Two adults and a toddler camping - how much boot space?
Discussion
I've not been camping for too long, and it doesn't look like I'll get chance this summer either, so I'm planning for next summer.
Just as rough idea, how much boot space do you need to get all you need for a fortnight camping in?
I bought the Leon as a stop-gap, but I really like it now - I'm just not sure if it's got enough room. Family sized tents you can stand up in take up a lot more room than the two-person tents I am used to, and I guess we'd need to take something to cook on (I used to eat cold cans, or go to a pub to eat pre-child. I don't driving to a nice view and eating a cold can of 'All Day Breakfast' from the tin whilst listening to something interesting on Radio 4 will go down well with a three year old) as well as a portable loo (or we could un-retire the potty I suppose)
Anyway, I think I am reconciled to the idea that I might need a roofbox for everything (bedding, toys, scooter, cameras, tent, stove, shoes, towels, bikes maybe ...) but I'm not sure if even that will be enough. I've been looking at trailers on eBay ....
So, how much space do you need for all your camping stuff?
Just as rough idea, how much boot space do you need to get all you need for a fortnight camping in?
I bought the Leon as a stop-gap, but I really like it now - I'm just not sure if it's got enough room. Family sized tents you can stand up in take up a lot more room than the two-person tents I am used to, and I guess we'd need to take something to cook on (I used to eat cold cans, or go to a pub to eat pre-child. I don't driving to a nice view and eating a cold can of 'All Day Breakfast' from the tin whilst listening to something interesting on Radio 4 will go down well with a three year old) as well as a portable loo (or we could un-retire the potty I suppose)
Anyway, I think I am reconciled to the idea that I might need a roofbox for everything (bedding, toys, scooter, cameras, tent, stove, shoes, towels, bikes maybe ...) but I'm not sure if even that will be enough. I've been looking at trailers on eBay ....
So, how much space do you need for all your camping stuff?
I took my 3 kids camping for the first time last year and was shocked at how much room I needed for just the basics really.
The tent, a Tunnel one with a communal/dining area and 3 bedrooms (1 teenage girl, 2 young boys and me) is pretty huge when folded and in bag and it took most of the space in the boot of my E36 BMW.
A folding picnic table with bench included and one folding chair for eating and sitting around.
A small stove and gas bottle.
A plastic crate with eating utensils, torches, cloths, batteries etc.
A cooler thingy for milk, butter and beer.
Then clothes for 2 weeks in the UK, so everything, sleeping bags, air mattresses and pump.
I ended up with a roof box and stuff packed around the kids in the car. My daughter wanted to take a friend but I had no room plus there was no room for winter coats (needed), duvets (needed) or various games.
I nearly bought a much bigger car but that would have negated the idea of a cheap holiday
If I ever do it again I might be tempted to fit a tow bar and get a trailer.
The tent, a Tunnel one with a communal/dining area and 3 bedrooms (1 teenage girl, 2 young boys and me) is pretty huge when folded and in bag and it took most of the space in the boot of my E36 BMW.
A folding picnic table with bench included and one folding chair for eating and sitting around.
A small stove and gas bottle.
A plastic crate with eating utensils, torches, cloths, batteries etc.
A cooler thingy for milk, butter and beer.
Then clothes for 2 weeks in the UK, so everything, sleeping bags, air mattresses and pump.
I ended up with a roof box and stuff packed around the kids in the car. My daughter wanted to take a friend but I had no room plus there was no room for winter coats (needed), duvets (needed) or various games.
I nearly bought a much bigger car but that would have negated the idea of a cheap holiday
If I ever do it again I might be tempted to fit a tow bar and get a trailer.
We took our six month old down to Le Mans, camping for the race, and granted we had the addition of steriliser, travel cot, buggy etc., it was still a squeeze getting everything in to my C-Class estate with roof box! I'm trying to work out what we can cut down on to make space - as we got the same amount of camping gear (with three adult blokes) in to a 5-series saloon without roofbox last year. The Mrs knows she needs to cut down on her clothes, but I think it will still be tight!
Thanks all for your input.
It's true that cars like the Kangoo are good for this - the Multipla was great for us because we could all sit in the front, take the back seats out and fit almost everything we owned in the back.
