“Grab and go” setups?

[gatorgrizz27]

Obviously packing for any longer trip/expedition can be quite the process with gear lists, where things are packed in terms of accessibility, etc.

I have two young boys and in order to get them out in the woods as often as possible I’ve been wanting to put together a “grab and go” setup that involves minimal packing and hassle. Ideally it would be throw a few pre-packed bins in the car, a change of clothes for everybody, swing by the grocery store and go.

I have a roof rack and hitch mounted cargo carrier, but I’d like to leave that space open to haul bikes, a canoe, or other stuff when necessary.

I can live out of a backpack for a week with no problem, but car camping with the family involves a significant amount of stuff. Two car seats and a dog riding in the middle consumes the rear seat except for the floor space where clothes and diaper bags can squeeze in.

I picked up a Husky rolling toolbox which consumes half the rear cargo area, but can hold the tent, sleeping bags and mats, kid’s chairs, lantern, stove, and propane.

Husky 37 in. Rolling Tool Box Utility Cart Black-209261 - The Home Depot

The Husky 37 in. rolling tool box has a 50 Gal. holding capacity, great for storing large power tools, accessories and gear. The heavy duty removable tool tray is extra-large and great for storing multiple

www.homedepot.com

A 45qt cooler, 7 gallon water tank, and the toolbox I typically carry pretty much eats up the other half, but it looks like I may be able to fit a pair of ARB chairs in between.

That still leaves me needing to carry the kitchen bin/chuck box, table, dry food, clothes, and other misc kids stuff. Potentially more water and a cassette toilet if camping remotely with the wife.

My thought is to bolt a couple footman’s loops to the top of the big box to strap on a couple Wolf Packs, and find/build something that works as a kitchen box that can fit under the cooler.

Priorities are ease of packing up, not having to move a bunch of stuff around to make the grocery run, and things being secured properly where they won’t injure anybody running a few trails or in the event of an accident.

Curious to see what others are using for similar purposes.

 

[68camaro]

I tried several times to preset grab and go bins, some basic stuff you can do with but I found each trip was different so I wanted certain things and didn’t need others.

I ultimately settled on several lists for specific scenarios that were refined and refined and refined. I find good lists help not miss anything and allow packing quickly.

 

[billiebob]

Are you in a Prius or a Hummer ?

As an old fart with a wife who stays home with the dog Im spoilt today but we did the plus wife, 2 kids, dog for 20 ? years with a Honda Accord Wagon.... No roof storage.... Long before the hitch mounted thing..... I'm 100% with you on the Grab & Go setup.

Commenting on the plan so far.

The Husky thing with all the camp stuff, 100%, best idea.

45gt cooler has got to go.... get a plug in thing and drop the ice. We used a Kooltron Cooler and unplugged it at night. No issues in the morning it never got above 45F. Plenty cool for milk, juice, veggies and fruit. The adults lived on unrefrigerated red wine. And have the menu ready for every trip. 3 day. 5 day. 10 day. No thought needed once you leave the driveway. Plan the meals for the space you have. Try and make most meals simple. Cold Cereal and milk, Yogurt and granola, At least 1 Kraft Dinner. Salads, we bought the fully prepped things and just added dressing. Grocery stores have great choices, Greek, Ceasar, Tossed,,,, Plan for zero left overs. The goal with food is to bring nothing home..... which means you can use a smaller cooler, dry box.

Clothing, we had 5 days of socks and shorts,.... hard to expect anyone to wear those for 2 days. 3 tops. 2 slacks, jeans, 1 pair of shorts each, plus fleece PJs..... which could double as the warm layer, and the jacket you got in the car with. Everyone had their own colour coded sports bag to fit it all which was also thier pillow. If you run out of clean clothes... find a landramat, explore a tiny village, send the family to come back with GREAT coffee. MEET people. BE TOURISTS !! Visit the local museum. Support the local economy !!!!

The chuck box needs to be made smaller every trip. If you don't buy canned goods.... you don't need a can opener. 4 plates, 4 bowls ? or 4 bowls which double as plates. We never cut back on cutlery tho.... sporks are disgusting little things. Do you "need" salt, pepper, sugar, cream ? My wife refuses to get in the car if there is a toilet in it. So we never did the real remote thing as a family. OR we made use of road side facilities as they came up. I still do this. I think I should get one of those toilet seats which plug into the trailer hitch with a biodegradable bag ... but not yet.

