The camping paradox...and can it be solved?

[taybert]

Just back from camping. Loved it as usual despite pretty terrible weather at times but after packing up this morning I’m struck by how long it all takes and how much hassle it is.

Before we had kids we packed light with a small tent and we were happy to tolerate some discomfort for the fun. Now my tolerance for discomfort is much lower and I know we all have a worse time if we don’t sleep. Subsequently we have super comfy sleeping mats, good chairs to sit on which are comfy but lightweight and fold down. The kids need to be fed food they like and we need to be able to cook it so we have what feels like an elaborate cooking set up /kitchen and we take loads of food. Camping in a tent in the UK so take lots of spare clothes and shoes as we can’t easily dry things and we need layers for the cold. We have a full car and roof box and it took a good 2 hours to pack away today. I now have a mountain of washing to sort and equipment to clean and dry before packing it all away again for another year. We packed over a couple of days and it took several hours of planning.

So when I step back and look at it the problem is all the stuff we’ve got to make it better and more comfortable- foam roll mats would take seconds to put away, a disposable bbq and a single ring stove and kettle is hardly anything, we used to sit on some cheap camping chairs which fold in a second. But I know if we did that we’d be uncomfortable, not sleep well or eat well and it wouldn’t be as nice when we were there (though setting up and packing away would be soooo much easier).

So what’s the answer? Just accept that it’s like that and it’s something we can only do a couple of times a year because of the hassle? Or do we really need to accept that tent camping is no longer for us and think about a campervan? And does a campervan actually solve those problems? In my head the quicker bed set up, the kitchen already being in existence and the fact that the camping stuff could be left in the van could make all the difference, as well as the fact that some things might stay dry and wet things could dry off. But is it really like that? Or do you just create a different set of problems?

Answers on a postcard!

I am you. This year, we stayed in a wee holiday house. Problem solved!

I feel your pain!
We only managed one night away due to storm Francis - ironically we packed up quicker than ever in the storm but then had loads more sorting and drying to do once we got home.
We were only away for 28 hours and came home with 4 loads of washing!
If the budget allows next year I think we might book a cottage!

Agreed.
We've just bought a trailer as we have so much STUFF when camping now.

We've found an airbeam tent helps with setting up and packing away - but it is much bigger and heavier (hence the trailer). Also camp beds are much comfier than mats and actually take up less space!

Oh and we now have dedicated cutlery, saucepans, crockery etc plus 2 gas stoves all permanently packed in a crate.
Collapsible stackable crates for food stuff and kids stuff.

We loved 2-man-tent wild camping before having children... but moved to a folding trailer-tent when we had them.

A simple trailer-tent unfolds to form 2 large matressed double-beds (with your sleeping bags or duvets already on top) in minutes and keeps the kitchen stuff altogether. Sleep space is off the ground and warm. Inner tents make the bed spaces separate.

(As we increased and took friends as well, we added 'pup-tents' under the fold out trailer beds. )

We have camped in overnight temporary spots (waiting for channel-crossing) because you don't have to unpack everything in order to sleep comfortably.

Trailer tents (even the very simple ones) offer beds off the ground and are warmer (good for uk camping).

We did try a folding-caravan but found it too much fuss and it took too long to put together for a short stop. Packing an ordinary tent into a trailer seems too much effort too.

I feel your pain. It is a hell of a lot of work and stuff and effort. However, for me it is also to do with the economics of it and I can afford to do multiple camping holidays but not to do multiple holidays which require accommodation so I suck it up. I would be interested to try a campervan but I think it would be cramped and not quite the same.

Trying a camper is a good idea,

Whilst I love mine, I think for a family it could be difficult to get one small enough to drive around (for sainsbury car park) and large enough for 2 growing kids.

A cottage just doesn’t cut it though! There’s still so much about camping that I love, I’d like to do it more if anything, we’ve only been once this year (for obvious reasons) but we’d usually do 3-4 weekends then there’s usually another few opportunities (usually linked to biking or running events) which would be 1 night but we don’t camp because of our 2 nights minimum camping policy due to the hassle!

I can empathise op. Yes, a more minimalist set up would be so much easier, but then we wouldn't be comfortable and we wouldn't enjoy it as much.

It's a day of sorting and organising everything before we leave, a day of travel and setting up camp, and day of packing up and travelling home, and then it takes numerous days to get it sorted and packed away when we come home cos I'm just too knackered to face into it straight away!
Because of all the effort involved, we don't do weekend trips anymore. It has to be at least five nights for us, or else it doesn't feel like a break.
All the stress is worth it though once you're sitting outside your tent with a brew in hand, surrounded by all that greenery and sounds of nature, kids off happily exploring and making new friends and memories for life. Nothing compares to it.

How old are your kids? I think this is just family camping, to an extent - you can streamline quite a bit as they get bigger and less fussy/more able to go with the flow, but when you've got kids to entertain and consider you're never going to get away with bare minimum pub-for-tea and a kettle for breakfast.

Glamping?

I’ve gone from tent to camper van to caravan.

Caravan is preferred option for me. More space than a camper van, you don’t have to pack stuff up every time you want to leave site for a day trip. You don’t struggle parking in the local town with a normal size car like a camper van.

Caravan has comfy beds, electricity, fridge, oven, loo, shower, microwave. You can attach an awning easily enough for even more space.

