Camping Organization Hacks for Maximum Efficiency & Enjoyment

You can make any camping trip more efficient and enjoyable when you organize everything before you leave. While each person needs to use a system that works effectively for them, you can start with these storage ideas to get your gear neat and organized. That way you’ll be ready to quickly take up any friend on their offer of a last-minute camping trip.

Start Here: Decide on a Camping Storage Method

Choose a storage method that works for you and stick with it. This will be essential for your camping organization. Your manner of storage starts with how you store camping equipment at home. You’ll save yourself preparation time and effort by choosing an idea from the list below:

Camping Storage Ideas:

• Clear plastic storage bins
• Duffel bags
• Clear plastic storage bags
• Backpacks
• File boxes
• Lidded plastic buckets
• Plastic or metal trunks

Any of the above options lets you store all your camping gear for the long term and easily load and unload it into your vehicle. When you store gear properly, not only does it keep it organized, but it retains a fresh smell and avoids deterioration like mildew and mold, so you won’t have to ditch your gear and start over.

There is no right answer to which storage mechanism you use. Choose what makes sense and will work best for you. For example, if clear plastic bins are too bulky and won’t fit in your trunk, or plastic or metal trunks will gobble up your backseat, choose an option that easily slides into the trunk of your vehicle.

Camping Organization Hack #1: Storage Kits

Investing in camping gear means that you’ll want it to last for years to come and you won’t want to forget what you have. The key is to store the different categories of items separately, and to take inventory of what you have before and after your camping trip.

Kitchen Kit

Your camping cooking equipment gets its own storage container. You may want to consider purchasing at least 2 of each item or enough for your whole family, because odds are you won’t be camping alone! Here’s a list to get you started:

• Plates
• Coffee mugs
• Cups
• Flatware
• Cooking Utensils
• Pots/Pans
• Dishrags
• Dish soap
• Hand soap
• Hand sanitizer
• Coffee pot
• Battery-powered or solar-powered small appliances

Unless you want to only eat trail mix and beef jerky, come prepared to cook over an open flame or bring essentials you can power easily without electricity. You can buy a solar charger and battery pack, so you can power a portable air fryer or cookstove. This reduces the risk of wildfire and ensures you eat hot, fully cooked food. Food poisoning on a camping trip would kill your fun fast!

Camping-friendly cooking equipment is typically made out of something durable that won’t break. So look for cooking gear made out of silicon, stainless steel or plastic like these best sellers on Amazon. Many are also collapsible or stackable and will nest within one another, which will take up less space in your storage container.

Food Kit

If you hike to your campground, you need portable food. That means meals-ready-to-eat (MREs), the common field food of the military. These freeze-dried foods you add water to, or you can eat them out of the package as is.

You might fish or hunt for your dinner. This saves you from needing to tote many items with you. You’ll only need your camping cooking gear and possibly some herbs and spices for flavor.

If you drive to your location, you can more easily purchase groceries ahead of time. You have your kitchen kit for cookware and other necessary items. Think about your storage situation though. You may not have a refrigeration method, so forget items that can easily spoil, like milk.

Instead, purchase dry milk and a gallon of freshwater. This lets you prepare milk quickly for morning meals without needing to filter the water. Purchase dried beef, jerky, dehydrated vegetables, etc. You can re-hydrate everything when you cook it. Take an extra bin or bag for storing the groceries. This lets you organize instead of needing to fish through grocery sacks.

Sleeping Kit

Your tent can travel in the same bin as your bedding, which you also should purchase specifically for camping. You only need a few items, but they’re key to a cozy, comfortable camping trip.

• Waterproof sleeping bag rated for cold and warm weather
• Floor liner
• Sleeping pad or camping cot
• Small camping pillow

Having the right sleeping gear for camping is crucial for you to get a good night’s sleep.

Clothing Kit

Every adult and every child get their own backpack. You can purchase kid-sized backpacks large enough for them to stash the personal items they want to take with them. These are not necessary camping items, but things like the stuffed animal they can’t sleep without, their comic books, iPad, etc.