Minimizing what you take is the goal. We did a few back country trips, take only what you can carry. Think mountain climbing or train travel or a 7 day trip from Bella Coola to Ocean Falls to Bella Bella to Shearwater by ferry,,, camping who knew where when we got off the ferry each day. No idea if food was available.... or toilets. We had a fabulous trip. I carried the tent. We each carried our sleeping bag plus a bit of survival food. I've never had a better burger than Mary cooked in an 8x8 garden shed. Nor a better salmon which a passing fishing boat crew threw on the dock when they saw us "tourists" standing there. We never had a stove or fuel but the camp platform included a truck rim on the beach to build a fire. We had to "find" a grill for the fish. My wife poured the orange juice with the secret gin to baste the fish. No salt that night, it was finger food, we did not even have plastic cutlery.

Best goal.... figure out how to fit it all inside the car. And if it won't,,,, you are taking wayyy tooooo much stuff.

 

[OverlandNA]

Maybe a DIY Explorer box trailer should be in your future https://compactcampingstore.com/col...nstruction-manual-diy-compact-camping-trailer

 

[billiebob]

Just an idea,

Park the car a block away.
Tell everyone, you too, pack what you need and carry it to the car.... you need to minimize.

 

[shade]

Potentially more water and a cassette toilet if camping remotely with the wife.

Not worth the trouble, space, and weight. Have her give a Luggable Loo and a GoGirl a try.

Less to futz with, and easy to maintain. You can probably get 24 hrs out of a bag in the LL, and it's easy to dump.
The GoGirl will be welcome when you go hiking or elsewhere, away from restrooms, and you don't need to use the LL.

 

[billiebob]

If you are trying to be totally self sufficient, you are missing the best part of overlanding and alienating everyone you meet.

The best part is meeting people, especially with kids. Teach them, ot let them teach you, how to meet new people. Humans are social creatures. We need and want interaction. If you drive thru town, gas up, buy some groceries and leave everyone living there hates you..... I know, I live in a tourist Meca. All the locals dread the day we replace the ferry with a bridge. Don't try and be self sufficient. Get out of that car, go for coffee, lunch, a beer, dinner. Buy a cap or rain coat. Do your laundry.

All those locals who hate the guys parking on main street or at the beach to cook lunch and get out of dodge will love you IF you try and interact.... And it will be the best gift you can give your kids.

 

[shade]

Just an idea,

Park the car a block away.
Tell everyone, you too, pack what you need and carry it to the car.... you need to minimize.

I've done something similar:

"Here's a bin. Here's a list of required items. All of that will fit in the bin, with room to spare for whatever else you want to bring."

 

[gatorgrizz27]

Lots of good feedback so far. Vehicle is a Land Rover LR3, so there’s a decent cargo space, it’s 44”x44”x ~36” high. Kids are 4 months and 2 1/2 at this point, first planned trip is mid April.

It’s not so much that I’m taking a ton of stuff as it is that the stuff is fairly bulky, and putting it in bins for east storage/loading is even more so. Big bin is nothing but a 7 lb 4 person dome tent, 40 degree mummy bag for myself and 30 degree for the wife, three inflatable sleeping pads (not the large foam ones), two kids chairs, Coleman stove and lantern, and a compact fleece blanket and synthetic quilt for the boys.

The Coleman stove and lantern are nostalgia from growing up camping with my dad, I just take a headlamp and isobutane cannister stove when backpacking.

I hear you on different stuff for different trips, but the norm will be 1-3 nights with 40-80 degree weather, so it’s relatively easy to keep it the same and just change clothes and recreational gear. I’m fine wearing the same pants for a week, the kids need a couple extra changes for bathroom accidents and getting muddy/wet but they are compact enough that it doesn’t matter much.

This is regarding camping more than overlanding. Week long trips to the blue ridge mountains and out west are in the potential plans, which will involve restaurants, exploring towns, etc.

Kitchen kit at this point is 4 plates, bowls, cups, forks, knives, spoons. One pot, one skillet, small cutting board, 2 knives, foil, oil, spices, and coffee percolator. Collapsible sink, paper towels, small thing of soap and trash bags.

