Keeping your camp tidy

[monkey boy]

Ok guys I have a problem & it's getting embarrassing.
I'm a messy man at camp, I went out today for a Doss in the woods and all I wanted to do is play with the tarp and cook on my stoves and practice a few skills.
My day started @ 8am and I was finished at 1600, by then if you were to see my setup you would think I was out there for a week, I mean there is kit everywhere, cook wear, tools and food.
Don't get me wrong when I Leave an area there's no trace I was there.

Now lately Iv bean trying to carry less with me but some how I manage to make a mess which doesn't help when it's muddy like today as everything needs washing when I get home, but I need a simple system to keep me organised.
What I would like to know is there and tricks and tip to keeping your kit clean, tidy and reachable when needed.
What do you guys do? Or are you like me?

Mb

 

[John Fenna]

I build a table.... and 2 tripods with a bar between to hang kit on if there are no convenient hanger branches....

 

[lou1661]

Re pack your kit as soon as you have finished using it, that way, its tidy in one place and you know where it is.

 

[Man of Tanith]

Ok guys I have a problem & it's getting embarrassing.
I'm a messy man at camp, I went out today for a Doss in the woods and all I wanted to do is play with the tarp and cook on my stoves and practice a few skills.
My day started @ 8am and I was finished at 1600, by then if you were to see my setup you would think I was out there for a week, I mean there is kit everywhere, cook wear, tools and food.
Don't get me wrong when I Leave an area there's no trace I was there.

Now lately Iv bean trying to carry less with me but some how I manage to make a mess which doesn't help when it's muddy like today as everything needs washing when I get home, but I need a simple system to keep me organised.
What I would like to know is there and tricks and tip to keeping your kit clean, tidy and reachable when needed.
What do you guys do? Or are you like me?

Mb

i have the same tendency as you
however i plan to make the effort to replace items once used back in the pack
i have seen folk clip packs around a tree using a bungee so it is off the ground
may avoid the mud issue

 

[SCOMAN]

One piece of kit out of bag another piece of kit into the bag

 

[SimonM]

I use various methods...

• as soon as I'm finished with an item, I put it away
• build a tripod to hang stuff on
• on fixed camps, I use a net hammock as a gear loft
• Hang stuff from an extra ridge line, under the tarp, in dry bags, from prussic loops

Simon

 

[monkey boy]

It all makes sense, the packing it away once Iv used something is the harder task as I end up making a mess in my pack and find myself frustrated looking for stuff again, the tripods and hanging stuff around trees has got me thinking tho???

 

[SimonM]

You can keep your pack tidy by using small dry bags to keep gear separate, but easily identified. Buy different colours of dry bags and take it to the next level of OCD...colour coded kit.

Simon

 

[Dreadhead]

iv thought about getting those small hanging canvas shelves from ikea. string that up and keep everything organised. but would feel like turning a woodland into an office so not very nice. probably best with net hammock or ridgeline

 

[Northsky]

Think about perhaps you didn't really use and do away with it, I guess what I'm saying is try to use less kit....less mess?

 

[Elen Sentier]

I'm still inexperienced in camps. I think I'll go for tripods and a bar to hang stuff on, together with the lovely leather bags I've been gifted. Packing stuff away all the time would likely drive me even more nits than I already am .

I mean NUTS ... I don't have nits !!!

 

[woodspirits]

essentially take only what you need, not what you might need! if you have a car and its close by, then if you must keep your excess in there.

 

[Home Guard]

I carry a large plastic bag with me, aswell as using it as a sitting and kneeling mat, I lay my kit on it to keep it off the ground and easily in sight. This way nothing gets lost or dirty, as everything is kept in a small area. You can also slice down the sides and have double the area.

 

[jiffi]

Spend £15 get an edc hammock from Matt at ukhammocks problem sorted!

 

[Bodge]

Hi,
As you mention you were only on a day out and only using a tarp you could use a small groundsheet which your pack sits on with room to sit down and scatter kit on. I use various methods from net hammocks, hanging stuff in trees and ground sheets. When on a long weekend I take all my kitchen stuff and food in a wheeled toolbox which gets used as a table ,sawhorse and seat. Bit heavy but great for extended nights out with my son. I try to clear up every night and put stuff away and start again the next day.

HTH.

 

[Shewie]

It's a bit geeky but everything has its place in my pack, I know exactly where everything is. With the exception of the smaller items that go into a ditty bag, all the other kit is in its rightful place until I need it. If I take something out of my pack for a single task then it goes back in when I'm done with it. I'll have a knife and maybe a saw on my person but everything else goes in and out of the pack as needed.

Anyway, there's nothing wrong with spreading your stuff about, as long as you know where it all is

 

[Harvestman]

I too am a messy camper. All of the advice above is good, but I find the difficult thing is that i put stuff down without thinking about it, and then the next time I need it I don't know where it is. This means I lose kit arund the camp, and sometimes lose things completely.

I need to be conscious of what I do with things when I finish using them.

 

[Squidders]

I use two methods, the first is to put stuff away as soon as I am done with it... For example, as soon as I have eaten, all my cooking stuff goes away before I do anything else.

Secondly, I have a small bag for by the fire, this holds all the little things I play with through a day, knives, some plasters, brew kit, sharpening stones etc... I actually use the Shell Case from Frost River. My main bag carries everything used for the camp that is fixed and gets tucked away when everything is unpacked. The smaller bag stays by me and keeps the area tidy.

Dunno if that helps.

 

[benp1]

What pack do you use?

I either have lots of smaller bags, which I use to organise myself with. Either dry bags, small pouches, zipped bags or something like a snugpak response pak

My recent walks have been with a Maxpedition rucksack, it has lots of organisation and I've added extra pouches. I also have rolly poly pouches on the outside to drop things into so I don't lose them. It has a rubberised bottom so I don't mind sticking it straight on the wet floor

If I'm wild camping then its lightweight drybags as I care about the weight

 

[Thoth]

+1 for the extra bit of groundsheet for bits & bobs that I'm using, like a sort of ground level table if you see what I mean; much less chance of things getting lost in leaf-litter. But I also hang my pack up if possible, either on a branch or a tripod. I often use a small groundsheet as a kitchen work area too, to reduce the amount of mud and leaves that get in whatever I'm preparing :-D