We asked the members of the RV Atlas facebook group for the best camping hacks and man oh man did they deliver! Here are 20 of the best hacks from a thread that ended up having over 200 comments.
1. Get “Everything But the Bagel Seasoning” from Trader Joe’s
Or figure out how to make your own and keep it in the camp kitchen AT ALL TIMES. Your scrambled eggs will go from Average to Extraordinary. Your scrambled eggs will become legendary like mine have.
RV Atlas Facebook Member David Larson also liked “EBTB” Seasoning and wrote “we use the everything but the bagel seasoning on our avocado toast like good hipsters”
Robyn Volkening then asked David “if he has ever tried Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute” because “it’s so good”
2. Make Ice Cream Cone S’mores
Kristin Kyser Morrison suggests making Ice Cream Cone S’mores with mini marshmallows. She said they were a huge hit last summer. I SAID TELL ME MORE! She said, I found regular cones and cookie cones ones but she liked the regular cones better. You break up chocolate into smaller pieces and layer in that with mini marshmallows. She also added in Pecans with hers! Then you roll everything up in foil and put them in the coals of your fire. Or you could put them on top of a grate. Everything melts into the cones and they don’t leak everywhere.
Kristen–I hope your family worships you like a goddess at the campground–because this is stinking brilliant.
3. Mid-Week Camping
Erika Sheehan thinks that midweek camping is so much quieter than on the weekends. We couldn’t agree more. We think that Sunday to Friday morning RV vacations are the best. That kind of timing has helped us enjoy popular Yogi Bear campgrounds with fewer crowds, and even Disney’s Fort Wilderness.
4. Run Your Kids Ragged
Sarah Defazio travels with a 12V 4 Wheeler and an inflatable bounce house and “all children go to bed exhausted”. Isn’t that the goal people!? If you don’t want absolute insanity at bedroom you run them ragged. This is the problem with Covid–our kids are not tired at bedtime. LET THERE BE BOUNCE HOUSES and let them BOUNCE and ride 4 wheelers all day! Kim Stephens Mowdy responded, “Thanks Totally doing this” and Sarah responded “It’s worth it.”
Which makes me realize that our facebook group is a very SAFE space for parents to plot against their kids in a secure environment. Cause ain’t no 8 year olds hanging in the RV Atlas group on facebook looking for camping hacks.
5. Prep as Much Food At Home As You Can
This became a MEGA part of this thread. Food prep is such a huge thing to most RV owners. People love good food at the campground but don’t want to be dicing peppers on a picnic table. Alexa Biron said “I prep as much food at home as I can. Especially for fajitas, so I can just throw them on The Blackstone at the campground.”
Nicki Brown responded and asked “what is your favorite seasoning to use for the fajitas?
Alexa responded back “I’m GF so I make my own seasoning. Found a recipe and I make some for home and camper. I’ll try and find the recipe”
Nicki responds, no rush, ty, I’m also GF!
And there is the magic of facebook! Facebook can be so ugly and awful, and it can also be a place where two GFs can find each other and exchange GF recipes and camping hacks for awesome homemade fajita seasoning.
Alexa responded with the link for Easy Homemade Fajita Seasoning from whitneybond.com.
https://whitneybond.com/fajita-seasoning/
6. Tape Your Meal Plan to Fridge
Jessica Rae Wiltgen wrote–“We are newbies! We’ve been out 4 times since we bought our camper last August. The one thing that makes my life easier is writing down our meal plan and taping it to the fridge. That way the 7 year old doesn’t ask me 5,000 times what’s for lunch, dinner, etc.
Jessica–this is so brilliant just drop the mike and walk off the stage please! Your camping hacks are impressive for a newbie.
7. Use Veggie and Fruit Trays To Make Snacking Healthy and Easy
I love this idea from Michelle Harless, and after reading it I realized I did the same thing recently to make an easy fuss free dinner during the pandemic. Michelle wrote, “I take Veggie and fruit trays to make snacking healthy and easy. I just set them out and they devour them. I also try to prep as much food as I can by having all the food cut up and put in plastic containers . Then I just pull them out and put them on the grill. If I can pre-cook it and just reheat in microwave I’ll do that too. Less cooking for me and more camping time.
Carlie Abercrombie added, “if you cut up apples..put them in a big bowl of salt water as you slice them. Rinse them when you are done and they won’t turn brown. We cut up a big bag before a trip and have them to snack on throughout.”
