Message Forums

to the original poster.  We have friends with a trailer.  They pack everything out of the tent into the trailer and then drop the tent and pack it in the boot of the car (with bedding I think)  Then they hitch up the trailer and go.  Perhaps that would work for you and save packing twice.

We have to pack our tent first in the boot because of the weight and size of it.  If its dry we just throw eveything out of the tent in a pile on the floor (mats rolled, clothes in bags, sleeping bags and chairs in their bags )  Then when the tent is in we just pack everything on top.. If it is wet..... we sling everything on the seats in the car so it doesn't get wet on the floor then back it in the boot when the tent is in.   That is a bit of a fag but we manage.  I just call out the next thing I need to put in and the  kids bring it to me.

We have been on sites where you  have to leave your pitch by 10.am , we never get up earlier than what we normally do, its just a matter of  being  organised the evening  before.

 The evening before we take extention down and  put away, the folding table and  4 chairs also get  put away along with the  kitchen cupboard and cooker + gas, The morning we leave it's no cooked breakfast, just toast and cereal with coffee. The only clothes that we will have in tent  is what were going to be wearing that day and spare clothes for hubby as he can get wet n muddy rolling up the tent, also the girls will have swimming stuff in their own bags. Not much left in tent  the morning we are leaving only beds, bedding, kettle,toaster, coolbox, clothes we will be wearing. What we do is  ask someone who is near  our  pitch if we can leave the  packed trailer  on their pitch for the day and we will go off for the day and then later in the evening  go back collect trailer and  go home, lol we don'ty like to leaqve and go home imidiatly  in the morning we like to make  it like an extra day!!  

I can ditto most here - organisation is the key!

I don't think many sites don't mind if you are a bit over the departure time as long as you are seen to have your tent dismantled and packing into car/trailer.Our main holiday kit takes a couple of hours - but I am very particular where things go in the trailer so only I pack - God forbid anyone trying to help!!!

Short break kit we can do in about an hour or so but again I pack the car!

Basically if you are not using it pack it away the night/day before.

 I usually start the night before packing things we wont be needing the following morning, usually only leaving out an outfit each, wash stuff and breakfast stuff, everything else gets packed into boxes or bags. Then as soon as we are up we deflate the beds and pack them into their bags, and take down the bedrooms in the tent. Usually takes us an hour and half once all that is done.  It is about getting into a good routine about what to pack and when, the more you can pack and organise the night before the better.

We usually pay a few quid more to stay until 1-2pm which does help but next week we have to be off by 12pm so i will definatly be taking my own advice and doing as much the night before as we can!

I have a plan too. We have a really big (100ltrs) soft bag, vitually all the "stuff" goes in that. Bedding/towels go into a slightly smaller version of the same bag. The cooking kit (table and stove) go into two cordura bags bought for the purpose. Food goes in the cold box, clothes into the back packs they came in. OH is particularly good at deflating the airbeds (what a star she is)

The car (Estate) get's packed in a very specific way so as to make sure the tent bag and pole bag are left plenty of room and enough space for the dog to go in last of course. Everything has a place - just.

I do plan to try an alternative packing routine, but the whole excercise takes about an hour and a half from the first peg being pulled to the dog going in. I am sure we'll get better as we get more practice.

I usually take down the side extension and all the kitchen stuff the night before and pack all the stuff we don't absolutely need. I do it partially to save time and it also means if it rains of there is a heavy dew I don't have to worry about getting the extension and the windbreak that goes around kitchen stuff dry in the morning.

I have a small single burner fold up stove that goes on the cylinder that is normally in the gas lamp so we just use that for tea the last morning.

We start with airbed deflated rolled and packed, next the sleeping bags and just work through everything in the tent into its repective bag, box etc. Finally take the tent down and pack away. Always seem to do it by 10 easy, organisation and not taking stuff you dont need is the key, but you learn this with practice as you camp more and more.

Only thing i hate about the packing away is that another holiday is over and back to the real world.

We are always off by 11. We tend to pack away the things we don't need the night before.  Dirty washing is always thrown into a bin bag as we go along on our stay.  Airbeds let down as soon as we get up.  OH starts taking out the pegs and most of the guys (obviously leaving some in so we don't blow away if there's a gust of wind) I stuff the sleeping bags in their bags, fold the airbeds, roll the carpet - empty the loo!! and all gets moved into living area - bedroom is then closed up.  When raining, the trailer gets dragged under the canopy and loaded up with as much as we can get in.  Car is then reversed as near to the canopy as we can and we continue to load up.  Finally rest of the pegs taken out and tent folded and last thing to be placed in car.  (We actually take with us wheelie bin liners so if the weather is really wet we just shove the tent in one of those / groundsheet in another.) 

when the weather is horrendous we've even been known to keep a towel and dry clothes in the car so that we can have a quick shower before leaving.  We do have a big tent and lots of stuff but I think its being organised, each having their own jobs and of course easier and quicker when no kids !!!