Well, I took off on one of my fishing/camping "junkets" towing the little popup camper (right after I first got it) and forgot the crank handle that raises and lowers the roof! I had left the handle hanging on the fence that goes along next to the house - and just why I would do that still remains a mystery! Anyway, that trip was some distance and spent a night on the road at a stop-off travel campground where I finally had to raise the roof using a wrench (which took some time raising and lowering). The next day while still enroute, stopped off at a dealer and bought another crank handle which is now stowed away inside the camper should I ever repeat that trick again!

It always seems there's something I always forget that's really needed when getting to where it is I'm going! And it's not that I have not taken measures to guard against this ... try to keep an up-dated list (in a spiral notebook) of what's aboard the camper and what might be needed to put aboard - but I have this habit of mis-placing the notebook during all the skirring around just before a long trip. For whatever it's worth, should note here that this malady does not get better with age and practice!

Dale

This is a sore subject around here right now! I am the one that packs clothing for me, my youngest daughter and check that the older one has her list. I also pack all of the food, anything related to cooking, utensils, sleeping bags, bedding, etc. So, what is my husband responsible for? The trailer. Well, last week when we went camping we arrived in the cold pouring rain. I picked a site off in the woods a bit and not real close to the bath house because I knew I had a porta potty. What do you think was forgotten? Well, the excuse was that I didn't put it on the list for him! My response is why do I have to? It goes with the popup! I was really ticked off! I know these things happen but why is it my responsibility to remember every single thing we take? So, I told him the next time he is packing EVERYTHING! In fact, I would be safer to not camp with him! Maybe I'll tent camp next to him and see how often he needs to come to borrow things! Okay. I'll stop now. He's forgiven this time.

On my first solo trip I forgot silverware and cooking utensils. That was fun! I also not thinking left a box of cereal on the picnic table overnight. It was gone the next morning without a trace. I can only guess a raccoon thought he hit the jackpot and took off with it!

My husband always forgets his toothbrush and toothpaste unless I remind him. Oh yeah. I was going to stop! Just call me a NAG!

Many many years ago I went camping with my brother's family. I was just out of college and excited to show off my brand new Eureka Aurora tent. This was a model that was basically a 4-person Timberline with fiberglass poles that ran along both sides and over the middle - to puff out the tent walls.

I opened up the bag only to realize that I'd forgotten to pack the poles. I had no poles at all.

In order to protect the shock-cord system, I tended to leave the poles assembled, hung in the ceiling of my basement. Obviously I had forgotten to pull them down and put them in the tent bag.

I ended up hanging the tent from trees. It was embarassing to say the least. It did rain that night. I stayed dry, though my brother's families dome tent didn't - and they had their poles.

Wow! this is great!

Hiked in the Virgin River Gorge. Rough country. Snakes, etc. cactus so mean and everywhere! I felt so confident. Had a Walkie, great first aid kit, lots and lots of water. Was supposed to be very dry and hot. I was definitely not going to run out this time. In fact, I would probably get to gargle it and laugh at dehydration; this time. Hour four into the trip, I decide to eat.... eat...oh #@#$#%#
no FOOD! I tried and tried to somehow in my guy way, blame the wife as she said fairwell at the crack of dawn, but no... it was totally me... I got back to my car at supper time after not eating all day and ravaged WENDY's
I was shaking as I inhaled everything. But, I wasn't dehydrated.... jerry

OK, well mine is lame since it really has nothing to do with camping, except we were while it happened. I will think of a good one to share and post it.
Lynda

Forgetting a pacifer when you have a baby who is hooked on one is NO lame matter! My older daughter gave up the pacifer at 6 months in favor of her thumb which she sucked until age 5! But, she always had to have a cloth diaper to hold onto while she sucked her thumb!

There was the time that my husband needed to call in sick for the first day of our trip and forgot until we were on the road. We pulled over so he could go to a pay phone!

Tent stakes of course! I forgot to pack them. At least, that is how we remember it.

Husband slept on the picnic table, the girls and I slept in the back of the pickup, in the camper shell.

Latest, matches. Could not find any when I tried to cook me a dinner after bicycling 29 miles. Good thing friends where already there, and loaned me some.

Moni

Can opener. Fortunately, fellow campers are usually the friendly type. :-)

I know a lot of you don't think we are camping in a trailer but that is what we do. Last summer I took a whole turkey breast and we took the small electric roaster along. When I got ready to cook it, guess what? We had picked up a crock pot and not a roaster. The oven in the camper was not working so I couldn't use that. We had to fix something else for dinner and come home a day early so we could cook the turkey before it spoiled.

It was the first morning of our camping trip with good friends. Pancakes were on the menu, but we had forgotten to pack the spatula. From the tempting aromas coming from other campsites in the park everyone else was using their spatulas. One thought was we could wait for everyone else to finsh cooking and then ask if we could borrow a spatula... Or Andy could MacGyver a spatula. He took an empty Diet Coke can from the night before. He cut the ends off the can and squished it flat. He made a handle with his Leatherman. It actually worked out pretty well- the spatula was nonstick because of the paint. I was really impressed with his creativity and by the fact that breakfast was ready lickity split.
About 10 years later Andy was camping with some paintball friends and the same situation came up. Without blinking an eye he made a new beer can spatula. I guess the guys still talk about how fast he came up with a solution...