To-go boxes

LONGTIME Field & Stream editor Warren H. Miller in 1918 described the camp or chuck box as a “strong, light wooden suitcase.” The orderly and indispensible repository of all things essential for the perfect camping experience often doubled as a cupboard or table and kept everything inside smash-free.

Though nowadays some people use the back end of an SUV as a random catch-all for their equipment, Sierra Club leader and photographer Joan Schipper of Los Angeles upgrades the wooden staple with two sturdy plastic boxes -- one’s a kitchen, one’s a clothes closet -- that contain the contents of her outdoors home.

By tossing in food, a tent and a sleeping bag (and a whole lot of camera gear), she’s ready for a hasty departure to snap dawn at Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park or capture the last light on the stone faces at Joshua Tree.

-- Mary Forgione

Kitchen and accessories box

stove with matches

fuel

kettle

wooden spoon

cooking pots

eating utensils

dish towels

dish cloth and soap

mug

plate

water container

water pump, filter, iodine

notepad and pen

aluminum foil

tablecloth

a deck of cards

cutting board

medical kit

flashlight

emergency blanket

walkie talkies, batteries

mini spice pack

map

sunscreen

sunglasses

whistle

knife

lip balm/sun protection

Clothes box

silk top and bottom fleece jacket

pants

windbreaker jacket/pants

rain jacket

socks

T-shirt

underwear

sun/rain hat

cold weather hat

mittens

glove liners

clock

bandanas