Like many campers here, our equipment has 'evolved' to what we have now... I could pretty much go anywhere with the equipment we have now... makes for very comfortable camping.
But.
It's not the same.
I used to get fired up about new equipment. Toys for grown ups. Spent an hour putting it all away after one night away. Paggered by the end of it! Sweating!
Thinking of going back to the small tent that takes 5 minutes to put up, the small gas burner and a frying pan, no EHU because it's just too tempting to pack half the house with it!
Want to get back to simple weekends away.
Anyone else been here or am I just like the petulant child who wants to ditch their Sony PSP for the snakes and ladders board?
------------- Tom & Gill
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I 'm in complete agreement with you, we've just returned from a long weekend (3 nights) and we packed the car (boot & back seat) a roofbox and a trailer, EHU means fridge, heater portable dvd........... It took longer to unpack the car and put everything away than it did to get back from the site which was just over an hour away.
No, I think its easy to get carried away. For me taking everything down, packing the car and putting it away when we get back is the worst part of any holiday. I hate it!
Having said that I don't think it takes us much longer now we have a bigger tent EHU etc because we were so disorganised when we started. We had bits and pieces everywhere and used to take loads of stuff we never used. Nowadays we have lists of everything and most of it is organised into boxes which we keep everything in at the site and then go back into the car and into the loft.
Both of us are hoarders so even when we had a very small tent we had half the house in the back of the car so we never really did minimal camping.
Quote: Originally posted by Morag MacDoodle on 20/5/2007
Like many campers here, our equipment has 'evolved' to what we have now... I could pretty much go anywhere with the equipment we have now... makes for very comfortable camping.
But.
It's not the same.
I used to get fired up about new equipment. Toys for grown ups. Spent an hour putting it all away after one night away. Paggered by the end of it! Sweating!
Thinking of going back to the small tent that takes 5 minutes to put up, the small gas burner and a frying pan, no EHU because it's just too tempting to pack half the house with it!
Want to get back to simple weekends away.
Anyone else been here or am I just like the petulant child who wants to ditch their Sony PSP for the snakes and ladders board?
You're the first person I have seen who owns the same tent as me...a Eurohike Coniston (apart from my neighbour who quite coincidentally has just erected one in his garden). As tents go, it has to be one of the easiest to erect given the spaciousness of it, and only 3 poles.
However, I found erecting it on my own quite tiresome after a long journey, and like you, after I had packed the car with all the necessary equipment I felt shattered...and that was before I had even left home! Then after a long weekend away it all has to be packed in the car again. Then on arrival home it all has to come out of the car and be packed away. I always felt I had just returned from scaling Mount Everest!
I now have a small caravan and although that has it's own worries and concerns, in terms of convenience and a more relaxing break, it wins hands down. Mind you, I am approaching my 60th birthday and although I still consider myself fit and healthy, my body doesn't always seem to agree, so anything that makes life just that little bit more comfortable is welcome. I'm not sure that going back to a 'crawl in' tent would have been the answer.
I was describing to a friend, how we've Been There Done That with camping and now are coming back down the other side.
I got fed up with arriving on site for a 2 night stay and the tent taking over 30 mins to get put up, thats without pumping up airbeds and all the other paraphernalia.
We've now dramatically downsized. We are no longer taking the large tent for weekends, in stead taking a small 3 man (Sunncamp voyager) and a 2 man pop up tent for our sons. (We do realise we'll have to choose sites carefully as to not get charged two pitch fees)
We used to have a windbreak, and fold up table/chairs, and a camp kitchen. Now, I cook on the floor sitting on a picnic rug, although we do still take two fold up armchairs.
Gone are the airbeds (so no noisy pumps and time wasted to pump them up) instead are self-inflators.
The car has a lot more space and arrival on site is much more relaxed. Within about 15mins we're completely set up.
For weekends this set up is perfect. We're still wondering whether to sell our 'big' tent as we rarely get time to go away for anything longer than a weekend.
Admittedly in bad weather we don't have a lot of 'living space' but we are generally fairweather campers.
It suits us. I know not everyone agrees, but even though we only take the basics I don't think we scrimp on comfort.
We enjoy both extremes of camping. For short stays, it's just the tent, self-inflating mattresses, one gas ring cooker, each meal in a small box complete with disposable plates so that the lot can be jettisoned with no washing up.
But for our 2 - 3 week stay in Devon we do take everything including the plumbed in kitchen sink!! ... and I do still enjoy pottering around 'setting up camp' as I have plenty of time to do it.
I totally agree with some of the posters, if you are going away for a Weekend break, you want to go 'minimal' with your gear, although if you are going away for longer, than it becomes necessary to take more gear.
I just love the short weekend breaks, much rather do a few of them that 1 long break.
------------- its me again!
Top End Farm May
RSPB Big Camp June
Diamond Campsite August
Yes I agree but not easy I use my xxl for weekends and minimal equipment and with the annex for longer. But the extra equipment keeps sneaking into the car and if you got it you use it.
------------- Yesterday is already a dream and tomorrow is only a vision, but today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope.
When the kids were born we upgraded to large frame tents and all the other "essential" equipment for family camping. Now that the kids have grown up and left home I am on my own, so I have downgraded to a tunnel tent, single burner stove, a table and a chair. What a difference it makes, not having to bother with a trailer or a roof rack.
I sold the first EHU we had a few years ago as it seemed to be the root of a lot of evil in terms of taking too much stuff away with us. All sorts of things that were aimed at increasing comfort, ease and happiness and actually just added up to more work in terms of packing, transporting, setting up blah blah blah. I also sold a hideously heavy accordion-type cooker stand, cooker with grill and windshield, gas bottle etc and cut out all sorts of other stuff.
We still don't travel light in any way shape or form but feel that we have a much better balance of kit and tent (s) to suit ourselves. I have been given another EHU this year which we are going to use for the fridge and various chargers but that is it! MT
------------- Tackling life the Western District way
You all know me.....I never stop preaching about cutting down your kit.
But I`m soon going on my long holiday and taking the TT...and minimalist kit has gone out the window. I`m on a total kit pig out for this next trip! But of course, setting up a TT is very different from setting up out a car. most of the kut is where it`s going to be used, so there`s no real unpacking at that end.
And then come August, we`ll be back to minimalist again...
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Camping Devolution
