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Virginia Outdoor Adventures: Hiking, Camping, Kayaking, Local Travel and more!
From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia is a mecca for outdoor travel and adventure. Virginia Outdoor Adventures Podcast is your local guide to hiking, camping, kayaking, travel and so much more. Get the information and the inspiration to plan your own adventure, right here in Virginia. Lets Go!
Virginia Outdoor Adventures: Hiking, Camping, Kayaking, Local Travel and more!
Camp-Ready: My Ultimate Packing Checklist + Road Trip Recap (Ep 72)
Planning your next camping trip? Let’s take the guesswork out of packing! In this episode, I’m sharing my go-to camping checklist — everything I bring to the campground, from essential supplies and food prep to personal items you won’t want to forget.
Plus, get a behind-the-scenes look at my recent road trip across Virginia as I scout out new adventures for upcoming episodes. And if you’re ready to connect in person, I’ve got details on where I’ll be next — come say hi at an upcoming event near you. Let’s Go!
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From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia is a mecca for outdoor travel and adventure. Virginia outdoor adventures Podcast is your local guide for hiking, camping, kayaking, travel and so much more. Get the information and the inspiration to plan your own adventure right here in Virginia. I'm your host, Jessica Bowser, planning your next camping trip. Let's take the guesswork out of packing. In this episode, I'm sharing my go to camping checklist, everything I bring to the campground, from essential supplies and food prep to personal items you won't want to forget, plus get a behind the scenes. Look at my recent road trip across Virginia as I scout out new adventures for upcoming episodes. And if you're ready to connect in person, I've got details on where I'll be next. Come say hi at an upcoming event near you. Let's go Virginia. Outdoor Adventures is sponsored by breaks Interstate Park brakes. Park is a hiking destination in the heart of Appalachia. Every trail features something that will awe you, including geologic formations, scenic views of the canyon, stream crossings and wildlife viewing. Trails range from easy to difficult. The convenience of lodges, campgrounds and luxury cabins inside the park means you'll never need to wander far from the trail. Come see for yourself why breaks is known as the Grand Canyon of the South. Download the digital trail guide at breaks park.com. Or click on breaks Interstate Park in the show notes of your listening app. Hello, friends. I am popping in with a short solo episode this week, short because I just got back from a two week long road trip, and while traveling around Virginia, is my favorite part about making this podcast. It leaves me with not much time, not much sleep, and not always with reliable access to Wi Fi. So getting any sort of work done while I'm on the road can be a real challenge, but I do want to share some of my recent adventures. I spent most of the last two weeks in southwest Virginia in preparation for two upcoming episodes. So my first stop was at New River Trail State Park, and I went wild caving with Ranger Aaron Pitts, and also with Haley from the comms team at dcr. If you've ever sent or received a message from Virginia state parks on their social media pages, that was probably Haley on the other side. Also with us was Katarina and will who are cave and car scientists with DCR and we had such an amazing trip. I mean, first of all, how many people knew that there is wild caving available at New River Trail State Park or any state parks for that matter. These are Ranger led, guided programs, and they give people an introductory feel to what wild caving is like, and this is not commercial caves. So you're not going into a cave that has a paved walkway and lights and all kinds of other features that some of the more expensive touristy caves have in the area. This is truly a wild cave. It is mostly untouched, and you get to go in with a helmet and a headlamp and knee pads and actually experience what a wild cave is truly like. We had such a great time. It was especially neat to have the cave and car scientists there. They were pointing out all the different wildlife and the features of the cave and how the cave was formed. It was so interesting. We had a really fun time. And then it's not just new river trail that offers wild caving tours, but also natural tunnel State Park does as well. So that was my next stop. But while I was at New River Trail, I was sharing a cabin with Haley at Claytor Lake State Park. This is the time of year when you really notice the seasons changing. And being in southwest Virginia and watching the mountains sort of spring to life like every day, the mountains got just a little bit greener. The red buds are absolutely spectacular right now, and the wildflowers are too, and the cabins are all