Camping - are you permanently packed up and ready to go?

[SmileAndNod]

And if so, what do have?

We're getting a trailer as we now have 'too much stuff' so this weekend the task is packing it so it's always ready to hook up and go. Obviously the tent, footprint, cooker will go in, but what else?

Was thinking having a kitchen box with essentials in - do you dedicated camping stuff or do you take your everyday stuff? Like I say I want to be as organised as possible but don't know where start!!!

I had 3 stackable boxes with kitchen stuff, torches and blankets etc and food! They fitted neatly into the boot of the car or on the back seat if we were only taking Dd3!

We have a caravan now so keep most stuff in there. We have dedicated camping/caravaning stuff

We have a box with all the cooking stuff, plates, cutlery etc in. it also has things like olive oil, salt and pepper, tinfoil, tea bags, washing up stuff etc.
I'd pack the trailer with camping chairs, table, camping BBQ and charcoal, water carrier, torches/lamps etc. What do you sleep on? I wouldn't keep my SIM and sleeping bags in there, but if you use a camp bed or inflatable mattress that could go in?
You'll know after the next trip what needs to be in there...

Before we had a TT, we did this, albeit not in a trailer but in a place where it was ready to go. I made up 2 kitchen boxes- one for plates/cups etc and the other for cutlery/foil etc. Then we had a larger box which held a lot of the other gubbins- pegs etc. I also used to take another same-sized empty box and lid (sliding the camping box into this one) so we had somewhere to store food on site but not taking up loads of space in the car.

We had loads of camping stuff so sorting out a kitchen box was easy, the rest of the stuff we needed I picked up in charity shops/wilcos.

It did save loads of time and energy.

Don't laugh but I even have a laminated list of food stuck to the cool box so that I can shop/pack in a hurry - coffee, tea bags, milk, bread, butter, cereal, wine, biscuits etc.

It's all the 'essentials' for the first night/morning and means that nothing gets forgotten.

Kitchen box includes tea towels, washing up liquid, kitchen roll, matches, antibacterial wipes etc.

An old gym bag has torches, first aid kit, spare batteries ready to go.

Sort of. We have two big metal cupboards 7ft by 3ft ish and all our gear is in plastic boxes on those, tents on a shelving unit. Sleeping bags are stored in big cotton bags in an upstairs cupboard. Trailer has table, chairs, little Hago kitchen stand.

All we have to do is to decide which style of camping, big tent = trailer and lots of unnecessary stuff, tipi = roof box and dog usually or cycle camping.

We have got three sets of gear as well, the only thing we share is the trangia and lanterns.

For everything but cycle camping I even have a box of basic food packed, baked beans, coffee in plastic tubs, tea bags, flavoured couscous packets, risotto kits, tin of soup, porridge sachets, herbs, oil. Things that don't go off basically. We camp enough not to worry about it being in there too long generally and I clear out the coffee, tea, porridge type things if we aren't going for a couple of months.

Thank you all, we've been busy this weekend sorting out and packing

So we've got the footprint, tent, poles, carpet, extension, cupboards, tables chair in the trailer.

I've done two boxes - one with plates, cups, wine glasses (v important) and non perishable food as suggested - tea, coffee, oil, s&p, beans, rice, cereals in that I plan to keep stocked. A box with household type stuff - foil, freezer bags, anti bac wipes, kitchen roll, tea towels, matches, pegs, torches, batteries, bbq equipment etc

I have a lovely shiny new icey tek - I'm borrowing the laminated list - that's a great idea