Different campers like to cook their meals in different ways. Some folks like to bring small charcoal grills while others swear nothing beats the taste of food cooked over an open campfire. I don’t have a problem with either of these methods, but there are a lot of campsites that no longer allow open flames, except for fire rings, and many of those sites don’t allow grill grates to be placed on those rings.My personal preference is – and probably always will be – my Coleman 2-burner propane stove....[More]

When someone mentions a camping trip do you immediately start imagining sleeping outside on the ground and eating bland food with bits of rocks and dirt in every bite? You’re not alone! I remember my husband practically dragging me into our first camping trip (many, many moons ago) and me dreading the whole thing.I learned a valuable point that first trip: I can bring any spices and seasonings to the campsite that I want to! There are several schools of thought on the best way to transport; today I...[More]

There are many instances in history showing famous works being produced in unexpected places. Book One of the Harry Potter series was written in a coffee shop; Hemingway enjoyed writing in Paris, Africa and Spain. Although I am by no means famous, I too have a special place I like to go for a bit of calm and peace.I like to go to the garden at Sam’s Town Casino in my hometown of Las Vegas. It is a small, indoor garden complete with waterfalls, plants…all the sounds of nature. It...[More]

I recently stumbled across this recipe while web surfing and I just had to share it. It never occurred to me to make my own powdered cocoa mix and now I can. This would also make a nice holiday gift, placed in a Mason jar and decorated with a nice ribbon and a homemade gift tag.3/4 C. cocoa 1/2 t salt 1 quart powdered milk dry sugar substitute equal to 1 1/2 C. sugar Optional:Mexican Cocoa: add 2 to 3 Tbsp. ground cinnamon Mocha Hot Cocoa: add 1/3 C. instant...[More]

With the earthquake we on the East coast had the other day and the tremors we continue to experience, plus hurricane Irene bearing down on us, I think maybe a post on basic survival kits might be prudent. The following article comes from the great Weather Channel and lists things that should be included in a hurricane survival kit. If you live in an area that will be affected by these storms please take heed and and prepare before a storm hits your area. It's not a good...[More]

I think I alluded to my (obsession) love for cast iron in a past post about camp kitchen cookware. Cast iron is so amazing, pieces are often passed down through family generations; I know of one family who still has and uses a cast iron frying pan their ancestors immigrated with in the late 1800’s. I’ve only had mine for 10 years; my mother has a set of cast iron from when her mother was a child. Although it is usually quite heavy (it’s made of iron after all), it...[More]

There is nothing worse than knowing you have something for your next trip but not knowing where it is. There are many ways to organize all those travel guides, fliers, magazines etc. that you’ve collected so you can find them for your next trip.My personal preference is to sort them by state and/or regional location, and then put each group into a file folder. Each folder goes into a file box or cabinet.When you want to start planning your next trip just locate that area’s folder and flip through it....[More]

I recently took a 1,200-mile roadtrip with a friend starting in Las Vegas and traveling to Albuquerque. We began our trip at a local grocery store to pick up the majority of our groceries; our plan was to use a camp stove to make most of our meals, cutting down on travel costs. We took the new bridge which bypasses the Hoover Dam; it shaved 30 minutes off of our drive and is two lanes of 65mph traffic. The bridge also cuts the curvy roads out of the trip and...[More]

Unless you intend to eat every meal at a restaurant during your camping trip, you are going to need a decent set of cookware to prepare your meals. There are many kinds of pots and pans in the camping gear market; it’s important to find the pieces that best suit your needs. You need to be careful which set you buy; many of today’s camp cookware sets are made of flimsy material and won’t hold up to more than one or two camping trips at best. I will cover a...[More]

Let’s be sure we all agree upon what is considered a “utensil”. In my mind, utensils are everything (except knives, which get a post of their own) that we cook and eat with. Spoons, forks, spatulas, etc…these are utensils. Ok, now that we’ve covered that….Scott, our glorious boss at RoadCeo, uses a tool box keep all his cooking utensils in. Yes, a toolbox. I’ve also seen people who use tackle boxes the same way. You can tell by looking at this picture Scott carries a wide variety of utensils, including...[More]

I’ve been asked to run a blog series adapted from a Kamp Kitchen series on InsaneScouter.org. This post is the first of that series.In the future, I will be publishing blogs relating to the camping kitchen, food storage and more. Expect to see topics such as: utensils dishes pots and pans and Dutch ovens stoves seasonings cutting general hygiene keeping a clean outdoor kitchen water kitchen first aid tables and other work surfaces coolers transporting your kitchen to camp packing everything upThis blog series is intended to be about...[More]

Hi guys,I’m writing today to ask for your help. I understand you don’t know me and that’s okay. It’s very likely you love, are related to, are friends with or work with someone who fights the same battle I do. Please, read on.I am 35 years old. I am fit and active. I eat right, I exercise…I take care of myself. I’m a mom and a wife. I volunteer, I help people and I’m generous almost to a fault. I’ve been taking care of a child with a life-threatening...[More]

On Monday I covered packing lists for the vehicle, personal gear and personal survival. Let’s now get into our base camp gear, camp cooking gear, family/group first aid and fun stuff.Base Camp Gear:· Tents: We usually bring three tents. Two are for sleeping (The kids get their own tent. This helps to give them a bit of independence and some extra responsibility – they are in charge of tent upkeep.), and the third is a screen tent to enclose our kitchen/dining area. We usually string up mini holiday lights...[More]

Preparation is essential for any outdoor adventure. Not having needed equipment and supplies can really put a damper on a potentially great trip.My family keeps checklists for packing easy and preparation for each trip we take - whether camping or just a road trip - not only does this practice keep us organized, it also helps us keep up with any supplies that need to be refilled or replaced. Your family's camping lists will probably differ from ours in ways and you may want to add or subtract some things,...[More]

Are your campers afraid of getting their hands dirty? Are your campers too saucy for camping? That is a real dilemma since camping is one of the major and important activities when you’re a scout. It teaches you a lot of things such as surviving in the wilderness with few available tools, socializing, teamwork, and a lot more. But how could you initiate a camping activity if your campers are like the ones I’ve mentioned? They’re too stuck up with their city life to give it up and try living...[More]

 

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