Our epic 2021 camping trip from Providence RI to New Mexico and Texas is complete and while it’s still fresh in my mind, I thought I would share the things we brought - or bought on the way - that made a difference.

Zip ties - put these in your cart for your next checkout because they saved us on Day One. Mike had an ‘oh, wait’ moment about 30 minutes into the trip and that was - he wasn’t sure how securely fastened the license plate he just put on was. The answer was, not at all. It was hanging by a single screw and we were very lucky not to have lost it. Thankfully we had zip ties in a cube because that’s how we kept the plate on for most of the trip. I wouldn’t recommend that being your long term solution - we double-upped on them when we got on to rough roads and by the time we were beach camping we realized there was only a single zip tie at each side, but these are an all purpose ‘get me out of a jam’ item to keep in your camper.

Hiking boots - I don’t think I’ve ever been more grateful for footwear. The weather was really variable on this trip and my Merrell’s handled the snow in New Mexico and the desert in Big Bend. And my plantar fasciitis didn’t bother me a single day I wore them. Plus, these are beautiful boots, even dirty.

Window cleaner - I don’t know if it was because we were traveling with the dogs or the crazy weather but at one point, it just felt like every window was grimy and sort of hard to see through. And that was in the car AND in the camper. Mike grabbed some of this at a local store and on a windy day (when being outside to enjoy the sun wasn’t such a great idea) I got them all cleaned and it felt (almost) like the start of the trip when everything feels very organized. This also has that ‘new car smell’ which made everything seem even nicer than it was!

Cast iron pan cleaner - this chain mail cleaned the cast iron like a champ and made clean up so much easier than in previous years. If you cook with cast iron, get one. And I’ve been eyeing this brush - if anyone has something like this, let me know how it works. I think it might be great but I don’t want it to take the seasoning off the pan.

Reusable paper towels - I’ve only started using these at home in the last year and I’ve been pleasantly surprised how useful they are - and I’m becoming even more aware of how much paper I’m not wasting by using them. I wasn’t quite sure how I would use them on the trip but decided to put them in the camper and I’m glad I did. The two major uses were 1) wiping down the condensation on the inside of the windows each morning and 2) I literally wiped down the exterior of the camper to clean it the few times we had a water hook up at a campground. They were great and I’m sure there are more uses I will find for them in the future.

Seltzers - Sort of a strange one for the list I know, but we brought a supply of seltzers and put them in the fridge drawer (which is awesome and you should get it) and were really glad we did. Having these at hand meant we weren’t buying something with a ton of sugar or caffeine from a gas station and just generally made us feel healthier on the drive.

20 foot dog leads - Whether you are in a campground or boondocking, you need to keep your dog safe. We want the girls to be able to have some freedom of movement, but we also want to make sure they don’t take off and either bother someone or get lost in the desert. We have two of these and while we have used the stake in the past, on this trip we just secured one end of the lead to the camper tongue as we were concerned our Newfoundland was going to be able to rip it out of the sand too easily.

Solar lantern - This one is both practical and beautiful! Our daughter gave us this as a gift for Christmas this year and we were grateful to have it. We made the mistake of leaving the inverter on and drained the camper battery while boondocking. Happier Camper has been including a small solar lantern with new purchases and it was helpful, but this one gave off a lot more light and REALLY saved us!

I am sure this list will grow as we think back in the coming weeks. How about you? What are some of the things you’ve brought camping and realized it was a lot more helpful than you thought it would be?