Organzing your camping gear

Yes, we had a wagon and a trailer! So we have heaps of room just need it organised and packed well instead of everthing thrown in everywhere!
Thanks heaps for helping!

Hi Karicher,

Just don't throw everything in everywhere! LOL. We don't have a trailer (but we need one) and by being organised fit everything in a wagon with two kids.

Our last trip we took loads of stuff including a canoe, surfboards, fishing gear etc; not just camping gear. Mind you, that takes some real organising and time which is what you are asking about. Maybe you need to try without the trailer and see how easy you have it!

I was going to answer your other post but life with kids had other plans. Your question about sleeping options; go with self-inflatables. BUT get thick ones and don't buy a double: use two singles. The reason is that doubles take two people to roll up 'and it is really HARD to do and then you have this huge thing to pack which wont fit inside the car. That's not just hearsay ;-)

Another thing most people will recommend is a draw system and since you have a trailer that will probably work. My theory is: if you only have a wagon with limited space then _Affordable_Storage_Drawers.aspx take up some of that valuable space. The thickness of the material they are made of is taking up cubic inches. When you pack them, if the gear doesn't fit perfectly within the dimensions of the _Affordable_Storage_Drawers.aspx there is more wasted space.

Clothes; everyone agrees that they take too many clothes away. If travelling for longer than a week you must consider changes in weather, but lets face it, if only for a few days we wear the same shorts and a singlet and a t-shirt.

If only for a few days, forget all the extra gear you think you MIGHT use. Especially if kids are involved; you aren't going to go bushwalking, fishing, surfing, canoing, snorkelling, volleyball on the beach, etc You may do two of them if you're lucky. Perhaps plan your trip around a specific activity.

The funny thing about camping is that the actual camping takes up most of your time, and that is good. This is the reason we do it; to get away. We wake up, cook up some brekky; oh that's right , we need to get a fire going. We wash up, watch the bird-life, decide what to do over a cuppa. It's all about relaxing. There's only so much you can squeeze into a day.

Your question is about minimising packing time; some of it comes with experience. Some is common sense. Without knowing exactly how you do it now I can only give my general idea:
RULES- everyone must put things back where they found them.

Have specific bags/boxes for things. Yours may be different to ours but as a guideline-
crate of dryfoods
crate/bag of pots pans plates utensils etc
sports stuff in one bag
'odds and ends' bag - occy straps, spare batteries, mantels for lantern, gas hoses, taps for water containers, rope for clothes line or other needs, repair kits for tent, washing up stuff etc.

Just have a designated bag for everything. If the rest of the family is 'challenged' in the area of being practical (like my family), then you need to take the role of 'chief organiser'

Although it may take some time, stand at the rear of your vehicle with all the gear there and have a real think about how it will best fit; taking into account what needs to come out first ie tent, cooker, gas cylinder, connecting hoses, sleeping gear, food, cooking and eating utensils, torches, cold beer....

I don't know how old your kids are but when packing up the priority is to make the arrival at home easy; keep nappies and bottles etc in easy reach. This applies for the whole trip.

On a final note, maybe you need to accept that camping with kids is time-consuming. Let's face it, the average day is full of 'dealing with kids' and a simple task tends to be not so simple. It's a state of mind: Our tent takes two people to set up. How well that works depends on how relaxed we are and how out of control our kids are at the time :-))))

Thanks for that awesome post!

You guys are great and giving me heaps of great advice!

Thats interesting about the single mattresses v's the queen size mattress. The man told me in the shop they take 2 people to roll up and about 15mins and I was a bit hesitant in them due to that. Thats why I havn't purchased it yet. I will certainly look at the single ones now. Be much better if you only need one person packing them away while the other person is packing something else up.

My kids are 2, 4, 6. So all young and keep me with my hands full!

Do you set up a screen dome for all your kitchen stuff and esky's or just put it outside your tent? We normally set up a screen dome too, but just wondering if we actually need it?

Thanks heaps for all your tips, I am so excited about our next trip in October! I'm going to be sooooo orgaised this time!

This is the camp set-up we find works for us: We use a double dome tent; one dome we sleep in, the other is storage for clothes etc. If camping longer than a weekend we set up a large tarp as well to have shade or so you can be outside if it's raining. We usually have our cooker, table and crate of cooking and eating utensils under the tarp, and the esky in shade (may require moving as the sun moves). A screen dome would serve the same purpose as a tarp and keep the bugs out. Some camping areas are bug-fests, especially some nice coastal areas; mozzies, sandflies, marchflies etc.

We have our food under the tarp as well but lock it in the car at night along with the rubbish and any washing up that doesn't get done; rats, possums etc will chew through tents or screens to get to food.

I pretty much unpack the whole car so everything is at hand and the car is relatively empty for day trips, surfing, fishing etc. The things I leave in the car are tools, fishing gear etc; the stuff not actually being used at camp. This would probably be different if you had a drawer system.

As others have mentioned lists are a great idea. In 'documents' I have my camping list of all possible things to take. Before a trip I print a copy and start crossing off the things I don't need; ie no grill plate if their are bbq pits at the camping ground. If only going for two days you can cut down on loads of stuff. A list keeps you organised; being unorganised results in taking loads of gear you don't use but not taking stuff you need like spare batteries, the tin opener, lighters/matches...

Planning the trip can be half the fun!

I have to agree with Willem. Making lists is a very good start.

