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

I bought a rechargeable lantern today in Millets - £20. It's fluorescent. Seems bright enough. Sick of buying batteries and the gas ones scare me they get so hot!

I've been on UKcampsite and the site we are going to tomorrow has great reviews. Just wish the weather would realise it is actually AUGUST.

Doesn't feel like August does it! Hope it improves.

hooray, the sun is back out - we're off camping to Hastings!

We've just bought this sleeping bag from Argos. Half Price!! With our picnic blanket(£3.99 Dunelm mill) underneath the Ready Bed and a fleece blanket (£4.99 Dunelm mill) over the top we should be warm enough!
Oh and as we have an ehu I'm taking the fan heater with us to Anglesey next week!

We have one of those electric tent lights that plugs in and the dd's have the torches that can be lanterns as well!!
The only food we take with us, has to fit into the cool box, then we go shopping to all the local shops to buy yummy eggs and sausages!

Dsd and I laughed at dh when he dismantled and packed his little plastic greenhouse to take camping, but it was fantastic for storage and as it had a plastic cover on it, it kept things dry when the tent leaked. Talk about having to eat our words. We're going to buy another one to keep all our clothes on and have a shelf each.

When camping as a child I can remeber spending most of my time in shorts and swimsuits what ever the weather as they dry really quickly. Mum and Dad used a trailer and filled the boot of our estate but we did go for a fortnight at a time. Mum never took food we just found a local supermarket to buy everything that we needed. We only ever took a few toys/books a footy and frisbee. We used gas lamps but they were suspended from the roof poles of our rather larger 6 berth tent.

We'll have an electric hook up next time, Dh being an electronics electrician thingamajig spotted the potential whilst we were away ( ihad 'neglected' to mention it! ). I am drawing the line at the TV though, I think we were the only ones without one this time, and it will stay that way!

So he is buying some flourescent lights to run off it (He specialises in lighting control unites (DJ's, that sort of thing, so I trust him), and for outside he wants (or will build knowing him) one of the superbright LED lamps. Apparently, LED's drain very little from batteries compared to a normal bulb?

Bought tent this year with the vision of camping ( not been yet ). Reading this thread has been very useful thank you ladies !!! got lots of tips !! was suppose to be off this weekend to Cornwall but DH doesnt want to go as RAIN is on the cards ... have ds3.5 and dd1 . We havent got sleeping bags just thought I would chuck our bedding in am I mad ?

Hello Wills and everyone. Just got back from camping but haven't been that much this year. Feel quite sad now. We have a long wheelbase landrover so plenty of room in the back but we still fill it but that dies include 3 kids bikes. Discovered this year that a basket is great for the clothes as it doubles up as a table. Going to look for a wooden chest next year so we don't have to worry about spillages onto the clothes. Use sleeping bags - not bedding and the self-inflating mattresses take up less space (or the foam ones) and are easier that the blow up mattresses. I find that taking more smaller boxes and breaking things down more helps to keep more order. Each person has their own bag for clothes too to help prevent mess. We have a large pop-up basket for dirty laundry that gets empied into bin bags for trip home to spot it mixing with clean stuff.

We got a dinky kitchen storage thing from a cheapy shop - its like a plastic veg rack which comes apart really easily. Only a couple of quid but works really well.

Don't take food with you. You can always buy stuff there and its better for the local economy.
Make do with minumum amount of plates etc. We use an old trangia for the pans (have a proper cooker now though). Everything fits neatly inside itself with an easy clip on handle. You get two pans, kettle and frying pan taking up the space of one pan. Can probasbly get them cheap on ebay.

After loads of problems with lights we now have a multi fuel lantern, colemans I think which runs off their fuel or of unleaded petrol. Very bright and easy.

Biggest change this year was that we didn't take any toys (7, 5, and 2) and they usually pack a bag each. They were allowed one bag of books to share but they never seem to play with the toys anyway and they get all over the tent. They did have a kite (well DH did) and they had their bikes and that was enough.

Love the tip about packing each days clothes in a seperate plastic bag. Great idea. Also means you'll have loads of spare bags for rubbish etc.

haggered (love the name btw!)

I wouldn't throe in all your bedding, but an extra blanket can be very useful

Haggered - bedding is very bulky and I tend to find not so warm. I would think about popping out and picking up some sleeping bags. There are loads of offers on at the moment with it being the end of the season so you could pick up a good bargin.

The other drawback of chucking in your bedding would be that there is a risk it might get wet - better to have that nice cosy bed ready for when you get home.

You've forked out on the tent afterall so you will obviously get more use out of them next year. Millets have bags reduced to £15. Supermarkets tend to have them too now. Try to get a 2/3 season one

Although I'm sure sleeping bags are warmer, there's something very luxurious about snuggling up under a king-sized duvet, and I'm all for a bit of luxury while camping. Of course that's only for DH and me - the kids have ready beds. We're off tomorrow - I'm looking nervously out of the window at the moment!

Camping is fantastic! here are some tips from Beehive!

Sleeping bags are horrible and itchy, take duvets instead and snuggle down - more bulky, but you will really appreciate a goodnights sleep.

Obviously dont forget to take a bottle opener, it's a bit embarrasing having to borrow one from the tent/caravan next door.

I also take 3 large washing up bowls/buckets.
1 to store clean plates and crockery
1 for dirty plates and crockery
and another for slops (not those kind of slops , but the tea dregs, congealed baked bean variety)

Oh, also i am normally a red wine gal, but unless it's a really hot and barmy evening, it wont be at the right temperature, so pack white instead.

Take some collapsible chairs the idyllic sitting on the floor round the campfire plays havoc with your farmers. Yoemans currently selling off their old stock very cheaply.

The best bit of advice I would give is keep it simple. Buy good gear at a reassuring price that will last and remember you are camping not taking the contents of your home off on an outing. We went to Holland on a bike so really had to cut down on luggage and lived reasonably for ten days cycling up the coast with dd 14mths). I am proud of our holiday and reckon it was challenging but very rewarding. Slightly smug

Strawb - LOL at sleepingbagclaustrophobia - I suffer from this too and couldn't contemplate sharing a sleeping bag with Daddy Kbear, oh no, I'm on my own in my very own one thank you very much.

Ours are old and crap though and as i just posted on Xena's sleeping bag thread i had to make an emergency dash to ASDA for cheap-as-you-like duvets (£6.99) each for me and DH cos we froze on our first night camping this weekend!

i havn't been on mumsnet for ages and am thrilled to find this thread, we have just come back form a week in wales, my top tip to anyone buying a new tent always but one with an extra bedroom, which can be used for all your storage, get a circular peg hanging thingy for your tea towels and wet socks, oh and think about the size of your potty as i sooo nearly overflowed1 my ds's are 19'mths and 3 and they love it balls and kites are also essential and lots of red wine and and lastly earplugs if you can't bear the campstie guitarists or singers for neghbours!!