waterfront. And it was just such an enjoyable time to wake up every morning and sit outside, have my cup of coffee, listen to the birds, and then go for a short hike and just watch spring come alive. That was such a great time. And then at natural tunnel, I got to do two more wild caving trips there, I met with Rangers Lillian and Ranger Stacy, and they took me in two different caves. One we had to hike to, and the other one we were able to drive to. They were completely different experiences than the cave at new river trail. What I find most interesting about our caves and. Virginia, and I've been inside many of them at this point, more so wild caving than entering a commercial cave. Even though all of these caves are in Virginia, they are so different from each other, like every cave you go into is a completely different experience than the one before. I did this in preparation for an episode about wild caving in Virginia state parks. So Ranger Aaron, who I just mentioned from new river trail, is going to be the guest in that episode, and we're going to be talking about all the opportunities to experience wild caving in Virginia state parks. While I stayed at natural tunnel in the cabins there, I was actually spending quite a bit of time in Big Stone Gap, which is a town nearby, and it is in preparation for another new episode. It's going to be one of Virginia's adventure town episodes on Big Stone Gap. I got to spend time with the town manager, Steve Lawson and also the tourism director, Ken Mead, and we rode bikes on trails, and we went for hikes, and I got to experience what is actually a really pretty good food scene in Big Stone Gap, which is not something I'm used to in small towns. So that episode is going to be coming out, maybe the next one. I'm not sure if it's the caving episode that's going to come out first, or the Big Stone Gap episode that's going to come out next, but I'm really excited, because I haven't done a Virginia's adventure towns episode since o nancock, and that was this past fall. I also had a chance to pop into the Daniel Boone wilderness trail Interpretive Center, which is just a few miles down the road from natural tunnel, and their visitors get to learn about the role wilderness road played in westward expansion. That is a brand new building. You need to check it out if you're in the area. And then you may remember that back in November, I did a solo episode where I was going through all of the things that I have in my bags that I take with me for a cabin stay, visit in a state park. And one of the stories that I told in there was about this cabin journal that I have, that the former state parks director Craig Seaver gave to me, and it was hand delivered to my cabin at natural tunnel by the park manager, Ranger Roberts. So I was back in natural tunnel for only the second time it was it's the first time I've been back since he gave me that cabin journal. After I checked out a natural tunnel, I stopped by Ranger Roberts office, and I had the cabin journal with me, and I asked him if he remembered bringing it to my cabin back in 2019 and he vaguely remembered, although I think he might have been faking it a little bit. And I told him that I have been logging every cabin stay in a state park since he gave it to me. And the night before, I had gone through all of the entries and was rereading some of them, but I decided to number them, because I don't actually know how many cabin stays I've had, and people ask me this all the time, and I'm like, Oh, I don't know, it's a lot. So I actually went through and numbered them all, and it was 53 at the time that I entered the most recent natural tunnel visit. And that's a lot. I was really surprised that it was that many. I thought it was like somewhere in the 40s. But even 40s a lot to get beyond 50, I think is remarkable. And I was telling this to Ranger Robert, and he said that he also has a journal that he keeps in his camper. And so we were kind of comparing notes and talking about what it's like to be able to record all of these details that you will otherwise forget, and then to go back and reread them and sort of relive that whole experience. So I kind of feel like the story of the cabin journal just went full circle. And so that was really cool. I got a picture with Ranger Robert and the two of us holding my cabin journal in the park office with this really cool mural painted on the wall of natural tunnel and a train coming through the tunnel, which I got to experience when I was there too. There was a train that came through the tunnel while I was standing right near the entrance to the tunnel, and, gosh, it was so loud. But I digress. I don't want to get into too much detail about all of this, because I'm going to be sharing it in the upcoming episodes. So then after that, I drove to Harrisonburg, which is a good stopping point between southwest Virginia and Northern Virginia, and I was there to do some promo work for visit Harrisonburg. But I had like, six hikes on my