http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/Camping/Articles/Articles/10-camping-shortcuts/_ch3_ft1187_pg1

Camping enables us to not just have one holiday a year but a whole series of weekends and weeks away, allowing us to be spontaneous rather than having to plan, book and pay for a holiday months in advance.

Getting away at the last minute, however, means making the trip as stress-free as possible so that I am literally able to pick up the kids from school and head off. Being organised and ticking off your checklist is a given but what are the top ten camping shortcuts?

1 Duplicate your kit
It may sound expensive but with value versions of everything from tin openers to graters available from supermarkets buying specific versions for camping is so much easier than having the raid the kitchen drawers before each camping trip.

2 Plan your meals
Work out a basic camping menu with food that is easily stored (tins etc) between trips. Pre-cooking and freezing camping friendly meals such as spaghetti bolognaise or chilli con carne can be done in bulk and once in your coolbox also helps to keep your food cold.

3 Pack in plastic
Buy a selection of plastic crates or boxes – ideally with lids on, that you can store your camping items in. It makes packing far easier and speeds up tent set up and putdown – as well as allowing you to prepack in the rain!

4 Pack lightly
The less you pack the less time it will take. Sounds obvious but it’s very easy to over pack for a camping trip especially with regards to clothing. Just remember clothes can be layered, grime is part of the fun of camping and anyway most sites will have laundry facilities on site if things get really dirty.

5 Camp with friends
Not only does this mean you can share jobs and responsibilities onsite but you can also take it in turns to plan and organise your camping trips – meaning all you have to do is pack the car and turn up, unless it’s your turn of course!

6 Keep it close
One of the most literal camping shortcuts of all is to camp near to home. For short weekend breaks you will be more willing to camp more often if there is not a massive drive before or after each trip.

7 Keep the kids amused
Pack a bag of toys suitable for camping that the kids won’t miss at home – such as cards, drawing and outdoor toys. Squeezing in a portable DVD player that can be used in the car or on rainy days when the kids are bored will also be a lifesaver.

8 Go pop-up
One of the best time saving devices I have ever found was my pop-up tent bought online the same evening a friend of mine showed me – tent envy at its best! Now with the ability to have a four man tent up in seconds I don’t hesitate to go away even if only for one night.

9 Ensure easy access to your equipment
Out of season my camping equipment is rammed tightly in the cupboard under the stairs – disturbed only when the gasman comes to read the meter. In season however I keep most of my camping gizmos in a waterproof, lockable cabinet in the garden making it easy to hump things in and out of the car at short notice whilst some stuff I don’t even bother unpacking at all leaving it in the car ready for the next trip.

10 Clean and pack as you go
Ensuring your equipment is put away clean between trips while you are still on them prevents a big clear up afterwards and simple tactics – such as my friend’s addiction to wiping her tent down with wet wipes means the tent will be clean and ready for use next time you get it out.

http://www.fionaoutdoors.co.uk/2014/05/sunday-mail-bigging-up-the-campervan-life.html

Campervans are everywhere – and they come in all shapes and types. I’m sure you’ve noticed this, especially if you’re a walker, cyclist, kayaker or general fan of Scotland’s great outdoors. Since buying Fern The VW Campervan I have found out just why they are such a fantastic form of transport. Here’s an article I wrote for the Sunday Mail about the campervan life and who loves their campervan. See May19left and May19right

Volkswagen Camper

Hippies, travellers and nomads the world over have lived their lives and traversed the globe thanks to the VW Camper. Millions more have enjoyed parties, holidays, festivals and untold numbers of other social events thanks to this amazingly versatile machine that started out as a van for commercial use.

When Volkswagen dreamed up the concept of its original split-screen Transporter, little did it know what a phenomenon it was creating. The idea was that the Transporter would provide cheap carrying capacity; when fellow German company Westfalia approached VW to build an officially sanctioned camper van based on the Transporter, a whole new culture was born.

Conceived as an economy carry-all based on the Beetle, Volkswagen’s Transporter was versatile, spacious and just as reliable as the car on which it was based – and it was just as slow too. But when you climb aboard a camper you just change down a gear or two mentally, adjust to life in the slow lane, and enjoy the ride. Which incidentally is far more cosseting than you’d ever believe.

The VW is officially known as the Type 2. or the Transporter (van), Kombi (camper van) and Microbus (minibus). Unofficially it’s the Camper…

The first Campers were known as splitscreens thanks to the distinctive two-piece windscreen. In 1967 the ‘Bay window’ Camper brought a single-piece windscreen.

The first campers were powered (if that’s the right word) by the Beetle’s 1131cc four-cylinder engine with just30bhpon tap.

Later on there would be 1.2 and 1.5-litre engines, but by 1967 there was a 1.6-litre unit fitted, with a neck-straining 42bhp and 701b ft of torque on tap.

http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news/vw-owners-get-into-gear-for-summer-celebration-1-6662388

The very special connection between VW owners and their vehicles was on display in Sheffield as almost 200 people attended a special outdoor meeting.

