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Base Camp 101

I'm no expert. but I do have a lot of camping experience, but have only camped and elk hunted 3 times.

so what are you "tricks of the trade" for base camp?

My set up is:

10' box - pop up camper - its lifted 4" and has two spares.

I always pack a tent in case of a failure with the trailer.

I also always have bivy camp gear.

with a 10'x14' awning made from a tarp and tent poles, with a camper rug under it.

one side table with a camp stove

the camper runs off a 12V battery and propane which runs the lights and the heater for 2-3 days.

I take a 7.3 cuft deep freeze in the back of the truck and a 2000 Honda generator to run the freezer and the battery charger every other day or so for an hour or two.

we take our food frozen - by the meal portioned in food saver bags. we just take out what we want from the freezer that night and throw it the ice box to thaw.

Here is my "trick" I take a small microwave that sits on the table outside by the camp stove

when its supper time, usually 10:00pm- after a long hike out. heat up your plate and you can have hamburger steak and potatoes in 3 min. or what ever you want.

in the past I have been using collapsible water cans - usually 30 gallons is enough for a 10 day hunt for two guys.

I am contemplating going to a 30 gallon drum.....

My tip is whatever your setup, don't make it so elaborate that it's a PIA to pack up and move. I want a comfortable base camp but also want to be able to pack up and be moving in an hour. The harder it is to move, the less likely you are to be moving when you should be.

+1 Midwest. My base camp may move many miles a couple times a week. I crank up the awning, fold up the chairs and outside table, hook it to the bumper hitch and take off, ready for a nap and evening hunt 30 miles away.

Olebuck, sounds like you have it pretty well set up, but a major PIA to move. Hopefully you have a lot of elk within close striking distance!

Normally we have a pre determined camping spot.

We may drive a ways from base camp.

Also we will leave most of the stuff in the truck until we key in on an area.

olebuck, I do the same for my dinners. Frozen in vacuum bags but I don't have a microwave. I just drop them in boiling water. Or I fire up the portable LP grill and have a steak, brat, whatever. Good stuff and no cleanup!

Our last trip we precooked all our breakfast material and had most dinners precooked. One of the guys had a whisper quiet little Honda generator that would run a microwave and in a couple minutes could eat a hearty breakfast and leave well before daylight. Dinners were very easy too and it worked out great.

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