list that I wanted to do. The hiking in Harrisonburg is so fantastic. Like all around the area, there's such easy access to the GW forest, to Shenandoah National Park, and then also there's a state forest nearby, lots of bike trails, mass than not. And, I mean, there's so much to do there, and all it did was pour rain the whole time I was there, which was really disappointing. But I did get to pop into several restaurants, a couple of bike shops, and also a couple of breweries. So I had a really good time. I. Bumped into one of my listeners, Jeff. You may have seen the selfie that he took with me and posted on Instagram, and it was just really cool to run into somebody that I message kind of frequently, and to see him and his wife in person was a very pleasant surprise. So I got back late last night, and then today, I hopped over to Mason, next state park because I was personally invited to a party for one of my other listeners, Kelly from Arlington, who completed trail quest and earned her master hiker certificates. Kelly, I gotta tell you. So first of all, congratulations to Kelly for completing trail quest, but she really did it up. I mean, this is now the third time that I have been invited to somebody's trail quest completion. And Kelly threw a whole big party. She reserved a spot on the picnic ground. She invited a whole bunch of people. There was lots of food. There were folks coming and going, and then Ranger Jamie came over and presented her with her master hiker certificate. And everybody was so excited for her. And people brought her gifts. I mean, like, really thoughtful, handmade gifts. I was impressed. Somebody wrote a haiku and presented it to her, framed with this, like watercolor painting of Virginia. It was so beautiful. And then someone else had this thing. It's like plaque, wooden plaque made on Etsy that had Virginia with all of the state parks on the map, and it said, like Kelly's trail quest completion engraved on the plaque. It was so nice. I mean, really, people brought her cards, and everybody was talking about her adventures. There were people there who had been to several the parks with her. So I got to meet those folks too and and talk to people who are part of her journey. And it just got me thinking about how cool trail quest is. And somebody there was saying that they looked into other states to see how many other states have a program like trail quest, and they couldn't find one, and I found that hard to believe. I don't actually know if there are other states that have programs similar to trail quest, but I mean, how cool is it that we have this incentive program to get people visiting all of our state parks. Now that I've been to three different trail quest completion ceremonies, it's so neat to see the sense of accomplishment when people get their certificates, and just how happy everyone is, and the opportunity to reminisce on like some of their favorite moments, either their favorite parks or their favorite hikes, or like special memories from camping or kayaking. You know, everybody's got a unique story to tell at every park, and it's just really cool. It's cool to see people enjoying it and experiencing our parks and building memories with their partners, with their families, with their friends, meeting new people along the way, or just experiencing it solo. I know I when I did trail quest, I experienced it solo quite a bit, and it does not take away from the experience at all. In fact, I really enjoy doing it solo because it gave me a lot of time to reflect on different things. And if all of that wasn't wonderful enough, Kelly donated to the Virginia association for parks $10 for every person who celebrated with her at Mason Neck, I thought that was such a lovely gesture of appreciation to give back to our parks by donating to a fantastic organization that promotes parks across the state. Congratulations to Kelly. Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your celebration. And then later this week, I'm going to be backpacking with yet another Ranger, Ranger Amelia, from Powhatan State Park. We have an episode coming up about backpacking, so I'm so excited to go backpacking with Ranger Amelia, and it got me thinking that I probably should add to my to do list backpacking at all the state parks that offer backpacking opportunities or hiking campgrounds, and I've already been to several of them, but there's a couple left that I haven't yet done. So I feel like I should just knock that out this summer, and that way I can say that I've done all of the hiking campgrounds. But this is going to be like an intro to backpacking type episode, and which state parks offer those opportunities. This might be the last solo episode of season five, so I wanted to be sure to mention all of the upcoming events between now and the end of the season that are potentially on my calendar so that you can come on out and meet me in person. Most of these events are tentative. They haven't all been finalized yet, so you'll