Proud owners of all ages showed off vintage campers and cars from down the decades bearing the famous Volkswagen badge at the annual summer gathering of Sheffield VW Owners Club.

More than 100 VW vehicles were on show in the car park of hydraulic industry supply firm Stauff UK on Carlisle Street East, Attercliffe.

The Sheffield owners’ club was founded in the 1950s, making it one of the oldest in the country. It has got more than 500 members, who meet up each month to swap stories and share their passion for the vehicles.

Youngsters were kept entertained by an indoor screening of the original version of Herbie, the much-loved film about a VW Beetle with a mind of its own.

Becky Gill, a club committee member, said Sheffield has a long history with VWs, with Gilders Volkswagen garage in the city importing the first Beetle into the UK in the 1950s.

Becky, aged 37, an education officer at Magna Science Adventure Centre who has a 1960s VW camper van, said the vehicles offer people the chance to unwind from the busy modern world.

“It is such a laid-back lifestyle. Everything at work is 1,000 miles per hour but as soon as you get in your car or van the pace slows down and chills out,” she said.

“We are the kind of people that day-to-day may not have much in common but then in the cars and vans we have this common denominator.”

Among those in attendance was Matthew Dolby, whose passion for the vehicles has resulted him setting up specialist VW garage Autohaus Dolby in Attercliffe.

He was showcasing a 1967 VW Beetle which he imported from America and has spent several months adapting. The 33-year-old said VW owners make up a special community.

“It is the people and the lifestyle. You meet people with a VW and they tend to be a certain sort of person,” he said.

“They tend to be quite laid-back and have a good outlook on life. Most of our customers are just fantastic people and everyone tries to help each other out.”

He said the company’s cars have stood the test of time, as proved by his latest purchase which is in good working order, despite being nearly 50 years old.

John Morris, managing director of Stauff, said the company first opened its grounds for a members’ meeting last summer and it is hoped the gathering will now become an annual event.

Mr Morris said the limited speed of the vehicles mean you can appreciate your surroundings when on the road. “In business and in life, you zoom from A to B. But here you are limited to 60mph. They are a pleasure to drive.”

http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/helpandadvice/camping-safety/carbon-monoxide-poisoning/

Carbon monoxide (CO) is produced when a fuel such as charcoal, gas or petrol burns incompletely. This could be because an appliance isn’t working properly or might simply happen as part of its normal function. Barbecues, for example, produce carbon monoxide even when they are working well.

Carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless gas and is poisonous. In high concentrations it can kill swiftly. In smaller concentrations CO poisoning can give symptoms similar to flu or food poisoning. Look out for headaches, nausea and vomiting, dizziness, drowsiness and weakness – but the best advice is to avoid any chance of being poisoned in the first place.

Safety Tips

• Never take a barbecue into a tent, awning, caravan or motorhome.Even a cooling barbecue gives off plenty of poisonous carbon monoxide (CO), which can kill.
• Never use a fuel-burning appliance to heat your tent or awning.Gas and kerosene heaters – unless they are permanently fitted in a caravan or motorhome – should only be used outside. Stoves and barbecues are designed for cooking not space heating.
• Never run a gas, petrol or diesel-powered generator inside a caravan, motorhome, tent or awning. Make sure fumes from a generator don’t blow into your unit or anyone else’s from outside either.
• Don’t cook inside your tent or awning
• Don’t use any other gas, charcoal, liquid or solid fuel appliances inside a tent or awning. Gas-powered fridges and lamps, for example, also need plenty of ventilation to prevent them producing poisonous carbon monoxide. Tents and awnings aren’t generally designed with this in mind.
• Consider using a carbon monoxide (CO) alarm, provided it is suitable for the condition you intend to use it, check with the supplier/manufacturer, though it should never be used as an alternative to the precautions above.
• Always have gas appliances in your caravan or motorhome serviced regularly.

Spotting the danger signs of CO poisoning

You cannot smell, taste or see carbon monoxide but it can kill quickly and without warning. Early stages of carbon monoxide poisoning can give symptoms similar to food poisoning or flu, though without a high temperature.

• Symptoms to look out for include: Headaches; dizziness; feeling sick; tiredness and confusion; stomach pains or shortness of breath
• Higher concentrations can give more severe symptoms: Symptoms of intoxication; vertigo, as if the environment is spinning; loss of coordination; breathlessness and high heart beat rate; seizures or unconsciousness leading to death

Playmobil Does Carbon Monoxide Awareness

There is more information online on the NHS website or at Carbonmonoxidekills.org.

You can also download a leaflet about the dangers of carbon monoxide and a warning poster below.

