Packing for a camping trip does have its pitfalls but here are a few tricks that work for me. The key is to have the right contents: a mixture of rigid and soft containers works for me. Clothing and bedding go into soft-sided bags which then cushion and pack around the main rigid-sided. Obviously, your heavy items need to go low down and over the axels of either your 4WD or trailer.
I start with packing spare water in the middle back: I always carry about four containers of water and they go in first. We have 3 large plastic boxes which hold items such as kitchen gear; books and first aid items. These stack on top of each other and also go toward the center
Food I pack in a variety of containers. Cans and unopened packets go into those green shopping bags I finally found a use for: they are really tough too and cheap. Items that need to have the dust kept off them go into sealed plastic boxes. Vegetables such as potatoes, pumpkins, carrots, and apples store well if wrapped in paper and kept in a dark cardboard box or bag.
Clothing and bedding go into the soft bag: one bag for each person and an extra bag per tent if required. Those large strippy plastic bags you buy at the $2 shop last well if the zip doesn’t break in the first couple of weeks.
Finally, on top, I put ground sheets and the tents: after all the sheets can be used to protect the load and you want those out first: the tent needs to be treated a bit carefully so shouldn’t be buried too deeply. On the very top the camp chairs and stretchers go.
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