How do you organise all 'the stuff?'

[StandardLampski]

I know this has prob been done before, but I'm sat in the midst of a puddle of stuff.
.. cooking utensils.... basin... pans... food....torches....gas canisters.... just lots of camping things. Toys for kids. Kettle. Things that wont fit in nearly together
Getting overwhelmed. And know that the last few years I've been feeling the same while actually camping.

Anyway.
Normally I have lots of bags for life for stuff.
Food
Toys
STUFF.
I kind of line them up at the side of the tent.
And I do have a hanging organiser.

no matter how much I organise things at first, people ( glaring at you, kids) rifle through the bags and it just ends up in chaos.

So anyway, what I'm asking is - please, how do you firstly pack things, and secondly, keep them.organised in tent?

I see people use boxes but I'm pretty sure boxes aren't going to fit in car. J use bags for squishyness!
Or just accept the chaos??

We use boxes, two with kids that lock into place. One has al our plates glasses cups etc. The other has gas canister, lights, cooking utensils bits and bobs. We have a camp kitchen and when we're set up I empty the boxes onto the shelves so it's easy to get stuff and then use the boxes to store food so that it's easy to see what's where and the ants can't get in.

For clothes we have a collapsible
Cupboard. Inside the bag for this i store two old collapsible IKEA Kallax boxes which I use in the tent for shoes bags and toys/colouring etc.

Sorry I meant two with lids although no down that storing the kids in boxes would limit the chaos 😂😂

Kitchen unit with shelf’s first all that stuff. Shoe unit like plastic and fabric for clothes. Toys live under the heater table/in the children’s bedroom. Shower stuff in the built in pockets. Shoes in the front part of the tent.

All depends on your set up really. We have a big tent that basically has a kitchen, living room and bedrooms.

Packing wise I cram everything into any space that is an item I’m taking. So I take a mini oven, all my cutlery and utensils go inside that etc . My children are allowed to pack a back pack each only of toys/teddy’s and they don’t touch the rest of the camping gear before we leave.

Plastic crates for all the food-related stuff - one with burners, pots and pans; one with 'crockery' 'glassware' and cutlery; one with cans, oil, dry pasta etc. Bags for other foods.

Hanging organiser for stuff that you'll need immediate access to through the day - wipes and lamps and such.

Bedding goes into the bedrooms and stays there, along with clothing.

Tent area gets cleared out before mealtimes to avoid buildup.

You do have to be a bit militant about it.

Kitchen unit that folds flat to travel but has built in shelves etc to have pots etc in
We have a couple of small plastic boxes with all out cutlery etc in one and then washing up stuff is in another. Big trug that we use for dirty stuff as we go and then is a washing up sink too. That holds tons of stuff in it in the car. We smoosh all the bedding in there.

I use those foldable raffia baskets for each of us. One each for clothes in the tent and then I have a larger laundry basket that we use for coats and bulkier stuff.

I have a wooden wine crate with a lid that we use for all out kitchen stuff to transport the itdpubles as a low table in the Trent for nightlights, card games and odds like that

The big game changer for us was having 2 tables. One for the “kitchen” so for prep etc and one for eating. So much more space.

We have space saving bedding, microfibres tiny towels, and we pack light for clothing.

I have to caveat my post by saying I don't travel light!

Similar to others, I have 2 plastic boxes with click on lids - 1 for kitchen stuff pans, gas canisters, kettle etc and 1 for crockery, glasses, cups etc. When we arrive the second box gets unpacked into the folding cupboard and the empty box acts as a store cupboard for non cool box food. We have a kitchen unit that the stove sits on and the boxes fit snugly under that out of the way.

Clothes etc go in squishy holdalls at the end of each bed (although I 'm going to steal the fold up Ikea box idea up thread). Shoes go in a plastic trug in the canopy of the tent and coats are hung up in the canopy on a washing line.

I agree that 2 tables is a game changer - one for kitchen prep and one for eating.

I am quite lazy, so have looked for ways that stuff gets transported in the car and then stays in that in the tent, I can't be doing with cupboards.

We have 2x kitchen boxes, one is a biggish one for plates/cups and another is actually a 2 layer cake store typr box for cutlery/foil/matches etc. When we set up the kitchen stand, I separate the cake box and that becomes a cutlery drawer and then stand the plates up in the box/rearrange the cups so that they are fairly accessible.

Everyone has 1 zipped bag for life for clothes. They stay in here all the time. We do have separate bag for lifes for coats and swim stuff, they are stored under big tables.

We currently use 2 plastic trugs for shoes but I am trying a hanging organiser this summer, if only for the flipflops etc.

I take 2 larger plastic boxes for food. To travel I slide one in the other to nest and fill up with gubbins, placing the 2 lids on the top. On site, I empty out the gubbins, and separate and then use for food. Taking boxes this way means they don't take up space in the car but are useful in the tent.

I agree that tables are a game changer, and I prefer them over a cupboard/kitchen stand, they pack smaller and are more verstatile.

I have seen some travel with the plastic drawers like this Some travel with it made up in the car, or you could fill the drawers and take the rest of it apart.

I have this bag packed with my kitchen stuff - Andes Insulated Camping Kitchen Store Travel Cool Bag Picnic Cooler Box https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01I5A8FV2/ref=cmswwrcppapiii_6IYfFbP2V3MYE - and a fold flat kitchen cupboard. If going for a weekend I take a small one, if a longer trip I will take one with more work space and 2 cupboards.

For storage in the tent everyone packs their clothes etc in packing cubes and each person has a folding ottoman cube - clothes, toiletries and books etc get stored in there and it doubles as a bedside table/stool too.