want to keep an eye on my social media pages to know exactly where I'm going to be and when, but the first one is on april 20. Seventh at Fox meadow winery, and they are releasing a brand new trail themed wine, and they're hosting a big event around the release of this wine. If you're not familiar with Fox meadow winery, it borders Thompson Wildlife Management Area, which borders sky Meadows State Park, and the Appalachian Trail passes through both sky meadows and Thompson, W, M, a, if you have heard of the Trillium trail, or you've been to the Trillium trail at Thompson, then you have driven down the same road that the winery is located on, so you've gone right by it. Fox meadow winery has invited me to this event. I'm going to be there with Mills Kelly, who is the host of the green tunnel podcast, a show about the history of the Appalachian Trail. So Mills and I will be there, and I believe there is going to be a group hike on the Appalachian Trail from the winery. So it sounds like a super fun event. You won't want to miss it. I don't have the exact times yet, but I believe it's in the afternoon. So keep an eye on my social media pages, or I'm sure you can find it on Fox meadow wineries calendar on their website. The first few days of May, May, 1 through fourth, I will be at the Virginia association for parks annual conference at occaneechi State Park. Then jumping ahead to may 10, I'll be at Eagle Fest at Mason Neck and then may 16 through 18th, I am either going to be at River Rock in Richmond or possibly trail days in Damascus. I'm not entirely sure exactly which one it's going to be. Keep an eye out for that. I am sure that more events are going to be added between now and the end of May. So keep an eye on my social media pages, and I hope to see you at one of these events with campgrounds open and warmer temperatures on the horizon. Virginia State Parks is launching its spring interpreter programs, offering visitors of all ages the opportunity to explore the natural and cultural wonders of Virginia, the diverse programming is designed to inspire curiosity, foster environmental stewardship and provide enriching outdoor experiences for families, students and nature enthusiasts alike. Highlights include flora and fauna programs learn about Virginia's native species through up close encounters and expert talks, historical and cultural tours, step back in time with interpretive walks and hands on history lessons, outdoor skills workshops, gain valuable knowledge on topics like archery, camping, fishing, kayaking, backpacking and more, Junior Ranger adventures, fun and educational activities designed to engage young explorers, citizen science initiatives, participate in real world research projects that contribute to conservation efforts, self guided programs, explore at your own pace with geocaching, discovery, backpacks, photo scavenger hunts, stargazing, tree identification, birding and more. Join us at Virginia State Parks for exciting, family friendly events that invite you to explore the outdoors. For a full schedule of events, including park locations and program details, click on Virginia State Parks spring interpretive programs in your show notes let's dive into the camping checklist. This is a checklist of items that I bring with me on a camping trip, not a backpacking trip, a camping trip on a campground. And this is assuming that you will have easy access to your vehicle nearby, and that you're not actually having to physically carry all of these things a long distance to your campsite. I'm also going to start off by saying that I am a minimalist. I do not have a lot of stuff. I don't like buying a lot of stuff, and I especially don't like figuring out where I'm going to store all that stuff once I get it home. So I have a minimal amount of things. These are the things that I consider essentials, and I don't have a lot of frivolous extra stuff. As I got into camping, more and more, I started making upgrades to things that I thought would work better, and investing a little bit more money in things that I thought would make my life easier. So I'll share with you some of those things as well. And then lastly, I have a couple of brands that I want to recommend, because I really, really like these items, but also nobody is paying me to endorse them. So if I recommend a brand, it's because I genuinely really like it and would recommend it to you without anybody giving me anything in exchange. So I've got this list divided up into three categories. I've got supplies, I've got food, and then I've got personal items. So let's start with supplies. First of all, you're going to need a tent or a camping hammock. I have two tents. One is a one person backpacking tent that's super lightweight, and then I have a larger five person tent. So depending on how many people are with me and what the situation is, I'll bring one or the other the. One person backpacking tent is made by Peria outdoor products. The company did send me this tent, and I have