There’s another factor for us: we travel with three dogs. Beds and resting spots, food, leashes, towels, and everything else you need when traveling with dogs already take up plenty of space. So if camping gear is going to stay in our vehicle permanently, it above all has to work.

Not just in theory, but in the morning, when that first coffee is urgently needed. In the evening after a long day by the sea. In the wind. When the dogs come out of the water completely soaked. When nobody really feels like cooking anything elaborate anymore. And also when everything has to be stowed away in the motorhome again the next morning.

Over the years, a few things have emerged that now come along with us as a matter of course.

If I could choose just one item from all our gear that I would really miss when camping, the Petromax Percolator would be pretty high on my list.

That’s not because coffee from a percolator looks particularly spectacular. Quite the opposite: the principle is surprisingly simple and fairly old. When heated, the water rises through a tube and then flows back into the pot through the coffee grounds - and not just once. The coffee keeps circulating through the system.

We let our percolator run for about 15 minutes. This brewing method extracts a lot of flavor from the coffee. At the same time, the drink retains the coffee oils that partly get caught in a paper filter when brewing that way. In my opinion, you can clearly taste the difference: the coffee is strong and very aromatic, yet surprisingly well-rounded.

That’s the main difference from regular drip coffee for me.

Of course, you have to experiment a little. The grind size, amount of coffee and brewing time all make a difference. After a few attempts, though, you quickly figure out how you like your coffee best. For us, around 15 minutes has become the standard.

The waiting time has really become part of the ritual: sitting outside the motorhome in the morning while the percolator does its thing, slowly waking up and eventually pouring the first cup. It’s one of those little experiences that, for me, are an essential part of camping.

Of course, I drink coffee at home too. But coffee from the Petromax Percolator outside the motorhome still tastes different.

Maybe it’s the percolator. Maybe it’s the time you take for it. Or maybe it’s simply because you’re looking out at the sea, into a forest or - in the worst-case scenario - at your neighbor’s motorhome.

Either way, it tastes damn good.

With coffee, we use our Petromax enamel mugs, and with meals, the matching plates and bowls.

You still often see melamine dishes at campsites. That’s understandable: they’re lightweight, relatively shatter-resistant and easy to stack. That’s precisely why melamine was considered almost a camping standard for many years.

Even so, I now clearly prefer enamel. The first reason is very simple: to me, it feels more like proper tableware - and less like a practical camping solution.

There’s another aspect, too: melamine dishes can be problematic at high temperatures. The consumer advice centre recommends not using melamine-containing dishes for hot food or drinks such as coffee and soup. At temperatures above around 70 degrees, melamine and formaldehyde can leach from the material and get into the food.

And that’s exactly where it becomes impractical for me when camping. Our plates don’t just hold a cold breakfast sandwich, but also pasta straight from the pot, grilled food, hot sauce or soup. In the morning, I also don’t want to wait for my coffee to cool to a certain temperature before pouring it into the mug.

When eating, I honestly don’t want to have to think about whether something is currently 65 or 75 degrees hot. With enamel, that simply isn’t an issue for us.

Of course, I could also use any old plastic plate. But when we’re sitting outside the motorhome in the evening, having cooked together, with perhaps a bottle of wine or a cold drink on the table, I don’t necessarily want to eat my meal from a plastic plate.

After all, camping doesn’t have to mean going without.

Our view of camping gear has changed over the years. We used to often ask ourselves what else we might need. Today, we tend to think more about what we actually use.

Especially with three dogs, storage space in the motorhome is precious. That’s why gear must not only seem practical, but also prove itself in everyday use.

That applies to the percolator, because I love good coffee, as well as to our enamelware and the cutlery in the leather case. The Dimego cooking equipment makes cooking and washing up easier, the Camping Oven expands our options, and the Atago gas grill is ready to use quickly when things need to be simple. The LM500 provides pleasant light in the evening, which is why it often stays beside us for hours.

None of it is essential for survival. But camping gear doesn’t have to provide only the bare necessities for me. It should help us have a good time while we’re on the road.

We set off in the motorhome because we enjoy being outdoors, discovering new places with our dogs, and enjoying the freedom of waking up somewhere else in the morning. For me, camping therefore doesn’t mean doing without as much as possible. It means choosing the things you really need - and the things that make life on the road a little more enjoyable.

When the percolator is brewing outside the motorhome in the morning, the dogs are still lying in their baskets, and the first coffee of the day tastes really good, quite a lot has already gone right.

Jörg Wieland has been traveling with his motorhome and his three dogs, Batida, Foxi, and Kenai, for many years. On his website and YouTube channel Camper & Hund, he reports on motorhome trips, campsites, outdoor adventures, and equipment - always with a focus on how traveling with dogs works in everyday life.

It’s not just about beautiful destinations, but also about practical experiences: Which equipment really proves its worth on the road? And what ends up staying at home after two holidays?

You can also find more stories about dogs, camping, and outdoor adventures at Batida & Foxi. This family project combines these topics with the children’s book world of the same name.