[Closed] Packing the car for a week long camping trip....

With four bikes I'm not surprised space is short.

Tent?

Once you have to brick your kids into the backseat, you're nearly there.

Try 2 people, 4 weeks, Mazda MX5. At least we'll have no bikes..

Its the 'week' part thats the issue, you (she?) will be packing enough clothes for 4 people to last the whole week, including (probably) evening wear, beach wear, walking wear etc. etc.

If you went for 2 month you'd have a lot less.

You can always tell when we're off camping.

I nearly rip the bumper off the car pulling off the drive onto the road due to the suspension being compressed so much.

Should be ok if you don't take bikes, if you do, pics please! 🙂

Howzabout getting rid of the picnic hamper and subbing with a Ti Mug and Spork each 8)

Just two of us was getting stupid last time so I made the executive decision that camping meant simple life/back to basic so left the table and 2 chairs behind for a start!

Last time we went family camping it was in the USA so all our kit had to fit in one holdall. We did borrow sleeping bags and two mats though, which helped 🙂

Its amazing what you can get in a car when camping for a week*

Not camping as such - a week in france carp fishing
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Right up to the seats
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I'm obviously not alone with this issue then!

No bikes - that's about to unleash a whole new can of worms when that happens. Towbar racks/roofbox/trailer will all need to be reconsidered.

We seem to have two crates of cooking utensils (how?) taking up a lot of space, actually less clothing than usual after my hissy fit packing last time, but self inflating mats take up loads more space than simple airbeds.

Why won't she see that T5 is the answer to our problems?

I'm about to pack 2 adults, 2 kids, tent, 4 suit cases, all the sleeping kit, cooking stuff and 4 bikes on the roof of a 14 year old Peugeot 306 estate with 155000 miles on the clock and then drive it across France for two weeks.

Should be interesting. 😯

Camping/holiday equipment :-

Two bikes (on roof)
Vango Icarus 500 tent plus large awning/canopy.
One table
two chairs
One camp kitchen/larder set up.
Two gas stoves
One storage box containing camp kit (pots & pans, cutlery, various bits and bobs etc)
One air bed
sleeping bags/blankets/duvet (she feels the cold)
Two bags containing clothes for the week
Two sets of cycling kit (helmets. camelbaks, shoes, waterproofs etc)
Food cooler bag and box.

Car:-

Ford Ka 😆

muddydwarf I doff my hat to you sir...

Oddly enough me and mrsvader have been discussing this problem this evening... ours is more of a tour tho as we are spending 4 days at the beach in essex then going to Derbyshire for 4 days camping.... me, mrs, mini and dog.... we (she??) always always always overpack and I always say we need more space (avensis tourer) I wasnt allowed to look at anything bigger....

Packing our car is an art form with the amount of kit the mrs wants to take! I need to figure how to take another 2 bikes next time, sons bike on the roof along with roof box.

We've had cars from a metro up to an A6 avant, and no matter what there's never enough room for a fag paper once the Mrs has loaded the 'essentials'.

It does not matter how much space you have it will never be enough. VW T4 Caravelle for mrs CofD and I and 4 kids. Ended up borrowing a mates trailer!

This was on the way to Mayhem, but the car was near the same for our recent 2 week camping holiday with two bikes.

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Kangoo FTW.

Having just come back from a three day festival I found we took loads less shit than when we normally camp for just a weekend. It was horrific conditions this morning for packing away tho!

We just took the van to france for 3 weeks camping looked at folk packing cars and wondered how they managed .....

Our an was tetrised to the roof

- ok 2 mtbs and 2 roadies ate up alot of the space but makes me think how skilled some folk are to manage 2 kids plus bikes and campin kit for a holiday

Mr pips that is horrific. Please get a trailer or roof box.

We've got a mondeo estate and its filed to the roof plus a big roof box for a weekend camping. Having said that we do take little one s full size travel cot and a stroller. We also have a very bulky khyam tent which is ace to put up but about the same size in the bag as when its erect!

I think a galaxy our similar may be on the cards next as a van is not work appropriate and as the boys get bigger I can sense a lot more camping and cycling trips will be on the cards.

Unless your a taxi driver i cant see what you could do that makes a galaxy work appropriate and a van /mini bus not appropriate

Actually, MsD packs the Ka, i'm not allowed anywhere near the job as apparently i have no sense of 'packing'.
My job is to wander off to the shop for travel essentials 8)

Mr pips that is horrific. Please get a trailer or roof box.

I've bought a smaller tent now so the baguette will fit in the back. 😉