Cheap roof bags. Would this solve this problem?

[Sigyn]

I endure take the kids camping quite a bit over the summer, and my big thing is being warm. Big big thing for me. I can deal with any level of shit exciting times but I need to be properly warm especially at night.

Anyway, we've spent years camping, every summer the tent is lugged down from the loft and my kids whoop with joy and my heart dies a little . I've spent years not taking toys taking only the essentials in order to maximise our duvet taking capabilities.

We have roof bars on the roof that go parallel to the car but nothing that goes across.

All I am putting on the roof is as many duvets as humanly possibly, folded and probably double wrapped neatly in a few tarps. So they are relatively light, and well distributed (dp is a physics geek, so proper weight distribution is a particular obsession interest and one he is keen to share with the kids). Could also fold the token sleeping bags rather than bagging them and stick them up there.

So REALLY all I need is a solid enough bag which attaches securely to the roof bars...no?

What are your thoughts on this plan?

If it helps, I would rather drive quite slowly to our destination if it means warmth at the other end.

We have inflatable roof bars for our roof bag, but I think we'd be fine without. Maybe add a ratchet strap to the roof rails?

Do you have EHU? Electric blanket = less need for duvets. I wake up toooooo hot!

Don't have EHU. The real issue here is that the kind of wild camping/tiny festivals we do does not lend itself to EHU.

However it does lend itself to me sitting in our nice tent in a nest of duvets with a some and a book while dp and the kids do camping things, whatever they are

I suppose what I'm trying to work out, in my convoluted way , is whether, basically, any old cheapy roof bag will do to just take a load of folded duvets (inside a tarp or two) on the roof. Or whether I need one of those super thule jobs-at which point I might as well buy a box.

Thermals? Better sleeping bags? Blankets?
All smaller than duvets.

Have thermals and 4 season sleeping bags.

Want duvets. Big ones

Actually, do I even need a special bag, I wonder?

I could make a bag myself out of that pvc lined fabric you get, tablecloth stuff, and ratchet strap it to the roof bars...

?

I'm not sure about the roof bag, but one thing I've found helps when taking duvets camping is putting them in vacuum bags (you get travel ones that don't need a hoover, you just roll them by hand to get thm.air out). It makes them much smaller.

Also, you can pick up roof boxes pretty cheaply secondhand (ours was 20 on email with roof bars). It's nice to have our stuff locked away when we're stopping at services and similar.

I don't see why your plan wouldn't work, though.

On eBay, obviously. I have not yet managed to email a roof box.

the travel vacuum bag idea is a very good one, I like it :-)

Will take a look on ebay too for a roof box. TBH its also storing the thing.

Was wondering actually about just making a kind of secure parcel of duvets inside a tarp and rachet strapping them to the roof bars?

I don't see why it wouldn't work, but I'd have visions of my lovely duvet escaping on the motorway and wrapping around the cat behind.

attheendoftheday your predictive text is making me almost wet myself

So it would be ok as long as there were no unusually speedy cats on the motorway?

I'll check my rear view mirror carefully all the way

Bloody cats.

More importantly, what are you putting the duvets onto? Lying on the ground absolutely soaks the heat from you. Can you get a collapsible camping bed, inflatable mattress or some such?

We have fat airics, and we actually often put those on foam as well.

Although this year I am thinking airics for the kids and one of those bloody huge Coleman's jobs for me with a car pump. (and yes, a blanket underneath because of the cold air...)

Honestly, I think my problem is I have so done camping. I am not quite the young whippersnapper I once was, I get zero enjoyment out of knowing I've survived another day and tbh feel deep down that its bloody good of me to go camping at all. Meanwhile dp and the kids are keen to try bivvying, which sounds like a lovely father-child bonding experience to me.