OMDB and other minimalists, please come and make encouraging noises that all will be well.

[Slubberdegullion]

I'm going to do it. I'm going to be a minimalist(ish) camper this weekend. I did it before dc and I can do it again. I CAN do it again. I do not need all the stuff, do I?

We have found a great site near our favorite beach on the Lleyn and all I want to do is spend 2 days on the beach and just a light casual night of camping in between.

Here is my mental list

2 tiny small pop up tents

Self inflating mats
Sleeping bags
Pillows (I know I can do a rolled up jumper but I just don't think I'm ready to take that step yet)
Single burner stove + 1 saucepan
4 spoons
2 mugs
Tea bags & instant hot choc
Instant porridge
2 water bottles
Toothpaste and toothbrushes & a flannel
4 pairs of pants
2 headtorches

I may take the tarp if the weather is looking a bit rubbish.

Is this looking ok? I am not going to take any of the boxes with any of my gubbins in.
THIS IS VERY HARD FOR ME

Please note omdb I have not listed a washing up bowl

DH and DS are going camping for a week on Sunday and taking only what they can carry on one bicycle. They've gone for a trial fully-laden ride around our area at the moment.

all on a bike eh?

[seriously impressed]

I am only doing play camp minimalism

They had already decided to scrap any attempts to cook, though. Your porridge plans are far more ambitious.

Also, they aren't back yet... not sure whether this means the trial run has gone badly, or so well that they've got carried away...

lol

Are you going to be the search party?

DD is in bed asleep, so they are on their own. I do suspect DH has just got carried away, as he tends to have a very limited grasp of (a) the passage of time in general or (b) the bedtime of our DCs in particular. DS, on the other hand, has a very keen awareness of his own bedtime, combined with a fanatical devotion to the art of avoiding it, so will probably be egging him on...

I think I hear the sound of dulcet voices raised in mild disagreement outside, so conclude they have returned more-or-less unscathed...

I have sent my two off with the following.
4 x Baked Bean tins
bag of pasta & pasta sauce
Risotto rice
bag of noodles
Tea/coffee/sugar (sugar for me)
biscuits
a little salt (bum I forgot the pepper!)
Oil (no vinegar for salad forgot that as well)
Kitchen roll sponges washing up liquid
opps! No washing powder (oh get it down there)
breakfast cereals
Parmesan cheese!
equipment
stove, pots, frying pan, wooden spoon, tiny chopping board! Cutlery, plates, mugs, sharpish knife. flat thingy to turn over fried food. washing up bowl 2 tea towels kettle water container. Can opener! I forgot! Or did we pack it from last year!
DoyouthinkI'vemissedanything?*
Do you think I should get two jobs & then book a full board Hotel

What would you need washing powder for? There is no need for that when camping.

Sounds like you have loads (but what about fruit and veg?) or will you be buying fresh food there?

Slubberdegullion Have a great time and report back.
DailmailHW&L have they gone yet? What are you and DD doing for the weekend instead. I'm in my dressing gown and plan all sort of daft things without them Yippe! (but I'm going to miss them too!)

P.S some great tips on here! Wish I had time to read them yesterday!

Overmydeadbody true, but last year Ds wet his sleeping bag. He was only 3 then so might not need to do that this year. DH would have gone Bananas if I shopped for fruit and veg yesterday. I'm hoping DH will think of his son's health when he's out there or his godmother might look out for him. I'm going on Wednesday after half day at work on National Express coach crossing fingers that DH will have his phone on to pick me up from Barnstaple. If not I'm going cross fingers the bus is still running to Croyde when I get there at about 7pm. Looked at the car this morning and it didn't look like there was space for me to return with them.

Hello all. Well we not only survived without a boot and a roofbox and every available square cm of room inside the car filled to he brim with stuff, we LOVED it

What a revelation. I can have a perfectly marvellous time without my utility tent and camp kitchen with many hooks. It is a bit of a mind shift though, insterad of the trip being all about pootling about the tent it is all about not being in the tent, or even really the campsite.

