First proper family camping trip tomorrow - here's what I'm packing - have I missed anything?

[DottyDot]

Blimey I'm nervous about it... So far have got:

camping mats x 4
sleeping bags x 4
oh yes,the tent - we've put it up once as a practice a few weeks ago...
1 ring burner
2 gas canisters
4 x plates, bowls, cups/glasses
1 x chopping board + cutlery
3 x cheapo towels for drying out tent
1 x dustpan and brush
2 x collapsible crate boxes (1 for shoes and 1 for washing up)
clothes including 4 pairs of crocs and 4 pairs of trainers
matches
1 x lantern
1 x torch
2 x headtorches
1 x pull string radio (my favourite camping purchase!)
1 x tent rug (homemade from fleece + carpet foam underlay backing )
1 x fleece blanket for me and dp
gazillion x sweets
1 x chicken casserole, already cooked
1 x pesto and pasta meal
cereal, bread, sugar, coffee, teabags etc.
2 x towels and 1 x tea towel
1 x toilet roll
1 x pack of playing cards
2 x new books for ds's

Phew!

Shame we don't have 1 x large car or 1 x roofbox - got to fit it all in a Peugeot 306!

[WhereTheWildThingsWere]

Pots and pans
Washing up liquid/gloves/scrubber
Water carrier
Bin/carrier bags for rubbish
Pad and pencil
Toiletries and sun cream
Lots of extra socks
Mallet
Warm hats

Just a few suggestions I'm sure you've already got them.

[WhereTheWildThingsWere]

Though the first time we went camping we did forget the mallet .

[Rialentless]

we forgot the mallet too.

a bucket is useful...

have you got plenty of towel for showers? we camped on the dampest weekend ever and the towels didn't dry.

I also forgot a jumper for me

tin opener?

[Slubberdegullion]

argh I was just about to say mallet. Wildy got in there before me.

That is a whole lot of shoes you have there. Have you many feet? I think 1 pair of crocs per pair of feet is sufficient.

I see food but no mention of wine. Where is the wine? There must be wine.

If you take wine, also take a bottle opener.

[andlipsticktoo]

Wellies and raincoats? It always rains when I go camping!

I always take sleeping bag liners too as we all get cold at night - except dh who just sweats....

Fold up chairs? Always good for the evening as it gets damp on the floor.

Will a 1 ring burner be enough? I always need kettle and tea bags for the morning, and proper coffee for later!

[MadBadandDangerousToKnow]

Pegs - very useful for attaching flannels etc to the guy ropes for drying and for many other fixing jobs.

Large bag for carrying all your and dc's clothes and gubbins to the showers - so that you can hang it on the back of the door. There are never quite enough hooks.

Citronella candle - to burn outside the tent while you glug wine.

[DottyDot]

This is brilliant - thanks!

OK, yes got 2 towels, pots and pans set, w/up liquid in little pot,wine - of course wine - can't believe I didn't think about it!

So, corkscrew now also packed and tin opener.

Mallet's in the tent bag.

4 of us so 1 pair of crocs each!

Have packed 2 carrier bags for rubbish but will pack more for clothes and things - thanks.

No room for chairs (or most of the above - we're going to pack most things in the car after tea so we can start panicking if necessary...)

No idea about citronella candles - no time to get one - eek. Have got insect spray though - will apply liberally!

pegs - inspired - handful now packed.

Bucket - soooo not sure about this! Am debating whether a wee bucket is necessary. I'm rubbish at weeing outside but don't tend to need to go at night. Boys don't either, but dp often does. sigh.

Thanks again - brilliant ideas and I'm almost feeling OK about it all...

[DottyDot]

meant to say - no cool box (couldn't afford it at the minute) but have got milk in the freezer - as long as we don't forget it that'll be OK for a day or so won't it?

If we're going to go camping over the summer (about 4 trips planned so far) do you think we need to invest in one?

No EHU but we could plug one in to the car? Not sure if it's worth it though.

[Fennel]

We never use a cool box. This is the UK, not Tanzania. even in hot weather it's not THAT hot.

have fun. and remember if you forget too much just make sure you are near a nice warm pub or cafe. Or just eat snacks if you forget the stove (we went last weekend, DP forgot the pans, but a nice woman lent us hers, in return the girls entertained her toddler for hours. I forgot my pyjamas but just wore clothes. we forgot a few other things too but it didn't really matter).

where are you going?

[DottyDot]

York for 2 nights. We've now got about 100 bags packed and the load-the-car-until-it-breaks experiment is about to begin...

Am aiming to get a 2 ring burner sometime - will see how we cope with a 1 ring burner - it was OK when I took ds's on my own but somehow adding dp into the mix makes it seem like we need tons more stuff!

