Got this trick from a buddy as most of us like our latrine a distance from camp. Made a commode by buying one of those blue plastic barrels. Cut it in half and cut a hole to fit a toilet seat in the bottom. Bolt the seat down to the barrel, with the seat at the front edge of the barrel and all you do is dig a hole an place it over the hole. Keeps the splashing down and is more comfortable than most toilet seats. The last couple years we finally bought one of those small "privacy" shelters to keep the rain and snow off the toilet between uses. Usually just keep a couple rolls of TP in a gallon ziploc bag near the toilet to keep it dry and handy.
Have to disagree with the floor thing. We all have carpets for our tent floors and put a tarp underneath to keep the moisture out. I hate getting up in the morning or during the night and putting my bare or stocking feet on a cold dirt floor. Also, tends to keep the floor a little more even than the natural dirt floor. Never really had much problem with getting mud on the floor- sometimes some snow gets tracked in like it did this week, but never really and issue. Sweep it off with a stiff broom and roll it up for the next use and throw it in the utility trailer.
I've never liked cooking in my main tent for lots of reasons, moisture in the tent, heat, food smells in the tent in bear country, loss of usable room, etc.... so we bought a 10 x 12 cook tent to concentrate the cooking, food storage, clean up, coolers, food smells, etc.. all in one place away from the main tent(s). We got one of the those foldable 3 x 6 tables for the main tent and some foldable metal chairs for everyone to eat together and BS when the weather is really crappy outside and keep it in my main tent. Great to have a place to sit, set our plates when we eat, and have the serving dishes on the table instead of setting them on the ground or sleeping cot. .
Cabela's sells some great camp kitchens and you can find all kind of canvas organizers that hang from your tent frame to keep all sorts of things up and out of the way. Personal items get stored under the cots for additional room.
We do like a comfy camp.
Bob