Unless they have yet to reach the age of three, give them the job of keeping up with their own backpack and essential items. This is also where clothing can go. When you pack clothing, roll it to save space. You never need to worry about wrinkled clothes in the woods. The squirrels don’t judge you.

Make it easy to tell each person’s backpack apart. You can do this by color-coding them or by having them embossed. Many outdoor adventure companies offer this service with most purchases. This lets everyone tell immediately whose backpack is whose and it can halt kids’ (maybe even adults’!) arguments before they start.

Hygiene Kit

A hygiene bag or bin should contain essential toiletries such as:

• Biodegradable toilet paper
• Unscented moist towelettes
• Toothbrush & toothpaste
• Biodegradable Soap
• Quick-dry bathing towels

What NOT to include:

• Deodorant (smells attract woodland creatures)
• Shampoo (bad for the environment)
• Razors (embrace the beard, or let your legs go)
• Mirrors (clunky and easily broken)
• Non-biodegradable products (bad for the environment)
• “Disposable” products that you’ll have to carry out (bulky and cumbersome)

If you really want to get fancy you can include a portable toilet or solar shower, but these just take up unnecessary space. Doing your business behind a tree when nature calls or jumping in the river or lake for a quick bath works too!

Survival Kit

A basic survival kit is a must anytime you embark on an outdoor adventure. Pack items like walking sticks, binoculars, flashlights, field journals, travel diaries, pens, and pencils, GPS, etc. in a bin or bag all their own. Your survival equipment should get stashed in a water-and weather-resistant bag or bin. This protects what you need most.

You also need a field guide to the area where you’ll camp and a large first aid kit. While it may seem tempting to pack a tiny kit, things happen. You should plan for the occasional sprained ankle or cut finger. Plan for at least one person to step in poison ivy or get ant bitten. When you take a full first aid kit with you, you travel prepared. That tiny injury doesn’t ruin the person’s fun or anyone else’s. Since you’re prepared, you just wrap the ankle, stick on a band-aid, and keep camping.

Camping Organization Hack #2: Gen Den™ Generator Cover

If you want to camp for a longer period, you might find a portable generator handy. These can create a lot of noise though and that can ruin your camping trip. You tend to want to keep the peace and quiet of the woods when you travel there.

Why settle for a noisy campground when you could dampen the sound of your generator with the Gen Den™, a small or large generator cover box. Not only does it reduce the generator noise level, but also provides protection and cover for your generator.

• Perfect for camping and RVing
• Reduces your generator noise level
• Protective cover for generators
• Comes in two different sizes
• Handles for easy moveability
• Easy do-it-yourself assembly

It’s available in two sizes – 28.7” x 18.7” x 21.1” and 32” x 23.7” x 24.6” – and the perfect complement to your generator.

Camping Organization Hack #3: Out-In-About Box™

A camping organization hack you’ll want to get your hands on is the Out-In-About Box™. The massive interior provides you with 6.5 cubic feet of storage that you design with movable shelves and dividers. Its stainless aluminum design admirably handles any weather.

It’s lightweight yet durable, constructed from stainless aluminum and has rubber grip handles for easy carrying. It also comes with detailed instructions and it’s easy to assemble.

• Perfect for camping, tailgating, RVing, and other outdoor activities
• Have all your gear in one place, ready to go
• Door acts as table when open
• Sits below bed rails on full-size trucks
• Easy do-it-yourself assembly
• Comes with detailed instructions
• Maximizing time with nature, family, and friends

The Out-In-About Box™ is a must for simple and compact camping organization for all your supplies and equipment.

Making Camping Easier

Whatever your definition of outdoor adventure is, the purpose behind these camping organization hacks and storage ideas is to help you get packed and unpacked without a hassle.

At Renlicon, we believe in the power of getting away from the daily grind and finding places of beauty where we can breathe deeply, see the stars, hear the rustling of the trees, and have real conversations that remind us of what matters in life. Our goal is to make 1 million outdoor adventures more memorable.