Downloads:

File Format	File Title	File size
	CO-Warning-Leaflet	81KB

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/activityandadventure/10851509/Campervan-holidays-readers-tips.html

Coco Chanel once said that “the best things in life are free. The second best things are very, very expensive.” Imagine my delight while reading through the local free press in beautiful Lake Wakatipu, near Queenstown, New Zealand, when I came across the headline “Free Camper Vans”.

http://www.caravantimes.co.uk/news/caravan-shows/campervan-chef-to-star-at-scottish-caravan-show-$21384315.htm

Tuesday, 27, May 2014 12:32

by Laura Hastings

Martin Dorey , the chef, TV personality and author, will be doing live cookery demonstrations, producing food that can easily be made in a smaller kitchen.

The Scottish Camping and Caravanning Show have announced Martin Dorey as a special guest for this year’s event, taking place Friday 20 and Saturday 21 June at the Thainstone Centre, Inverurie.

The chef will be demonstrating food preparation in a similar way to the TV series he starred in, produced by the BBC in 2010, One Man and his Campervan.

Martin’s recent book, The Camper Van Cookbook- Life on 4 Wheels, Cooking on 2 Rings, will definitely influence the sessions, which are due to take place on Friday at 12 Noon, 2pm, and 7pm, and on Saturday at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm.

On the subject of his cooking style, Martin said in conversation with The Ellon Times: “If I can make it, so can you. What I’ll be showing you in June, you’ll be able to recreate in your own kitchens, caravans or at the camp fire.”

Martin also mentioned that he will be embracing a Scottish style of cookery for the occasion: “I love Scotland, I’ve had some great times all over the country. I have a great cookery method, inspired by my experience of cooking Arbroath Smokies, which I’d love to show you all.”

Tickets for the event are currently for sale online, at a discounted price of £5 until Wednesday 18 June. Click here for more information.

Get down to the beach and learn how to draw a VW Camper Van with children’s book author and illustrator, Shoo Rayner.

In this video I use Rotring Tikky pens and pencils and Rotring drawing instruments. The paper is cheap cartridge paper.

Find out more about me and my books at my website http://www.shoorayner.com. Look me up on Amazon or in your local bookstore. I’ve illustrated over 200 books in my time! Enjoy!

I Love Not Camping

Spring has sprung, which means many people will be packing up to go camping in the coming weeks. I will not be one of them, as I do not camp.

Don’t get me wrong. I love the outdoors and worship the sun and nature. And while I’m not high-maintenance, I don’t find appeal in sleeping on the ground in a tent pretending I’m homeless.

But despite the tent aversion, I do have a bit of camping experience.

When I was younger we had a trailer up north that we spent a good deal of time at in the summer. It was a decent sized rig with a shower, small kitchen, deck, etc., but it was still a trailer.

I fished, shot my bow and arrow (not at anything living, at least not on purpose,) tore around on the 4-wheeler and hit the lake with the inflatable alligator before coming back to nighttime campfires, Cribbage games and attempts to attract bats by throwing random crap up in the air by the park lights.

I was young, and other than the fact that I rolled out of the top bunk of triple bunk beds—a bed rail was quickly installed—I had no real complaints. Now that I’m older and (questionably) wiser, I would have many complaints, which is why I don’t even attempt to pretend to want to camp.

Why someone would want to leave indoor plumbing and decent food and increase the likelihood of contracting mosquito malaria, dirt-covered food and being attacked by a baby deer in the woods is beyond me.*

*Of course, to each their own (disclaimer so campers don’t get pissed, although if they’re camping, they shouldn’t have access to Wi-Fi.)

But for those who enjoy camping and would like to recreate this experience at home, I have a few suggestions:

• Hang your clothes over a wood fire to get that signature smell, the one that will hopefully cover up the other signature smell of musty dampness.
• While you’re over the fire, singe your eyelashes and grab a hot poker to recreate the experience of starting the fire and attempting to roast anything with a metal stick.
• Scald the skin on the roof of your mouth in an attempt to eat whatever it is you were trying to roast that didn’t fall into the flame.
• Hover—a lot—and get used to swatting bugs with one hand while wiping with the other. This takes skill, which is why you will most likely find yourself pissing on your own leg (hey, you wanted to go camping.)
• Pour sand directly into the bottom of your bathing suit and any exposed crack or opening in your body. If a lake is nearby, also include seaweed.
• If you feel like getting fancy, spray yourself with a water bottle to recreate the (lack of) water pressure trailer showers provide. Forget about washing your hair (this is actually a positive in my book.)
• Plant families of the loudest bugs on the planet in your backyard directly next to your window. If available, add in the mating calls of mystery creatures you’re sure are rabid and hunting you down.
• Roll your meals in damp dirt.
• Roll your clothes in damp dirt.
• Roll yourself in damp dirt.

So for those of you starting your camping season soon, may the force be with you. I plan on working in the yard a bit, reading and enjoying the luxury of warm showers, good food I didn’t have to catch and a few good baseball games.

I love not camping.