Spreadsheets and Boyfriends

As one who can be super type B about certain aspects of my life, camping is something I would not want to be type B about. Organization within camping can make the trip only more successful and fun. As much as I want to be a spontaneous camper there can be a balance with structure and spontaneity.  

This topic of spreadsheets is the perfect opportunity to introduce my boyfriend Jack! Jack is not an amateur camper, fisher, or overall outdoor guy. He knows what he’s doing and keeps us successful in the wild. He will be accompanying me on many of my camping trips to make sure the tent doesn’t collapse, my chicken isn’t raw, and I don’t freeze! Though I am an amateur camper I have people around me that are not. Also, I need to remember that using other people's strengths to support you is one of the best ways to learn and still have a great time. 

Okay now.. back to the spread sheets. If you are thinking that it is a total nerdlike and unnecessary to have a spread sheet for everything, trust me when I say that it is the best thing I could have to be successful in camping. 

 Overpacking? Forgetting the essentials? Food planning? All these can be avoided with a spreadsheet or a list if the spreadsheet sounds a little too intense. Overall it helps me reduce stress and improve my camping experience. Without a list or spreadsheet you can have some unfortunate outcomes: a specific and totally hypothetical situation is going camping on a cloudy day not thinking of weather… then it is downpours. What did you forget? Rain cover, rain boots, rain coat. That situation sounds so awful… thank god it never happened to me.

Okay now we know how important organization is in camping, now I wanna explain the top things to organize into a list or spreadsheet. The first one is for the food/ grocery list. Coolers can be big, but still tiny in comparison to the usual food storage places, and you can’t bring everything in the fridge. In my personal spreadsheet there is a list of food supplies for a couple fun recipes to make over the fire. Having the list can help prepare space and only bring what you need too. 

A second list is gear not just tent, table, chairs but also, clothes of all kinds (especially if you are in Alaska like myself). The weather not just in Alaska can be extremely unpredictable as we know so this section can save your butt. 

The third and final part of the spreadsheet and list is great for camping with friends or a partner. Jack's location part of our spreadsheet shows location and if it has hiking (my favorite activity) and fishing (Jack's favorite activity). He also breaks it down by closest town and campsite fees. Another reason why I love this section is for the spontaneous weekends that we want to go camping, we do not need to drive aimlessly around to find a spot, we have a perfectly good list of campsites with numerous activities. 

 I think the best thing you could take away from this blog post is to understand that being an amateur doesn’t mean being unprepared and accidentally setting up for failure. Having lists/ spreadsheets can make the experience less intimidating. 

Boyfriend Jack!