to tell you, I really love it. The design is excellent. Packs down small, it's lightweight, but the best part of it is it's super affordable compared to other backpacking tents. So if you want something that's going to work for either backpacking or a campsite, this thing's fantastic, and you're not going to break the bank on it either. That's Perea outdoor products. And then the five person tent is something that I bought off Craigslist when I first started camping, like the very first camping trip I ever went on, and I needed something, but I wasn't going to invest a lot of money in it. And I think I've just went to Craigslist and found the first thing, I will admit, it had a little bit of like a musty, moldy odor when I brought it home, so it took some cleaning to get it even into usable shape, but it has lasted throughout the years, and I still use it on a regular basis. Now I don't attempt to sleep five people inside of it. It it would be a really tight squeeze, but it's fantastic for two people and maybe a dog or two, or just a whole lot of extra space around you, so that you can put your duffel bag full of clothes or other personal items in the tent with you. So I really like it for that. People have asked me about my backpacking hammock. I have two of them. One is just something generic. I think it's from REI, and then the other one is from Hennessy Hammock. The difference between a backpacking hammock and a regular hammock is that one is more recreational. It's meant to take a nap in or just hang out in, whereas a backpacking hammock is designed for someone to sleep comfortably inside of it. It's usually got a bug net over the top so that you're not getting eaten alive while you're sleeping in it. And then oftentimes it will come with a rain fly too, so that way you're also not exposed to the elements. Hennessy Hammock is a brand that I highly recommend. They are so innovative. The one that I have the entrance to the hammock is actually in the bottom of the hammock, so the bottom of it opens up and you crawl up into it. And they designed it that way so that the bugs don't get into it, which I think is just genius. Hennessy Hammock has lots of different designs. I really like all of them. It was hard for me to choose between one, but I'm really happy with the one that I have. Then I have extra tent stakes and a lightweight rubber mallet. Now the mallet is great for actually hammering the tent stakes into the ground. You will need that trying to push them in with your bare hands is a bad idea, and stomping on them is also a really bad idea. So I've got that to help get the stakes into the ground. And then there are holes in the handle so that when it's time to pull the stakes out of the ground, you've got some leverage, and you can wedge them out of the ground, also really great. And then the tent stakes are actually meant for sand or snow, and that way, if you are if you are tent camping at the beach, you're going to need a larger tent stake that has more surface area and is designed specifically to hold in that terrain. If you own a cheap tent, there is a good chance it came with cheap tent stakes, and oftentimes they're too small, or they're too thin, or they will bend when you hammer them into the ground, or they just don't hold the tent in place. Especially if it's a windy day, the wind could literally lift your tents off the ground and carry it away. So invest in some better tent stakes. They're also just nice to have around in case you lose one. The chances of losing a tent stake while you're camping is also pretty high, so having the extra ones around is a great idea. Okay, then you're going to need some sort of a sleep system. I used to use an air mattress, like a cheap air mattress that you would go to Target and buy for your guests when they come over to your house. And that worked fine for a while. I had an air pump that had to be plugged into the cigarette lighter in my car. And of course, that doesn't reach very far, so then I would have to inflate the mattress next to my car and then attempt to shove it through the entrance of my five person tent, which is the only tent that it would fit through the entrance of, which was fine. It worked fine. It is a little bit of a pain, though, because it's big and bulky. And also, if you're sleeping with somebody else in the tent, if that person moves, then you're gonna move. My husband's kind of a big guy, so we would have some restless nights where he would roll over and it would practically launch me to the top of the tent. So then, after a while, we learned our lessons. We bought separate sleeping pads. They're extra thick. Spent a little bit of extra money on them for the comfort. They are too big and too heavy for any sort of backpacking, but if you're taking it out of your car and putting it directly into your tent, it's fine. Now recently, a company called zenbivi sent me their sleep system, which is a sleep pad that comes with a sheet that fits over the sleep pad perfectly, so