Camping with Food Allergies

[MaryM]

We are going on a 3 night camping trip.  I have NEVER been camping, I do not really want to go camping.  Any tips or suggestions for a food allergy family or tips in general?  This was our concession when we had to cancel our Outer Banks week with cousins bc of very expensive furnace, hot water heater & dishwasher replacement.  We are going to camp near Cooperstown and hit the Baseball Hall of Fame.  I am not excited and somewhat nervous.  We have a tent....

[spacecanada]

Things to check before you go:
- local emergency response phone numbers and typical response time
- do they groom (clean) the campsites between each reservation?

Things to bring with you:
- Tablecloth (because you never know what was on that picnic table before you, cover the benches too if you like)
- extra EpiPens (I usually bring four - but will bring more if EMS is far away or if there are allergy elements I cannot control like food being provided by someone else, backcountry rescue, buying food in a new location, etc.)
- pictures of your allergen's plants (if your allergens come from plants and they are native to your area).  Hazelnuts look like fuzzy weird things you'd never guess are hazelnuts until you look them up.
- foods and supplies you are guaranteed to be safe (never a good time to try a new food, soap, etc.; I often double check and call manufacturers again before camping if I haven't done so recently)
- utensils and cooking implements you have used before (safe).
- a large bucket to wash dishes in and a towel to dry them on (on top of the tablecloth) - also good for hand washing
- solar phone charger (or normal charging cables if you have power access)
- hand wipes for frequent use

Tips:
- Wear long pants and sleeves if contact with plants or surfaces is a concern (those hazelnut bushes freak me out beyond belief, especially in autumn when they become squirrel food)
- Do not let your shoes come into the tent where you are sleeping; they can stay outside in the vestibule.  Tuck a pair of old socks in your shoes so slugs don't take up residence in your shoes at night. (Allergens stick to the bottom of shoes.)
- Always wear a hat and bring water with you everywhere you go -- just basic camping/outdoor tips, not allergy specific.
- Beware of fish cleaning stations and nearby garbage bins that may contain fish guts - if fish/seafood is a concern.

Let know if you have any specific questions.  I go camping often.

[MaryM]

Thanks Space!  You had me until slugs...lol

[spacecanada]

Better be warned than learn by experience. 

I actually don't mind slugs, bugs, or spiders.  Mosquitoes, black flies, wasps and anything else that bites aren't invited to my campsite.

[CMdeux]

We tend to go so far as to only use food from containers that we've sampled from at home, if EMT/response times are longer than 10-15 minutes. 

That's on the extreme end of things, probably. 

DD camps pretty often with her college friends.  The only real issue that she's had is that often, groups tend to WANT to do "group meals" and it.... well, it just... won't work.  I mean, it's nice that they want to try and all-- but, just... nope.  Luckily she has one close friend that also has LTFA (different allergen) who 'gets' it, so there is some solidarity.

Be aware that if you're camping where tent sites are situated close together, drifting cooking/smoke could be a problem.  Definitely have a plan for that, as in maybe you cook/eat at off hours, and plan to just take a walk or something if it happens and you are uncomfortable or develop asthma problems or something as a result. 

A roll of foil is essential camping gear-- period.  Good for covering things, rodents/birds tend not to like to chew through it, and it can be used to make otherwise unsafe cooking surfaces safe to use...  though we also bring our own cookware and camp stove.  Naturally.

Keep a "kitchen" in a rubbermaid bin/tub-- and keep it up on top of a picnic table.  That's insufficient to keep critters out of actual foodstuffs, by the way-- squirrels and their ilk will chew through plastic, at least a single layer like that.  They especially love bread and anything starchy.  Sigh. 

  We also bring a cooler and block ice/dry ice (or a combo if it's hot enough). 

That's kind of how we handle it. 

The no-shoes-in-the-tent thing is just plain excellent advice. 

Also-- TecNu really works... and... be sure to know what poison ivy looks like before you go.  EVERYONE should know what it looks like.  Because that is a kind of hell that I wish upon no human being-- contaminated camping gear..... {shudders}

[spacecanada]

We tend to go so far as to only use food from containers that we've sampled from at home, if EMT/response times are longer than 10-15 minutes. 

That's on the extreme end of things, probably. 

We do the same!!

Tip for the cooler: freeze 1-litre cartons of juice to use as ice blocks and then drink them when they thaw.  My mum used to freez single juice boxes and use them too, giving them to us with cut off tops to eat as slushies.  Mmmmm...

[MaryM]

Thanks CM!  I've been avoiding thinking about this trip but it's fast approaching. 
I appreciate all the tips from you both space & CM!

[Macabre]

Here's my tip: acquire a 72 hour stomach bug.  All four of you. 





