Breaking Camp

[countrygirl]

I do not think it takes us that long...most of the time. He does the outside and I do the inside. If we are on the road to a specific place and spend a night in route we usually leave the TM hooked to the camper.

I put things away like the coffee pot, take down cabinets and get the microwave drawer and stow them in front of the sofa, I but the shower curtain over the bed and fold down the bathroom, and slide the closet over and down to the floor and then lift the flaps and pull the pins on the sofa and bed and move the chair to the travel position. (When we set up...I do the inside and he does the outside. It goes faster setting up the camper but things are probably still in the truck that we need to bring in... like medicine.)

We both try to take one last look inside before storing the steps and folding the camper. We probably should use a checklist because as we have gotten older we have found about once a year...one section of flap down or a pin in place.

[FujiPedaler]

enough of the old songs.

We/I put the ice maker in the bath room before dropping the walls and don't forget that the bath tub holds lots of things like toiletry items and towels etc.

Other than that, we put the "tote" and the portable platform I use to put our bikes on the roof rack center of our 4Runner and then the two Kayaks mount outboard of the bikes, one on each side, on the inside floor.

Bedding goes under the table along with the TV. Once we finish "make up" and stuff, breakfast and then wash, dry and stow the dishes it really goes pretty fast. Just have fun and don't worry how others get out so fast. I just think they have cold cereal or they stop at Cracker Barrel. Just think of how much money you have left in the bank compared to the investment in a new tow vehicle and the 5 wheel plus the fuel costs. There are always trade offs.

Just enjoy the freedom and remember, this is not a race.

[mecicon]

The amount of time it takes you to perform a task the "night before" is still time spent/invested in the task.



IOW, if I do this now...Saturday night and we are pulling out Sunday morning. The time is spent on Saturday would have been spent on Sunday.


1. Have a plan, in writing.

2. Execute the plan.

3. Delegating...if you are not alone. The first time I noticed how long it took was when I was camping alone with two dogs on an overnight stop and I saw the other "overnighters" breaking down and moving away much faster.

4. Modify the plan...if necessary.

[ChefLamont]

I think you hit the nail on the head. Fluff takes time. However, if the fluff is what makes/keeps you happy, then it is necessary. Maybe you could try cutting some of it down and seeing if there is a better fluff/pack-up time happiness balance.


My parents are kind of an example of this. They CG Host for several months at a time. They have LOTS of stuff including plenty of fluff. When their hosting time nears an end, it takes a few days to get it all organized and ready to pack and go. They know this and plan for it, so they are ok with it. That is a completely different "mode" of camping, but still is an (extreme) example of stuff vs. packing time and effort.

[Brittany Dogs]

Because we store the TrailManor in the garage and don't have an easy way of opening it before we head off to camp, or clean it at home, the camper needs to be fully field day'd before we break camp. In other words, prior to breaking camp the inside needs to be cleaned for "next time". Camping with three dogs, that means sweeping twice and doing a Swiffer wet mop of the floors. The refrigerator needs to be clean and dry to prevent mold. Everything's needs to be wiped down and the toilet cleaned.

Anyway, breaking camp, which includes walking the dogs and a hot breakfast is like a three or four hour deal for us. However this assumes we are at a park that doesn't care much when you leave on Sunday. If we have the 11AM enforced departure time we employ shortcuts.

[HIKERZ]

It takes us hours, but then we haul stuff, fluff, and whatever else we can think of. For us the packing up is just part of the deal. We are accustom to it. When we travel we look like the Clampetts on the way to Beverly Hills, but when we get there we are comfortable. A different style for different people.

[tentcamper]

I think it all depends. Are we breaking camp to move on to another CG or heading home. 45 minutes to move on, 2+ hours to head home (we do a lot of cleaning before heading home.