Loads of Camping advice needed please

[Wills]

We've been camping about 4 times this year. Enough to know we've not mastered it yet and enough to know that we take too long to pack/unpack/repack etc. I love the tips thread but need some specific advice. Ultimately we are looking to reduce the bulk in the car as we have a Honda CRV and are loaded to the gunnels every time but use everything. So space is a serious concern

1. Good cooking set (pans) for a family of 5 + grandparents when they come.
2. New sleeping bags (for me and dh) that are not too expensive (I doubt we'll manage more than september) but we're after ones that will pack down very small.
3. These new fleece towels thingys. Look fantastic in terms of space saving and quick drying but.... are they worth the cost?
4. In tent storage.... I have 2 girls ages 5 and 2. They're into everything. I've been looking at all these tent cupboards - are they worth it? Seem expensive but they do of course pack down wonderfully. Isn't there an alternative? At the moment I use fold down crates but they end up an awful muddle. I remember grid like shelving systems for toys but I'm buggered if I can find them anywhere. Any ideas here?
5. The children's clothes. How do you arrange these so they don't become one awful mess that nothing can be found in.
6. Anything else

Wills we are in the same position as you. We've been camping once and are going again tomorrow. Our first row of the holiday (!!) was about how much stuff we took and how the hell was DH going to fit it into the car and roobox!! How can you not take a bag full of waterproofs and wellies? How can you not take towels? How can you not take a box of kitchen stuff? When I find the answer I will share it with the world! At the moment I am thinking we need a trailer! (which I will then fill and then we'll need an articulated lorry).

aGREED. LOL. My dh spends the whole trip watching childless couples/groups arrive and unpack and then swanning around saying - well they managed to pack everything in just their mini boot! Yes but they didn't still have a child in a travel cot etc etc.

we have been five times this year - and have gradually taken less and less (although we still fill the estate car and roof box!)- but the boot of the car is taken up with the dog and the tent.

Now only take two pans instead of three (only have two rings on cooker). Take only three sets of cutlery etc, at first we were taking spares of everything. DS toys (age 3.5), takes one rucksack with bits and bobs, with a football and a frisbee. We have also cut down on the amount of food we take, I was trying to take this and that "just in case" and it was getting thrown away

I have everything in crates aswell, so we can just lift them from the garage and into the car. I feel it is inevitable that everything ends up crushed and therefore end up desperate for a hot shower and clean clothes when we return home.

I have to add we haven't done more than three nights yet. Never thought I would see the day that I loved camping - I am more of your five star hotel kind of girl!

We were at our most basic campsite yet last week - no lights in the toilets,no hot water for washing up - but had absolutely fabby showers

sorry for the long post but forgot to add - never thought I would see the day that I used my sons potty!!!!

I am sitting here on MN when I should be ironing and then packing up again to go away tomorrow.

I have a list though so I can spring into action at any given moment and most of the stuff is in the garage ready to go straight in the car as we only got back from the New Forest on Friday.

When I'm ready to spring, I'll let you know!! More coffee and idle chat first I think.

fifilala - I do like a light in the toilets I have to say, some of those spiders out there in the countryside are M A S S I V E. I don't mind them but I do like to see them!!!

Love it - yep have resorted to dd's potty as well .

Everything that we've taken we've used each time so have reached the stage of trying to reduce size of stuff i.e. sleeping bags towels etc. Glad to hear others are resorting to roof top boxes.

During the year have resorted to buying, small camp kitchen (keeps 2 year old well away from gas) picnic table for kids and one of those roll up firm tables for us.

Does anyone have a gas lamp? I'm nervous cos kids are 5 and 2 but need new lamps and wanted one that was bright and reliable i.e. not dependent on one of us remembering to bring spare batteries. (Oh boy was that a good row in nicely hushed firm voices)

We took a gas lamp last week and DH lent over and burnt his arm on it as it got VERY hot. Not taking again (it was borrowed anyway). I'm going to Millets today to find an alternative.

KBear LOL, are you living my life???? EXACTLY the row we had on our first trip a fortnight ago!

We're taking a pup tent next time for storage, though our tent has little areas on the other side of the sleeping units (we have a tunnel tent) that we use as storage. A family next to us had what resembled a wardrobe in tent form next to their tent, DH covets one of those now!

