Seeking tips for making it all a bit easier...

[taybert]

I love camping and did it for years pre kids pretty minimally. Since having children we take more “stuff” which once set up makes life easier or more comfortable but all adds to the time setting up and putting away. So camping kitchen saves my back and keeps everything easy to find but is another thing to put away. SIMs- much more comfortable for everyone but take ages to roll up and put away for 4 people (children still a bit small to help in a useful way)

So, I’m looking for any tips you have to make camping a bit easier, especially in terms of setting up and putting away but anything really, post them here!

Some campsites have fire pits to hire and whilst campsite shops are expensive, you could buy fresh food as and when you need it to avoid having to take a coolbox or fridge.
For our first few trips we survived on a combination of food made with a camping kettle, packet food and eating out. No stove needed.
Depending on where you're camping, some takeaway delivery firms might actually deliver straight to your tent. I've also stayed on campsites where the local pub will deliver to the site. This would save you having to take washing up stuff and crockery/cutlery.
There are a few sites where you can hire a pre-erected tent.
At this site you can hire a tent either already furnished or unfurnished. www.plattsfarm.com/pre-erected-tent/
Here are a few more which have that facility
www.orchardcampsite.co.uk/pre-erected-tents/ This one has an enclosed play area, a kitchen area with free to use hot water, fridge, freezer, kettle and microwave, plus a coin operated washing machine and dryer which is always handy!
www.treenfarmcampsite.com/pre-erected-tents
www.eazycamp.co.uk

For weekends and long weekends I manage with a one ring stove and either cooking on a campfire or a BBQ.

Meticulous meal planning:
Breakfast: tea / coffee (kettle on stove). Brioche rolls / pain chocolate/ porridge in the instant pots, no washing up. Fruit.

Lunch: rolls, or make massive sandwiches of a whole tortilla with cheese and other fillers, Heat both sides in a frying pan till melted, cut in quarters, for a Tortilla Toastie. With cherry toms. Flapjacks.
Dinner; BBQ: sausage and burger, or halloumi, or chicken fillet kebabs, veg kebabs, whatever you like. Add baked beans fine in stove if you like.

Sims do take a lot of rolling. Is your car big enough to lay them flat on top of everything else in roof box or Estate boot to take home and then store flat under a bed or upright behind wardrobe? You are supposed to store them unrolled anyway (but no one does).

I always take the last evening and morning’s washing up
Home in the washing up bowl in a bin liner and put it straight in the dishwasher when I get home.

We have one camping chair per person. No blow up sofas etc

I just don’t make life easy for myself! I don’t think we can get the SIMs in unrolled. They’re a total pain in the arse but I can’t see us using anything else now, they’re so much more comfortable.

I really enjoy cooking when we’re camping and planning the meals etc but it’s probably the main source of the hassle.

It’s catch 22 really, it feels like it’s either easy or comfortable/fun. I keep thinking there must be another way! I’ll just keep buying gadgets until I find the camping holy grail.

My favourite campsites have the otion of pre-erected bell tents with all the kit included. It's not so much glamping as it's off grid and you have to take your own bed sheets but the tent is already set up, there are beds and all the basic cooking equipment you'd need. I pretty much always take my own tent but when I'm feeling lazy or short on time to organise the bell tents are a bit of a heaven send as you don't really need to pack anything at all -
thesecretcampsites.co.uk/

Hope that helps!

I use some plastic drawer units for all kitchen and eating stuff. They then pack straight into the car with everything in so no need to repack or build/dismantle the kitchen unit. Then once home they stay all ready loaded in the cupboard.

We take a lot of gear, the time taken to set up is worth it for me as everything is easier from then on, kitchen stuff, tables and chairs, beds/bedding (mattress enhancers), table top fridge, table top freezer (we camp in France, lollies are cheaper in supermarkets)

Food wise I take cooked breakfast things frozen, once we've eaten those supplies we have croissants from the campsite shop, I pack paper plates for that type of breakfast only cutlery and cups to wash up.

In the morning I drink coffee so I pack a vacuum jug, boil enough water to fill it and use that for my coffee all morning, save traipsing for water every time and having to wait for a kettle to boil.