the sheet stays in place and then the sleepy. Bag clips to the sheet so the sleeping bag doesn't move, which is especially nice because you're not sliding off the sleeping pad in the middle of the night. It also means that there's a lot less fabric that needs to be used. And I like this company because they have the option of non animal products. Oftentimes these days, companies that make sleeping bags and jackets and things like that, they want them to be lightweight and warm, so they use down. And I don't like using animal products. This company offers an alternative, and I have had no problems with it. It's warm, it's lightweight, it packs down, small. I really love it, and it works for both backpacking and camping. So it's ideal. It doesn't take up a lot of space in my car. Now, before I had the Zen bivid, I had sheets and blankets and pillows and all of those things work fine. If you've got them sitting around your house, use them, but they are bulky and they do create a lot of laundry. So when you get home, then you're washing all of those things, and then it becomes a process when you get home, and I don't particularly like that. I try to keep things simplified, and by not having to make work for myself when I get home, then I'm more likely to enjoy the trip and not get stressed out by it. I have firewood on my list, but actually, I don't think this needs to be on the list. Most campgrounds have firewood available on site, and depending on where you are, you may be required to use the firewood that is on site, and that's usually because it cuts down on the likelihood that a non native, invasive insect could be brought in on firewood from somewhere else, and then it gets loose in the ecosystem and wrecks havoc. So sometimes it's better just to buy the firewood on site, and oftentimes it's cheaper, and even if it's not, the extra funds go to support the park or the campground, and I would much rather put my money into that than the 711 down the street, so my personal preference. But just keep that in mind as you're packing then you're going to need some kind of fire starter, and then, of course, lighters are matches. I usually bring chairs with me because I think they're more comfortable to sit on than the wooden picnic table, and also gives you the flexibility of moving your seat around. So if you want to be closer to the fire, you can do that. I've got a small folding table that I like to put next to the chair too. It's just something convenient, so you've got a place to rest things or put things down on the list. I also have some sort of a light source. Now, I used to bring flashlights with me, because that's what I had, and flashlights will work fine, but it's a lot more convenient to have a headlamp and or a lantern, because that can give light off in all directions, and it makes it possible that you can go hands free. How many times do we see people trying to hold a flashlight in between their teeth because they need both hands for something? So it's just much more convenient to have a headlamp and or a lantern. Also on the list. I've got a rope, because you will need to hang things up to dry when you're a camp. So stringing up a rope between two trees is something you're going to want to have. You're going to have wet towels. You may have wet clothes, wet washcloths, things like that. And then I've got citronella candles and sticks to keep the bugs away. A canopy. Now, like for years, I used to watch these people roll in who had these really elaborate setups, and they would have big, expensive canopies. Sometimes those canopies would be screened in and they would put it around their picnic table to keep the bugs out. And I thought, that's great, but then I started looking into how much those things cost, and they are pretty pricey. I never invested in that until just recently, and I bought a canopy only because I actually needed it for tabling at festivals and events and things like that, for the podcast. So I needed it for tabling, and then I started using it for camping as well. And it's nice to have something over the picnic table to keep stuff from the trees and the birds and the rain and other stuff out of your food, and to keep your picnic table dry. So I think it was worth the money. I think I spent maybe 200 bucks. So it's not terrible, but if you don't camp a lot, it doesn't make sense. If you camp a lot, this is a great investment. And then I said, I don't have a lot of frivolous things, and this might be the only frivolous thing I have in here. This is a very small string of LED lights. I actually think someone gifted this to me. I don't. I can't imagine that I bought it, but I usually string it up, either inside my tent or around the entrance to my intent, and that way, it gives you some light on the inside of your tent, and it makes it easier to find the entrance to your tent if it's dark out. So it's battery powered. It's totally small. It's no big thing. So I don't mind having that. Let's move on to the food list. This