The pop ups were marvellous. DH loved them (I knew he would) we stood back and giggled when we had pitched both and set up all the bedding in about 10 mins, we could have done this in half the time if we'd done a tent each but as he was a pop up novice I had to show him the ropes .

Striking camp was just silly really. I had both tents down and everything packed away in the car in less time that it took dh to wash the breakfast stuff.

Weather was lovely so I'm sure that helped the experience.

To top it all off I had one of the most sublime star gazing experiences I think I have ever had in this country. i haven't seen stars like it since I camped in the outback on Oz. No clouds, no light pollution, just me with body in sleeping bag in tent and head poking out of the end looking at a whole sky of stars (and shooting stars).

We're doing it again next weekend (weather permitting)

Sounds like a real success Slubber

What did you do with your (limited) stuff?...did you just keep it in the boot and have the tents really just for sleeping in?
(the Jerseys are 3 berthers though aren't they? so you had a bit of space)

Did you forget anything?

And did your dh twig about the tents before going or was it a surprise when he arrived .

Oh it was a great success.

I had to let te Jerseys metaphorically out of the bag before we left as there was a technical hitch with my car (big estate) and we had to repack everything into his small hatch back (and it all fitted!!!)

He was still really chuffed though. He was really keen to go away again next weekend so that is a major result.

It was just the bedding and next day's clothes that came into the tent with us, although there was plenty of room on either side of us for bags etc.

I forgot the clean pants, story books and the washing up brush, dh washed up everything with his fingers "just like I did when I was a boy"

I won't take the cool box next time (had to this time for dd1's antibiotics).

I have already told dh that i am halfing the stuff we normally take for next weekend.
I bet it was sooooooooo much easier wasn't it? all that blardy time you spend pitching/striking camp...i bet it was lovely just being ready so quickly.

Great to hear the weekend went so well. Minimalist camping is the way forward. I love it!

It was trout, it was. As much as I adore my Cabanon (condensation in the pop ups came as a bit of a suprise) she is just a bit too big and too much of a hassle to do for one nighters.

Now I know we can do it, and enjoy it I feel many more "oh lets just go this weekend" camps coming on.

The other advantage of the quick strike is if you wake up to shite house weather there is not that miserable pack up in the rain to do. 10 mins and we are outta there.

Do tell me if I am becoming a giant bore about this

Shaun, I would make a banner, or car sticker that said

Minimalist Camping is the way forward

but I fear it would break the rules of no unnecessary stuff.

Trouty where are you off to?

We did minimalist camping last weekend (3 nights) without realising it. First UK camping since I was a girl guide and I was amazed at how much stuff everyone had. We had basics as that was all we could fit in a sports car. It seems that lots of people set up the equivalent of a holiday cottage complete with garden (windbreaks ).

We are going again this week for two nights and will take even less stuff!

DH and DS having a great time, by the sound of things. Although I think DH underestimated (a) the number of big hills on his planned route and (b) the effect that being stuck in India for 9 months without taking his normal exercise would have on his fitness.

We need a bigger tent that will fit us all in, but I think minimal is probably the way to go in terms of general Stuff -- especially for just a weekend trip.

I guess your sports car was your main limiter though Mollie. If you had a big estate with a big roof box wouldn't you be tempted to fill it full of stuff?

I'm cross camper denominational now. If we were going for more than two nights I think I would have to take the bigger tent (still not v large compared with some of the behemoths) and with it the tables and the chairs and the utility da da da. For 1 or 2 nighters now it's minimalism all the way.

Lemon, glad to hear they made it back safely. You're not joining in with the bike trips then?

I have to work this week, sadly (DH has leave to use up so had to pretty much take off the last two and a half weeks of August or lose it entirely; my leave, unfortunately, has to stretch to cover until the end of December including half term and school holidays). I would much much much prefer to be there . We're going down on Saturday to join in for the last day, though.

Oh that is pants.

but yay for going down for last day