Be Excellent To Each Other

A few of us went camping this weekend and surprised me how much stuff you have to take.

Is there any space saving gadgets that you can't go camping with out?

Minijack to minijack lead
Hip flask
Bottle opener

Fire.

Not a plastic fork.

A warm jumper.

Key to a hotel room.

Unfortunately I tend to completely over pack when I go camping, so I might be the worst person to give you advice, but I'll share some thoughts.

Things like camping sauce pans seem like s good idea, but are generally shitty and non-stick and with the limited washing up facilities stuff tends to end up baked on. My advice - either buy mega expensive nonstick camping pans or take normal pans.

Camping chairs are essential. Yes they are bulky but camping without them is miserable.

Actually, my only advice towards taking leass stuff camping is to take neat spirits instead of beer/cider.

My advice - book into the local pub for a full English breakfast each morning.

Inflatable mattress
Space saving pillow
Camping stove if you can't have a fire
Tin for boiling water
Matches and lighters
Pot Noodles
Pop up tent
Torch
Battery powered speakers for your MP3 player
Bin bags are essential....They stoop your shit getting wet and if your stuff does get wet (clothes) it stops everything else in your bag getting wet.

That's it, innit?

When going to fezzies, I only take what I can ram in to/attach to my bag. I'm not one for walking backwards and forwards to the car. 2ltrs of vodka and 4 bottles of coke are pretty easy to carry too, esp in a bag for life.

Oh, those Travel John things are a necessity too, no way I'm staggering to the loo in the pitch black, navigating through the wilderness and guy ropes when I need to pee.

Guys have a distinct advantage in the peeing stakes. Porta-potty? Nah, empty bottle

You sure have....

Empty bottle? Open tent flap, check wind direction, release.

I was just about to say... empty bottle! Is DavPaz some kind of posho or something?

Women can buy those pee-buddy cone things now, though.

Imagine getting it even slightly wrong in your drunken state though....the mess doesn't bare thinking about. It'd take quiet a bit of adjustment of your clothes too, I'd have thought? Not all that practical or discreet....

You're in a tent!

Well if I'm in the tent why do I even need the cone thing for helping me pee!? I thought they were just so you didn't have to squat at the side of the road/behind a hedge!

Wait - are you just peeing all over the floor of the tent now?

You're a mess, flis. You should take a long hard look at yourself.

It's just how I roll.

You've gotta get a tent with a porch if you're doing that though. Even animals don't piss where they sleep, man. That's be very uncool.

Our old cat did. But he did have kidney failure, so we kind of forgave him.

The annoying thing about my (modern) tent is the inner tent is attached to a groundsheet for the porch area. Now, I like porch areas for storing kit and boots, but having the groundsheet attached to the inner means when the time comes to move all that filthy mud and dirt gets rolled onto the inner tent unless I clean it properly. I'm quite tempted to cut it out and pack it separatly.

I thought you had 4 sticks and a waxed sheet?

I'm just one big farb.

But yeah, pup tents are way easier to assemble and drop than my over-engineered 'not quite a dome' dome tent thing, if a little more ventilated.