Pans wise I just bought a new set for us (needed), and used the old ones. Only needed one pan (for pasta etc)and a frying pan for brekkie (NOTE: dry frying, lost 2.5 pounds at W watchers weigh in despite chips and beer )

Lamp wise, Dh is a lighting electrician. He won't touch those gas lamps coz of safety, but is very hyper about buying some of those super bright LED ones. Apparently the batteries SHOULD last for ages with LED's, he wants two for next time.

KBear- if the lights in the loos matter to you, the site we went to this year (wood farm Charmouth, they have a website) and the most FAb toilet blocks, which is something I can't believe I am saying !

When I pack the clothes for camping, I di it totally differently to when I pack a "normal suitcase". I make up daily outfits incl. underwear for each of us and pack them in the order that we are going to wear them - keeping a separate bag with jumpers, waterproofs, shorts and swim stuff for the extremer weather conditions. This way, the main bag involves no rummaging to find basic daily outfits of joggers/jeans/t shirts type stuff and can use the "weather bag" to dress up or down as necessary. In between each day layer I put a plastic bag to separate the days - mainly to stop DH making a mess of my organised piles and also the bag can be used for the previous days clothes and put into an empty rucksack or something.
My sister goes one further - she actually packs each persons clothes into a plastic bag and labels it up with name and date - so she just hands out the bags and lets them get on with it with no fuss. Works with older kids who dress themselves and stops them wearing six outfits a day and running out.

Obv take a few spare outfits for younger children.

HTH

I resorted to using DD's travel potty one rainy night, DD looked in on me and said 'well done mummy you've filled up th bag . Kbear we fill our trailer although I have been saving space for the folding table chair thingy everyone else seems to have.

My DC's now have 'camp clothes' The girls wear 3/4 length jeans in the rain or the sun (it saves having to tuck their bottoms into their wellies) and DS wears long shorts and tshirts either with or with out his jumper.

basketcase - you truly are a camping expert - I strive to be as organised as that!

By the time we're old we'll have this camping lark sussed and we can then take pity on the poor souls who don't know what they're doing, don't have everything they need etc!!

Of course, I'll be pootling round Scotland in my Winnebago by then in my retired element!

just bought a gas lamp last time - can't work out how to use it!!! Told us to burn out the wick first and it just fell to bits!!!

We have had constant disasters with battery lights - have had 6 outwell lights and they just keep fusing - keep going back to shop and they have to exchange them. Need to get it sorted by next week thought as we are heading to Fort William for three days and the nights are drawing in!!!

The best thing we have found for 'organising' the tent are the fold down crates that you can buy for 1.99. We have one per person for all the clothes etc I have now bought the pop up net holdalls and will be testing these this weekend.

Thing not to forget are the very cheap glow in the dark sticks that the kids can play with at night....£1 for about 12.

RE the lamp we have one that can rechar off the mains or off a plug into the car battery. It was a bit termramental at first but we have it sussed now and it is very good. Don't forget torches tho....we have one that converts to a mini lantern that dd and I both love! cost about £4.99!

We have just the fold out picnic table, some easy chairs and the cooker on legs.

Agree with only take 2 pans and a frying pan, I have never used all three. I got a pan set from Ikea for £9.99....reasonable quality and I can't satand camping pans with fiddly clip on handles

We have Gelert sleeping bags, they are good and pack down small. Good advice I was given was to take some blankets as well to put under you when you sleep....helps to insulate you better and keeps you tosty warm....even in the heat of the summer it is quite a bit colder in the tent....I love that tbh as I never sleep well in the summer at home.

Oh and dump all the junk that you are not using in the boot of the car....helps to keep the tent a bit tidier.

fifilala - jealous of you going to Fort William - first year I haven't been to that area - and I meant first year since I was born! Really. Such a long way for us from SE London to Glencoe though - 500 miles.

We usually go to a site near Kinlochleven/Glencoe. Where are you staying?

kbear - glen nevis campsite.
happymerryerries i got all my pans from ikea aswell - frying pan only £2 and all the pans are the bast non-stick ones I've ever had. Infact I got all my "cooking gear and cutlery" from there - keep all in a tupperware (inc corkscrew)so I do not have to hunt round my kitchen every time we head off somewhere. I think the only thing we need now is a table for the cooker - get sore knees kneeling on a plastic bag!!!

Happy camping everyone

Glen Nevis....fab.. v envious but take midge repellant!

Fantastic stuff. So... any good camping equipment websites...

Outdoormegastore is a good one to start

sleeping bags
lights