One Night Camping Streamlined?

[luvsgoldens]

We have an opportunity to spend one day and one night at a campground enroute to a longer camping trip. Since we stow everything away for travel, can any of you give me any tips to make this one day/night easier for the one who sets up the camper? (coffee maker, over the door towel rack, toiletry items, etc). I know it may sound silly to more seasoned campers, but I would appreciate any of your suggestions to help make this a fun experience for me too Thanks!

[morleyz]

Might help to know what model trailer you have? For example, our trailer has a massive amount of internal storage, auto level, sani-con, etc. so setup and take down only takes a few minutes and most things are at the ready.

[smithmdsmith]

One-night stays on the way to the destination can be easy. You just need to organize and plan ahead.

What time are you trying to get away the next morning? If the answer is "early," figure out which parts of your "normal" morning routine you can skip. How important is that cup of coffee? Is there a faster way to make or get that cup of coffee? Do I need bacon and eggs, or would cold cereal or a doughnut work?

I usually try to leave the truck connected if I can get close to level without disconnecting (you may need to disconnect your trailer lights from the truck depending on how your truck's trailer wiring is setup...don't want to drain the truck battery by accident).

If you're staying at a place with hookups, do you really need the sewer connection? What about water?

In cooler months, I'll save the $30+ and stay in a Walmart parking lot...that makes for a really quick getaway in the morning. Even a basic house battery can run a trailer with the furnace for a night (although a trailer with a residential fridge might need more than a basic house battery).

Inside the trailer, try to pack everything you'll need for the night in one or two spots so you're not having to "unpack" the entire trailer for that one night.

Probably most importantly: set expectations with the family as to morning departure time...then, when that time passes, don't get mad.

I hope this helps.

[distracto]

We do a fair amount of one night stops. We don't unhook (depending on front to back level and how picky you are in that regard), don't drop stabilizers, have a little fresh water in the fresh tank for flushes and tooth brushing.

We have two little girls 4 and 7 so we set out their clothes the night before after they're down so the morning is faster. We boil some water for instant oatmeal and pour over coffee and then hit the road.

I thought Walmarts didn't allow over night parking anymore? We stayed at the Tulalip casino lot recently and it worked out quite well. We've also don't one nighters in campgrounds.

We have a small 174BH, and find that until I get the MaxxAir fan, running the stove vent all night with a window cracked gets us enough air flow and doesn't drain the battery too badly.

[Camper_bob]

I find on one-nighters it's easiest if you remove as few items from their normal storage position as possible.

Thankfully, our coffee maker lives on the counter.

Our meals are typically not cooked, or if they are cooked, they're something SUPER easy that doesn't require a lot of tools. I've done bacon and eggs in a WM parking lot before. And I've done grilled hotdogs on my tailgate at a truck stop too. DW routinely makes cold-cut sandwiches for the clan while we're driving. Or when we had the trailer, she'd make them in the camper while me and junior took the dog for a walk, then we'd eat at a picnic table.

Otherwise, it's easier to just buy whatever you're going to eat or drink. Patronize the local coffee shop, pick up food/coffee at your first fuel stop of the morning. We've even been known to get on the road and drive a piece, then stop and eat breakfast at a sit-down restaurant.

All depends on how long you're going to be wherever you are. But we don't typically "set up" much anyway even when we're "long-term" in one place. A couple chairs, maybe a small folding table, and that's it. So I don't spend much time "setting up" camp regardless of how long we'll be there.

[aysstephanie]

I agree with the other posters! We try to make our one night stays as easy as possible. Depending on what time we roll in for the night, we don't even set up our awning, outdoor kitchen, etc. Breakfast is usually grabbed on the go to avoid prep and cleanup.

[luvsgoldens]

I really appreciate all of your suggestions, but we are not just stopping just for the night. We will spend one full day and one night at one campground before going on to a longer camp at a different spot. To that point, do you use the full hook up to sewer, etc for a day and night or just use the shower house? My plan is to unhook from battery but leave camper connected to the truck...easy microwaveable food and have our clothes and toiletries for the day/night in one overnight bag for easy access. Anything else to add from you seasoned campers? Thanks so much!

[Bassdogs]

Originally Posted by luvsgoldens

I really appreciate all of your suggestions, but we are not just stopping just for the night. We will spend one full day and one night at one campground before going on to a longer camp at a different spot. To that point, do you use the full hook up to sewer, etc for a day and night or just use the shower house? My plan is to unhook from battery but leave camper connected to the truck...easy microwaveable food and have our clothes and toiletries for the day/night in one overnight bag for easy access. Anything else to add from you seasoned campers? Thanks so much!