I'm in the no-camping-ever camp. Well, we did it twice: once on our own (where DS got a stomach bug the morning before we left and puked on everything--so awesome to clean a pukey tent) and once with cub scouts on the rare night Houston got below 32F (got a polar bear badge for that). Awesome.

I also have a huge poison ivy phobia, so the idea of spending anytime in the woods where it grows is just not a happy thought (I do not remember it in the mountains of NM where I spent a great deal of time in the woods growing up).

Good luck to you. You've gotten some great advice. If I were in your shoes, is do everything in my power to not go though. That's my survival advice.








This post is mostly tongue in cheek--not meant to be a camping hater kind of post, though seriously, I do.

[MaryM]

Lol, Mac.  I'm with you...my idea of camping would be The Four Seasons 

We did some shopping today.  A new cast iron skillet and 3 sleeping bags...other odds and ends.  Ugh I am so not excited.  The camping trip was supposed to include a trip to Niagra Falls with a nice hotel at the end...carrot on a stick, ya know.  Cousin's wife got a new job so trip was shortened and DH pitched a fit when we discussed just staying at a motel and camping more locally in the fall when it's cooler.   DH owes me a nice long weeknd at some point.  We are going to Cooperstown!  Tonight we are going to watch A League of Their Own!

[Janelle205]

If you can afford even the cheap blue foam mats to go under the sleeping bags, I highly, highly recommend.  Makes things way more comfortable (without them, you will be rolling over constantly, trying to find a spot in the tent that doesn't have a tiny stick/pebble under it, and also will keep you much warmer.

[MaryM]

Thanks!  Question about Epi Pen storage.  The projected high temps are 82 and the low is 57.  Do you think the Epi Pens will be ok?  I have a FRIO bag that can hold 4.  When we are out and about the kids will have theirs in their Spibelts as will I. 

Reply from campground regarding hospital/EMS...
The closest hospital is Mary Imogene Bassett in Cooperstown NY... you can make it there in 8 minutes... it's about 5 miles from here.
The Ambulance and Fire come from Hartwick Seminary, which is about 2 miles from us, but it is a volunteer fire department.
In case of a life threatening emergency, from experience, I tell you to call 911 and then tell them you are driving to emergency.  (Unless the emergency victim can't/shouldn't be moved.)

SO, what should my action plan be if I need to do something, EPI and drive to ER?  Ugh - I hate this.  I just refilled Epis so we should  have 4 each...

[spacecanada]

Oh goodness, sleeping pads are a MUST! I would never imagine anyone camping without one.  Must.  Blue foam or self-inflating.  An inflatable beach floaty thing is bad because it actually draws body heat away from you and makes you cold. Go with cheap foam if you have to; super cheap at Walmart and worth every penny.

Bring the FRIO just in case you feel it getting too hot out.  It never hurts. When I go camping (keep in mind that it gets to near freezing at night where I grew up, even in summer), I tossed my EpiPens in my sleeping bag at night to keep them in the right temperature zone.  I either wore them around my waist or tucked them by my side around my teddy (we all still sleep with teddy bears, right?).

As for the emergency response, that is very typical in rural areas.  You Epi, call 911 and start driving, whilst still on the line with the 911 operator (on speaker), who will coordinate an ambulance to meet you en route, unless you make it to the hospital first.  My husband has done this once for me last summer... He made it to the hospital first.  I have no idea how he stayed calm that whole 10 minute drive. The hospital will be alerted and waiting for your arrival, typically with a team at the door.

[MaryM]

Thanks Space!  We are hardly going to be remote but I am very nervous.  We have air mattresses for the tents    Camping lite, I guess.

[CMdeux]

The other thing that you can use as camping pads for car camping is playroom flooring-- that interlocking foam stuff, I mean. 


Our standard protocol ANYWHERE remote  is that call-and-start-driving thing.  We've never had to implement it-- but-- a second person who can RECONNECT you to dispatch in the event that you drive through a no-service zone, that's essential, IMO. 

Honestly, this is one instance in which I bend the rules about cellular usage while driving.   

[spacecanada]

We've never had to implement it-- but-- a second person who can RECONNECT you to dispatch in the event that you drive through a no-service zone, that's essential, IMO. 

In our part of the world, the 911 operator will call you back (repeatedly, if needed) if the line is disconnected. I'm not sure if that is a North American standard or not.  If they cannot reconnect within a certain period of time they dispatch to your last known location/road/route. 

A second person to monitor the person having a reaction and administer more Epi would definitely be helpful though, for sure.  And make sure they're both in the same part of the car... both people with me ended up in the front seat somehow -- totally useless to me.