I know this is the wrong time of year to be worrying about this, but how the hell do we fit it all in the car?

[Cappster]

We have this tent, an 8-man Khyam. (It's too big. There are four of us. BUT dd1 is disabled so we do have to travel with a camping toilet which we pop in a spare bedroom for her. (It's all v proper posh loo with sealed bits etc.)

So we have massive tent. Loo. Wheelchair, all bits, chairs, clothes, mattresses, sleeping bags, coolbox etc etc et-bloody-cetera.

Now I'm thinking we need to get a canopy so we don't end up cooking in the tent and I'm wondering where we will put it? We have a roof box. We have a huuuuuuge boot and one of the three back seats folds down to give extra space (we've got two kids).

The only option I can think of is to leave the kids at home. This is okay, yes?

Does anyone else have problems packing it all in? I've heard of people buying little cupboards to keep all their food in, and I'm just thinking wtf? Do they have a trailer, or something?

leave the kids at home??? what a great idea!

I think those cupboards fold - at least I know there are shelf units that fold...

What car have you got? Could you get a bigger one? Or if not, do you have room to store a trailer? Trailer + roofbox would actually leave you space to breathe in & out in the car

We have given up trying to fit it all in and we are getting a bigger car! The last trip we did, we just had mounds of stuff and although it went in on the way there, it just wouldn't seem to go back in for the return journey. DS2 sat in the back unable to see out for pillows....that was the decider

It's that or a trailer, we already have a roof box. The car is crap so needs replacing anyway.

We are getting a Ford Galaxy, basically the biggest boot we can afford Hopefully will be ok for the 4 of us with the back row of seats down.

Lots do have trailers, roofboxes...or both. My experience of a roofbox is that they look like they should hold more than they should.

lolol at getting a bigger car

we are camping because it is meant to be cheaper

also no, nowhere to store trailer.

that was always our problem too, Cappster; we only have a small back yard. We have a fairly large roofbox which hangs on brackets on the back of the shed (doesn't do the shed much good) but we have nowhere to store a trailer either. (But there are places where people store their caravans in the winter, they would prob store a trailer for you - no idea how much they'd charge though)

Family camping holidays are behind us now anyway (kids not kids any more!) but when we did have them we had a people carrier.

dh is a packing light fiend so struggles with my need for extras like chairs for camping but have learnt a number of tips (dont tell him) over the years...

main one be v v ruthless with packing;
put all your clothes out and reduce by a third - we took half last year than before and assumme launderette trip mid way.

do the same for all kit - we now get all stuff into 1 plastic 80l box including
dont buy furniture stuff for storage- collapsable crates or get boxes from supermarket when you arrive
dont take extra food with you - 1 coolbox worth only.. shop when you arrive.
dont get a canopy get a tarp - tiny in comparison or have takeways when really wet.... eg this
www.newquaycampingshop.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=605&zenid=ase60ej5fvrcgn34eo6m6npfv7

seriously if you are really ruthless you will be amazed what you can do with out.. I do find it tough though.... hth

Good tip about clothes

we took way too many last year but all the wrong stuff

god but takeaways are a grand plan

Last year (our first camping trip) we camped near to home and did two trips to get all the stuff there! This year we are seriously considering DH driving to the campsite with all the stuff while me and the DCs go on the train! Agree about taking too many clothes. I took far too much and the kids just lived in their wet suits so most of the clothes went home clean!

Weve camped for three years now, have one dd (3) and a vectra saloon.it all goes in the boot and on back seat.Thats a six man tent coolbox ,cookers,seats table, sleeping stuff and everything.Aside from that we have a 100ltr rucksack,if it doesnt go in(clothes and toiletries )it doesnt go.Make a big pile of what you want to take -reduce by a third!And have a couple of dummy runs packing the car-we can now get everything bar the tent ,coolbox and one cooker in the boot,its trial and error.There will be a best way to get it in you just have to have a practise!

Many years ago we went on a Eurocamp holiday (ie all camping kit provided) with 3 children, aged 8, 5 & 2, in a Ford Sierra Sapphire; large boot, plus a huge amount of stuff in a tarp on the roof.

Another family on the same site, with children of similar ages, fitted everything inside a much smaller Ford Escort (ie nothing on the roof, & no trailer)

I think minimalist packing is a gift

I agree with the tips about packing light. We've an extra child this year so it will be a bit hairy with the space, we have a focus and a roof box. We also go abroad so don't want a trailer as it costs more on the ferries/tolls.

I tend to use the reusuable supermarket bags for packing clothes (the 50p/£1 ones). They squash well and act as good storage in the tent if the kids have one each they can see their clothes. We also pare clothes down by 1/3rd or a 1/2th, this year I'm thinking 2x shorts/t-shirt sets, 2x trousers/long top sets, spare jumper, 1x pj/s. If it comes to it they can wear normal clothes at night but you can't really wear pj's in the day. Crocs instead of wellies and 1 pair trainers/shoes, plus coats. We end up washing every second day or so this way but it's not that much of a pain.

We will take enough meals, nappies etc for 2-3 days and locate the nearest Netto asap.

We also don't bother with much furniture, we have chairs for everyone, self inflating mattresses and our neighbour lent us a great small table last year too. We take single burners but most campsites have kitchens anyway, we're also considering not taking the cobb because of this We take pillow cases and cushions if room, or fill the pillowcase with a jumper/blanket. Fleece blankets are great for everything- shade, the beach, extra warmth.