I don't really want a trailer for the hassle of storing it, the extra cost if I go island hopping in Scotland, and the tedium of towing it. But I'm sure if I had one I'd wonder how I ever managed without it.
We could fold down 2/3 of the back seat - I honestly hadn't thought of that! At the moment the child seat is in the middle so you can't fold any of it - it's like that so she can see out better; the Multipla has spoiled her with regard to how much she expects to see out of the car! But yeah, we could shift her over for camping.
Still not sure a Leon mk1 can take all this - it's the bikes that are the problem
tent, tent carpet etc
3 x beds
3 x chairs
1 x stove
1 x kitchen stand
1 x set of cooking/eating equipment - pans, plates, knives etc
1 x cool box
1 x porta potti
3 x bedding
3 x clothes
3 x shoes and boots
2 x adult bikes
1 x child's bike
1 x bag of toys kid wants to bring
1 x bag of random stuff - books, chargers etc
1 x bag of camping stuff - torches, mallet etc
No doubt I've forgotten loads there. I guess the most sensible way is roofbox and bikes on the back, and I might as well get a towball mount bike rack for the security and in case I need a trailer - or I could get a Thule Backup box to avoid the extra expense on the ferries. But it just wouldn't be as useful as a trailer when SWMBO buys a wardrobe off eBay, and with all the kit and people I guess there is a chance of getting near to the point of putting too much weight in the car. Payload is only 400kg or so I think, and that includes the passengers.
It's true that cars like the Kangoo are good for this - the Multipla was great for us because we could all sit in the front, take the back seats out and fit almost everything we owned in the back.
I don't really want a trailer for the hassle of storing it, the extra cost if I go island hopping in Scotland, and the tedium of towing it. But I'm sure if I had one I'd wonder how I ever managed without it.
We could fold down 2/3 of the back seat - I honestly hadn't thought of that! At the moment the child seat is in the middle so you can't fold any of it - it's like that so she can see out better; the Multipla has spoiled her with regard to how much she expects to see out of the car! But yeah, we could shift her over for camping.
Still not sure a Leon mk1 can take all this - it's the bikes that are the problem
tent, tent carpet etc
3 x beds
3 x chairs
1 x stove
1 x kitchen stand
1 x set of cooking/eating equipment - pans, plates, knives etc
1 x cool box
1 x porta potti
3 x bedding
3 x clothes
3 x shoes and boots
2 x adult bikes
1 x child's bike
1 x bag of toys kid wants to bring
1 x bag of random stuff - books, chargers etc
1 x bag of camping stuff - torches, mallet etc
No doubt I've forgotten loads there. I guess the most sensible way is roofbox and bikes on the back, and I might as well get a towball mount bike rack for the security and in case I need a trailer - or I could get a Thule Backup box to avoid the extra expense on the ferries. But it just wouldn't be as useful as a trailer when SWMBO buys a wardrobe off eBay, and with all the kit and people I guess there is a chance of getting near to the point of putting too much weight in the car. Payload is only 400kg or so I think, and that includes the passengers.
Just to add that our neighbours at the camp site were a Grandma and Grandad with their 8 year old grandson. Their tent was huge and they had all the mod cons, cupboards, wardrobes, electric cooker, tons of toys and even carpets.
They had got the lot into a 2011 Mondeo and had some of the seats down as they only had one child. I had never looked closely at a Mondeo before so it surprised me how big the boot was. Certainly many times bigger than my old Cortina Mk4 estate.
They had got the lot into a 2011 Mondeo and had some of the seats down as they only had one child. I had never looked closely at a Mondeo before so it surprised me how big the boot was. Certainly many times bigger than my old Cortina Mk4 estate.
I have found that bedding and clothing were probably the bulkiest items but I've recently discovered Exped compression sacks - they're great for saving space. My sleeping bag reduces down to about 1/2 of it's unpacked size for example, and I've got another one on order for clothing/waterproofs etc:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Exped-Waterproof-Compressi...
May be of some use.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Exped-Waterproof-Compressi...
May be of some use.
