To be annoyed that DH expects me to fit all the food, our clothes, other items and six blinkin pillows in 10 square inches of car

[rookiemater]

Ok be nice to me I'm having an irritating morning.

We are going camping for the weekend today to meet up with DHs family. Last night DH packed the "big" stuff and as I am off this morning the idea is that I will put everything else in this morning as he is finishing work at lunch time. Fair enough I thought. He also phoned his family last night, after he had put the stuff in, to see if they needed anything. Turns out they had forgotten pillows and there are four of them, No problem says DH we will bring some.

Fast forward to this morning, I get my clothes and DS stuff packed, bag full of random necessary items and bag of non fridge food and a cool pack of fridge stuff to get in, oh and six pillows.

There is no room in the car, at all. I took down the back shelf and managed to get a couple of pillows in but absolutely no way I can get the rest of the stuff fitted in. Plus the minute I get something in So have had to email DH to let him no that amongst the essentials he has packed I will need to remove a) the second tent he wants to bring in case the first one gets wet b) the fourth and fifth chairs for visitors c) highly unlikely we can bring pillows for all his family. His response is that I should go to our neighbours who may or may not be in and ask if I can borrow their trailer, which may or may not have a tow bar.

AIBU to be a tad annoyed. I know its only a small thing, but I'm now set up for failure as whatever I will remove will of course be the exact things that DH feels would have made our weekend perfect. Plus he knew last night that we couldn't fit everything in so why on earth did he say we could bring all those pillows and why didn't he think about taking some of the non essentials. Arrghh.
Can you tell I hate camping and really don't want to go.

Ts a well known fact that any marriage that can withstand pitchng a tent, especially if new or it is raining is Solid.

You drive the car, ds in his car seat, DH strapped to the roof.
Then you have more space in the front passenger seat and the back seat for your other gear.

Seriously though, ditch the 2nd tent, extra chairs and pillows - just take a pillow for yourself if you really can't manage without it. Tell your sister's family Quint's and Peachy's suggestions for makeshift pillows.

wise words from Peachy.

YOu're gonna have to let me in the story of that rendeer

You're joking Slubber, she can't have gone with a reindeer.

Hee hee will think of him though with reindeer antlers in the appropriate place, hee hee.

Must go soon nd try to put some toys together for DS. DH will be home shortly and I was instructed to make sure that DS and I had eaten our lunches and something was prepared for him. I know that sounds bad, but its completely out of character for DH, who is unfortunately already in camping mode.

Do you think I should go to the neighbours and ask about the trailer ? I think they will think I'm a crazed loon and I couldn't be arsed getting everything from the boot into it now.

SG forgot to mention that our reindeer was a very special guard reindeer watching over the tent in the night!
You know, the kind that prevents you from leaving the tent for a wee....

Don't bungee the reindeer to the roof - it will do your fuel consumption no good whatsoever. Put rollerskates on the reindeer and tie it to the tow bar.

Don't get the trailer. A giant pita and will give your DH ideas about space for unessential items.

Ah well I'd be ok with that as I have bought a "Travel John" for the trip. DH is outraged as he has a thing about weeing in the tent, but last time we went I got a UTI as the toilets were disgusting so I stopped drinking and tried not to pee.

You could fit an olympic speed cycling helmet to the reindeer to make it more aerodynamic.

Yes we could use DS cycling helmet, I can see it now...

No No No. You should separate the reindeer from his antlers first. You bunge the antlers on the roof to hang your smalls and the buckets and spades on. Reindeer on rollerscates tied to the car (or skiis with wheels which you see a lot of around here), and then a standard motorcycle helmet or a bike helmet will do just fine!

My other favourite parents and camping story - before they were married, my father leant my mother and her friend his tent - no instructions, and failed to mention the minor detail that the poles went outside the tent (it hangs from a A-frame, in effect - I have never seen another tent like it) - predictably, it took them hours to work it out.

What puzzles me is that she still married him

at Reindeer amputation. Typical of a minimalist camper really to resort to brute strength and a knife. I'm more of a duck tape kind of girl.

lololol @ stealthsquiggles story. Their marriage must be rock solid.

No actually, antlers have a limited lifecycle. The reindeer needs to get rid of his antlers. It is a little like milk teeth. There will be a new set pressing from underneath, and it is itchy and uncomfortable, so you often see reindeer wrestling eachother, or with trees, just to wriggle their antlers lose. Eventually they will fall off. That is why you find so many laying around.

Seriously, you are HELPING the reindeer....

Well I have managed to get most things in. Except Dh bag which I have been explicitly instructed not to pack as he needs to change into his shorts, because clearly the fact that its raining and 14 degrees is irrelevant.

Roll on Tuesday....

Every year DH leaves something behind

this year it was towels, last year it was washbags

This year he wanted to leave raincoats! Oh yes I am glad I put my foot down! FOOL

oh my dh is also an allweather shorts man!

Lol at unique tent!

DH has a camping uniform: he has a few sets indeed

Long lngth cargo shorts in stone (2 pairs owned)

camping t-shirt (either one of his weird fish pair, or his one with a sleeping bag tagged life is good)

a certain hat (may be on my profile)

the donning of The Hat as we leave is almost ceremonial

I still think that in rookie's current space saving crisis that keeping the antlers on would be more practical.

rookie, ahhh you have access to the bag. This might be the right time to 'loose' the underpants (for practical space reasons only you understand [wink)

I see the hat I see the hat peachy.

rookiemater - you need to borrow my DH. I prepare everything and stack by front door (or give him a list of what to get out of the shed then check). He packs the car and tells me if there's not room so I can pick what stays behind.

He then puts up the tent on his own (I used to help with the poles before DS but now he even manages that )

I really need to say thankyou more :-)

I can't believe your lot let your DH's pack. If I let Dh pack we would have a bag of tent pegs, a wine box and several books on ancient Rome.

Dh always struts around saying "packing the car is a blue job" so I let him lift the tent into the roof box and lock it. That's it.