Basically this is just an overnite and many of the suggestions offered still apply. If you arrive early in the day and enjoy the opportunities available at the CG before bedding down. and then hitting the road fairly early the next morning you still won't want to do full set up. Have an overnite bag for each person and a plan for eating that evening and next am. Keeping it simple makes for less hassle getting back on the road. We use the shower stall to stow items so we won't trip over them with a stop like this and we can leave them stowed during a short stop. If you have shorepower, the coffee maker, toaster, and microway are your best friend for food prep and will minimize clean up.

The Kiss plan comes to mind [keep it simple stupid] here. This is not going to be one of those dream stops so don't over think it.

[Bassdogs]

You didn't say why you were planning this stop? There must be a reason. Is it just a break after a couple days driving or maybe spending a few hours with an old friend living nearby. What ever the reason, that will have a lot to do with how you handle the stay. Personally I would not do a sewer connection as a quick stop the next am when leaving the CG or at a rest area won't take long and you won't have to handle and restow the sewer equipment. Unless you will be entertaining friends while you're there, the kiss plan is you best bet. If you're the "I've got a camper and I'm going to use it all" type then have at it. Get it out, won't use 2/3s of it, and repack it the next morning and head off to your long term destination. No harm, no rules; your choice. Most of us would follow the keep it simple plan.

[luvsgoldens]

we are stopping at a trout stream that is enroute to a camping trip planned with other friends in an area about 4 hours from the trout stream. This breaks up the longer drive and gives us an opportunity to fish and allow our dogs to swim in the beautiful river We've never done this before and I'm really appreciative of all of the suggestions. They are helpful and will make this day/night adventure easy for me - the camper setter-upper

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by luvsgoldens

I really appreciate all of your suggestions, but we are not just stopping just for the night. We will spend one full day and one night at one campground before going on to a longer camp at a different spot. To that point, do you use the full hook up to sewer, etc for a day and night or just use the shower house? My plan is to unhook from battery but leave camper connected to the truck...easy microwaveable food and have our clothes and toiletries for the day/night in one overnight bag for easy access. Anything else to add from you seasoned campers? Thanks so much!

Yeah, same basic concept that I use otherwise.

I will always plug in shore power if available. Usually will not hook up sewer (if available). Sometimes will hook up water if I need it for some reason.

Basically I'll only hook up sewer if DW wants a long shower. Same for water. Our black tank is not anywhere close to full enough to dump on stops like that, so draining gray water is all I would need. But if I can get her to take a "Navy" shower that night, I won't bother with water or sewer. Even if not, she's been known to go use the shower house (again, if available) if she knows I'm going to put up a fuss about connecting utilities.

All 3 of us can shower on less than 10 gallons of water, and that's being generous.

But really, at the end of the day, it's not an act of congress to connect utilities, so I'll do it if I feel like I need to.

[Bassdogs]

Trout fishing is a 5 star reason to stop over. Does schedule allow for u to get there the night before and hit that river at dawn? Fish all day and again the following morning. With only a 4 hour drive to the next stop, you've got time to get a few hours in that morning and still get where you're going by early afternoon.

Good fishing.

[ggilbert]

Cheap hotel is probably as cheap as a campground.
Pull through sights are a bonus if staying in a campground.

I leave my truck connected but I put down the jack and take some of the weight off the hitch. I also put down the stabilizer jacks.

Only connect water and electricity. Use the bath house as much as possible

[Bassdogs]

Originally Posted by ggilbert

Cheap hotel is probably as cheap as a campground.
Pull through sights are a bonus if staying in a campground.

I leave my truck connected but I put down the jack and take some of the weight off the hitch. I also put down the stabilizer jacks.

Only connect water and electricity. Use the bath house as much as possible

How does your math work on this statement?? Typical campground maybe $25-40. Hard to find a motel room for less than $75 - $90.

[Mustang65]

To make things a little easier for those stop-overs, DW wraps the coffee pot in bubble wrap, compliments of Amazon shipments, and stores it in the microwave while traveling.



Since I make a mandatory cup of coffee each morning, for a kick start (well 3 throughout the day) it is nice to just pull it out, crank it up and defrost a breakfast bagel in the microwave.


Since I am very particular in the coffee I (we) drink, when we would stop in a rest stop, I would plug in the coffee pot (TT runs on SOLAR/inverter while traveling for the fridge to run on 110VAC) and have a GREAT cup of coffee. Some times, in the afternoon, I would pull the Ninja blender out from under the sink (easy access while traveling) and make a smoothie for us.


