What to pack for your first trailer camping trip:
Eating & Drinking
- Cutlery
- Cups
- Plates
- Small bowls
- Cloth napkins/bandanas
We tried out some stuff that didn’t quite work on our first trip and adjusted for the second trip. After initially hypothesizing that we could eat almost everything out of a large plate-bowl, we wanted bowls that keep smaller portions of food warm. And metal silverware and stainless steel cups got way too cold in freezing temps. For the second trip, we stocked up on GSI plastic utensils and replaced the metal cups with plastic Ikea kids cups.
One of our favorite camp breakfasts is overnight oats (dump 1 kids cup-full of old fashioned oats in a half-full jar of plain yogurt with a pinch of salt, let it sit in the cooler for up to several nights, serve with dried fruit, nuts, etc.). This can be eaten from takeout containers (tiny heroes!) and makes great road food. We keep a set of plastic utensils in our road-snack bag in the car so we don’t have to open the galley while driving to access a spoon or a knife.
It’s a delight to stop for a trailer-side lunch while in transit. This is a great time to eat things like sardines on sourdough, where you’ll want to have easy access to a trash can.
For drinks, we each have a reusable water bottle. Cans of beer and seltzer form the base layer in the cooler. Glass bottles are best to avoid. We’ve done the research and can report that Bota Box makes very reasonable boxed wine. Watch out for hot temps and keep the bladder in the cooler or fridge if things heat up.
Sarah Labowitz and Pete Molick live in Houston, TX and their favorite place to take their Pika Off-Road is Big Bend National Park.
Sources:
- GSI Outdoors Fork, Knife, and Spoon
- Ikea KALAS Tumbler (set of 6)
- Melamine Pasta Bowls (set of 4, we use 2)
- EVO Sustainable Goods 16 oz. bowl (set of 4)