Sew Some Stuff

Those bath towels & washcloths we'd hang to dry after we'd showered, Mom crafted those. No, she didn't sew them or stitch them by hand...Well, she sort of did. She took an assortment of this, & because towels are sold as sets, she sewed strips of this at the woven strip near the base of each towel & washcloth - to differentiate each from the other - so as we'd all be able to easily continue using the exact same towel & washcloth without any concerns that we were using one other than the one we'd been previously using. Which was great.

She didn't stop there either. We've never really been sure how other families set up their clothes, or at least, how they keep them organized, while they're on a vacation camping trip. Our closest camping friends left theirs in the back of their minivan & just got what they needed from them each morning. I think we tried this method for one day, one where we were "popping up" our pop-up camper so late at night (maybe 10 p.m. or later) that we only took care of the essentials before going to sleep. We found it to be rather awkward the next morning, realizing that we needed all of our "stuff" inside the camper in order to best prepare for the next day.

We utilized a bench, or low counter, if you will, that happened to be located across from our camper's kitchenette, described here. Though our refrigerator, or, when our camping trip wouldn't include electricity, our camper-provided-cooler-that-could-stand-&-turn-&become-upright-to-position-as-a-refrigerator-&-lock-in-place-along-this-"low counter", would be stationed against the far end of the counter, right next to where we'd line up our Mom-made clothes totes, & right next to the smaller of our pop-out beds.

I'm not really sure how we identified the "clothes totes", though I do remember if they weren't brought in without suggestion or prompting, that we'd say, "It's time to bring in the clothes." And all of these "totes" would then be brought inside the camper where they'd stay until we were ready to leave the campground.

Mom & Dad had the ingenious idea to measure this remaining space, that is, the space from where the fridge stopped, all the way to the end of the counter where the door to step out of the camper was located. They then divided up this measurement by the number of people in our family so as to have enough space for a tote for each of us - without any wasted inches; it worked!

Dad ordered a heavy-duty cardboard & they set out designing these rectangular structures where Mom sewed tiny matching pockets on the front of the tote, which faced the aisle space/kitchenette area & we could each leave items in these pockets which we'd need more at-the-ready than other items we might have along on the trip. Sadly, I cannot think of any examples (it's been so long ago now) of what I might have tucked away in my own tote pocket; maybe my frequently used hair barrettes or ties.

The tote pocket's color coordinated with the webbing Mom had used for the tote's straps, which was the signifier that the tote belonged to that particular child, or Mom, or Dad. This was much in the same way as the bath sets, though different colors & patterns were used. The main part of each tote was a simple, generic light muted blue fabric, a heavier one, though not denim, which was used on all of the totes, unifying them along the countertop.

So these totes were essentially cubic rectangles with a thick cardboard lined interior & one of these, though a heavy duty one like these, in a matching, coordinating color, to close it up. And this is how we transported our clothes while camping whether roaming across a number of states viewing & learning about our nation's history, or just spending an extended holiday weekend at a campground within a two or so hour drive from our house.

After a year or so, maybe more, Dad discovered he'd be best off with a specific place to stash those items which he stowed away in his pants pockets each day when he turned in for the night . Mom designed an "over the bar" hanging bag of a sort which, once the master, or larger, of the two slide out beds would be pulled into position, there was a central bar which would be in place above - ceiling-style. It was over this bar that this hanging bag (which was really quite simple, & not at all elaborate) would be hung, with a snap at its base to keep it in place, for Dad's items to safely & conveniently stow while he slept. A pocket for his loose coins, one for his wristwatch, another for his keys, & either one or two more as I'm not sure if the two wallets he carried (one to balance out each back pants pocket) shared a pocket on this hanging bag, or not. I'd think they'd be separated while in the hanging bag as they'd create a grand top-heaviness otherwise.

Though I'm sure to be missing some of the craftiness we came up with throughout the family camping years, it all began with the towel sets, on which Mom knew from before we left town the very first time (this may have even been set while we still camped as a family in a tent 😲) that we'd need to have more detailed identifiers.

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