She added, “We also pre-scramble eggs and store them in water bottles/old condiment bottles . Shake em up and squirt/pour directly onto the griddle.” We love that some healthy camping hacks made into the thread in our facebook group!
8. No Cooking on Arrival Night
Numerous RV Atlas group members said NO COOKING ON ARRIVAL NIGHT. Amanda Reid summed it up nicely, “No cooking on arrival night! Grab some ready made subs from the local deli or heat up some Sloppy Joes, or have pizza delivered to the campground. Hangry is never a good way to start a trip!!”
Jessica Munn Ansbach responded, “Totally Agree–subs always on night one.”
Amanda also mentioned dividing up meals with a camping buddy–this is definitely one of our favorite camping hacks.
9. Bring Separate “Campfire Clothes”
Allison Bowen Jacoby brings campfire clothes that are just for the campfire. Her family wears them around the fire and then they go in a bag so the trailer doesn’t smell like smoke when they wake up in the morning.
I have done a JEREMY version of this. I have a hoody and sweats just for long evening campfires and I keep them in the front storage bin each night. I used to sit around the campfire for hours then come into the RV at night and Stephanie did not like that smell! This is one of my personal favorite camping hacks.
10. Pack “Go Bags” for the Kids
Amy Sharts packs GO BAGS for the kids, “she writes, “we have them for the car, restaurant, quick outings etc. all ready to roll with activities, snacks, hand sanitizer, masks” They save so much time. AMY–I want one of your GO BAGS!
11. Bring A Large Nylon Frisbee
Kim Fitzsimmons recommends bringing a large nylon Frisbee. Why? Because its great to fan the fire with and fun to play with. No worry if it hits the side of the RV!
12. Bring Your Own Portable Hot Tub
Jennifer Hrebik writes “A few years ago while clamping for a week along with several friends we brought along our Coleman Inflatable hot tub and set it up behind our site overlooking the lake. A Pop Up Canopy kept the rain out and allowed some privacy.
13. Keep an Updatable RV Inventory List
Kitty White posted that she “keeps an open RV inventory list on the notes APP on her phone so she can add things that need to be restocked before the next trip. Her family also debriefs on the drive home about what went well and what they would like to do differently next time. Items we forgot and new things needed.
We have a great packing list for free right here!
14. Make Epic S’More Pies
Douglas Young writes, “S’mores?! I Don’t Think So. Bring a legendary toast-tite pie iron, use cinnamon swirl bread, cinnamon sugar, mini marshmallows, and chocolate chips to make the most epic s’more pie of your life.
15. Order Instacart Groceries For The Week Ahead On the Way Home
Cheryl Wine “uses instacart to order her groceries for the week on Sunday morning.” Sometimes she orders them on the drive home. She gets them delivered about an hour after they get home. We get enough time to unpack before they arrive.
16. Create a Kaper Chart for Kids and Adults
Leslie Becker ‘loves to make a Kaper Chart so everyone knows their job–set the table, clear the table, get drinks, dry the dishes, etc This way no one feels like they are doing it all! It is great for trips with kids, but even better with adults. I have camped with friends who want to assist but can’t quite figure out how to do so! A Kaper chart takes care of that!
17. Book Sunday Night So You Can Stay All Day
Heather Dean Brewer “almost always books Sunday night when they do weekend or even one night camping trips so we can stay as late as we want on Sunday. That extra night allows us a full day of camping fun!! The Brewers do a lot of state parks, so this is a minimal cost and they recoup it by making dinner Sunday night at the campground instead of ordering dinner out on the way home or when the get home late.
18. Book The Night Before Your Arrival
Conversely, Cathy Lynn Moore and her crew are early morning people, so they book the night before their arrival so they can check in early and enjoy a whole day at the campground!
19. Bring Pre-Made Salad Kits to the Campground
Jessica Dunleavy likes to get the salad bags that have the dressing and toppings inside of them (Like Taylor Farms). She wrote, “I just open at the top, dump the dressing and toppings in the bag, roll down the top and shake it up!” Then she just pours it onto plates directly from the bag. “Saves washing a serving bowl.”
Kitty white responded in all CAPS–you just changed my life. I always dump the bag in a serving bowl and use tongs and have to wash both. you are a genius!
20. Help Your Kids Remember Your Site Number
Stacy Maxon writes, “bring a dry erase marker and write your site number on the kids bikes helmets!”
DROP THE MIC STACY–walk off the stage!