I guess this falls under the heading of GLAMPING, not camping.


Sorry about the paragraph spacing, but the forum made some change and now it double spaces between paragraphs. Only happens on this forum, my electronics.. forums are fine. Tired of removing extra lines.

Don
My Registry

RVing with SOLAR

[ggilbert]

Originally Posted by Bassdogs

How does your math work on this statement?? Typical campground maybe $25-40. Hard to find a motel room for less than $75 - $90.

I guess it’s all about location. I’ve paid over $100 for a campsite before and I paid less that $50 for a hotel with free breakfast and coffee.

[Siamese]

We have an easy solution for that.

When we have a one night stay on our way somewhere, we make the one night stay at a Walmart or similar. That way, we avoid a long day on the road only to have to mess around with an unfamiliar campground. Check in at the office, find our site, possibly deal with a near impossible back-in, followed by all the usual hookups.

By staying at a Walmart, we find a spot in the parking lot that's reasonably level, and leave the truck hooked up. We don't check in. We have a generator in the truck bed, where it remains while we keep our batteries charged. We don't have any slides, so that's not an issue (26BH).

When we pack the trailer at home, we put everything where it's supposed to be, so that's not an issue later.

Coffee in the morning? Bottled water, fresh ground coffee, heat the teapot on the stove, and a French press. Or, if I'm lazy, I suppose I could walk across the parking lot to the nearest coffee (but I don't, because I like good coffee).

We don't go camping in hot weather, so AC is generally not an issue. We travel down south in the winter. Sail in Michigan in the summer, with just the occasional trailer trip.

Morning departure from a Walmart if easy. Just check the tires, stow a few things, do a quick inspection, and go.

We're able to do the Walmart thing, because we travel in "second tier" areas. Mobile, Alabama rather than Key West...that sort of thing. So, we've never had a problem finding a Walmart.

Some people complain about the noise at a Walmart. Yes, some are noisy, but plenty aren't. I've been in many campgrounds with a loud drunk next door, or a barking dog, or screaming kids. At least in a Walmart, I can move to another spot, or just start up the truck and head for the nearby Cracker Barrel.

YMMV

[Jagiven]

Sounds like fun. For one night, I would keep it simple. Most people now have an electric awning, so I would deploy it. Stabilizes, optional, depends if a like shacking bothers you. Most people need their coffee. I do not drink it. The DW loves coffee, and better yet the good stuff. But in the camper she has a box of Via instant by Starbucks for a quick cup, she just needs hot water. She says it's pretty good. Meals, while traveling, we keep simple, might be a bag salid, pulled pork, tacos in a bag, something that usually just requires a little reheating.

Outside rug, leave it packed away. Chairs, maybe come out. Portable stove, might come out, we rarely cook inside.

We use the facilities' facilities including day time bathroom runs, no dumping of tanks.

In general, nothing gets pulled out unless we need it. On a normal weekend campout, we are full setup in 30 minutes, including dropping our bunks and making the beds. Cleanup usually takes a bit longer, but we put at in on a normal weekend. On a quick overnight in a CG, 20 minutes and we are gone, including hitching up.

[mnaquaman]

This one is tough!

Take out only what you need to be comfortable!

When I am staying for a few days I'll set up the outdoor kitchen, mat, chairs the whole deal.

One quick night, drop the jacks, hook up electrical & water, drop the murphy bead and sleep. A quick breakfast - a bowl of cereal. While the Wife cleans up the inside - I'll drop raise the jacks, pull the water & electrical. Get the wife in the truck and hit the road. I can be on the road within 30 minutes after getting up.

I always put out my clean clothes for the next day before I go to bed - saves time and is quieter for my wife if I decide to let her sleep in a bit!

If you do it enough you will develop tour own routine - they are better than trying to copy someone else's!

Happy campy and travel safe!

[RogerR]

We one night on almost every trip as the grandkids are 1,000 miles away. Plus when we head out on our own.

Weather cool, we head for the parking lot, casinos are best!

Simple campsite, electric only, if we need AC. Shower at the campground if needed.

We carry maybe 10 gals fresh plus leave with food in the fridge that we will use for the whole trip. Enough for flushing and a short rinse in the AM.

Pull in, don't unhook, back stabilizers only plus power tongue. In the AM a quick cup of tea and a bowl of cereal. Then a bigger early lunch somewhere. I got the Andersen leveler so leveling side to side is a snap and the tongue jack does the trick for front to back.