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Subject Topic: making camping easier
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PersonTraceyD
17/6/2014 at 4:20pm
 Location: East Ull
 Outfit: Kampa Kielder Air 5 View TraceyD's Profile View Profile   Reply to TraceyD Reply   Quote TraceyD Quote  
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Packing up is definitely the worst part of camping! We take around 2 - 3 hours to set up and the same to pack away. As someone else said above, we pack up stuff we know we won't need the next morning on the last night of our holiday. Setting up is fine as I love getting all my lovely camping stuff sorted and organised and making my tent look 'pretty', but packing away is understandably more drawn out and depressing as you're going home!

If you want to have a nice set up with all your home comforts then it's the price you pay I guess, it's hard work but in my opinion it's worth it!



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May/June - Spring Valley
Aug/Sept - Leekworth


Personsnowyowl
17/6/2014 at 6:59pm
 Location: Yorkshire
 Outfit: Nevada M View snowyowl's Profile View Profile   Reply to snowyowl Reply   Quote snowyowl Quote  
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We use a different set up for weekends. Base seconds pop up with sim mats and a case stove .    I felt that the setting up and packing up time put us off going for the weekend especially if the weather was going to be wet.


Personchappers2341
18/6/2014 at 9:52am
 Location: Oxford
 Outfit: helsport Kongsvold View chappers2341's Profile View Profile   Reply to chappers2341 Reply   Quote chappers2341 Quote  
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Time spent packing up properly is in my opinion time well spent, having everything in it's place speeds the whole process up next time, you have to set up


Personarcadia
21/6/2014 at 9:06pm
 Location: Edinburgh
 Outfit: Nevada M View arcadia's Profile View Profile   Reply to arcadia Reply   Quote arcadia Quote  
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We like many other use the plastic drawers with all our items checked and replenished between trips and have just bought a coleman instant 4 tourer and lidl tarp for weekend breaks when we plan not to take EHU or all the gadgets to save both space and time    


PersonTracey86
21/6/2014 at 10:18pm
 Location: Derbyshire
 Outfit: Kampa Croyde 6 & Quechua 4.2 View Tracey86's Profile View Profile   Reply to Tracey86 Reply   Quote Tracey86 Quote  
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I agree with everyone who said about having a reduced set up for the weekend camps.

We have just come back (today) from an 8 day long camp. Yesterday morning when getting dressed, I sorted out all the clothes etc, packing them all neatly just leaving out the ones we'd need. Yesterday evening (after dinner) we packed down all the kitchen stuff and took down the windbreaks and tarp. This morning when I woke up (early- noisy neighbours) I put all the "bits" away in to the boxes, like lights and sun creams, books etc and rolled the carpet. So when hubby got up, all we had to do was put the sleeping stuff away and actually take down the tent. Doing it gradually yesterday meant it didn't feel a chore and it only took us about an hour this morning.

For a weekend, we take the pop-up tent and minimal stuff and pack down time is usually 45 minutes(ish) start to finish.

If you are happy with your set up, don't let the packing down put you off.



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"Better a rainy day on a hill than a sunny one in the office"


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Personchappers2341
22/6/2014 at 4:52pm
 Location: Oxford
 Outfit: helsport Kongsvold View chappers2341's Profile View Profile   Reply to chappers2341 Reply   Quote chappers2341 Quote  
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Quote:

I dislike it too, our last trip was vactate by 10 am


Blimey that would be about a 6 o'clock start for us, we always book an extra night just for that very reason. In two weeks time we're off to Pembrokeshire for two weeks and that luxury adds an eye-watering £10 to our costs.

I drive my wife mad packing up, everything has its place, but it means next time we just have to pick up the relevant boxes, depending on where we're going and the length of our stay.


Personfranbee
22/6/2014 at 6:15pm
 Location: Lancashire
 Outfit: Leisuredrive VW T6 campervan View franbee's Profile View Profile   Reply to franbee Reply   Quote franbee Quote  
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I agree you have to be very organised with packing. Just throwing everything in doesn't really work. We used to have a tub system in the back of our estate car, everything in its place, and we could lift out any tub or item independently. So if we stopped for a picnic, everything we needed was in 1 tub.
We transferred that system to the campervan too.


PersonClare Buchanan
23/6/2014 at 3:32pm
 Location: Croydon
 Outfit: Vango Airbeam Evoque 600 View Clare Buchanan's Profile View Profile   Reply to Clare Buchanan Reply   Quote Clare Buchanan Quote  
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We looked at upgrading from our Outwell Nevada M plus extension to a folding camper for the very reason it takes hours to put up and take down. We have small children and it was a nightmare last year. But we decided against the folding camper for price and storage reasons. So this weekend we bought a vango Airbeam tent!! Yes expensive but not as expensive as a folding camper and goes up in minutes. We trial pitched it yesterday and were amazed at the speed. Easy to pack down too, although we need more practice getting it into the bag at the end. A VAST improvement on our previous pitching times. We are testing it properly this weekend for a 2 night stay!


Personsarahlr
23/6/2014 at 7:35pm
 Location: Cotswolds
 Outfit: Vango Shangri La & Renault Grd Espace View sarahlr's Profile View Profile   Reply to sarahlr Reply   Quote sarahlr Quote  
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I also recommend a separate list for weekend camping. I use an app on my iphone called "Checklet" which lets you make tick lists. This makes it easy because you are using the same list each time you camp. You can tick items as you go at home, and when you shake the phone the ticked items fall to the bottom of the list. When you're done, just untick all the items with one click and you can use the same list again and again.

I just looked and I have the following lists: main camping equipment (tent and all sleeping gear), kitchen/misc, weekend camp, camp food from home, camp entertainment (toys, fishing gear etc).

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Tent + food + glass of cider + friends = perfection

May: Drybrook, FoD
August: La Garangeoire, Vendee
Plus a few local weekends


PersonANGEDAWS
23/6/2014 at 9:01pm
 Location: Northern England
 Outfit: Coleman Mosedale 5 View ANGEDAWS's Profile View Profile   Reply to ANGEDAWS Reply   Quote ANGEDAWS Quote  
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I dont mind too much the setting up/packing away, I try and think of it as part of the camping holiday. What I absolutely hate is getting home and having to take it all out of the car and put it all away. Mind you we probably have too much camping stuff and not enough storage space!

Its always that balance between having home comforts and not so much stuff that it just becomes a nightmare.

For us this is the beauty of the folding camper. We leave everything in it, down to bedding and even spare toothbrushes so all we need is a few clothes.

Oh and friends with a caravan tell us there is still a certain amount of setting up to be done so I think its inevitable whatever sort of camping you do.

A smaller weekend tent may be the answer though. And a trailer is a good option if you have a garage to leave things packed away in it.


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Personsarahsop
24/6/2014 at 2:56pm
 Location: Cheshire
 Outfit: Outwell x 3 & an Eldis Crusader. View sarahsop's Profile View Profile   Reply to sarahsop Reply   Quote sarahsop Quote  
Joined: 19/8/2008

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We've mastered the stress of packing and unpacking but it has taken us almost 5 years and a house move!!! We have a large trailer which we leave our camping basics in (tent etc) then all we do is fill up the fridge, pack some clothes and off we go.

Coming home is never as easy tho!!!

We also have three tents, one huge one for a week or more (norfolk lake) a family tent for weekends with the kids (Outwell NervadaM) and a pop up for me and hubby (fushion400) we pack/unpack the trailer according to trip only carting what we need for that trip.

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North Wales May 2014
Wirral July 2014
Arrowe brook farm July 2014
Bellingham August 2014
North Wales October 2014
Hayfield August 2014



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