So which do people think is best, great big holdalls like the ones explore and treking holiday companies use(this is what i do) smaller bags or as above, boxes that don't spread the load aren't flexible but fit the car boot exactly ?
I have had loads of ideas from this thread and its great to see what everyone else uses... I like the idea of everyone having their own smaller rucksack to keep their own stuff together and tidy...... I think i am going to ditch the massive holdal I take for the 2 week France treck too.. just have larger holdals..
Have played about with the 'packing' conundrum all day to day - been to several shops looking for solutions, and have come back to the small rucksack per person, and if we have room will take a collapsible crate each in the bedroom pod to save rummaging in the bag.
Last time in Cornwall I just laid out two piles in the bedroom pods for each of us of tops and bottoms and left the socks, pants, clean pjs etc. in the rucksack and that worked quite well - but I think having the tops and bottoms in the collapsible crates will keep it tidier.
If we haven't got room for the collapsible crates I might pop to Aldi for some of their black reusable bags as they seem quite strong and quite 'square'.
Quote: Originally posted by xtinexoop on 20/8/2009
- but I think having the tops and bottoms in the collapsible crates will keep it tidier.
If we haven't got room for the collapsible crates I might pop to Aldi for some of their black reusable bags as they seem quite strong and quite 'square'.
Christine
You ould always grab a couple of bananna or melon boxes on your first trip to the supermarket when away, and ditch them at the end of the trip? A friend of mine used to do that.
Also, zip up underbed storage bags might be useful for this, the kind you keep your winter woolies in. They pack to nothing. But really, a cheap sports holdall with a good wide top opening is as functional as most things.
For the French campers I find that Decathlon and Carrefore (sp?) reusable bags are useful, the ones with the cardboard bottoms that stand square. I quite often decant out of my holdall into a couple of those onsite to save rooting around at the bottom of the holdall. They just pack flat and cost pennies. Plus we've got loads of them as I always forget to take the bags to the supermarket and end up having to buy more!
We also use drybags - ours come from Alpkit, we squish coats, pillows, towels and clothes into ours, it means things don't get wet when setting/packing up in the rain and you don't have lose stuff lurking around.
two holdalls for us, one for me and OH and one for the two kids, although thinking about the underbed storage boxes as you would e able to see what you want instead of me rummaging around for a pair of boxers and coming out with a pair of the wife's knickers which really don't suit me .
as for dirty clothes, we just bung them all into a black bag to be squashed into whatever space is left in the car
OK... here is DD with her backpack and 3 weeks worth of clothes in it... she still has room for a few bits and pieces... most of the stuff is packed in a vacuum bag and the rest in a morrisons carrier which I've also rolled like a vacuum bag (why did I bother buying them???). This bag will squish much smaller when we shove it in the car!
My weekend holdalls are a tad smaller than that but I have bigger ones for three weeks because I don't use vacuum bags and use the holdall as storage in the tent when I get there rather than unpacking. Also, where do you pack shoes/sponge bag/personal stuff? I have a seperate bag for wet weather gear and wellies, but shoes etc go in the person's own bag. I don't mind the bags having a bit of spare space in them because the excess just squishs down anyway.
Being caravanners, we are lucky that we don't have to think about packing wash-bags, etc (that sort of stuff lives in the 'van). We have a large hold-all for Hubby and me, and Lady P has her own case. Lady P's case lives in her tent. For weekends, I just put the hold-all in the wardrobe and we rummage in it. For longer stays, I actually unpack! The hold-all then gets thrown in the car boot out of the way! Footware and towels usually get shoved in carrier bags and squashed in the car where-ever they will fit. The dog's stuff (extending lead, poo-pod, travel water bottle, brush, and a supply of wee-mats that she sits on in the car) goes in a little ruck-sac that we then use as a day-pack.