is the longest list of the three. If you're going to be eating or cooking a camp, you're going to need a lot of supplies, but I have found ways to make this more manageable, so that you're not bringing your entire kitchen with you to camp. I used to have a lot of cheap and disposable things with me in the. Bag. I had paper plates and bowls. I had plastic cups, plastic utensils, napkins. And I got really frustrated with the amount of waste that that created, but also I got tired of having to resupply all the time, so I decided to invest in some better stuff and things that I could use, not just to camp, but also for backpacking. So I have this fantastic backpacker cook set from GSI outdoors. And this thing is really small, but I swear to you, it has everything in it. So you open it up and like, stuff just keeps coming out. So it is a pot, it is also a pan. It comes with cups, it comes with bowls, it comes with utensils, and then it's got this little pouch on the inside that has all of these extra things, like a salt and pepper shaker, a little container for oil, like cooking oil, cleaning supplies to wash it all when you're done. And then it all goes back together like a puzzle again, and you strap it up, and it's just a small little thing. And I love it. It's fantastic. The only thing it doesn't come with that you have to buy separately is a camp stove and a small propane tank, which I have for backpacking, but I don't usually bring that with me to camp. Recently, I bought an actual propane stove, like a large one. It kind of resembles a grill, so you can have more than one pot or pan cooking at the same time. It also gives you the flexibility, in case the weather doesn't cooperate, to make a fire. We used to do a lot of cooking over the fire, and I enjoyed that, and I like getting creative with it, but it doesn't always work out if it's raining and if you're cooking something that requires temperature control, you can't really do that well over an open fire. I like having this propane option. You can set it up on a picnic table so that you're out of the weather, if you've got an awning or a canopy or something like that to keep you dry. So that works out really well. Those were some upgrades that I've been really happy with. Let's see what else is in this bag here. I've got a roll of paper towels. I've got wet wipes. I've got a bag of condiments, so little packets of ketchup and mustard and hot sauce, things like that, so you're not having to bring all those bottles out of your fridge every time. Extra reusable utensils, hand sanitizer, a bottle opener. I've got tin foil marshmallow sticks. Don't forget the marshmallow sticks, and then a couple of water storage containers, because when you're at camp, you need a lot of water, and it's not just for drinking, but also for cooking. You might have to wash your dishes with it if you don't have access to a sink, washing your hands, things like that. So I've got this water storage cube that's collapsible. I think it holds like five gallons, but I love that it's collapsible so it doesn't take up a bunch of space when I'm back home. And it's also really lightweight, but it holds a lot of water. And then I have a water cooler, which I think also holds five gallons of water. It's not collapsible. It's one of those hard sided coolers, but between one or the other, or sometimes both. I've got what I need. Okay, then I've got trash bags. I have a tablecloth, because sometimes you get to camp and the picnic table is grody from the people before, or there's bird droppings on it, or something else gross. So I have reusable table cloths. I've got grill tools, a grill brush, some extra foil trays, a pocket knife. Then I've got an enamel percolator coffee pot with a mug. And I do use coffee filters with this, like it said when I bought it on the disc, on the item description, that you don't need that because it has, it has a container to hold the coffee grinds inside of it, but I found that the holes are just a little too big, and the coffee grinds tend to get through the holes and into your coffee so I pack extra coffee filters for that reason. I've got oven mitts. I've got what is this? This is a grill thermometer. And then I've also got a food thermometer. I'm sure my husband threw this in here, because as a plant eater, this is not something that I need, so I'm sure he put that in here. And then I've got extra food storage containers, so if you've got leftovers, you have a place to put them. These are pot handles. These are handles that have hooks on them, and so you can hook the handles of the pot and lift it up away from the fire without having to touch the pot and without having to get your hands too close to the fire. Then I've got some drink koozies for your cans, and then I've got a couple of pie irons. Now, my husband wanted these. He said that his grandparents used to use them when he was a kid, so there's some nostalgia there for him. I had no idea what a pie iron was when he brought this thing home, but