You arrive at the campsite at 5pm, it's chucking it down, kids and better half are hangry. What do you do?

[a892374923874]

We've spent 6 nights in our Beach, all local places, over a few weekends. Kids are 6 and 4. An esteemed poster on here said it takes about 10 nights to get a routine worked out, which sounds about right.

We don't like staying more than 1 night in a place, so big driveaway awnings which take 30 mins to construct and destruct would be a last resort.

So far all have been in good weather, so a bit of faff doesn't really matter. However as soon as we venture further afield we'll need a "rain" routine. It doesn't sound much fun setting up the awning and front/side panels, stove, table, toilet tent, finding somewhere for the car seats etc. And if it is windy, then the built in awning might be a bad idea anyway.

What do you do differently if it is raining?

 

[Velma's Dad]

Stop at the chip shop on the way to the campsite, then sit in the van with beers and a board game until the rain stops. We don't have young kids any more but I think the same principle would apply if we did.

 

[NZCol]

I bought a bigger van

 

[5i1ver8ack]

Park up; put the roof up and...

Have fun anyway...

Read a book together
Play a board game
Watch a film or something on YouTube
Do some colouring
Listen to an audiobook
Go for a walk in the rain

 

[larrylamb]

If you arrive at site for the first time and it's bucketing down, just chill, no point in setting up stuff and getting soaked.
If you arrive back at site and it's bucketing down but you already have a drive away awning up, it doesn't take much to reconnect with awning and enjoy the extra space whilst it rains.
If inclement weather is forecast a site with decent facilities and a pub nearby certainly helps.

 

[Neilos]

I don’t pretend to have a perfect routine worked out! We’ve just come back from 12 nights in our beach. Kids of similar age. It was a challenge. The weather was crap. We had that exact situation you describe. You have two options I think. We have a similar set up to you. Rarely do more than two nights in one place. Don’t want to be putting awnings up.

You either swivel the seats. Pop the roof and sit tight with some snacks and a beer (if your fridge is in the main compartment which ours is) makes swivelling passenger seat tricky but doable just.

Or, daddy gets his rain jacket on. Winds the awning out, puts the pop up tent up for the car seats etc. and cracks on whilst the rest of them sit inside. I’ve done that before. Planned on a nice bbq. Ended up being sausages cooked on the gas stove under the awning. As soon as we’d eaten the rain stopped and the sun came out. Typical, but we all felt better for eating and having a drink even if I was damp.

I’ve got a brilliant rain coat which helps and I’m thinking about ordering trousers to match. I know I’ll look a fool but it would allow me to crack as wet as needed and makes no difference. Good jackets I find also dry more quickly.

Main things -

Plenty of snacks available.
Have your kitchen boxes, stove etc at the front of the boot (accessible) we use really useful boxes.
Have your pop up tent if using easy to grab
Have your levelling Ramps easy to grab.
Have your waterproofs easy to get at.

Wet pack up is worse than wet set up! We’ve not figured that one out yet. But on this holiday we did get a method where we packed everything we possibly could the night before leaving only really the car seats and a few other bits in the pop up tent. That allowed us to be fairly dry and do it quickly. A piece of tarp for laying on the grass is useful to avoid kit getting wet when packing.

Good luck, I have at times felt depressed about the pack up with the kit 4 people need. It’s not a big van for 4. I don’t know how folks do it with 5 or dogs. I feel like I spent most of the time packing and unpacking the van but we moved around more than expected because we didn’t like various campsites or their COVID provisions or the weather!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Wondering Star]

As a couple it's not such a problem, however with two teens a dog and the normal stuff there's only one answer- a bigger van.
Ofcourse a larger van brings it's own challenges, wherever you drive it's always a compromise.
So far not regretting buying bigger.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Local Pub for food & drink, back to site to sleep & set up in the morning.

 

[jepotherepo]

Drive away awnings don’t take long to put up when you’ve done it a few time’s. I can have my kela up in about 10min - divide and conquer. One entertains the kids, the other sorts the awning. Then all is well! If kids and better half are hangry, get some posh expedition dehydrated meals - if you get the good ones they’re actually really nice and ready to eat in <10min. Then fed, the stress levels are much reduced!

 

[HamishEeyore]

All sit tight apart from 1 person who sets everything up. Then you only have 1 set of wet clothes to dry, not 4. Make it an adventure for the children by the rest of you sitting in and playing games - treating it as an exciting thing rather than a bad start. Have a ‘make do’ tea with whatever is to hand - even ceareals and fruit etc, rather than cooking outdoors, unless you stop for chips. They can be the best of times as it‘s a different experience and it gives you chance to demonstrate your resilience and positivity to your children.

 

[andyinluton]

Pop the top, send kids upstairs to keep them out the way. Have a few beers & worry about the rest later.

 

[Haves1979]

Another vote for a drive away awning. Inflatable ones can be put up and down really quickly when you get the hang of it.

We have two kids of a similar age and learnt this the hard way. The awning was a game changer for us.