We have an airbeam, dedicated crockery/cutlery etc, just got collapsing crates, my set up is a sight to behold! To be fair this year it took longer as it was the first and only trip and I couldn’t remember what was in the boxes and had to go through them all and search everything out after being packed away for a year- subsequent trips are usually quicker in the set up department at least.

A trailer tent sounds interesting but we’re usually accompanied by 4 bikes, and by far the best way to carry them is on a towbar rack. We’re both shorties so lifting them on to the roof of a 4x4 is to be avoided if possible!

Campervan!! We love ours. All the joy of camping but proper bed and warm and dry. Also doubles as a shed for outdoor/wet weather gear

We upgraded to a caravan from our bungalow of a tent.

The tent took 2 hrs to put up, do beds, electric, Put up wardrobe units, set up kitchen etc. Usually a row ensued.

The caravan if we've towed it somewhere takes 2 hrs to level the van and put the feet down, erext the awning, sort out the water, chemical loo, electric, turn on gas, make the bed which has to be stored when towing, tune the TV, fill the water tank and pour wine.

If you are delayed you have to do all this in the dark sheeting rain (lake district half term 2019).

A blazing row is usually had at some point. Plus 2 hrs AT LEAST in reverse.

We bought our caravan 4 years ago and now have it on a seasonal pitch on a field in cornwall. And both children are gradually saying they'd rather stay with grandparents (yr6 and yr8).

So I am looking forward to us going alone and no rowing over set up and peace and quiet.

You still Hve to oack bags,

forget the last rogue sentence!

I suplose my point is that camping in any form is a total faff and I'd often rather stay at home!

When I camped in tents (we gave in and got a caravan in the end!) I bought two sets of plastic drawer units, everything we needed like plates, torches, batteries, air bed pump, cutlery, salt and pepper, etc etc etc etc in designated drawers, and a drawer for the dog bowls, bags, spare food. All the contents written on each drawer with Sharpies. They stood upright in the back of the car. Then we had a big wheeled crate in the garage with airbeds, sleeping bags, folding kitchen and other large camping stuff. All in one place and ready to go for the next trip, kept next up the roof box. We used to make sure everything was clean/fixed/replenished when we got back so we could just load up and go next time.

We had a motorhome before the tent and now I miss the ease of parking up, connecting electric and gas and getting on with the holiday! But I hated driving the thing.

Now for short holidays in tent we bring a coolbox and buy snacky food for breakfast and lunch ( eg pancakes, cheese and cooked cocktail sausages) and eat out for dinner. Only the week+ long holidays are worth all the hassle of set up etc esp as I'm the only adult

We have a trailer tent, which has a rack which the bikes go on. I was thinking about a campervan to go to running/cycling/triathlon/swimming events as I had envy of all those people turning up and putting the kettle on, and sitting out of the rain. But possession of a tall teenager demonstrated that we'd have to cut several inches off him for him to sit in the back of a VW camper, so its a no there - we'd need a motorhome to get all the stuff in it anyway, and then its a third vehicle which is a pita

What about glamping? All the fun of camping but no tent etc to pack up

I too love camping, but we are looking at either getting a camper van or a caravan as dh just can't do the tent thing anymore.

The set up/pack up is why we bought a camper van! I love camping in the tent but the van is so easy and is fab for one or two night get aways

We tried a trailer tent when kids were younger, it reduces the amount of stuff in the car and gives good beds and plenty of solid space but still used to take 1.5 or 2 hours to set up or pack away.

Ive seen trailer tents that have optional bike bars that fit on top.
Weve got a folding camper, was a good compromise for us, used to fit the kids bikes under the tarp when towing which was handy.
You can also get towbar bike racks that alliw you to tow at the same time.
Dint have these bookmarked anymore but will see if I can find links...

I feel like a caravan tips it too far away from camping for us. I guess one of the things I like about camping is that you’re sort of forced to be outside, yeah you can sit in the tent if you need to, but it’s way more preferable to be sitting outside with your brew (or beer or wine) than inside. We often say when you’re camping it’s surprising that it rarely rains “all day”- there are often breaks in the weather where you can get out and do something (even if it’s sit and have a brew!) that you miss when you’re inside and only glance out of the window from time to time. I also really like small sites in more remote spots so don’t really want to rely on needing EHU (but a camper leisure battery could be handy!) and a caravan would exclude some of my absolute favourite places to go (though I’m sure there are some amazing sites with caravans too). We often choose sites with bike routes close by and wouldn’t normally drive in to a town when camping.

The small inside of a van doesn’t particularly concern me as it’d really only be for sleeping, some cooking (or still envisage a lot of bbqs) and sitting in if it was really terrible weather. But it would need to be good for those things. Obviously if it was warmer and we could camp earlier and later in the year and could take a bit less clothing with us that would be great too.

My children are 5 and 7.

The nature of my job means I don’t get many of the school holidays so weekends are generally the only opportunity- unless there’s a pandemic and our annual foreign holiday is cancelled!

Also campervan is great for days out too!

If we are staying a few night and want more space we can put awning up but we don't often bother as love van life

Witter do the towbar rack you can tow with.
Camplet trailer tents have optional bike rack.
There are also other trailer tent bike rack available, have a Google!