Food is still a bit of trial and error. Backpacking I live off jerky, nuts, and a mountain house at night. With the above kitchen setup I can make almost anything I do at home, but that’s not really the point of camping. Still like bacon and eggs for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, and sausage and beans, etc for dinner.

An ARB fridge is likely in the future, but for short trips the ice isn’t a big deal in terms of the space it takes up, and we don’t need to resupply.

I expect backpacking will become the norm and the wife will stay home more often once the boys are 6/8 ish, but that’s still awhile obviously. For the time being it’s state park campgrounds with bathrooms, but I like the ability to camp without facilities and water with minimal additional stuff. Cassette toilet will likely ride on the roof or hitch hauler as there’s no good place to carry it inside away from the food.

Unfortunately in Florida, the Yankees book out most of the state parks during the cooler months, so you either need to plan your trips in advance or go to national forest/water management land for spur of the moment stuff.

 

[billiebob]

yer well on yer way... just need to make a few compromizes to fit the kit in the car
way more guts than me, our kids were 3 and 6 before we braved the woods.

 

[shade]

If you end up using a hitch hauler, pack bulky, lighter things in whatever bin(s) it carries. Doing so will make it fit more with your Grab & Go plans, since the bin(s) will remain easy to move by yourself when loaded.

 

[gatorgrizz27]

Trailer is an option for certain stuff, I have a 6x12 enclosed for my carpentry business that I’ve set up to work as a camper also. The goal is to use it for hotter or colder weather, carrying dirt bikes, and stuff like either camping in different spots every night or a week long base camp at the beach.

I want the ability to carry a bike rack or pull a boat, so I don’t want a trailer or hitch hauler as part of the 1-3 day basic kit in reasonable weather.

 

[gatorgrizz27]

If you are trying to be totally self sufficient, you are missing the best part of overlanding and alienating everyone you meet.

The best part is meeting people, especially with kids. Teach them, ot let them teach you, how to meet new people. Humans are social creatures. We need and want interaction. If you drive thru town, gas up, buy some groceries and leave everyone living there hates you..... I know, I live in a tourist Meca. All the locals dread the day we replace the ferry with a bridge. Don't try and be self sufficient. Get out of that car, go for coffee, lunch, a beer, dinner. Buy a cap or rain coat. Do your laundry.

All those locals who hate the guys parking on main street or at the beach to cook lunch and get out of dodge will love you IF you try and interact.... And it will be the best gift you can give your kids.

Good tip for sure. I’ve been amazed watching people interact with our 2 year old. He walks around restaurants waving at people, will walk up to kids playing and interact with them, etc. I’m a bit more of an introvert so it’s neat to see.

When traveling, I have always preferred to get off the beaten path and experience things the locals do rather than hang out in the tourist traps. It’s been a bit of a point of contention between my in laws and me.

 

[shade]

If you are trying to be totally self sufficient, you are missing the best part of overlanding and alienating everyone you meet.

The best part is meeting people, especially with kids. Teach them, ot let them teach you, how to meet new people. Humans are social creatures. We need and want interaction. If you drive thru town, gas up, buy some groceries and leave everyone living there hates you..... I know, I live in a tourist Meca. All the locals dread the day we replace the ferry with a bridge. Don't try and be self sufficient. Get out of that car, go for coffee, lunch, a beer, dinner. Buy a cap or rain coat. Do your laundry.

All those locals who hate the guys parking on main street or at the beach to cook lunch and get out of dodge will love you IF you try and interact.... And it will be the best gift you can give your kids.

I enjoy spending time in new communities and meeting new people, but as long as they're respectful and don't cause problems, I'm not sure why anyone would hate people spending money in their community and moving on.

 

[gatorgrizz27]

Just did a test fit on this. The big Husky box, 45 qt RTIC, daily carry Pelican case (1450 IIRC), 7 gallon Aqua Tainer, and one ARB chair fit perfectly. With a kitchen/chuck box under the cooler, the other ARB chair should fit as well, and two Wolf Packs will fit on top of the Husky box. One more could fit on top of the cooler if needed for the dry food, or just leave it in grocery bags. Should be plenty of room with the clothes bags in the floor area behind the front seats.