 

[soulstyledevon]

I couldn't ever, ever entertain an awning of any type. Awning is a posh name for a Tent. therefore what's the point of a camper van if you still need a Tent...?

If we turned up at a wet campsite. We would get set up and start cooking or drive straight to the pub. Probably the later if honest.

I remember waking up to torrential rain in Grindelwald one day. I stayed in bed for a lie -in, whilst mum downstairs made breakfast for us all and tea. I popped down and a lovely bacon toastie and coffee, played some board games before popping back upstairs for a chill (listening to the rain and adjacent river) and movie with the little one whilst mum cleaned up.
By 11:30 the rain stopped, we packed up in minutes and hit the road to sunnier places.

One of my favourite, most memorable times I've spent in the van...

 

[subthree]

Our kids are 8 and 6. We were away this weekend, and even though it was dry, the Comfort awning panels are a right faff as you have to put everything away when you want to go out. Just ordered a Vango Faros Low. I even took my one man tent, as one of the kids is very active during the night and kicks whoever is sleeping next to him!

I think it is just a process of learning what is right for you and your family.

 

[kp64zl]

I don't like cooking in the van

Therefore I find somewhere dry to make dinner but eat in the van.

This could be under the wind out awning if necessary, or have used other shelters if available (e.g. bus shelters) but of course that depends on where I am.

 

[Neilos]

Trouble with this year was the find a local pub thing wasn’t as available as it should be. They were largely ore book only and booked up. We had a challenge finding a table anywhere because of the way out scheme. Fridays were ok as the scheme didn’t apply. Next year hopefully will be better. Having a fridge and a backup meal in there is essential and helped us no end!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[wilburthewombat]

Dump kits. Dump better half. Turn phone off. Drive to pub.

 

[Wongo]

‘I spy with my little eye something beginning with R’

 

[willwander]

‘I spy with my little eye something beginning with R’

Radio ?

 

[T6 CFO]

Rusty Roof


Mike

 

[Wongo]

clue: Pitter Patter

 

[Calimili]

For one evening, it is possible to have a nice dinner without necessarily having to cook. Cheese, salami, beef jerky, olives, fruit in general.
I could venture to say you’ll be glad you have an isotop rather than an outside cover...

 

[paul_f]

This year we changed to a beach after a splitscreen (family of 4, kids now 7&9). With the split it didn''t have a pop top so it was miserable when raining and we always ate out if bad weather.

We found that a pop up tent really helps to chuck things into (ie car seats), although if we are staying for 3 nights we have a large air awning. This helps for going out in the day as you can chuck all the bedding and mattress into the awning.

Next year I'd really like to use something different for the lower mattress, currently we have the (un)comfortable mattress plus a topper which takes up the whole rear shelf and also blocks us from easily using the vanessa window bags.

 

[ThomasHJ]

This, I feel, is a really interesting question. Our kids are exactly the same age as yours and we do not have, nor desire to have an awning or tent. We almost never stay in one place more then 1 or 2 nights.

Setting up, camping or leaving in nasty weather will never be the same as in good weather, but we find this works best for us:

When we arrive in rain (or expect rain the night before we leave) we put up the roof, put both car seats in the 69-position on the drivers seat and swivel the passenger seat. The chairs, and table we have specifically for the kids is put between the two front seats. We either go somewhere where it's dry (restaurant, etc.) Or we stay in the van, play games, try to enjoy ourselves.

When bedtime arrives, we put a lot of stuff (table, chairs, etc) under the downstairs bed. You can put quite a lot of stuff in there. This way nothing gets wet. We put the kids to bed and sit on the edge of their bed and in the passenger seat or under the wind out awning if the rain permits it. And we go to bed early ;-)

Also, when it does rain, it usually doesn't last as long as you fear it does.

 

[Amarillo]

We spent eleven mostly wet weeks in Scandinavia with boys aged 2 and 3, a dog and a puppy.

The usual routine at a wet campsite was roof up, Mum plus boys in the roof bed with the iPad. Dad setting up camp in the hissing rain/sleet/snow. However, Scandinavia being what it is, often had basic cabins available: four bunk beds, basic cooking area, veranda but often no en-suite and sometimes no running water. The typical cost for a night was 400 NOK (£35). If camping, Scandinavian campsites usually/always have a camping kitchen.

The Scandinavian leg of our trip around Europe was bloody hard work - and we nearly gave up entirely. However, we were saved by a passing cousin who took our beloved but pest of a puppy off our hands.

We are now much slicker at packing, and can have the boys sleep on an extended parcel shelf, giving us a 1.5m x 1.0m bed downstairs, a comfortable lounge area and of course the upstairs bed. If only bedding and driveaway awning go on the parcel shelf, set up can be done without leaving the van. The child seats and the awning can just about go on the unswivelled front passenger seat, so to eat you use the driver's seat with three on the bench seat. The driveaway awning can be set up once the weather improves - or the following day.