Camping Etiquette

2 ways to approach this, put the dishes somewhere out of reach of animals or use paper plates and burn them. After a galss or 3 of wine it would be irresponsible to handle anything like cutlery for risk of injury. finish the bottle of wine with your partner and retire to the 2 person swag, etc. the wife will take care of the dishes in the morning!!!
NickR

Second the motion.

When camping prior to our caravan days, i would leave the dishes out on the table overnight (leaving water in the cooking pan to soak), and wash everything up after breakfast in daylight, saving water and power. I shudder to think how much water and detergent my husband would use after the way he washes up at home - i won't let him near the camp dishes. My camp cooking doesn't make much washing up anyway, so i don't mind. If it rained overnight, the job was even easier. I really don't mind considering he makes up for it by being incredibly nice when we are away on holidays - spooky really. Motherhen

Aahhm...
She stays outa my shed, I stay outa her kitchen... period!!! end of story!!!
(Is that chauvinistic enough for ya??)...

When camping/travelling, well, the "boss" packs all the "kitchen" stuff, & she has things pretty well organised in that regard.. so, just like at home, I simply stay outa tha way!!!..
I do however, look after all the "blokey" stuff, like settin' up tha camper, riggin' tha lights, gittin' tha water, riggin' the shower (if water supply permits, so Her Worthiness can um, "smell pretty"), collectin' tha faarwood, stokin' tha faar, etc. etc. etc..... the list goes on..... (so I guess we're about even ;-))....

In reality, we have a fairly basic yet flexible routine that works for us, and at the end of the day we both have the time to sit gazing at the embers with a coldie or 3... haven't (yet) had a "domestic" while on the road or in the bush, so it must be workin' ok :-)...
But me washin' up????? WHAT???? Geez, I dunno 'bout that!!!

Regards, Ed. C.

We've never been able to leave them till the next morning, if away with the kids they do it, if only the two of us I usually wash up and the wife wipes or if campfire cooking (only plates, cups and a few utensils) I'll do it all.

In our household we have a simple rule - cooks don't clean.

So .. as dinner is being served up, there is already hot water and whatever can be washed up is done. The water is kept and dishes are washed up as they are finished and left to drain. Which leaves only a small washup at the very end of a few odds and ends. Cups and glasses get a hot water rinse at the end of proceedings. Stuff is put away either just before retiring or in the morning.

Easy, and does not cut into campfire time, but creates a much more relaxed atmosphere knowing the work is all done. Seems to work fine for us.

Jack

Well, looks like I appear to be the wimp.

We share most jobs, the Bride and I, so as the quote goes:- "we both pitch in".
It's not too much trouble for both of us to do the dishes, then sit down with the second glass (or bottle) of red and relax together.

Now if that bottle is really exceptional, well bugger the dishes, they can wait 'til morning:-)

Seriously though, only by sharing the camp duties can the "chores" be completed quickly, then we get to relax together and that's the way I like it to be.

Hi Carolyn,

I do them, can't stand having dishes lying about, so I do them normally fairly soon after dinner is over that way they're done, put away and I can sit down to demolishing a bottle of red :)

Lyn

I do them.......
she only camps under the stars providing its more than two and less than five.....

But I do like the idea of leaving them til morning soaking...makes sense too me!

Hi Carolyn,

A successful and happy marriage is a two way street and this applies to camping as well.

All jobs are shared. Jude helps me with tyre repairs, mechanical stuff, vehicle recovery and I help with cooking, making beds or doing the dishes.

Stop at about 4pm, set up camp, then have drinkies, then cook tea and then wash dishes and afterwards put everything away. Sit around campfire till 7.30pm and fall into bed(more drinkies only disturbs your sleep later in the night lol). I tend to want to put things like kitchen stuff and foods away at night as dingoes, possums, foxes and other night creatures have raided our camps in the past and have caused bedlam! Its no sweat to get things out again in the morning.

We are a very well oiled camping machine.

The cook cooks ,the rest do the dishes ,last out of bed makes it, simple rules that work ,also only 1 firemaster per camp [stops the kids all wanting to play with the fire].

A simple answer to what seems to be a complicated question.. Leave your wife at home, take some mates instead. Take a gluttonous amounts frozen pies and pizza'a and and a huge stockpile of beer. Warm pies and pizza's in camp oven. Paper plates would be good but probably cutlery not necessary. Packaging and cardboard from pizza can be used in the fire and the cans squashed and placed in tough garbage bags and piled onto roofrack. Soo what seems to be the issue here. And best of all no etiquette needed. LOL

P.S. no need to take tent or sleeping bag, just a comfy chair, when had enough beer just sleep in chair around campfire. Michael

Depends on what was cooked and who cooked it.

If I cook it's usually on the fire and very little us used. Maybe the hotplate/grill and a pot and kettle.

Only 2 plates and few cuttlery.

The fire is more challenging to cook on so Heidi usually does the plates but I do the hotplate imediately when it's still hot. I find is easier.

If she cooks on the stove (2 burner) we try to cook as a team if she needs help I'm there.

But she cleans up mostly.

If we are only going for a night or two. We bring the usually bring the last days dishes with us home.

iMusty

We recently bought an Adventure Camper, and in spending a couple of weeks camping found that we could leave all the evening dishes in the sink, and close up the kitchen (the entire kitchen is opened or closed by folding a large side panel into place and doing up 2 latches) takes about 10 seconds. All our food (non-refrigerated stuff) can also be left on the kitchen bench til morning. Then in the morning we have breakfast and do both lots of dishes. We hadn't thought about this usage before buying the unit, but it works well.

My lovely wife washes and I wipe up and put away. She also cooks, while I do most of the camp setup and driving. I think on balance she does more work, while camping, and vastly more work when at home :(

Aaron.

"the dishes and clearing up need to be done!!!!!!! "

womans work

Yup if it's lunch or breaky we normally just give them a quick squirt with the water tap (pressured water is a great thing) and it cleans most bread crums etc off. When cooking dinner, the camp oven comes off, the kettle goes on. By the time you've finished eating the kettle has boilded, mix it up with some water from the tap and do the dishes. Put on the drying rack and relax. Before bed or in the morning put the dry dishes away.

The wife packs the clothes and gets the beers I do the rest with my 2 boys.Everyones happy.

God made women's feet smaller than men's for only one reason - so they can stand closer to the sink. It's the same reason why women get married in white - so they match the other kitchen appliances.

I am constantly amazed that people when cooking meals don't put the billy or pot or kettle on stove straight away when finishing cooking meal so (hot) water is available for coffe/tea/washing up - certainly for putting in bottom of burnt pots!! The stunned looks on campers faces when I kick them out of the laundry (basins are for clothes only - grungy burnt muck, and burnt bottoms of camp ovens, going down the pipes into the sewerage system - along with acres of sand from people attempting to wash their muddy sneakers!!!) - as we do not have a camp kitchen here and there is not hot water in the laundry. So I ask them - how did you cook your meal? Just go back and put the billy on etc. etc. (yes, I know I'm horrid).
As for our camp - as my husband is usually not in a fit condition to wash up after dinner - we have minimal cook pots (mostly steamed vegies in one pot) and he washes up next morning (things are put away from the visiting animals/ants) whilst waiting for the billy to boil to bring his darling wife her cup of tea (in china cup thank you) in her boudoir tent. There is ABSOLUTELY nothing nicer than a hot 'just right' cup of tea, first thing in the morning. (No, Willem, absolutely nothing).

Crank up the generator and put the dishes into the dishwasher. Money can be made if you do other peoples as well. lol Regards G.T.