Delegate, my dd usually comes with us, we take turns to do washing up. She's responsible for keeping her own tent tidy, airbed pumped up etc.

I think that to have a good camping set up, it takes a bit of time to set up! I avoid camping for just a weekend because of this, preferring 3/4 nights away.

For us, it's all in the planning. Planning meals, what we will be doing etc. As without that, I end up chucking loads in "just in case" and forgetting half the things that are actually useful.

I have a list of essentials that has been built over time, and plastic boxes for things. Makes for easy packing and storage and a neat tent (a serious factor in what makes camping stressful for me is letting the tent get messy/out of hand)

For me, the main trick is to avoid the middle part. So, many set ups require a camper to pack the car, then assemble furniture, then take stuff from the car to put in the furniture and then vice versa when striking camp. So, we have a couple of kitchen boxes which our plates/cutlery travel in, and then when we have the kitchen stand up, they go straight on there and act as a cupboard. A poster upthread mentioned a similar idea with plastic drawer boxes. Likewise with clothes- live out of bags rather than bother with a cupboard. We each have an ikea laundry bag to store these.

I find basic tables much quicker to put up- we do have a kitchen stand but I would swop it to a table if I could.

Don't unpack anything you don't need to, so we have an emergency box with duct tape, spare pegs etc but this can stay in the car unless you need it. Agree with only take 1 chair. Encourage the children to help when you can, they'll be experts in a few years.

Get a food delivery to site if you can. The day before strike go through the pockets and try to empty in the right places, they do keep the tent tidy but can be a dumping ground. When striking, try to make everyone stick dirty washing in 1-2 bags, and repack their bags with only clean clothes, makes unpacking easier at the other end. If there is time, I try to do a wash at the campsite, as I find that helps a lot.

I saw a couple in a tent who had everything in plastic boxes. Last year, for the boys camping, they each had a plastic box with their clothes in. Meant we just took it out of the car and it Went under the camp beds. Dirties in a bag then just threw bag in plastic box then back in the car. Saved a load of time not putting up the bastarding cupboard.

I came on to say plastic boxes! Makes life so much easier- and lifesavers if it rains.

I love setting up a camp. So we used to put up the tent, then unload the car then DP used to take the kids off to explore, do a supermarket shop and buy obligatory plastic tat, while I happily pottered with my doll’s house.

The biggest/best cool box you can fit in the car/afford is a fantastic thing.

Just to say massive thank you to those who have put links up for pre-erected tents, never knew this was a thing, but could be enough to make us try camping without having to shell out for a load of gear first!

We just bought a cheap £500 caravan, heating proper beds and cupboards, place to hang wet clothes.
We then started going away all year no matter what the weather.
We now have an old motor home and its fab, couldn't afford it unless we could fix it ourselves.

@AlwaysColdHands that's exactly how we got into camping last year, really recommend it.

I've now got into it big time (satisfies my dual passions of research and buying stuff ) - I have a couple of bags packed with basic stuff (crockery, cutlery, utensils, matches, tea lights (real and battery), kettle, condiments, pegs, bulldog clips, carabiners etc (you get the idea!) so that they are ready to go whenever we have a trip. I've also got a folding ottoman cube for each of us -doubles as bedside tables and is somewhere were we all stash our clothes etc.

I bought a Campervan, though I still have to put up a awning/tent for the kids as they refuse to share the bed in the van, it has made things a bit easier though as we can just bundle everything back into the van and sort it out when we get home. Air beds are always going to be a pain but I can manage without them (dd would moan too much). I would love a air awning/tent to make set up quicker, it’s on my list of things I want to buy but can’t afford 🤣

I have two plastic tubs full of camping stuff ready to go at all times. One is full of cooking stuff & clean stuff. The other is full of equipment eg lanterns, matches, candles, washing line, card games, tea towels, tin opener etc.

I just have to put everything in the car & then we're off. We use air beds & sleeping bags. Folding picnic table, camping chairs, kitchen stand. Windbreaks. Gazebo.