Oi it's too quiet, I don't like it

[Caerlaverock]

I only came back to be a tent Hun and goad slubber about cadacs but there is nothing doing. [twangs a guy rope provocatively]

Thank God Megalosaurus. I was beginning to think I was on my own there. We don't have TV, satellite dish or windbreaks. Or a fridge.

I have a fridge too

Aha! I feel like Ray Mears compared to you now Mega

Except without the hand-whittled kayak.

We had a dustpan and brush even when we used to minimalist camp, no mattress even but always a brush.

God I love having a fridge, IMO if you start hankering after kitchens and fridges get a campervan.

I would love a campervan. They don't usually have carpet though do they?

I am a carpet convert I must say, don't miss small puddles in the creasy bits of the groundsheet and the kids like sprawling out on it.

When we went camping in Spain years ago it always seemed the Dutch who had the most caravan accoutrements. We pitched on a quiet site near Valencia with hardly anyone there and woke up encircled by a platoon of Dutch vans that had arrived overnight, all with huge awnings and enormous satellite dishes. They had literally pitched in a circle around us, twas like falling asleep in a sleepy hamlet and waking up in New York

I always wish I had a dustpan and brush when we pack up (and sometimes earlier). Might get round to putting one in the car - or persuade one of my camping companions to bring one. We don't need one each, one between 3 families would be fine. And they have bigger cars!

I bought a solar powered light in Lidl to poke in the ground outside our tent to help stop me tripping over the guys at night. It changes colour . DS loves it. It's not minimal camping, though. I have bunting too

I have bunting too :) I made it myself and mighty proud of it I am too, I even took it to my eurocamp tent! (if truth be told it took me so long to make I am loathe to expose it to the great British summer!)
Then we always have a little jam jar of flowers on the (ex) table and little nightlights in jars- DH just rolls his eyes but DS and I love it :)
Oh, and we also have a fish on a long tall stick so we know where we are- hardly Ray Mears here!!

We had solar fairy lights on our tent but they were wasted because we only saw them come on once. We were in bed before dark most nights

Days like today make me want to go camping - doesn't happen very often (that I want to go) but I could just imagine sitting outside a tent sipping some wine whilst the DCs run wild.

BTW, we have a carpet that goes into the tent. It's not actually a tent carpet, as it's just an old rug that we throw down so there's somewhere to sit

I also take a plug in kettle and a toaster.

Am I going to be thrown out of the MN Camping Club?

Exactly how big is your car Mega?

It's a tardis SMAX with a roofbox and 5ofus in it.

My DP has a canny knack with packing

Oh yes we take our travel kettle too

Ok thats it I am getting a kettle

I have never had an EHU- I am hardcore :)

I have never had an EHU- I am hardcore :)

I have a kitchen - it even has a hanging rail and hooks for my utensils

Mid-August will be the first tent outing - it'd better be fucking scorchio by then

Mine is something akin to this so folds up reasonably small.

i have just lent my SIMs to someone for the next fortnight. this almost guarantees blazing sun for the next fortnight.

I have never had an EHU - I am tightfisted

Dh draws the line at an electric kettle... Says its not camping if you don't have to go out in the rain to a whistling kettle.
I don't care coz I make him go out in the rain to the kettle.

EHU was one of our first purchases - how else would I charge my iPhone?

I don't do EHU.
Too expensive
Not my style of site
Have no applaiances that need it.

HOWEVER I believe travel kettles can be boiled from the car battery socket thingy?

We never do EHU but I wonder this year, how am I going to charge our kindles? Which we bought partly to reduce the huge box of books we took last time we went away for several weeks. We may be minimalist on camping equipment but our car is very full with 5 of us, often 5 bikes, kayak, rubber dinghy, 2 windsurfers, wetsuits and lifejackets, and the book box. It's quite overloaded.