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Hi,

I know the feeling! On our first family camping hols my SIL said 'well we couldn't get in your tent, could we' she was right but  all the same - while she was playing 'houses' and folding clothes,  I was cooking her families' tea!

Moving on...

I have a folding cupboard (from Aldi but there are others the same) which is a table with fabric shelves underneath. I keep all of my cooking equipment (except the cooker) in a big plastic box in the loft. When we get to camp, I empty the contents into the cupboard, then use that box and one cool box for food. I have one other table which we use for the cooker, we need to get a cooker stand or another table for this now we are grown up and have a two burner!

I have fabric folding 'boxes' at home, with a black board on one side so you write on them. They were dirt cheap in QD. This time, I am taking one as a toy box, and one for dirty clothes, as this is the next area I am working on. Shoes are fine, in a supermarket 'for life' bag by the door (top tip from here!)

I have decided that it was getting me down trying to solve all of the 'untidy' problems in one go, so try to tackle one per trip - might not suit everyone but there's a clear progress curve!!!

I'm going to manage two this next trip though - the 'bed into our room so he has a play area' is a fantastic tip!

I need to work on what to do with the coats next...

Tried that one last time, looked messy, and DH kept moaning about who had dumped the coat on his chair AGAIN and then chucked it on the floor...

Plus they trail on the floor...

Will try it again in teh absence of anything else though!

Crates for the kitchen stuff and campng odds & sods, clothes in holdalls, shoes along one side of the tent, neatly stacked and a hanging fishing net thingy from Ikea for bits and pieces that are small and easily mislaid, eg glasses, medication. We have a dog crate that's abut 24 x 36 in the living area, this has a piece of plywood on top that makes a handy surface for maps, books, lamp etc. We also have a couple of S hooks hanging from that for keys, small rubbish bag, binoculars etc.

One of Mr Fran's more bonkers ideas was to make some hinged, folding shelves that would sit on top of the dog crate. I vetoed this, on the grounds that I'd rather he put up shelves in the living room where they'd be used all year round than turned a dog crate into some kind of camping Welsh dresser. 

Needless to say, the shelves still aren't done.

When I had the trailer tent I made some hooks(various lengths and sizes) from and old wire clothes airer...Some were hung up in the kitchen area for spoons..pots and pans etc...Two had a light alloy pole hung between them for drying towels/clothes etc...Some were hung at the door of the tent for coats etc...and some stuck in the ground for drying shoes in the evening....We also had two big post office hessian type bags with reinforced eylets that we hung up...one for dirty washing...One for all sorts that needed puting out of the way....

Now I know that advice aint practible for those of us with poly tents(no frame poles on the inside) but might help some of you with frame tents or large awnings....

Jelboy.

Quote: Originally posted by Zenobia on 30/7/2010

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"One of Mr Fran's more bonkers ideas was to make some hinged, folding shelves that would sit on top of the dog crate. I vetoed this, on the grounds that I'd rather he put up shelves in the living room where they'd be used all year round than turned a dog crate into some kind of camping Welsh dresser"
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Zenobia, he actually got as far as doing the drawings for the combined headboard/bedside tables, to be constructed out of plywood, hinged and folding. It was designed with a panel that went under the airbed, so he could sit up to read in bed and drink tea.

 

I put the kybosh on that, too.

Quote: Originally posted by fran1000 on 31/7/2010

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Zenobia, he actually got as far as doing the drawings for the combined headboard/bedside tables, to be constructed out of plywood, hinged and folding. It was designed with a panel that went under the airbed, so he could sit up to read in bed and drink tea.

 

I put the kybosh on that, too.