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The last year has been a bit grim - work stress and a nasty bout of depression. But hey, there's always camping to look forward to! (it genuinely helps the depression, for a start!)

We're going away (me, DH and 3 little 'uns) next week for 4 nights, which will be excellent. And hopefully again in August for a week or so. I don't want to sound greedy, but 2 trips isn't enough! So the only other option is to throw a few weekends in, I suppose (I don't have much annual leave).

I wondered how stressful people find weekend camping to be, particularly with young kids... say, leaving Friday afternoon after school and coming back on Sunday morning. I'd like to go away lots of times but not if it's going to feel too chaotic. And my only tent is a Norfolk Lake - seems a bit too 'hard work' for just a weekend. Would I have to look at getting a weekender***, do you think? Or do some of you pitch big tents for short periods anyway? Would love to know what you think.

Cheers - Meddy

(*** DH says this is a blatant excuse to solicit encouragement to buy a new tent)

we find it refereshing.

i think the more drilled you get at getting your stuff out and what to take, the more proficient you get at it.

We too have decided this year to have more smaller breaks than bigger ones, mainly because we want the kids to be able to say they have been here and there.  We want to fill there camping experiences with a heady set of images of different places.

I think the norfolk lake would be fine as a weekend tent, we take the hartford no matter how long we camp and we can get it up in 20 minutes and down and packed inside 2 hours.

Familiarity with your kit make things so much easier as it becomes second nature.

But the key is organsation - make sure you have everything ready for every trip.  Have a checklist and know what you need to take and then get going.

Worst that can happen is you forget something and have to replace it on holiday?

I've done weekend camping quite alot and yes I think you're right to be thinking along the lines of a weekend tent (vango icarus 500 or 600?). Also don't take as much stuff as you normally would for longer stays, eg you'll want your chairs but maybe don't need the table if it's nice weather you can eat on a picnic blanket. Arrange cooking so you're just having breakfast cereal and something easily prepared for lunch like tinned soup, and then eat out at a local pub for tea (or takeaway) in other words, don't prepare for cooking a feast, just basics will do.

Follow the weather forecast and be prepared to ditch your plans at the last minute(unless you're into extreme camping) and don't travel too far, keep your choice of sites to an hours drive or under. Find favourite sites you revisit time and time again and then the owners will be more willing to accomodate you when busy etc. because you've built up a relationship with them.

In the fairer weather I keep much of my camping gear in the boot all the time. Then it's just a matter of chucking in clothes bags and I'm off with my two kids. The problem with that is that when I'm doing my weekly shop I'm packing it around the kids on the back seat!

Hi Meddy

Weekend camping is great....  As above the more you do - the better it gets.  A list is a must.. then cross off what you REALLY don't need after each trip and you will end up with the bare essentials (but the right ones).

I think the bit about the tent is entirely up to you.  We, like so many on here have several tents (sorry OH) but I have seen some extremely large tents used for weekend camping.  The best advice I can give is go with a laid back approach and if anything does go wrong, laugh about it....Campers are mostly a friendly breed and are usually ready to give a help in hand should you need it.......

........remembering a man in Cornwall walking about the campsite shouting " a corkscrew, a corkscrew, a bottle of wine for a corkscrew"  he had more than a few applicants with corkscrews in hand...

Enjoy.....

Pauline

Well, thanks all of you - that sounds universally positive! So then, 2010 will be the "Year Of The Frequent Weekend Camping" for me.

Might try taking the Norfolk Lake and see how it goes... but would be nice if I had something smaller. Will check out the Vango Icarus. Or maybe a bell tent or a Nevada M, perhaps...

Thanks!

we're hoping to do more last minute weekends this year. After having so much kit half of which got packed/ unpacked then never used I've really cut back and combined with our new to us Camplet TT we're hoping if the forecast is looking good mid week we just book somewhere localish and go after the kids finish school on the Friday.

I've not had a Norfolk Lake but personally think thats a big heavy tent for weekend use, you have to think about drying it out if it gets wet too. I had an Icarus 500 last year ant it was really easy to pitch with plenty of room inside. You are more likely to go away weekends if you can pitch/ decamp quickly imho.

Also I tend not to go too far - upto an hour away from home is enough (for me anyway!). 

The first time we tried a weekend break we decided to go to our usual site in Aberystwyth. So come Friday afternoon, I finished work, picked DS up from my mums, drove for 3 hours to the site, after several arguments and finally got the tent up I was ready to kill!

We have now found a great site which is only 20 minutes away, lovely countryside and best of all its a pub!

As for kit, try to minimise.  I take sleeping stuff as normal (will not comprimise on that!), but the rest is chairs, table which doubles up as the cooker stand, cooker is a suitcase type, box with cups, plates and bowls (or take disposable ones) and a few utensiles, frying pan and my old camping saucepan set (only because it fits in the box), generally only use cooker for boiling kettle and bacon & egg sandwiches for breakfast.

Most of our camping has been weekends over the years, so our kit is geared to that.  These days we have a 4-man Aztec, which goes up in about 40 minutes, and just enough kit to keep us comfortable for two nights.  I wouldn't want to get too elaborate, as it would be too much hassle to take a waggon train!

My main tip about weekend camping is have all your stuff handy.  Don't park it right in  the most inaccessible part of the loft, where you have to strain to get it down.  And your tent does sound rather large for a quick break.  So yes, I'm happy to say I think you DO need another, easy-pitch one!

Enjoy your new, versatile camping mode !

FoO

Sorry OH but I agree  

A weekend tent doesn't have to be small though just easier to pitch.........our weekender is huge and sleeps 8 but is soooo easy to erect whereas for longer we have a 6 berth tunnel which I find very heavy to put up but gives more space (and a canopy) to live for longer periods.

Plus for weekends we tend to go all electric, kettle, toaster and mini oven all on one big table so we've still got room to eat, couple of chairs and one folding unit for clothes and stuff, thats it really, we still take the porta potti though but I'm going to look into a folding one to save even more time.

We then save the majority of our 'equipment' for longer breaks when we've got time to play around and enjoy it. 

We have found with experience the key is to have multipurpose kit and then take only what you need for how long and even where you are going.

Try weekends though as we find them real de-stresssers  

If OH and eldest son are coming camping with us then we still use the Ontario 8 for short breaks (2-3 nights)

However, if it's just me and 2 youngest, I take the Licata 400 as I can pitch this myself.

Write a list of what you think you need for a short break, then HALF it!!! If the weather is nice, ditch the tables and chairs and take some picnic blankets, use a suitcase stove rather than a large cooker, pack a disposable BBQ or even better, treat yourself and eat at the local pub!!