Opening a Camper for the Season

How does one open the camper for the first glorious days of summer? Ray and I bought a camper last year at the end of the season, so this year will be our first real vacation in there. This list includes non-food items that you need to stock your camper with when you open it for the season.

Before we move in though we need to clean it up, and stock it before hand with some items. This makes other vacations less stressful. After the first time we visit, each other vacation will be less work.

Dishes
You can go out and buy special dishes for camping vacations. However, I already have camping dishes from last year so I will just be packing them up so that we can take them to the camper and leave them for the summer.

I will need to buy more paper plates to fit in the wicker holders, but we have the cups and plastic covered dishes that I will just remove from the cupboard. I received new silverware over the wintertime so my old silverware can be taken up to the camp, and this way I do not have to use the dreaded plastic versions.

Rummage sales are a great place to get assorted dishes along with pots and pans for your vacation. I do not recommend cooking on a open fire with your good pans because the flames from the fire will turn your pots black quite easily.

Pick up a few cast-iron frying pans if you can get them and a couple of saucepans for side dishes. Leave these pans right at the campsite. This way they are always there for you and you do not have to cart them back and forth.

Blankets
Every family that I know of has extra blankets within the household. If you have faded blankets that you would rather not use on your bed, take to the campsite. Store them in your camper, because on chilly summer nights these faded blankets will come in extremely handy.

You can also use these faded blankets, under your sleeping bag to provide actually comfort and warmth. These will also protect you from the dampness that comes up from the ground, if you or your children prefer to sleep out on the ground rather than the camper.

You can store these blankets in large containers that you keep in the camper or within the many storage places within the camper. It is always a good idea to stick a sheet of fabric softener in with the blankets before you store them for a day of any length of time to keep that freshness.

Miscellaneous items
Miscellaneous items to keep in your camper throughout the campaign season include fresh batteries of various sizes. This way you are covered all the time.

You will also want to include a first aid kit. You can buy one of the prepackaged ones, or put one together yourself. Make sure you include pain relievers, bandages, and some antibiotic ointment for the cuts and scrapes which always tend to happen.