I found a cookbook. It's a campfire cookbook with nothing but recipes for pie irons. And so instead of just making grilled cheese, we've got. Graduated to some really elaborate recipes, including desserts, and so it's been a lot of fun using the pie irons for those. The last section of this list is personal items, starting with soap. I really like Dr Bronner's pure castile soap. It's liquid, and it comes in like one ounce or three ounce bottles, so it's small, and you can use this on pretty much anything. You can wash your hands with it. You can wash the dishes. You can shower with it. You could wash the dog if you wanted to. So it is good for a lot of uses. It is certified fair trade and made with organic oils. Next on the list is toothbrush and toothpaste, comb or hair brush, some sort of sandals or crocs, or something that you can wear in the shower in the bathhouse, or you can kick them off as you're crawling into your tent and leave them outside the tent door, or just something you can wear around camp that's more comfortable than having to wear your boots all the time. Next thing on the list is a towel. This is something that I also upgraded. After a while, I used to just grab a bath towel and bring it with me, and that works fine, but it takes a long time for a bath towel to dry, usually, and so I upgraded to a microfiber towel that packs down really small. It's lightweight and it dries super fast. I also have a microfiber wash cloth that I upgraded to now. This comes with a little clip on it, so it's meant for backpacking too. You can clip it to your pack, but it's also really good for clipping to the rope that you string up between trees, to hang things to dry that way, when the wind blows, it doesn't go flying away. Then I've got a bag of quarters, because sometimes the showers and the bath houses require change to operate, so never be without quarters. I've got bug spray, but then I also have this product. I first found this in a gift shop in a state park. This is made by a small local business. It's by Bates family farm. And this is moisturizing natural insect repellent made with lemongrass essential oils. There's no diet or harmful chemicals in it. So not only is this great because you're cutting down on the amount of toxins you're using, but you can wear this long term. So let's say you just got out of the shower, but you still want to hang out at the campfire for a little bit before you go to bed, but you don't want to be eaten alive. This is a great product to use, and you can sleep in it and not worry about having those chemicals on your skin. I've got sunblock on the list. I have body wipes. Now, this is funny, because I just had a conversation with somebody about this today. She owns a camper and spends a lot of time camping long term, but she hates using bathhouses. She thinks they're disgusting, and I totally get that. So she's got a stock of body wipes that she uses instead of showering. I have a product that I have recently discovered that I really like. It's called good wipes, and these are flushable and biodegradable, hypoallergenic, plant based and toxin free, all the things that you would ever want in a wife without having to feel guilty about using it. So those are great. Let's see. I've got a first aid kit. This is my first aid kit from keep going. You've probably heard me talk about this before. You can get a discount on this kit if you sign up for my email newsletter and that link is in the show notes. But if you want something small and compact to have with you, a camp that has absolutely everything from sting bite care to nose plugs to tick removers to band aids, everything in between. This is such a great product. And then I've got a few things just to keep me busy, in case the weather's bad and I'm stuck inside my tent, so I've got some adult coloring books, some colored pencils, crossword puzzles, word searches, and then, let's see, I've got a deck of cards, and then I've got some small games, not like big board games, but like small card games, things like Uno. There's a bird trivia game because, of course, I have a bird trivia game, some kind of bicycle game, or there's an Appalachian Trail trivia game, things that are like outdoorsy theme that I've picked up in gift shops along the way and are great to have on hand in case you just need to keep yourself occupied a camp. I hope you found this checklist useful. If there's anything that you pack to go to camp that I forgot on this list, please let me know. You can send me a message by clicking on Send Jessica a text message in your show notes, until next time friends adventure on Virginia Outdoor Adventures is inspired by and supported by listeners like you, which is why your messages and feedback means so much to me. You can text me directly by clicking on Send Jessica a text message in your show notes. I answer questions, respond to comments and share your feedback on the show. Never miss a new episode. 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