I just refer to my camping list for 2 for a weekend - take stuff out of the prepacked boxes and don't take our number 3 box as this contains items for cooking with gas. We only take the halogen oven for a weekend, our toiletry bags are always packed bar toothbrushes and shaver. The dog has his nibbly bits and treats all packed, just need to add kong and leads.
As for the rest it's
Tent/pegs
Footprint
Bed
Sims
Sleeping Bags
Food
Chairs
Table
Hi Tec (sometimes) cupboard
Dogs' cage, towels, dishes
Everthing else is all pre-packed and ready to go!
If only it were as simple as that, but that's the basis of it and it is an awful lot simpler than our other lists. I do have several covering number of people and number of nights.
I would hate to be in a 2 man tent in a very basic set up even for a night. We do have hook up and do like our comfort but for 2-3 nights it's good for us. We use the same tent as we can get it up in 20mins., so why change it.
To be perfectly honest, there are two sort of weekend breaks - one when you want to chill and one where you've gone to explore and I wouldn't like to spend too much time setting up the tent in this instance, so the simpler the better (although comfortable!)
------------- May - Dorset
July - Saundersfoot
September - S. Wales
October - S. Wales
OK, only me and a pop-up. Take SIM, rubber-backed picnic rug (as carpet); blanket; clothes in a sailbag and pillow and a chair. Suitcase stove always in car along with pots & pans, crocks, etc. and sleeping bag for those occasional strandings on the mainland. Car loading time 10 minutes; getting set up no more than 30. Packing up 10 minutes except for tent which is a recalcitrant brute providing x hours of entertainment for other campers and which I usually give up on and wedge it in partially folded!! However, my weekend's are usually connected with events and don't spend much time on site.
------------- " When I die I don`t want my life to flash before me in an instant, I want it to be a 3 hour epic !"
I think a lot is down to practice, when I used to go away a lot I used to take much less and still be perfectly comfortable. These days we tend to take away a lot of "what if" stuff and also the wife insists on the ehu and the fridge.
Been reading Pheobe Smiths books about wild camping recently, I think I might have a go at that so it might force me to take less!
I'm a comfy camper as well and take quite a bit of stuff, but have recently got more organised, I find having stuff loose and having to make lots of trips packing the car and then unloading takes up time and buggs me.
I noticed a friend of mine had an Horse blanket bag, there really sturdy, great handles and strong zips, I've now bought a couple and their fantastic, in one I've got all my sleeping stuff, sleeping bag, quilt, pillow,2 cushions to keep my back straight, 10 cm SIM, and a throw.
The other has all my rugs, mats, chair cushions and throws as I camp all year and need insulation on the floor and when sat outside in Feb.
I also got an Outwell Kitchen bag and all the kitchen stuff is all together as well.
A big blue ikea bag with my hago kitchen stand and tables, gas heater, lantern and other small stuff.
Now I can just grab which ever bag I need and last weekend took everything and couldn't believe the amount of space in my car, I usually fill all the seats and can't see out the back and it's an estate car, that's including the front seat, this time, nothing in front seat and could see through the car and I took my camp bed, the big Icey Tek, bbq, dutch oven and the base for the Kampa Khazi
I've been camping a long time, but I'm still perfecting my set up and kit
The big plastic box is all of our kitchen stuff that we just cart along whether it's 2 or 5 of us, so a lot of the stuff in there won't get used this trip.
The other stuff is:
2 small holdalls (clothes)
BBQ (edit - just spotted a leg on backwards...)
Charcoal
Stove
Petrol can (for stove)
2 sleeping mats & bags
Coolbox
Wee bucket
Tent
Shopping bag with food.
The stuff you can't see, which is plonked on the back seat is 2 chairs, 2 pilows, a small bag of wood & kindling and some coats.
Not really any luxuries, but still a fair amount of kit!
