when i first started camping (in the black and white days)
i used to walk or ride, so id take one pack with me and everything in or attached to it, and could go away for a long weekend or week with that kit alone, couple weeks ago went on kayaking trip to lakes with a gang of mates by the time i was packed the car was full to the brim, 2 kayaks on the roof rack (drysuit and kit plus climbing gear) in the kayaks, when i got to the site everyone was amazed at the pure amount of luxurious junk i had taken, is it me getting old and used to my luxury or do others fill every spare gap with camping kit ?
------------- If you want the ultimate, you've got to be willing to pay the ultimate price. It's not tragic to die doing what you love. [email protected]
When we camped with the kids there was not a lot of space to take stuff for us,now they are grown, why not? if we are fit enough to fill the car with luxuries then we will, why not, it does not harm anyone, we have just upgraded the suspension on our dinghy trailer so we can fill it with stuff
I am afraid this is an each to their own question for me. We dont go out much and I dont spend much on clothes and girly things but we do love our camping. We do have a lot of kit, but we use it all and each thing has a purpose.
Compared to some our set up is fairly basic, but I like to be comfortable and I like the rest of the family to be happy or they would be reluctant to come with me!
The test for me is how long it takes to set up. We go away a lot and sometimes on the spur of the moment. We can get the tent up and have everything set up in about an hour. This is really important if you dont arrive on site until 7pm on a Friday!
Camping has moved on an awful lot since I started with a leaky ridge tent and a few bits and pieces from home. It can still be as fun though and just because you take a lot of stuff its still camping.
I agree this is an "each to their own". I don't think I'm particularly excessive about what I take, but it's still enough to fill a Land Rover Discovery.
Particularly if you are doing something while camping, it can require a fairly large carful - and I find that taking just the stuff for me doesn't really save an awful lot of space.
Certainly having most stuff in crates for speed of packing and unpacking increases the space needed unless you've achieved some zen-like mastery of crate vs. contents. Set-up and take-down time is one of my main criteria, since I don't have a lot of patience for that bit of the process, but beyond that I like to be comfortable - warm, dry, and well fed. And you can't do that lying on the ground with a single burner stove.
We have two sets of kit, one for weekends and the other for a week or more. We attempt to be good with the weekend kit and only take what we need (ish). For example we could do without the gas cooker and gas bottle (we have EHU) but we take it (just in case). But we don't take the camping wardrobe, waste bin, cooking stand with fitting cupboards, the satalite system, the TV, extra lamp stand, extra chairs or the clothes drying (whirlygig thing) And yes the car and top box are full, we now have a trailer for the longer holiday.
------------- May, Bridge House Marina Garstang
May Willowbank Southport
June Ashes Kendal
July Laverick Hall Halton
July Bridge House Marina
Aug Solway View, Borgue
Sept Willowbank Southport
Oct Wagtail Farm York
Oct Fisherpool Delamere.
We also started off with a small tent, an airbed, camping stove and tiny folding chairs
This weekend I'm taking:
5 man tent
double height airbed with built in electric pump
EHU
Halogen heater
Rugs/carpets
2 really good camping chairs
dog's camp bed
electric lamp
lanterns
suitcase stove
kettle
toaster
new hard topped 3 shelf wardrobe thing
two folding tables
george formby grill
pots and pans
full four person melamine set (there's only two of us lol)
cooking & cleaning stuff
holdall with clothes and stuff in it
Brand new 40l electric coolbox
when we first went about 10 years ago we had a teeny weeny dome tent , me hubby and our 4 year old (14 now) slept in that , hubby ended up in the car the next night lol we had a table a tiny cooker and 2 chairs
now we take everything but the kitchen sink..............BUT we only go camping once a year , its our main holiday for 10 days and we like the creature comforts
and I still want more stuff, wardrobes , cupboards tent carpet etc etc
When we first started camping - years ago we took very little, then we started to buy more kit and before you knew it we had loads and it took ages to set up. It kind of put me off, so we bought a caravan... Very old one - just to try. I loved it, I loved how quick we could set up and be relaxing over a brew or cold cider, but then our towing car got written off (not our fault - imbecile didn't stop at a junction and hit hubby) and we just decided we didn't want to tow anymore. We are now back camping, but lightly and loving it! If it doesn't fit I. The boot it's not coming - though tent does have to travel in the car!
Perils of driving a Beetle with a tiny boot!
------------- 2011 Camping Tally:
One night so far!
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: more kit than you need
And yes the car and top box are full, we now have a trailer for the longer holiday.
