CAR CAMPING ESSENTIALS AND TOFINO CANADA DAY GETAWAY
So, I’m off to Tofino! Time to quickly publish the post I prepped last night and head straight from work to the ferries! I’m not going to get started on the ferries though.
So I’ll be in Tofino until July 6th. Finally, a long week of surfing, camping, time by the beach in the sun (and rain), camp stove cooking, and friends.
Every year, we get a big group of people together and head over to Greenpoint in Tofino for camping and surfing on Canada Day.
Let me show you all the crap we bring along with us! Ah, the joys of car camping. Our equipment is well-worn and not in great shape after camping trips every other weekend, but they still hold up!
First off, time to prep the shallots. I got this idea from my friend Trev: prep all your food in advance where there’s light, good knives, and cuttingboards and then you don’t have to worry about all the mess and disaster while you are camping.
Pro Tip: Wear your snowboard goggles to prevent from massive eye hysteria while cutting up millions of shallots. It works. LOL!
Here’s all the food we prepped last night. Needless to say, we were up late. But it’s such a bonus not having to wash everything and cut it all up when you are hungry after a long day of surfing and it’s dark and cold out. Click on the photo and then click on “All Sizes” to see a bigger version so you can see the text.
Also very necessary: camping equipment. MEC Tarn 3 tent, MEC rollout mats (WAY better than having a bulk air mattress in my opinion, and much lighter)… and we normally don’t bring camping chairs when we go on our own but considering how much we miss them when we have a big group of people we decided to go buy some fancy Roots camping chairs with foot rests. Can’t wait to try them out. Allan’s not a big fan of how bulky and heavy they are in the car, but they will be nice to bring along every once in a while. We are also bringing our golf clubs so we can play 9 holes of golf at Long Beach Golf Course. Golf equipment + surf equipment + camping equipment = VERY full car.
We’ve also got tons of food, not to mention 40 strips of bacon from Granville Island (WOHOOO!), two coolers, a camp stove, a cast iron grill (a MUST for car camping cooking), lots of hoodies, my underwater camera case for my DSLR, my DSLR of course, and lots of supplies.
Food we will have there: Pacific Halibut, scallops, bacon, sausages, breakfast potatoes, everything you need to mix up Mojitos, lots of beer, cane sugar colas, tons of fruit, chocolate vegan cake, Uprising Breads, New Moon cookies, and tons of crackers and chips! I love food.
Not picture: 2 huge surfboards, also tons of wetsuits (bringing wetsuits to share with friends too)… I love my Roxy 5 mil wetsuit, but I bought Allan a new O’Neill Infiniti Drylock 5/4/3 for his birthday this year (a little early, his b-day is in July) and I have to say I am VERY jealous. It’s a darn nice wetsuit. Also pictured, lots of groceries, beach towels. And of course an absolute essential: TWILIGHT! Hahahaha.
Lots more not shown here, but you get the picture. It’s a full car.
Can’t wait to be out there for 8 days, hopefully our food lasts.
In other news, I booked my accommodations for Costa Rica! 3 nights at Paradisus Playa Conchal and then 4 nights in a villa rental on Langosta Beach (loved that beach when we stayed there last). Lots of time for surfing, relaxing, and hanging out on the beach. The weather: Humid, thunderstorms, sun, and rain. Just the way I like it.
Sadly, won’t have much time to blog in Tofino, but I’m looking forward to posting when I get back on July 6th! See you soon, and HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!!
Happy Canada Day (believe it or not, this photo was taken with a friend at my Xbox 360 clan’s annual meetup. Yeah, Patron tequila is trouble)!
Tags: camping, Canada Day, car camping, Drylock, Greenpoint, Infiniti, Long Beach, MEC, O'Neill, Pacific Rim National Park, Roxy, Tarn 3, Tofino, wetsuit








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June 26th, 2009 at 8:34 am
That’s the beauty of car-camping – you can bring crapload of gear with you and not worry about carrying them on your back. Although MEC Tarn 3 is relatively light compare to various tents out there among my circle of outdoor friends we think it’s actually quite heavy. We’re just crazy about having light-weight gear.
Have fun in Tofino, I still need to go there and surf one of these days. Never done it before.
June 26th, 2009 at 8:37 am
Hardly camping, young lady! You’re going to be eating better while off on the beaches & in the woods than I do in the comfort of my own home! Hah! That is a very long weekend you’ll be gone for, but it’s great you’re getting back out there and mixing it up!
I’m getting super excited about Costa Rica for you, you can bet I’ll be jealous of the thunder storms you’ll be experiencing! Have a blast on the island!
June 26th, 2009 at 10:02 am
I’m totally stealing your prep food in advance idea! I’m camping this weekend as well, and I might even steal your menu…sounds delish! I also just bought myself the exact same Roots camping chair last weekend.
Have a great time, I’m hoping the weather holds up for us both!
June 26th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Geez, You bring the whole house with you. When I car camp I still only eat Hot Dogs and oatmeal. How much did you pay for your underwater housing for the D90?
I’m going hiking tomorrow. Back to attempt Snowshoe Peak once more.
Cheers!
June 26th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
Have fun – I’m going to live vicariously through you as I haven’t been camping in a decade. I feel much shame when I admit that.
June 27th, 2009 at 8:02 am
Hi, my buddy and I loves your blog. you seems to have more hours in a day that you got so many things to venture. we enjoy it alot and will be looking it out for more. take care.
June 27th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Sounds like a good time. The food looks awesome!
June 27th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Sounds like a great time…and thanks for all the camping tips!
recently discovered your blog so i can’t wait till you get back
June 28th, 2009 at 8:55 pm
oh my goodness, how big is your car? =D You sound very organized and I’m sure all your friends are so lucky to have you on the trip – they will be well fed. I must say I’m a big wuss when it comes to camping, hence we’re at a cottage in tofino this week.
Have a wonderful Canada Day, and I’ll text you to see where you’re at when I get there.
I’m soo looking forward to some time off, surfing and the freshest seafood around.
June 29th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Yo Allie, miss ya too! South America has been so rad… The surfing in Peru is unreal, all lefts though! Too bad I´m not goofy…
I really want to try to make it to Oregon for some summer shred but I´m not sure if I´ll be able to. I´ll be in skate mode and I´m going to SoCal for some more surf once I get back to the states. Are you??
I will be in Seattle for a week or so (end of july-ish) visiting my cousin, so perhaps I could shoot up to Tofino and catch some waves! What´s the break like there? Will you be around?
Hope all is well, talk to ya later!
Z
June 30th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
Have fun in Tofino! and Happy Canada Day from me and everyone else at the Buzz
June 30th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
so glad you’re back in full swing dear! hope everything was amazing!
July 2nd, 2009 at 9:55 pm
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August 13th, 2009 at 9:30 am
i love your photos can i copy some?