Jen: My father was in WW I, and he learned a lot of ways to do things when we went camping. We'd go up near Pytamuning Reservoir in the N.W. part of Pa. to camp out for a week or so. We had 2 old Army tents, camp cots, a very old gasoline stove, and everything we needed, except something to keep the milk, etc., cold! So, being near a small creek, Dad would dig back into the creek bank, where it was nice and cool, and there he'd place the milk and meat! This worked very nicely. Then, we'd rent a small row-boat and go out on the lake to fish! Usually we'd catch pan fish, nothing too large, but just tasty eating. We'd carry drinking water, but we'd wash with clean creek water! It never seemed to hurt us-heck, i'm over 80 yrs of age, and still going strong! There were several kids our age that lived near-by and we'd roam around the area with them! My Dad's father would go along on our trips, and he, being a very stuffy guy if you didn't know him, always relished our camping trips! AHHH! for the good ol' days! I'm glad i can still remember them! And, its always good to look at the pictures of our camping trips there, just to reminisce! By: rustyj

2014 back to the "Beaten Path" in the Absaroka Wilderness, northeast of Yellowstone National Park, this time with a fishing rod in hand. I assisted taking a group of scouts last year there. This time it will be an adult-only fishing trip. If you have the skills to backpack, this is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Can't hike? Take the car can ride from Red Lodge, Montana to Cooke City, Montana, a breath taking trip up over 10,000 feet. Best time is mid July to mid august. Dine in Red Lodge, really nice town! Be sure you have good brakes, some parts of drive not for the faint-hearted. Be sure to stop at the Top-of-the-World store along the way. If you hike it, start on Cooke City side at about 7500 feet, up over top at about 9900 feet, then down to 6000 feet at East Rosebud, about 26 miles. 2 really long days for super athletes or minimalist light weight hikers or a nice 3 to 4 day trip for the average Joe. Abundant water and nice lakes to camp by such as Russell Lake, Ouzel Lake, Twin Outlets Lake, and Rainbow Lake. Huge waterfalls thundering through many sections of the trail on the north end. 200 folks in the area on an average summer day, spread out over miles of wilderness but lots of side lakes/trails if you want to explore without others nearby. Camping at trail heads is $20 a car per night, parking free at trail heads, and camping is free in the wilderness. Some special camping rules apply, mainly distance from water sources, but very manageable. Check it out on Google Earth, East Rosebud going south-southwest toward Wyoming. Steve

Jennymama, I just wanted to say congratulations on your new quarters! I came to this thread late so have just been reading through the posts...I kind of started chuckling about halfway through at the different "camps" we are all in (those who say "go for it" and those who shudder at the thought of living in a travel trailer for several months, LOL.) I wanted to do that when we were building on our land, and two years later I still think our lives would have been easier in many ways had we done so (we also thought about going ahead and building the shop and putting a small bathroom in it, to live in during the build.) I think you have three really big considerations that will make you very glad you did this. One is that the drive to your dd's school would take up so much of the time that you will need for dealing with things as the house is being built, not to mention time that could be better spent with your younger one. Two hours a day, five days is a week is a LOT of time that you just gave yourself! The two other things will be important to your sanity and comfort over the next few months, and they are the facts that you can put your travel trailer a bit away from construction site for privacy from the comings and goings of the workers (and safety for the kids re: construction materials) and also that you have that big finished shop. If you can keep that for your own stuff and not have it become a repository for storing construction stuff, it will be a real asset as far as storing kids' toys and household goods. You can both have things with you that might take up too much room in the camper, and start to move more of your stuff when it gets closer to time for the move. Good luck with the build and enjoy the outdoors.

We have a 30' class A RV. With your space constrictions (we used to tent camp with everything in totes and coolers), I would say 1 skillet, 1 sauce pan, and a dutch oven with a lid. Lids for them all if possible. 1 flipper, 1 spatula/scraper, 1 slotted spoon, 1 solid bowl spoon. Collapsable bowls and collander. Pot holders/mits. Matches. Salt, pepper, paprika, italian seasoning, chili powder, what ever seasonings you would usually use at home. Tones makes tiny containers with a large selection of spices/seasonings for around $1, that are about the size of Annie's film cans. Portable gas grill. Dish soap, dish towels, paper towels. A friend gave me the idea of using a paper towel holder bungie corded to the awning post to have them handy outside when cooking/eating. Table ware can be stored in small plastic totes. Dish pan. That tiny sink will be a pain in the you know what to do dishes in, so take a dish pan and do them outside when possible. As to packaged food. Check the book sites for a book called Make-A-Mix. There is a volume two, I think. I have the first one. That is my where my sloppy joe recipe came from. Tastes pretty much like manwich. I leave out the green peppers and garlic, but I don't like green peppers and am allergic to the garlic. Still really good. I thing Grainlady mentioned the make a mix books in another thread. Many good recipes for mixes in there. You can use very small plastic zip bags that I find in the jewelry dept of the craft stores to store the seasoning mixes like the sloppy joe mixes in, writing the date made and any needed instructions in marker on the bag. Store a bunch of the small bags in a larger one. Tea bags, coffee, hot chocolate mixes (can find one in the make a mix book, but I have a better one. If you want it, I'll look it up and post it). A camp coffee pot works for boiling water for tea, hot chocolate, coffee, and heating water for dishes. The camp percolater, figure out how many cups it makes, add the amt of coffee you like for that amount of water, and after it starts to perk, time it for 8 minutes. If you want it stronger, go 9, no more than 10 minutes or it gets bitter. And it takes up less space than a counter top coffee maker. We use more paper plates and plastic silver ware than use regular, but your choice. Cereal bowls. Sugar, flour, cornmeal, all in small amts, in airtight containers. If it's airtight, you can leave it there all season, same with the spices. I don't even take the jars of flour and stuff like that out in the winter. Instant rice. dcarch, we have the E2000 generator, and it weighs lots more than the one you have listed. It is very quiet, tho. It would store great on the grate in the hitch, too! So would a portable gas grill. If you want the hot chocolate recipe, and don't get a reply here in this post, email me thru my page, incase I forget to check the thread! I'm getting forgetful! Tami