Transporting all the camping gear

[TheWayOfTheWorld]

How do you all do it? We went camping a couple of times last years but went to places where the tent is already put up for you so we could decide whether camping is for us.

I've now bought a tent (yay!) but trying to work out how on earth we will pack everything.

We haven't got a huge boot so we hired a roof box last year and the car was stuffed to seams, and this was without a tent, beds or tables etc...

We do have a second car but it seems a bit ridiculous to take both.

Does anyone have a trailer? I've been having a google but don't know where to start

Try carrying everything you need on your bike (yes I have done this). Try flying on airplanes with bike, camp stuff, ordinary stuff, with plan to cycle + camp in other countries. Perfectly possible but the list has to whittle right down. And if you think I'm nuts, check out Josie Dew hauling camping gear & 2 under 5 children around the North Sea. I think she took the ferry, at least.

By my standards, OP is glamping. That requires big vehicles or local resources. I borrowed extra warm sleep bags from my cousin in California last year.

Top box. To save space, we've always used rollmats or air mattresses not camp beds.

We put all our kitchen stuff in one of those big plastic storage boxes with a clip lid that you can get in office supplies places - all the plates, cutlery, matches, tea towels, kitchen towel, the washing line if it's a long trip etc etc etc. Then when you're at the campsite, you have a waterproof, squirrel-proof store for your food, plus an extra surface for food prep or as a seat.

Then when we get home, the plastic box and all the stuff in it gets a clean, then it all just goes back into the shed till next time.

Trailers are very useful, its nice to be able to leave it packed with all the camping gear ready to go.
Down side is storage ours takes up half the garage, but some of the cheaper light weight ones can be stored on there side, I even have a friend who takes theirs apart and keeps it in the shed
Oh and do you really need all the stuff?

DD and I managed to get all our gear into a Mini, but we had the full back seat as well as the boot for that.

Usually, we have a small estate with a half-size roof box (currently an Audi A3).

Tent (4 man Vango), I have a camp bed, DD has a sleeping mat. 2 small tables that fold away, 2 camping chairs that fold away, wind break.

10l water barrel. 1 ring gas stove and a small bucket style BBQ.

Most gear is in a 40l plastic crate, and a 22l plastic tub for kitchen equipment.

Add to that 2 decent sleeping bags, 2 pillows, a couple of spare blankets, picnic rugs, and some clothes, and some food. I tend to pack clothes in large Ikea Ziploc bags, either in types or as whole outfits, for ease of use, and these can then be squashed to get the air out like vacuum bags so take up less space.

I fill in nooks and crannies with small things, pillows and rugs have gone under people's feet (I sometimes carry Cub Scouts instead of DD), sleeping bags across knees ETC.

And avoid, as much as possible, things that are solid. So while I have a solid plastic tub for the kitchen stuff, I have a fabric coolbag that is sufficient for our needs and can be squished a bit. And I have left the larger tub behind on occasion, and only bring my bed when I have room for it (I have a thermarest that works ok if I need to condense gear, but I am still desperately seeking the nirvana of good sleep on camp, which is vital when minding Cubs especially!).

If you buy a trailer it's vital to have a spare wheel, wheel brace and jack just in case.
Check local tip will let you in with it ours has to have the box bit under 6ft, its about 5ft x 3.1/2 ft with a lockable wooden lid, so secure and can also be used for tip runs, we moved house with a Mini Metro and a trailer!

We just about manage without a roofbox but take less bulky things. So sims for everyone, not beds. No camp kitchen, just a small table to put stove on. Ate sitting on folding chairs with plate on lap. Used really useful 35l boxes as additional table surface. We have a Renault grand scenic so boot is pretty good.

We used to have a tow bar bag for the tent and everything else then fitted in the boot.

We travel light, and take a pickup truck. We load the ATV and pack camping stuff around it

We know a family of five who camp, they bring a smell trailer fur the tent and a roof box but seem to have all the mod cons including scooters for the kids. Packed to the hilt mind. Also as pp said they have a grocery delivery on arrival. I guess you get better at it the more you do it.

Small trailer for the tent

Box trailers are about £100 so might be worth considering

We have a Focus and no roof box! Roll mats, no pillows for sleeping. We just about manage tent, sleeping bags, stove, chairs, utensils, gas in the boot and around children. I don’t camp for longer than 3 days though!

Start with the essentials - when you have taken all the advice above and packed your first car to the max, ask yourself if it is really worth driving that second car for the remaining (quite probably) luxuries. A bbq seems nice-but-monstrously-bulky! If campsites don't hire them.out,maybe they should?

And if the bbq is essential, ditch the kitcken and just take a 2ring stove. In fact, ditch the kitchen It's meant to be a holiday!!

I've bought a roof bag, shall see how we get on with that.

@candycane222 I've got a small folding bbq, it's really nifty!

To everyone else saying take less stuff etc - I don't WANT to, I want my comfortable bedding, 10cm SIMs, camp kitchen, kitchen shelter, chairs and fairy lights

@candycane222 I've got two little gas stoves (only take one for a weekend).

Fair enough - it's your holiday! #noseatbeltsintheback #cateringnotuptoyourstandard

@candycane222 I have only got into camping in my 40s, never went as a child, and I do like my comforts.

I am most definite a glamper rather than a camper (although there is not much glamour involved in weeing into a bucket with a plastic bag filled with cat litter in the middle of the night...)

After a few camping weekends many years ago we realised we don't like roughing it and we do like to be comfortable. So we take everything to make camping a pleasure rather than an SAS survival course.
If you need and can afford to take two cars then do so.

Thanks for that image @TheWayOfTheWorld - I suppose it beats the old nettle sting on the bum nighttime hedge wee....

We like glamping too but when we do that we go somewhere with cabin/tent already set up with kitchen stuff and fridge!

My childhood camping trips mostly involved a trailer. But my parents were generally packing enough for over a week staying somewhere we needed to take our own drinking water not just all food. Good memories of the time a kangaroo was found unpicking the trailer cover to get at the bananas in the middle of the night!

We went camping a few weeks ago and were pitched next to a family with huge tent and all mod cons inc electric kettle and toaster. They had two teenagers and a dog. We couldn't see any sign of roof box or trailer and the dog crate filled up most of their boot. DH and I spent three days wondering whether they had magic packing skills or a Tardis car before we got chatting and they mentioned the second car in the car park!

Wasn't me @FurryGiraffe

Think it must be more of a common thing - when scouring for campsites I notice that a lot of them are charging for a second car etc. Anyway, will try and avoid. But have just bought an event shelter to tag into the tent (for longer stays) and it is nearly as big and heavy as the tent

we don't have a car, so rent the largest possible SUV. Even if we had a car, we would probably have to do this. We didn't skimp on the size of tent, and that alone will fill the book of any small car.