozies for your cans, and then
I've got a couple of pie irons.
Now, my husband wanted these. Hesaid that his grandparents used
to use them when he was a kid,so there's some nostalgia there
for him. I had no idea what apie iron was when he brought
(34:49):
this thing home, but I found acookbook. It's a campfire
cookbook with nothing butrecipes for pie irons. And so
instead of just making grilledcheese, we've got. Graduated to
some really elaborate recipes,including desserts, and so it's
been a lot of fun using the pieirons for those. The last
section of this list is personalitems, starting with soap. I
(35:12):
really like Dr Bronner's purecastile soap. It's liquid, and
it comes in like one ounce orthree ounce bottles, so it's
small, and you can use this onpretty much anything. You can
wash your hands with it. You canwash the dishes. You can shower
with it. You could wash the dogif you wanted to. So it is good
for a lot of uses. It iscertified fair trade and made
(35:34):
with organic oils. Next on thelist is toothbrush and
toothpaste, comb or hair brush,some sort of sandals or crocs,
or something that you can wearin the shower in the bathhouse,
or you can kick them off asyou're crawling into your tent
and leave them outside the tentdoor, or just something you can
wear around camp that's morecomfortable than having to wear
(35:55):
your boots all the time. Nextthing on the list is a towel.
This is something that I alsoupgraded. After a while, I used
to just grab a bath towel andbring it with me, and that works
fine, but it takes a long timefor a bath towel to dry,
usually, and so I upgraded to amicrofiber towel that packs down
really small. It's lightweightand it dries super fast. I also
(36:16):
have a microfiber wash cloththat I upgraded to now. This
comes with a little clip on it,so it's meant for backpacking
too. You can clip it to yourpack, but it's also really good
for clipping to the rope thatyou string up between trees, to
hang things to dry that way,when the wind blows, it doesn't
go flying away. Then I've got abag of quarters, because
(36:37):
sometimes the showers and thebath houses require change to
operate, so never be withoutquarters. I've got bug spray,
but then I also have thisproduct. I first found this in a
gift shop in a state park. Thisis made by a small local
business. It's by Bates familyfarm. And this is moisturizing
(36:58):
natural insect repellent madewith lemongrass essential oils.
There's no diet or harmfulchemicals in it. So not only is
this great because you'recutting down on the amount of
toxins you're using, but you canwear this long term. So let's
say you just got out of theshower, but you still want to
hang out at the campfire for alittle bit before you go to bed,
but you don't want to be eatenalive. This is a great product
(37:21):
to use, and you can sleep in itand not worry about having those
chemicals on your skin. I've gotsunblock on the list. I have
body wipes. Now, this is funny,because I just had a
conversation with somebody aboutthis today. She owns a camper
and spends a lot of time campinglong term, but she hates using
bathhouses. She thinks they'redisgusting, and I totally get
(37:43):
that. So she's got a stock ofbody wipes that she uses instead
of showering. I have a productthat I have recently discovered
that I really like. It's calledgood wipes, and these are
flushable and biodegradable,hypoallergenic, plant based and
toxin free, all the things thatyou would ever want in a wife
without having to feel guiltyabout using it. So those are
(38:04):
great. Let's see. I've got afirst aid kit. This is my first
aid kit from keep going. You'veprobably heard me talk about
this before. You can get adiscount on this kit if you sign
up for my email newsletter andthat link is in the show notes.
But if you want something smalland compact to have with you, a
camp that has absolutelyeverything from sting bite care
(38:24):
to nose plugs to tick removersto band aids, everything in
between. This is such a greatproduct. And then I've got a few
things just to keep me busy, incase the weather's bad and I'm
stuck inside my tent, so I'vegot some adult coloring books,
some colored pencils, crosswordpuzzles, word searches, and
then, let's see, I've got a deckof cards, and then I've got some
(38:46):
small games, not like big boardgames, but like small card
games, things like Uno. There'sa bird trivia game because, of
course, I have a bird triviagame, some kind of bicycle game,
or there's an Appalachian Trailtrivia game, things that are
like outdoorsy theme that I'vepicked up in gift shops along
the way and are great to have onhand in case you just need to
(39:09):
keep yourself occupied a camp. Ihope you found this checklist
useful. If there's anything thatyou pack to go to camp that I
forgot on this list, please letme know. You can send me a
message by clicking on SendJessica a text message in your
show notes, until next timefriends adventure on
(39:29):
Virginia Outdoor Adventures isinspired by and supported by
listeners like you, which is whyyour messages and feedback means
so much to me. You can text medirectly by clicking on Send
Jessica a text message in yourshow notes. I answer questions,
respond to comments and shareyour feedback on the show. Never
(39:50):
miss a new episode. Sign up formy email newsletter and receive
my listener resource guide withthe top podcast episodes of
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Host and exclusive branddiscounts for my listeners.
Click on newsletter, sign up inyour show notes or visit
Virginia outdoor adventures.comthanks for listening until next
time. Adventure on you.
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