How long.............

[MrsGokWantsalargeglassofwine]

does it take you to set up and take down your tent and the stuff in it?

It seemed to take us hours the first time and was a bit quicker the second time and other people round us just seemed to just start and then it was done.

Does anyone have any tips for packing to make things a bit quicker?

17 mins to pitch the tent (dh..not me) and then about another 40 mins to do bedrooms/living area/stove and table.

Striking camp is a lot longer. A good 2-3 hours to get everything back and packed in the car i would say.

You will get better/quicker the more you do it.

About 20 mins to pitch and 40 to strike. I am a minimalist camper through necessity but it certainly makes it easier.

Should add that these times include pitching tent and doing bedroom/stove/tables etc.

Completely set up? about 2.5 hours, that's everything down to clothes in rooms etc

we take down over a whole day (extend stay to cover it deliberately) so about 4 hours with lots of gaps for drinks etc

Cheers ladies, that's encouraging.

Any little secrets to make it all simpler?

If I had your size tent Peachy it would take me a couple of days .

To make it simpler - get a tiny tent!

Probably about an hour to get tent up and ready and 2 hours to strike - sometimes longer if we are waiting for the tent to be dry before we pack it away!

I am not gettinga tiny tent LOL! With my 4 boys we'd all fall out after about an hour.....

big tent + big family = happy holidays!

With me and my two DCs it takes us about an hour to pitch and an hour and a half to strike. If I did it all myself (ie, without the "help" of the kids) I could probably do it faster but I've found that if they're busy arranging sleeping bags or pulling pegs they're not bickering with each other

Peachy - the tiny tent comment was for Mrs Gok on how she could make it simpler

My comment would be the same as Peachy's With 3 boys it is needed.

While we were in Cornwall we had several of my family come to visit us and it was great being able to entertain, 8 of us in the tent and it wasn't squashed at all.

bout an hour to pitch, guy and get everything out.
I have a 'kitchen' rucksack, a sleeping stuff rucksack and a 'other camping things rucksack' for packing.
Packing up takes longer cos there's all that swearing and cursing trying to get the tent back into its bag

get a Bell Tent
15 mins to pitch, if that.

Oh blimey, well the pyramide takes 20 mins to pitch, but if we are doing a full throttle holiday, with the utility tent and all the boxes um probably and hour and a half. More like 2 to strike. I HATE packing up especially the very last bit of wiping all the worm turds off the bottom of the SIG (...must get a footprint)

But with the new outwell pop ups and the single box of minimalism

10 mins (max) pitch and beds all set up, breakfast bars & water bottles in the little pockets in the tent and clean pants laid out for the next morning. I do love my new pop ups.

Slubber ae the pop ups good? getting one next year as an easy way to create an extra bedroom by putting up in the tent for ds1.

Breakfast on strike day? We do croissants, though the site we are cnsidering next year does a board arrangement where you can camp nd get breakfasts provided- excellent

Ooh! which site is that Peachy? Though love the idea of croissants

IoW, whitecliff bay (ds4 will be 2.4 so will adore a beach holiday next year- this year we took him at Whitsun and he just tried toe at the sand LOL!)

We do croissants or pain au chocolat every other day when camping. We don't do cerreal (too many forms of food intolerance here so too damn complex) and it makes for a nice change from bacon sarnies

Will have a look at that, thanks.

My DS2 is gluten intollerant so we buy Dove's Farm Chocolate Stars or Mesa Sunrise, he loves both. When we have croissants he has the Free From Sweet Breakfast Rolls, trouble is they cost a bomb, so we don't have them often.

Ah MrsGok, we ahve gluten free here also

DS4 has either an egg (he has egg every day at home) or a GF cereal bar with fruit.

He also loves macaroons so as a holiday treat I might let him have 2 sometimes LOL (the Mrs Crimble ones)

Oooh!! everyone here loves the Mrs Crimble Peanut ones

Her bread is the best as well (the mix)

big fans

Haven't found that one yet. Will have to look out for it.