Camp In A Box

[PaintRock]

So, elk season is for all intents and purposes done this year. I have been looking for a cheap, used camper for this summer and for hunting season next fall. But, I already have a canvas wall tent and a wood-burning stove with all of the accoutrement I can use. I have access to a deeded 40 acre lot in the mountains surrounded by similar properties. My idea is to set up a nice camping area for the tent, cut a months supply of firewood (which will be really easy up there, there is a lot of firewood which needs to be cleared), and stash the tent, stove, stovepipes, a few blankets, some canned goods, and whatever else can be fit into a jobsite box on the property. Then, all that would be needed is to bring water, fresh food, and whatever luxury items one would like to have. The basic survival necessities would be there at all times...

Has anyone else ever tried a similar strategy? This is probably what I will be devising this winter...

 

[tarditi]

How about a cargo shipping container?

 

[carbon60]

How about a cargo shipping container?

Might be hard to get that up there and it's harder to hide.

A.

 

[swashbuckler]

My preference would be to load all that stuff in a small trailer. Then you're just as ready to go, but you don't risk a wanderer breaking into your box and you're not tied to that one campsite...

 

[java]

Job box? They are pretty tough, and pretty water tight. However they will sweat if its cold out and the sun hits them etc. Its just a big metal box.

 

[K2ZJ]

My preference would be to load all that stuff in a small trailer. Then you're just as ready to go, but you don't risk a wanderer breaking into your box and you're not tied to that one campsite...

That is a better idea. However, he may not have room for a trailer where he lives, you also need to pay for yearly registration and upkeep on the trailer. Initial cost of the trailer over a job box is also more.

I just bought a wall tent and am looking to buy build a trailer to lug up the mountain. A four door longbed F250 gets stuffed with 3 guys and 2 elk real quick!

 

[jonnyquest]

Something to think about: you don't want to store any tent that's wet. If it's raining the morning you leave, you'll have to bring the tent home to dry. You'll also have to buy duplicate gear if you plan on camping somewhere else. The biggest worry to me is arriving and finding your gear gone. Some people I know have a really remote property where they left an ancient Airstream. It was vandalized so many times, they finally gave up on that plan. Last I heard they were selling the property.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[PaintRock]

Yea, I'm looking to avoid doing the trailer thing, for now. I'm probably going to try the job site box idea, but just leave the stove, stovepipes, and some other items in it. I'll probably take the tent back and forth with me. I was looking at it over Christmas, and it packs down much smaller than I remember. I'm going to make a backup set of poles/frame for it out of some tepee sized pines and leave that stashed in the trees. I'll have all of Spring and Summer to figure it out. The vandalism shouldn't be much of an issue. There are a lot of expensive cabins nearby and the owners don't have any issues.

The main idea is to have the area for the tent cleared and leveled and the firewood cut and stacked so all we have to do is pitch the tent, set up the stove, and get a fire going. This is normally not a difficult task, but with a foot or more of snow, it becomes a PITA.

After this last season, I'm also adding some more snow shovels and a pull-pal to the shopping list. Some of those drifts were a little rough...

 

[AlbanyTom]

Ok, I could be crazy here, but I hear - you have 40 acres in the mountains, you have trees to clear, and you want to camp there. "Build a cabin" comes to mind. If you can't improve the land, then I'd think "build a shed". Either would have protection from the weather, and ventilation to keep things from rotting/mildewing/rusting/etc. Either would probably be better than a tent to stay in. Third would be a tree stand. I knew a guy who had a tree stand setup better than some apartments - heat, bed, ice chest, I think he even had tv.

 

[PaintRock]

There will eventually be a cabin there. It's at least two years from happening, though. Camper trailers work great for the more temperate months, but if they get snowed in over the winter, they'll probably end up destroyed by the snowfall. Pickups and SUVs can't get in or out when there's a lot of snow accumulated. UTVs and ATVs will usually be fine, but one needs to be prepared with winches, etc. as they can get stuck, too.

I'm just trying to put together a livable, temporary solution to have up there at all times. There is only so much equipment you can pack in with a RZR and an ATV. And if you get stuck with those, you have to decide if you want to snowshoe back to the pickups, or snowshoe to camp.

You're right about the shed, though. The shed is going to be built before the cabin. But again, that's not happening this summer. Getting the wood supply cut and hauled and the rest of the stuff stashed will be easy enough, though, and we should be set for elk season this fall.

 

[K2ZJ]

What state are you in/hunt?

 

[PaintRock]

I've been hunting in Wyoming. Of course, a lot of this depends on whether I draw an elk tag this year. I'm also putting in for Big Horn Sheep around Pinedale.

 

[K2ZJ]

Nice, that area is awesome. I have friends on the other side of the range in Lander, I love it up there.

 

[cruiserpilot]

I'd go with the job box idea. Just dig it down a bit so it's not obvious, and cover it with some camouflage (branches, cheap camo tarp). It would take a pretty dedicated vandal to get
into one of those. But don't leave anything too valuable to you in there.

 

[iron dingo]

I'd do a Job Box, put a foam seal around lid to seal it up and stick a big Damp Rid Bucket in it you can spray paint the Box all camo and hide it pretty easy then when you have the cabin you can use it for secure storage.