Often when heading out for a trip to campsites, or especially BLM land, you find you have forgotten some important part of your kit. Buying something you already own when you are on the road is wasteful and frustrating. Let’s stop that.

First, learn more about my boondocking/car camping setups in these previous articles:

Get organized

It’s amazing what a list can do to make sure you have everything you need, and everything you want with you on your expedition. My friend Jose Robertson is always pointing me toward becoming a better road tripper. He shared his list with me and made me think, “Why don’t I have one of these?”

So now I do.

Break up the lists

To keep the process from becoming overwhelming I’ve broken my ‘Bring it!’ list into sections. Each section has to do with a different portion of the journey and activities planned for that outing.

my bring it list for boondocking
My ‘Bring it!’ list is a continuing work in progress but it has already saved me from forgetting some important items.

Base

Base contains the basics on the living/sleeping areas. Much of this list lives in the car as my vehicle is dedicated to boondocking. It’s still a great idea to check to make sure it still is.

RAV 4 car build
Most of my build lives in the RAV 4, AKA Copper Queen, but everything is removable so I confirm it with the ‘Bring it!’ list.

Cooler

Cooler has all the perishable food and drinks I wish to have chilled. As a side note I keep large plastic jugs filled with ice at the ready. If you don’t have enough freezer space to keep them around all the time you can freeze them before you go. Make sure you give it a couple days to become solid. Also don’t fill them all the way to the top. If you don’t leave room for expansion it can be a bit of a mess. Don’t ask me how I know.

This saves buying 10 blocks of ice before and during the trip. It also keeps water melted from sloshing around and destroying food.

Pantry food

Pantry items contains the dry goods such as cereal, rolls, freeze dried meals and crackers.

Coffee

Coffee is important to me. I make sure I have fresh beans, hand grinder, pour over cup and filters. As a side note, if you forget your filters, as I did before having the list, paper towels can be used in a pinch.

hand burr coffee grinder and coffee beans
Having my coffee grinder and fresh roasted beans are an important part of my preparations.

Clothing

Not everything on my clothing list will be added to every trip. Items here are weather-dependent. I don’t always need a hat, coat and gloves. But I make sure I give it some thought as the weather may change. Being warm at night photographing the night sky is not a luxury. I’d hate to miss shooting time because of being too uncomfortable.

Toiletries

It’s easy enough to get stinky while in the wild. Making sure the morning body cleaning materials are on hand is imperative. I find the Shower Solution wipes are great for a morning clean up. There’s no perfume scent and no drying time needed.

Kitchen kit

The main kitchen kit always lives in its own plastic tub. But things can be removed for more thorough cleaning on return from travel. Making sure they get back to their home is important. It’s also a time to check on the fuel levels for the Jet Boil which boils water for hot meals and the ever-important coffee.

Camera kit

Making sure I have all of the bits and pieces that go with creating images is probably one of the most important parts of this ‘Bring it! list. Cameras, lenses, camera supports and tripods, filters batteries … well, you know that list can go on and on. It’s easy to regret not having some of that with you.

I hope this has given you some ideas to keep you from being frustrated while on the road. This is constantly being updated and adjusted. BTW, I am working on another couple of lists just for hiking with different items dependent upon the goals of that photo hike. Let me know what your list looks like.

Safe travels!

Yours in Creative photography, Bob