should I overpack for cornwall

[Terribletooths]

That really. Because weather is changeable?!?

4 nights, Going with 3yo and 1yo, weather says 15 at night so I’ve packed 2.5tog sleeping sacks for the toddlers on top of their usual pyjamas. Also had aother fleecy onesie in case cold for the youngest. And fleece blankets. And about 4 set of clothings, 2 warm weather, 2 for cold weather, plus a few extra jumpers each. Nappies, wetsuits hats. Extra potty for the 5 hour drive lol. Sunnies for both, Sandals, trainers lol

that’s not including my dh and mine clothing and toiletries. And dog stuff.

dont even get me started on camp gear.

honestly this is probably a thread for myself to not forget.

but really? What did you pack for your kids?

You need warmer bedding than at home, if the temperature is 15 outside your house will be low 20’s whereas it really will be 15 in a field so dress like a winter night at home. I was camping last week and used my below zero sleeping bag, was perfect temperature wise at night

My kids could have got through 4 sets of clothing in one day while camping! (Seriously, if there was a puddle within 5 miles one if them would fall in it)

Omg 😦 lol. But this is also what I fear lol. And the car and roof rack is already full….we still have bedding, camping kitchen and food to pack as well AND TOWELS for the beach/ wetsuits :/ and coats in case it blows a gale at night.

essentially This is starting to not feel like a holiday 🙈

After a holiday to Cornwall one August with the promise of wall to wall sunshine and a dry week, it did in fact drop in temp by about 15 degrees and there was torrential rain every day. We had to go shopping for warmer clothes. Massive error! So yes I would overpack and take layers and a few waterproof jackets.

Vacuum pack bags? Buy food when you get there? But kids clothes roll up really small. We used to fill their foitwelks so they had somewhere to rest their feet.

I wonder how we used to camp with an old style Micra before we had kids. Now we have a Landrover, trailer and sometimes roof box if we don't take the canoe...

Is there a washing machine at the site? And a drier? Do they have waterproof all-in-ones? If not, I think you’ve massively underestimated the amount of clothes needed considering they’ll
be outside all day.

Bear in mind the kids don't need to be immaculately clean all weekend. They can wear a T-shirt twice, within reason!

Tip:
Freeze your food (chilli, Bolognese sauce) beforehand

It'll act as an ice pack

You definitely need warmer bedding for them and put them in thick socks to go sleep in ,
easy slip on shoes for trips to the toilet are handy and definitely more sets of clothes !

If you have 3.5 tog sleep bags then I would take them. If not then maybe some thermal pyjamas and layer up, that’s what I did when we camped end of May for my 1yo. He wore a vest, thermals, merino wool socks and then the 3.5 tog. And I had blankets to hand incase we needed them through the night and we did use them one night.
Definitely more outfits. When it’s cold/muddy kids can go through a lot more than when you’re at home. Otherwise keep them in a puddlesuit if it’s not hot to protect their clothes and then you can maybe take less with you.
But I agree with PP they can defo wear something twice if it’s not wet or covered in mud!

Yes overpack. Plus a roll of bin bags to keep clothes and bedding dry and separate wet/beach clothes.

Bring a duvet or two - one under and one over. Makes a huge difference.

And also to add you can get cheap 3.5 tog sleep bags on vinted if you don’t already have them. We have a very warm house so even on the coldest nights we wouldn’t use 3.5. So I got a couple of cheap ones on vinted just for camping. And I did take a spare incase if a leaky nappy 🙈 it’s never ending the amount of things you needs for kids!

Lots of easy layer clothes for them, you can always add a layer of cold, mine lived in leggings/shorts and T-shirts on holiday with a couple of dresses thrown in for looking posh is needed. But honestly camping is all about shorts and tshirt,

I would just say a washing line or something you can use rope anything and a few pegs are invaluable when camping. You can alway find somewhere to tie up some kind of line and peg a few bits to dry especially towels.

I found a small paddling pool ( the cheap blow up ones) so useful with little ones for washing them in instead of the showers doubles up to rinse a few T-shirts in and great to sit with your feet in after a day sight seeing !. Buy some of that baby body/hair wash you can just put some it the water and it washes everything

Oh yes this too, you can’t have to many bin / plastic bags. And some zip lock ones if you have any. Also kitchen roll and loo roll.

Plus any plastic boxes with lids. Helps organize the car boot into wet and dry areas.
if you have a rubber bucket bring it and use it to remove sand. Half fill it with water and the kids dip their feet before coming into the tent.
The rain in Cornwall is unique - vertical, horizontal and it even seems to work its way up things. Beautiful though.

Definitely over pack. You can get all 4 seasons in one day. And just because the weather is nice on Falmouth doesn’t mean it will be in Penzance or Padstow. I always keep a mini wardrobe in my vicar at this time of year because you never know what you will get.

We've always found the 16 day forecast on Metcheck pretty accurate (more so than BBC, no idea why).

In your vicar? 😆

😂🙈 car

Phew! Did make me laugh 🤣

Wet legs dry easier than wet trousers so shorts instead of jeans/joggers. When mine were little we never wasted valuable packing space with 'nice' clothes as they just never got worn. They would make one jumper/sweatshirt last a whole week and tbh if they fell in a puddle and got wet then they stayed wet!

With regards to the packing, the art of tetris is very useful! We had a trailer tent and to this day my now adult children still comment on how clever I was at fitting things into the tiniest bit of space . TIP: don't just throw things in the boot of the car - put wellies in one bag, waterproofs in another, spare jumpers in another. Much easier when you arrive at the site and it's pissing down to locate things.

Wooly hats for night time chill

Yes. UK, Ireland and Northern France holidays are a packing nightmare for me. Could be 30degree, could be 13, could have howling wind and rain or fog or blazing sunshine. You need layers and the best advice I got from Mumsnet in the past was to pack into big reusable shopping bags to save space if camping or in a mobile home!

And use packing cubes to the max