I hear you.....my inviolate rule is that the Westy stuff stays in the Westy
and under no circumstances comes into the house or the garage. I long ago
bought duplicates for anything that is useful both in the house and in the
Westy --- so there is no shuffling back and forth --- and no forgetting (for
example) that I'd grabbed the Westy corkscrew, or axe, for use inside. My
wife once grabbed the Westy chairs for some reason --- though I asked her
not to --- and swore she'd put them back in the van. The next weekend we
were camping without chairs........... And this one was my fault -- I took
all of the cookpots out of their place so I could work on replacing the hose
to the Westy sink. I did not put them back and we camped without them the
following weekend. Let me note that you can poach eggs in a cutoff beer can
on a campfie if you want to :-)  The moral of the story is keep the Westy
stuff in the Westy so you're always ready to go.............

Cheers,
Doug

On 7/12/07, Jim Felder <felder@knology.net> wrote:
>
> We pretty much camp year round (except for the really hot summer) AND
> the camper gets driven locally a good bit so some things stay on
> board and some things come and go as needed. I don't carry the
> portapotty or food (except a few items like seasoning) around all the
> time. I do carry the bedding (it's washed immediately upon return and
> then goes back in the van) and changes of clothes in the closet and a
> collapsible outdoor table as these things are light, don't rattle and
> are hard to keep track of when they are out of the van.
>
> All the electronics stuff--flashlights, spare batteries, inverters--
> live in the small cubby by the outlets. Pots and pans, wrapped in
> grocery bags so they won't rattle, stay on board in the pantry.
>
> The drawer carries its contents year round. The stuff in the drawer--
> the corkscrew, to name one--is to valuable to misplace. If I brought
> it inside, the contents would become part of the household stuff by
> osmosis. Same with the plates and cookware. I once let it go into the
> house at the end of spring, and that fall found myself in a state
> park "country store" buying a huge enameled bucket just to be able to
> cook rice. Never again!
>
> Virtually everything else is either in a tub in the garage, organized
> to be loaded in quickly and without long consideration; or it is in
> the kitchen shelves in containers that slide into the pantry.
>
> Anything else that's not a personal item is probably going in the
> fridge or pantry as a consumable.
>
> We plan what we eat, so we don't have bulky stuff on board that we
> aren't going to use. I have friends who show up after a trip to Sam's
> Club with five pounds of butter and huge bottles of condiments. We
> don't do that. Oh, and no glass, as far as is practicable.
>
> Jim
>
> On Jul 11, 2007, at 11:31 PM, Ellen in Oregon wrote:
>
> > I've been preparing tonight for a three day camping trip, starting
> > tomorrow.
> >  It amazes me how much "stuff" I keep in the van, especially non-
> > perishable
> > goods.  As an ASI coversion, I have one small cupboard beneath the
> > sink that
> > has one shelf.  Here's a list of what I have in just that one
> > cupboard:
> >
> > Tea, coffee, sugar, hot chocolate, fruit bars, scooby snacks (graham
> > crackers shaped like dog bones....DON'T ASK), oatmeal, dried fruit,
> > jambalya
> > rice mix, top ramen, marshmallows, soy sauce, olive oil, salad
> > seasoning,
> > soup, tuna, baby corn, garbanzo beans, tomatoes, black olives,
> > black beans,
> > white rice, kidney beans, salsa, mushrooms, plates, cups, wine
> > glasses,
> > storage containers, campers soap.
> >
> > Really, it's just a matter of figuring out menus for the weekend, then
> > adding to what is already there.  Throw the perishables in the
> > fridge when I
> > get off work tomorrow afternoon, and off I go.  Everything I need
> > to camp is
> > kept in the van.  Add some clothes & food, and she's ready to
> > roll.  It is
> > so much easier than the tent camping I used to do!
> >
> > Of course things vary depending on whether it is summer or winter
> > (I camp
> > all year around) but it is nice to have things pre-packed.  Does
> > everyone do
> > this?  Or is your van unpacked when you get home?
> >
> > Ellen
> > Lola, '85 Vanagon ASI
> >
> >
> > Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will
> > flow
> > into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own
> > freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will
> > drop away
> > from you like the leaves of autumn.
> > --John Muir
> >
> > _________________________________________________________________
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> > us&ocid=TXT_TAGHM_migration_HM_mini_2G_0507
> >
>

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