Where is the suitcase?

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The planning for most of our trips is pretty lax.  I usually plot the travel path, pick the camp sites, make the reservations, and do the driving.  At least on the way out.  After that, it's like a goat rodeo.

Our last trip was to Rhode Island to see our son.  Along the way we stopped in Pennsylvania for the Renaissance Faire at historic Mount Hope.  The plan was loose, we were taking a week off from work capped by weekends on each side.  We drove up to PA on Saturday and would attend the Faire on Sunday, then continue North the following day.

It was August, so by the time we got to the campground and got unhooked and set up I was a sweaty mess.  I asked The Wife where the suitcase was, after not finding it in any of the three places it normally ends up.  This began one of those conversations you see on situation comedies.  And then the 2 hour drive back home to get it.

We had packed it.  Made sure to put the electric toothbrushes, medications, clothes, and important personal items in it.  And left it on the bed at home.

So we made a list of the other things we had forgotten, and headed home.

This isn't the first time we've forgotten stuff, but the first time we've gone that far and forgotten stuff.  There is a KOA not far from our house that is usually where we take our maiden voyage of the season.  That is the trip we use to figure out what we forgot to put in the camper.  Our very first trip we forgot all manner of things, like linens for the bed and some cooking items, and probably a few other things I can't recall right now.

There are ways to remember things.  I forget what they are right now, but there are ways.  Finding the way that best works for you is something you should totally investigate.  Is it a laminated list, or those snap bracelet things that go on the steering wheel, or maybe a computer/phone to-do list?  Find the way that best works for you and stick to it.

We will probably be trying out a few methods, and then 'camping' in the driveway to go through all of the motions of setting up at a site so we can hopefully figure out what, if anything, we're forgetting before we get underway.

What, if any, method do you use to ensure you have everything you need for your camping trips?

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