We used to go camping with 4 kids and now only 2 come, so we do now have a bit more room, but it is pointless taking things that you wont need.

I have started to get pretty ruthless when it comes to packing.

Food is pretty much planned and stored as suggested by Willem. Tools, recovery gear and spares go without saying and are usually either in the car or very close by on a premanant basis.

Sleeping bags, mattresses, take what you are comfortable with. Pillows on the other hand is another story. Most of us here have 2 or 3 pillows each at home. When we are camping everyone is restricted to just one as they do manage to take up quite a bit of space.

Clothing is the worst though. We are limited to one bag each, but its fully how the girls bags every trip seem to get bigger and bigger...LOL. They are now limited to an overnight bag whether it be a 1 night trip or a trip for a number of weeks. They seem to manage quite well and they still have stuff that is not used.

Pack up the clothing bags and then go through it and take about half of it out and you will still have enough to see you through. Sure you may do your washing a little more often, but that is so much better then having loose (and it always happens somehow) articles of clothing in the car and the trailer.

Good luck with it, but after 6 or 8 trips you will start to see it all come together.

Have to agree with RF and Willem.

We have plastic fishing tubs for everything except clothes and the food that goes in the fridge. The tubs stack and fit neatly into the trailer or back of the car. They are labelled on the outside, just with adhesive envelope labels, so we don't have to open them to know what is in them. We don't have to think which one something is in either we just say to the kids get it out of the tub, they too can read the label.

Each person has a bag for their clothes. The secret here is that I choose the bag. Keep them small. You don't need to take a months worth of clothes even if you are going for a month. As they have gotten older my daughters have wanted to bring more and more clothes my son less and less. Despite this we seem to have more and more clothes on each trip.

We keep a list of things that might be handy to have on the next trip and review why we carry certain things regularly. If we can't justify it leave it at home. We also wander around camp grounds looking at how others do things, if we see a good idea we use it.

Camping is an evolutionary process for me and it will continue as long as I keep camping.

Duncs

You guys wrote your replies within the time it took me to reply above. All very good advice, but I especially like your last sentence Duncs; it should be entered into the 'Exploroz Hall of Fame' as the official motto. :-)))

Thanks Bware,

I'll take that as a compliment even though it was meant more as a statement of fact than as a philosophical ideal.

Duncs

H,

Thanks heaps to everyone!

I also find the clothes a nigtmare. We take way too much and then I come home and wash for a week!

Last time we camped I brought the kids all a pair of Hard Yakka Kids Overalls and put them over there clothes. That way, I needed less clothes as the overalls protected them and served as another layer. They were great! So this time, now that I know the overalls worked, I will pack even less clothes for the kids.

Thanks for all the other ideas, this has been fantastic!

Thanks for the advice! I'm taking everything on board!

Hi,

Your right, and the deep boxes fill up with all the crap we dont need that then gets spread around my camp site!!! Arghhhh

Shallow boxes for me next time!

Thanks heaps,

I really like the idea of having to take nothing from home. I would love to have everyting packed ready to go except for clothes and food. The toiletries idea is great, I'll start making everyone up a toilet bag now so we never have to get all the tooth brushes, soap, shampoo etc etc everytime. Then I'll start on the rest :)

Thanks for the tips.

Thanks heaps,

Your right, I need to stop taking junk! We seem to take every bloody light we own - just in case!!! Yet we only ever use the really good one.

I like the organisers on the back of the seats for the kids. They would like that.

Thanks!

Thanks Brian,

My kids are 2, 4, 6. Not much help at the moment in setting things up!

Thanks for all your advice, I'll let you know how we go in October when we go to Lake Eukumbene for the longw weekend!

I'm planning now, so it should all go much more smoothly this time.

Thanks for the tips!

You will be suprised what a 4 and 6 year old can do, even if its only pegs and ropes. I know it can be frustrating when you want to set up your camp quick, however to get them involved now you will reap the rewards later.

While they are not much help they are excited if it not seen as a chore and a bit of fun, givem a treat when they help and the camp is set up :).

I had mine fishing at around 4 years old (lloose term) I cast, they manage a birds nest an eagle would be proud of, I learnt the art of undoing birds nests quite well LOL. Of course when they catch there first fish its worth it and remember the camera for that moment.

Have fun
Brian

Ooops.

The cut & paste from my XL spreadsheet did'nt quite transfer across accurately to delineate roof items, inside items, etc.
Ah well, ya get that.

Cheers

Bugger ... all the little bullet squares came out as ???'s ...

They can't fool me ....

I tooken a photo of my CheckList, squirted it into "My Profile" and sucked it out into this thread ..... I think?

!MPG:13! Blank CheckList ......... at last!

And : I have several 'milkcrates' and similar sized plastic boxes which I use for camping ....... bought several of these:

!MPG:14! MilkCrate BAGS [from an advertiser on this forum, www.infront.com.au.] Excellent product and quality and service second to NONE !! [thanks DAD ??].... LOL

Well, I'll be damned ...... it works !!

Weatherproof/dustproof and generally very bloody handy !!
AND they can hold more than the crate can.

Have one each for clothes/packaged foods/fresh foods [veges,fruit,breads],/crockery/personal stuff[books,toiletries,]/ropes and tent stuff/cooking pots,pans,Bedourie oven/ etc: whatever will fit !!

Have the trailer 'floored' with old carpet so the don't slide around and you can fit in as many as you need, generally.

Regards