I have a couple of folding storage caddies, similar to this: www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.popsugar.co.uk/home/photo-gallery/46434720/image/46434724/Kirkton-House-Storage-Caddy/amp

I have also 3 of these tables (one in each size) - they fold down to nothing, are easy to construct and are sturdy.

TREKOLOGY Portable Camping Table with Aluminum Table Top, Hard-Topped Folding Table in a Bag for Picnic, Camp, Beach, Useful for Dining, Cutting, Cooking with Burner & Easy to Clean https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B085RDSK24/ref=cmswwrcppapiii_ZNYfFbRWH6SK1

When we camped we used two plastic storage drawer units (each 3 drawers) each drawer with contents written on with sharpie - one drawer had kettle, matches in a glass jar, lighter, another had string, tent pegs, washing line, mallet, tools, scissors etc, another had torches, lanterns and fairy lights and batteries, another small mirror, comb, first aid kit, etc. Another for boules, cards, tennis balls, frisbee and so on. And at the end and beginning of each trip we'd check everything was there, just load them upright into the boot of the car and get them out at the other end. My husband made a table top to put across the two units. Also another box with a good lid for things like salt, pepper, tea and coffee stuff, etc.

Oh and kitchen shelving unit for all the cutlery, crockery, cereal boxes etc

Yeah we take a few tables. Outside picnic bench for the kids to eat at/draw at. Another one that we cook on, a food prep one and a tiny one the heater sits on to keep it off the floor and our new kitchen unit technically can have stuff on it as well so lots of places to sit things. We also take a counter top fridge that travels fully loaded.

But we don’t travel light we fill a s max and roof box and are planning a tow bar. Had got one but “d”h bottomed that car out weeks later 🤬

We have three 35 L Really Useful boxes. All the bitty camping stuff lives in them in the garage, on camp they are used for food. Also they double up to sit on or put a drink on.
Clothes live in sports bags in the bedrooms, one per person.

However we have just downsized our tent so now each person is going to get a tin plate and a shoe box. I fear we might have to go down to Two Boxes. But at least we won't need two days before the holiday just for packing.

To avoid kids rifling through the food (and eating all the snacks) I started dividing into a bag per day and locking them on the boot of the car. Pre teen + teen

Thanks for all the replies!
Ok, I've gleaned that boxes and a camp kitchen/cupboard are what ppl do... but atm, we dont have room in car really.
I'm going to roll with chaos for the next weekend away ( although I'm stealing the lock snacks in the car idea!! Love it! And possibly clothes too)

I have 2 kallax boxes I can use when we get there, but will bring the stuff in bags.

And see how grumpy I/ the husband get.
He is trying to argue we don't need a table?? My only luxury

I've been after roof bars / a roof bag or box for years now but he is reluctant .
But we have less boot space in this car and kids legs getting longer so...

So so pleased to be camping though.
Didnt think the option would be there this year... then stressing about local lockdown... but we are go! This weekend.

Em. Better start thinking about packing

If you can't use boxes, collapsible crates also work well for in-tent organisation. Try the following for the small car.

-Everyone gets a rucksack of clothes.

• If you are using Bags for Life, colour-co-ordinate them for each area and peg the handles together. So for example:

• Kitchen
• Bathroom (towels and toiletries)

-Living room (e.g. torches, games, cards)

• Toys
• Tent gear.

Food can be divided into fresh, dried and fragile.

Pack so the last thing in is the first thing out. If you don't have a set of hanging pockets, take a bowl for the random crap that accumulates. I also recommend using spare

Why is he reluctant? Is it the cost or that basically he want a bare basics camp and you want something less stressful and his worried more space means more gadgets

Just thought of something else we do. I roll the kids clothes into day outfits shorts T-shirt's pants rolled up then they just have to remove one roll a day, less rummaging!

super i used to do that when the kids were little!

He is reluctant for roof rack /box as he thinks they cause accidents when not properly closed.
( so check it's on properly )

Plus also I'd bring more stuff

I like the colour coding the bags idea

I do roll complete outfits. And have zip lock bags for underwear.

Hanging washbag, and we microfiber or hammam towels.

We do have a hanging organiser.

I've fixed the ripped pockets and will look af how I can make it hang more evenly ( it kind of lurches to one side)

We do have a pop up laundry basket. But last year it kept going emptied out ( and being put on people's heads , if I recall)
Will stash dirty clothes in the car

Will see how we get on !
I really do try to keep every thing tidy
Have bought new lanterns too so I can actually see

My aim is too be more calmly organised, rather than stressed organised
Thanks for all the tips!

The biggest game changer for me regarding clothes:
We each have a bag for life
In each person's bag are smaller mesh bags with zips, each mesh bag contains one type of clothing e.g. tops, trousers, pants, socks etc. Each mesh bag is labelled eg Mum tops.
It is very simple but makes such a difference when trying to find your clothing for the day.

In the car used to pack around the kids.

This is what we have, one colour each

I think it depends on your tent and how long you are going for.
We have a large tent which has 2 large bedrooms each can be divided into 2, then a large lounge area in the middle and then a big porch we use as the kitchen.

We will have a camp kitchen cupboard/surface in the porch plus a couple of boxes.
Lounge has some pockets on each side so torches/battereie/toothbrushes/car keys/wipes/tissues etc etc all go in those so easy to find. Then the 3 kids have one large bedroom, just has thier sleeping stuff and toys/books etc
The other bedroom I divide into 2 so me and DH sleeping area and the other has the clothes bags in. I find a suitcase actually keeps clothes tidier but is bulkier to put in car. Want to try and find a better clothes solution for 5 people.