[BetsyBoop]

pillows if you have room, I always sleep better with a proper pillow, aaaahhh

Trying to remember what I have in my "just in case" box

bag of change for showers if not free (usually either 20p or 50p)

first aid kit

fire blanket

one for the future - a range of pegs, the ones that come with the tent are usually cr@p (bend on hard ground, don't hold on soft ground) so we have our variety bag of pegs accummulated over the years - and a peg puller too.

[BetsyBoop]

we don't have a fridge, but we have this cool bag & it is totally fab, well worth the money. (I'm an "old-fashioned" camper at heart, still can't get my head around why you would want EHU for tents )

[DottyDot]

Thanks Betsy - love Lakeland - should have gone there on a shopping expedition to prepare - I will next time!

I don't entirely understand how an EHU would work - can't get my head round it so happy to do without!

[MadBadandDangerousToKnow]

We don't take the cool box (too bulky) but have an insulated rucksack, which works well with some frozen blocks inside it. Another potential use for a small bucket - not if it's doubling as a wee bucket, though - is as a fridge. Milk will keep fine overnight in a bucket half-full of cold water. I bought a tiny bucket in a 99p store.

I know that space is tight, but the quality of our camping experience really improved once we invested in some of those umbrella-folding chairs - we're too old and creaky for sitting on the floor. Another good investment were some microfibre pillows - they come with their own stuff sacks and are tiny when packed. For the future, I'd take those instead of the tent mat, which I imagine is pretty bulky.

Late addition - spare batteries for torch!

[Northernlurker]

Whereabouts in York?

[DottyDot]

well dp has worked miracles and got the tent, groundsheets, all sleeping bags,small suitcase with clothes (will double up as a seat!) and camping mats in the boot. She says it's possibly about to spring open at any moment, so that'll be fun going down the M62.

Ds's will have to have the food bags and picnic mats under their legs and dp may be sat on 4 pillows!

On the shopping list for future trips:

Lakeland cool bag
possibly 2 chairs but I'm not sure if we'd get them in
microfibre pillows

[VanillaPumpkin]

You might need more than two gas canisters as well.....or do we just drink a lot of tea

If you want to invest in a cool box I recommend the Igloo Max Cold. It lasts for 5 days. I got mine for £42 on ebay (plus postage).

Have a wonderful time

[DottyDot]

really? more than two?

OK, I'm going to York, not outer mongolia. Might google camping shops in York in case we run out though...

[BetsyBoop]

I will continue to resist EHU as it's a slippery slope IMHO (luckily DH agrees)

Last year we were opposite a family with EHU they had (at least, there may have been more )

fridge
heater
cooling fan
TV
DVD player
DS's for kids
laptop
microwave oven
desk lamps

I wasn't being nosey, honest, it was hard to miss as they had the entire front of their enormous tent open most of the time!

Now each to their own & all that, they seemed to be having a great holiday, but we go camping to get away from all of that

[IotasCat]

Did you have a table in that list ? Cooking etc on the ground is back breaking

[blithedance]

That is a really great no-frills list Dotty.

Take more tea towels! They get wringing wet when camping because you don't have anywhere to drain, then never dry out. I always end up in an Asda buying more. In fact did you have washing up bowl?

Take a couple of ordinary cushions for pillows (from your lounge) - they can be stuffed in a corner of the boot (or given to kids to cuddle),and make huge difference to comfort sleeping.

Picnic blanket to sit on outside (or just use sleeping mat)

Have never needed a wee bucket, for adults or kids !

Personally I find an old fashioned wool blanket much warmer than fleece, if you have one.

[blithedance]

That is a really great no-frills list Dotty.

Take more tea towels! They get wringing wet when camping because you don't have anywhere to drain, then never dry out. I always end up in an Asda buying more. In fact did you have washing up bowl?

Take a couple of ordinary cushions for pillows (from your lounge) - they can be stuffed in a corner of the boot (or given to kids to cuddle),and make huge difference to comfort sleeping.

Picnic blanket to sit on outside (or just use sleeping mat)

Have never needed a wee bucket, for adults or kids !

Personally I find an old fashioned wool blanket much warmer than fleece, if you have one.

[Curiousmama]

We've just got into camping. Although dp has always done it tbh. We're going on our first family trip on the 25th just for 2 nights. This list has given me some ideas.

Do you have a Go Outdoors near to you Dotty?
We bought some of those umbrella seats that are just a triangle on top for £2.99 each. We got 4 although it says now they're 2 for £4 here
They don't take up much space at all.

[DottyDot]

aww - thanks everyone - you're giving me a bit of confidence!

no table - I think this time round we'll suffer on the ground with no chairs and table and following this, a Decision will be Made to spend a bit of money on stuff like that and somehow fit it in the car. a roofbox would be great but at around £150 will have to wait!

no washing up bowl but have a crate thingy? could pick one up in the morning though.