I would also second a tarp, we got ours from decathlon they pack very small. I would suggest getting 2 as you can have more combinations with 2 sets of poles.

We also stuff the footwells with items and cover with a blanket in case the kids are sick, much easier to washa blanket rthaer than clean out a bag with it all in.

hire a trailer each time you go .... a bit more expensive but no worries about maintenance costs and you will at least get a decent one

We have a trailer. Sixty squid off ebay.

Cost 3 times that to get the farking tow bar fitted but

You can get a back box, I think that's what they are called, like a roof box but they attach to the back of your car. I think Peachy may have had one in the past. friends have one, gives you more space but you need to un- load it and then detach it before you get into the boot.

The key really is to take less stuff ( says she who has to give the dds a snorkel to breath through in the car due to excess equipment issues).

we only took one bag of medium sized bag of clothes with us for 4 for 2 weeks.

You only need a small cool box.

I sitting appliance per pair of buttocks, or some folk go without and sit on the floor [piles]

Don't talk to me about extraneous bunting shit or fairy lights

Things that squish well are good, so down sleeping bags rather than duvets, self inflating mats rather than camp beds.

The dds have one small rucksack each for their stuff. that is IT, no extra toys or books or anything shoved in elsewhere. I like to think it will make them minimalist packers in the future.

Ponders, we had 3 DC and a mondeo estate last time we did eurocamp. DH insists the load cover rolls over the boot, so he can use the rear view mirror. Fair enough. We did get funny looks from all the families in the ferry queue with roofboxes, bikeracks and DC shoe-horned into their seats unable to get out and stretch their legs for fear of not being able to fit back in the car afterwards.

My tricks:
Put stuff under the DC's feet - mine like having a 'footrest'.
No luggage, just a series of the large tesco re-useable bags. One per person for everything plus one over for bedding & towels and that was IT.
Minimal clothes - 6 underwear, 4 tops, 2 bottoms and a fleece, swimsuit, wetsuit, plus what you are wearing. Lightweight waterproof.
Buy toiletries and food on arrival.
There are shops (unless you are going wild)

Of course we came home with extras like bodyboards, buckets and spades, but DH was more relaxed then.

I take the seats out of the car when I get there and sit on them! saves taking loads of chairs

Slubber x-post "that is IT". It's about being firm (and chucking stuff back into the house when no-one is looking).

I wonder what we are doing wrong

We have a vauxhall vectra hatchback and roofbox and it just will not fit in!! Well, not unless we leave the ds's behind

We have tent, self inflating mats and sleeping bags, 4 chairs, table, that's about it really...

How I wish I was more of a minimalist camper...

Last time we went it was freezing, the extra fleeces and thermals we needed tipped us over the edge from a full car to 'it's not going in' territory.

I will try reusable bags. And less clothes...maybe

Decant stuff in smaller containers & take only what you need, use compression sacks for sleeping bags and pillows etc.

And quality of kit has a bearing - we have self-inflating mats which roll up really small and are way warmer and more comfy than a bulky airbed or campbed.

I have become expert at camping with a Fiat Punto - only one child, though we have sometimes fitted a small bike in...

Pack all the small squashable stuff first under the drivers and passenger seats etc.
Pack squashable stuff (like sleeping bags or pillows) under v heavy stuff so the heavy stuff squashes it to minimum bulk, don't take big bulky awkwardly shaped items like a bucket BBQ, I pack stuff into the blue IKEA bags rather than crates because they can be moulded into a space, whereas stiff inflexible containers can be wasteful of boot space.

Pack foods, condiments etc in ziplock and plastic bags rather than bulky plastic containers.

Halfords have good sale deals on roof boxes and fit them for free.

We've got a bigger car, now - phew!

Chippy - our self-inflating double mattress takes up more space than a deflated air bed - what am I doing wrong?

We did have a pump - one of those two-way big pumps - that was v bulky - now have a car with a little power socket in the boot so can save space and effort with a tiny electric pump now.

yy deffo agre about putting things in soft squashable bags rather than solid plastic containers. I bought a load of beautiful plastic boxes, fold downable they were too but a NIGHTMARE to fit in the car with the rest of the stuff. Now they have christmas decorations in.

I have become suprememly anal with the packing as I wont't pack anything non soft in the passenger area of the car in case we are in an accident. So everything 'hard' has to go behind the dog guard in the boot or in the roof box.

I only put light things in the roof box because a heavy roof box is danger danger (increased risk of rolling i think).

Nor will I put anything under the dds child seats as that affects how they work

AND

dh (like your dh Chippy) INSISTS on being able to see through the back window

so I spend half a day putting things in and taking them out again.

should be a gcse subject

The one thing I would never compromise on taking was a huge coolbox (\link{http://www.outdoormegastore.co.uk/acatalog/Coleman_48_Quart_Combo_Cool_Box.html\this one I think}) - it makes a fabulous ant-proof store for dry food, and 2 people can sit on it (3 if they have small bottoms )

oh and triple nods to not taking food (apart for the first night dinner and tea bags).

My first proper trip chez family I took eight eight tins of bakes beans (in amongst the two full boxes of other food).

Imagine my suprise to find the campsite shop (in most forrin North Wales) also sold baked beans.