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Hi, can I ask some of you seasoned campers some questions please

I found it a lot easier setting up than packing away (even though it was raining when we unpacked)... is this normal ?

I hated packing away, I'm not sure if this was because our 10 month old was quite poorly and it was about 27 degrees.  Do you think it was hard beause our tent was so big.  We didn't take the utility tent this time but do you think it would be easier if we took it next time so we can plonk all the stuff in there while we take the tent down ?

The site we stayed on were so nice, said she wasn't bothered that we weren't going to be off by 11am.  My god it was about 1pm by the time we had packed up and we'd been at it all morning !

Do you think... life would be easier if I had a trailer as well as roof box ?  I have a friend who will lend us a trailer all we need to do is get a tow bar fitted....

 I loved camping but my brain hurts from the packing and unpacking.  Maybe we should just do a week next time and have done with it

Until you have decamped a few times  ,everything will appear more awkward .It is better to take your time and get things right , than to pack in haste and regret at leisure.

If I was starting out again , I would buy a utility tent , it keeps the main tent clutter free , alledgedly . A trailer is good , but you will fill it!! But it would give you the option of not being so precise when packing away, useful for a quick get away. How was Blackrock Sands? Did you stay on the tent only site or Greenhills ?

I find that everything just seems to have swelled up by the time we pack up .

I still find that if we are tight for space going, it is a bit of a Houdini job to make it all fit on the way back.  I think it is also because we're not in the same woohoo mood (end of holiday/break) so we're a bit more cranky and with the time constraint (got to be off the pitch by 12 etc) it all adds to the pressure especially if it is raining/red hot.

It does get easier when you pare down the stuff you take and you get used to the way it needs to be packed but I still can't wait for the day we get our trailer and I can chuck it in if it's raining etc and I'm confident that with the trailer space and the boot there will be more than enough space (as although we can fit it in the boot now it's just too much of a squeeze and a headache).

Katie

We stayed on the main bit with the caravans and tents.... it was noisy !!  Very.  The toilets blocks were a bit manky too !!  But its in such a great location and the regulars who have caravans there are really nice too.  They pile them on though, there wasn't room to move Saturday night maybe where it was so noisy.  The kids loved it though, so safe for them and everyone is really friendly.

The old adage of the more you take the less you go. 

If you didn't use it, dump it   except fire prevention first aid kit and tent repairs

Cut down on everything that looked like a good idea at the time but is in fact a waste of time and effort.

You have the gear, you paid for it, don't waste it. 

So bare minimum for weekends  and get your money's worth out of it.

and yes packing up is the worst time

One thing that really made a difference last time is that I normally make sandwiches for the journey home - this has the knock-on effect that we can't do our final washing up till those are done, nor pack the coolbox for travel etc.  The box I keep plates, knives, tinfoil etc needs to be the first thing in the car (or it used to with the Mondeo, not sure with the Zafira).  Last time I made the sandwiches the night before - it made a huge difference to packing away time.   If I could get a good 'clothes' system going that would also save more time.

but bottom line is...take less stuff.

Christine

Firstly we have a trailor, it stays in the garage and that means we can keep everything in it. All we have to pack before we go is clothes bedding and food.

Secondly i no what you mean about the packing away. We have 2 kids aged 1 & 2, the last night while OH makes bbq and kids are in bed i pack everything away, for example take the kitchen larder down and put the left over food in a bag, put the wardrobe down and and pack all the clothe away bar what we are wearig ( i do put a spare set on top of the case just in case we need it) All the pots and pans goaway in their box and i put down my veg rack ( i use this for all the plates pans cups first aid kit ect...) This tkes me about 45 mins but i just find it sooooo much easies then having to do it the morning when trying to pack up. Not all sites are as ffriendly about you leaving late.

I feel for you, packing away with a poorly little one is no fun - the time we did it, it was pouring down.

As others have said, it does get easier with time.

We pack away non essentials in bits the day before - this includes all clothes except the pjs, and what we are wearing the next day.
We try and get a meal out the night before so this cuts down the washing up.    Even if it is the only meal out we can afford.    Cereal only for breakfast on packing up day - this saves on the washing up.

It's always harder packing up. You're doing it in a hurry, you don't have time to roll/fold/pack kit as neatly as you can do it in the house, it's possibly raining, the kids are around....

Best advice?

1) Don't fill the car up on the way out, whatever combo of boot/roof box/trailer you're using. Leave 10% wiggle room for the return.

2) Spend an hour tidying up the tent the night before. I don't necessarily pack, unless it's something I'm definately not going to be using, but I get the loose rubble back where it should be.

3) Tidy out the car boot the night before, ready to be filled.

4) I personally didn't much like packing with the kids around when they were very small, so I made OH take them out for the morning and did it solo. I'd only phone him to come back when I was ready to drop the tent. Now they're older though they have to help. They can pack their own pods up...sleeping bags, mats, toys etc. And DS is getting taller than me so he's getting trained up to help Hubby with the tent while I pack the car.