The chez KP gang have just returned from our annual Easter camping trip. The preparation and the long drive always make me wonder if it is going to be worth the effort and yet it always is. The trick is, in my opinion, to do all the work before hand to allow for full scale sloth activity while actually camping. This goes for cooking too. To accomplish this, I tend to write ridiculous numbers of lists. Because I’m a list person. It’s just how I roll. This year I am going to share my lists, my meals and some of my other suggested camping meals. Maybe it will cut my preparation time next year. Bear in mind that down here Easter is in Autumn and my lists would change with the weather. We camp at a quirky Australian festival with a flavour all of it’s own. It’s remote style camping with water pumped from the nearby river, outdoor showers rigged at random and compost style, temporary toilets dug throughout the site. Very rough and very dirty. I no longer take our camp stove and gas bottle as communal kitchens are set up with gas burners and barbecues to share in well cleared and sanded areas. This is to minimise the very real risk of fires becoming out of control in the tinder dry Australian bush.

And so to the lists…

Clothing/personal musts
thongs (for showering)
facewashers
sunscreen
towels
raincoats
hats (beanies for nights and early morning, sun hats for during the day)
blankets
soap
pain killers
first aid kit
boots for night time (to avoid damaging feet, stumbling aroud the bush in the dark)
helmets (for bicycles, skull fractures are not a good idea far from ambulances…or anywhere else)

General camping stuff
not all of this is strictly necessary but it’s what we’ve collected over the years and it’s what makes a comfortable camping trip for us
tent (ours is a 2 room, 10 man…room for sleeping, storage and card games in extreme weather conditions)
fly screen tent (we call ours the lounge room as we set up our tables and supplies in it and generally have our chairs around the entrance)
chairs
long trestle table (great for storage and food prep)
camp table (we have the folding type that has seating attached)
dustpan and brush (for keeping the floor of the tent cleanish)
mallet (for hammering in tent poles)
rake (for clearing ground for tents)
adjustable wrench (often handy)
jumper leads (just in case, those electric pumps are sneaky suckers)
blow up mattresses
electric pump (attached to cigarette lighter in car)
tarpaulins of varying sizes (in case of weather)
pillows
sleeping bags
dynamo lantern (with radio and emergency siren!)
2 dynamo torches
swiss army knife
fabric tape (for random repairs)
plenty of rope
toilet paper

Food & related stuff
tea towels
fly covers
mugs
cups
large billy (mine has a kettle spout)
saucepan
frypan (large and small)
bucket (for washing up in)
scourers
dishwashing liquid
mtches
esky
wine
beer
toast rack
water (if no running water, take as much as you need, we have a couple of 25 litre containers which we fill at home)
water bottles
cutlery
sharp knife
chopping board
ladle
spatula
can/bottle opener
plates
bowls
foil
thermos (boil a large billy of water and fill the thermos to save reboiling all morning for tea/coffee)
tea
coffee
watermelon
salt and pepper
minced garlic
noodles
vegemite
butter
sultanas
oranges
bananas
chocolate
cocoa
sugar
sweet biscuits
cracker
flour
baking powder
UHT milk
pasta
pasta sauce
mince
refried beans
cheese – block and grated
tortillas
porridge

Cooking ideas
slice banana down centre, stuff with chocolate, wrap in foil, cook on bbq or in fire
hot chocolate
damper
minestrone (precooked and frozen)
quesadillas – sandwich refried beans and cheese in tortillas and pan fry
noddles tossed with butter, garlic and grated cheese
porridge
bacon and eggs

These are my lists from this particular Easter Trek. I’d like to keep it updated so any suggestions, particularly for good camping meals will be gratefully received and incorporated into the lists!