Camping Planning - 10 Ridiculously Simple Things Every Campsite Needs For Maximum Organization

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Going camping? Music festival? It's time to do some camping planning. Here are 10 products you'll need to stay organized, and check out these packing tips from 18 experts. Ready to rock?!

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10 Products That Will Yield Maximum Camping Organization (And Impress Everyone Around You)

Camping Planning
1. Plastic Drawers

This has been a life saver, well I should say space saver. Without the drawers, our supplies just ended up all over the ground or in a complete mess in the car. The drawers provide easy access to and protection of our things. We use them to hold things like sunscreen, flashlights, batteries, lighters, rain ponchos and any other items we need.

Quick side note: We use the drawers without the wheels. The wheels are not that useful in high grass or dirt.

Camping Planning
2. Clothesline

This was one of our newer additions. You can always hang wet garments from the canopy, but that doesn't work for things that don't drape and windy days have proven to be annoying.

The clothesline is great for clipping and hanging things to dry without them flying away with a gust of wind. This is good for towels, clothing, hats, bandanas and anything else that needs to dry.

Camping Planning
3. Hanging Toiletry Case

This one is a bit more of a luxury but useful nonetheless. You don't have running water or a counter top. It is much easier to reach in to your toiletry bag and take what you need without having to hold it with the other hand.

Camping Planning
4. Fanny Pack

Don't hate the fanny pack. I repeat, don't hate the fanny pack. Besides this one is so cute! Keep everything securely at your fingertips everywhere you go without having to hold a bag. Enough said.

Camping Planning
5. Instant Tent/Canopy

Over the years, we've used all kinds of canopies and tents. The fact of the matter is spending the extra money to get an instant tent or instant canopy is WELL WORTH IT.

When I say "instant," I'm referring to the canopies and tents that require NO assembly. They are already put together, you simply need to open them up and you're done.

It is far better than keeping track of all of the rods and remembering how they fit together. Or trying to fix bent rods or figuring out what to do when wear and tear means they don't fit together anymore. Or any other inconvenience that comes with assembling tents and canopies.

ALSO, at a music festival, once you park the car it is essential that you move fast to claim your camp territory to get the maximum amount of space. This is one hundred thousand times easier with instant tents and canopies.

Camping Planning
6. Carabiners

These handy dandy little tools are helpful in a variety of places. Accordingly, I suggest getting a bunch of different sizes.

For example, we use larger carabiners to roll up the sides of our canopies and hook them in place. We use small carabiners to hook our car keys to our belts. You could hang a lantern or a fan from the canopy using a carabiner.

See where I'm going with this? They are useful everywhere!

Camping Planning
7. Ziploc Bags & Water Tight Food Storage Containers

The ice in the coolers are going to melt, but that doesn't mean your food has to drown (like ours has so many times). We learned this lesson the hard way, so you don't have to. Store your food in water tight food storage containers (like pictured below), so that when the ice melts your food stays cold and dry.

The Ziploc bags are handy as well, but NOT for keeping your food dry in the cooler. Ziploc bags are great for keeping valuables dry (like phones and money), for storing food that doesn't require a cooler (like open bags of chips) and a great many other things.

Camping Planning
8. Bungee Cords & Zip Ties

Just like the carabiners, bungee cords and zip ties are SUPER useful. I use bungee cords to put an extra tarp over our tent to withstand a nightly downpour and stay bone dry while I sleep. Zip ties are useful for attaching sides to a canopy (only zip tie the top so that you can roll up the side to get some air flow).

Again, there are tons of uses for both of these tools so get them in a variety of sizes.

Camping Planning
9. Over-Door Shoe Organizer

Just like the plastic drawer set, an over-door shoe organizer can be fantastic for keeping your stuff off the ground and easy to access. For example, you could store utensils in one pocket, sunscreen in another, hand sanitizer in another and so on. Here's a visual of one being used for camping.

Camping Planning
10. Labeled Lidded Bins

Typically I would suggest that you use clear bins, so that it's easy to see what's inside. However, opaque bins are better for camping and music festivals, in my opinion, so that the contents are not visible to people passing by. You don't want someone to wander into your camp, easily spot a tool or something in a bin that they desire and take it.

Just to be clear, stuff like that usually doesn't happen at music festivals but no need to tempt anyone. That said, ALL VALUABLES SHOULD BE LOCKED IN YOUR CAR WHEN YOU ARE NOT AT YOUR CAMP.

BONUS: Sheet Protector

And a bonus for ya. :) Keep your packing list in a sheet protector, so that it stays dry and in tact from year to year. Whenever you think of something that you should have packed, simply add it to the list so you don't forget it next time.