Garlick said:
Oh good, I can post this again 
There is all sorts in there, kitchenette, gas rings, tables, chairs, tent, bedding, clothes etc etc
I think I need some tips!There is all sorts in there, kitchenette, gas rings, tables, chairs, tent, bedding, clothes etc etc
Only going away for the weekend with the OH and the Z4's boot has no room to spare, luckily we are going with friends that are taking a big tent that we're sharing because there isn't room for one in my boot!
At least we have the essentials: case of wine/bulmers, wellies and a BBQ!
We use those vacuum storage bags. We use quilts/pillows rather than sleeping bags and it is amazing how small you can vacuum them down to.
We have hook up on sites, an have a reversible pump for blowing up the air beds, so easy to put in reverse to use the vacuum bags again when packing away on site at the end of a holiday.
I gave up a long time ago trying to squeeze everything into the car... I tow a small trailer these days.... Much easier to pack, and makes the long journeys much more comfortable without having stuff crammed into every nook and cranny in the cabin area of a car.
Trailer modified to have a four bike rack on it, so takin bikes on holiday is a doddle.
We have hook up on sites, an have a reversible pump for blowing up the air beds, so easy to put in reverse to use the vacuum bags again when packing away on site at the end of a holiday.
I gave up a long time ago trying to squeeze everything into the car... I tow a small trailer these days.... Much easier to pack, and makes the long journeys much more comfortable without having stuff crammed into every nook and cranny in the cabin area of a car.
Trailer modified to have a four bike rack on it, so takin bikes on holiday is a doddle.
For a slightly less luxurious form of camping (ie tent that you sleep in, chairs if there's space, compact stove, sleeping bags and roll mats rather than duvets and camp beds) Then 3 people and stuff fits in a 3 door hatch nicely. Toilets are on site blocks, cooking is done sat on the floor/roll mat, and the tent is for sleeping, so no need to stand up! Not sure I'd ever cook inside a plastic tent, I've seen the speed they can go up in flames at 
abbotsmike said:
For a slightly less luxurious form of camping (ie tent that you sleep in, chairs if there's space, compact stove, sleeping bags and roll mats rather than duvets and camp beds) Then 3 people and stuff fits in a 3 door hatch nicely. Toilets are on site blocks, cooking is done sat on the floor/roll mat, and the tent is for sleeping, so no need to stand up! Not sure I'd ever cook inside a plastic tent, I've seen the speed they can go up in flames at
That's how we used to camp - the o/h and I had a SportKa as our only car for a while, and everything went in the boot with room to spare - well, apart from the tent, but that was only because it was one of those pop up ones and the circle it folded too was too large to fit under the parcel shelf.One small holdall each (clothes, toiletries etc), 1 stove (hob on a can type), one double air bed, 1 camera, 1 laptop, couple of tins of beans, pan, two forks, two pairs of walking boots - and the luxury of our normal duvet, sheets and pillows. That was about all we took.
We used to eat stuff cold a lot of the time, or go to a pub, and you couldn't stand in the tent.
I just can't see a pre-school age child going for that really though, and a tent without a porch would soon turn into a mud-caked mess
Anyone reading this got an Octavia? I'm finding myself strangely drawn to the mk1's with the 1.8T engines - it's a Golf/Leon with a bigger boot I think?
When I camped with a Mini a few years back, with a partner who pretty much takes the house off the foundations for camping, a top tip I can give you is to break down the tent into smaller bags (ie poles in one bag, pegs in another, tent in another) as that way you can squeeze them in smaller spaces such as under the front seats, footwells, in-between other bags etc.
We camp with a Jeep Patriot so have no worries about space, I'm pretty sure my partner bought it because she loves her creature comforts too much - personally, I could put all the camping gear I require on a go-kart
Your best bet is to do a test pack before the trip, that way you'll get an idea of how much space you have, if you can take more or if you need to reduce what you're taking.
We camp with a Jeep Patriot so have no worries about space, I'm pretty sure my partner bought it because she loves her creature comforts too much - personally, I could put all the camping gear I require on a go-kart
Your best bet is to do a test pack before the trip, that way you'll get an idea of how much space you have, if you can take more or if you need to reduce what you're taking.
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