We do 2 night camping most weekends, we have a roof box on our 4x4 that is home to our 5 birth tent that we can now pitch in 10 minutes as we have done it so much, we have 2 big storage boxes (measure your boot and get the biggest that will fit) that we store all our camping gear in so if we decide to camp one weekend its just the 2 boxes and then food (maybe a few extras depends on our plans) I don't mess with cooking/eating utensils from my kitchen I have purchased cheap smart price supplies that work very well for small camping trips away, hope that helps a little :)
I bought a Bell Tent earlier this year (a polycotton 4m) and it is up in about 8 minutes.
I've also been working really hard to pare down what we really need rather than taking stuff that doesn't even get used on site!
We've succeeded in this to some extent, of course don't get it right every time (old habits die hard) but we've got it down to:
Our tent
Our beds
Something to sit on
Something to eat from (table)
and a kitchen box. If it don't fit in the box it doesn't come.
Remember the most important thing you need, after your tent and your beds, is your wallet. You can actually survive without everything else.
I do concede that a small stove, a mug and a cannister of coffee and tea, and milk (kept in a bucket of water like my Mum used to do) saves a lot of coffee shop spending.
I like this thread, it makes me feel a lot better. I remember when I first joined this forum when we were first getting into camping that I felt a bit criticised from people saying that I was taking too much stuff and should cut down.
We take a huge amount of things for just 2 people. We have a bell tent, toilet, shower, shower cubicle, kitchen, stove, dining table, chairs, side tables, camp beds, SIMs, blankets and sheets, towels, carpet for the tent, tarp, extra poles, lanterns, spare batteries, clothes, dog
Its a lot, it just squeezes into a nissan note and a roof box. Getting the box down from the loft and getting it up on the roof rack takes ages.
Packing takes ages because my OH thinks he knows best when he doesnt so much time is spent arguing. Getting it out at the other end takes a while, we always have the tent out first, and in last.
I agree that what I hate most is when Im packing up, stuff is just everywhere, all over the ground, I really hate that. We tend to take a couple of hours getting everything sorted when we arrive and probably about 3-4 hours packing up. The tent and the carpet take moments, its all the other stuff. Im sure we'll get quicker though. Im a bit lazy.
So, my plan is that we are going to get a camping vehicle to store all the stuff in and it will be ready when we need it, because part of the getting ready means bringing it all downstairs and its all over the front room stressing me out.
Our trip last year was probably the longest to pack up ever!! We have an Outwell Indiana 8, side canopy, front canopy and two windbreaks and then everything that we "need" to be comfy. It just seemed never ending ... Need to get more organised this year. We are a family of six though, that doesn't help to start with! Extra everything!!
I'm going for two nights soon with two mums from school and our kids. I'm determine to streamline what I take. For a start I'm taking a smaller tent - Vango Icarus 500 (my parents are lending it to me bless them) so have to rethink cooking etc too. Will have to leave behind some of my "luxury" items 😀
Just to say that I got back from the trip mid afternoon today (see pic a couple of posts up).
Almost everything is away - I just have to put a couple of bits in the loft - that will only take less than ten minutes - the stuff is lined up on the landing ready to go!
Just got back from two weeks in France (Vendee). We took:
3 person pop-up tent; groundsheet; 2 sims; 2 pillows; sleeping bag; duvet; 2 blankets; table; 2 folding chairs; cool box; cutlery, plates, mugs; books; toiletries and clothes - I think that's it. No cooking equipment, as we made the decision that we were going to eat picnic type food on site, and if we wanted a hot meal we'd go out. We were lucky with the weather though - only rained lightly on one morning. If we'd been camping in the UK for a fortnight, and the weather was less reliable, I think I'd have wanted our 'proper' tent!
Just come back from a weekend away by motorcycle
two panniers one duffel bag, they contained:-
3 berth tent, airbed, sleeping bag, cookstove, kettle, mug, bowl, chair, airpump, groundsheet, clothes, wash kit, FAK, blanket and basic brewing kit.
Friends camping with me brought more but they were couples with two bikes to carry the gear, the other singles carried similar to me. Campsite was the east kirkby hideaway which has a small shop and a pub serving meals a short walk away, so no need to bring too much food.
------------- Still trying to get the packing right.
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: Weekend camping
