Camping

[WonderingWanda]

Maybe I should leave it at that 😆

Am I unreasonable to expect the camping stuff to fit in the car? It fit last time. I haven't added anything new since last time apart from a new (larger) roofbox which ought to fit more in it. I can't get it all in. Dh will be back soon and (he hates camping) will start declaring that we don't need all this rubbish and I'll have to try and pick something to leave behind. It can't be him before you suggest it because I can't get the tent up on my own.
How can I make it fit? ...should I drink the booze first so that takes up less space?

I'm with your DH,I hate camping. I'd use this as an excuse to unload the car, get online and book a holiday somewhere warm and by the beach

My best tip for making it fit... Cancel the whole thing and book a hotel 😅. Afraid I hate camping too. I do like caravan holidays though.

In all seriousness though, weird that it doesn't fit despite a bigger roof box. Do you have any spare seats or foot wells that can be used for storage? Alternatively are there any non perishable consumables you can leave behind and buy when you arrive? Buying alcohol/drinks when you get there might actually make a lot of sense if you're taking enough to take up a good portion of packing space.

😂 I think I'm not going to get any support here am I. Anyway, after cup of tea I seem to have worked some magic and wedged a bit more in. But worried about some sort of comedy car explosion on the motorway. Don't worry dh gets a beach holiday too....although he wi moan that I am taking too much stuff for that as well no doubt!

Pre kids we could camp in an old style Micra.

Now we have a landrover and trailer and worried about making it all fit. (Roof box can't be used due to the canoe on top of the car....)

Its legal to sit the kids on top of the trailer isnt it?

It's like Tetris trying to fit everything in. I normally put tent and bulky stuff at the bottom and then layers . Fond memories as a kid surrounded by sleeping bags and pillows and the suit case falling off the roof rack....

We now have a camper van , such crap storage

We took 2 cars at one point!! Have mastered 1 big car now.
Have reduced by 2 dc though but added 1 large ddog instead!

You've all made me feel much better about the stuff wedged in everywhere! My next dilema is will the roofbox fit through a drive through?

I'm not even going to think about putting the tent up at dusk with two cranky children....what am I doing?

I'm sure we've been through a drive through with one on. Weve measured the height of car, roof box and canoe to get around that dilemma

I hope you are not exceeding the weight limit of your roof box. You can’t wedge it too full or you do risk motorway catastrophe.

We regularly camp as part of a hobby with heavy canvas tents, it’s definitely Tetris packing and why we got an estate. We’ve also got a self inflating mat that takes up space.

Camping is great so hope you have a fun time. We put heavy and large things at the bottom and soft things squished into corners.

Oh god I’m so jealous. I love camping and have to wait all the way til August for our next trip 😩😩😩😩😩

We only just fitted everything in this afternoon, and that's a good size car and just 2 of us! We do take proper bedding and plenty of rugs/blankets though. And more beer/prosecco than is probably sensible...

I remember years ago when we went camping DH drawing a map of where everything needed to go in the boot to get it all in. I thought it was the most anal thing I'd ever seen but it did work. Thankfully we no longer go, I think I could maybe manage one night if I had to.

We only just fitted everything in this afternoon, and that's a good size car and just 2 of us! We do take proper bedding and plenty of rugs/blankets though. And more beer/prosecco than is probably sensible...

The only way to enjoy camping is to pack your car so full of stuff that you’re vaguely in luxury. Taking 2 roll mats and a bivvy bag just isn’t the one.

What on earth are you taking? You're not supposed to take the entire contents of your house.

try going to a motorbike rally on a bike with two barrel bags and two panniers for storage we have got very good at taking minimal clothing and minimal stuff for the tent

I'm with your DH and hate camping. Really can't see the attraction of it at all.

So my solution would be to unpack it all and not go. 🤣

What car have you got? Have you got too much food? We manage in a zafira with two kids, a dog and a double roof box.

My friend somehow manages with three kids in a golf and a half roof box. Kudos to her.

The thing that pisses me off about camping is you need as much stuff for a night as you do for a week (not including food but you can always buy that there).

@bellsbuss ive done this! Been in the boot with the seats folded down and a tape measure. Measured tents, bags etc to make it all fit.

My first memories of camping are with my parents and younger sister (and our collie dog).

We had an old army Bell tent which somehow my dad managed to fit into a Reliant Robin. We must have had minimal equipment, but I still don’t know how he managed to get it and us all into the tiny 3 wheeler car.

When I first persuaded my DH to camp (30 or so years later), I could only persuade him to do so if we took lots of creature comforts. We struggled to fit all of our gear into our Skoda. And that did not include any kids.

I often think of the contrast between my early experiences and my current ones

I love camping but getting too achy to be in a tent for much longer. My top tip is to vacuum bag anything and everything. Use Microfibre towels as they take up much less room and dry quicker. Don’t take loads of clothes and make use of site laundry if its got one. Instead of taking food and drink do a click & collect once you’ve set up or have a shop delivered to the site, loads of people do this now. If all else fails get a bigger car, we’ve had to do this!

Get a trailer tent! Absolute game changer - proper beds! And most the stuff just stays in there so much less to pack and unpack every time.

Leave the booze (it'll keep) and buy some when you get there. I'd advise buying food when you get there too rather than packing it but sounds like it's a bit too late for that. And then waterproof coats and shoes don't go in a bag just randomly stuffed in the gaps. I feel your pain though I'm always left staring at the full boot and a pile of stuff on the floor thinking how did we do this last time!?