Sigh. Change of Plans Again. Need Packing Tips.

[va32h]

Long story short - we won't have the funds to rent an RV or camper. But our site is paid for, our tickets are paid for, and dang it, we are going on this vacation if we have to live off Ramen noodles between now and Thanksgiving!

So, we are tent camping. Week after Thanksgiving. Six nights, seven days. Here's the list of stuff we would normally bring camping:

Six person Tent
Canopy
Camp Stove
Two folding cots
Two airmattresses; one queen, one twin
Bed linens & pillows for five beds
Towels/washcloths
Weeks worth of clothes for family of 5
Dishes & cutlery (plastic)
Coffee pot, frying pan, cooking pot
Camp sink (collapsible)
Inflatable camp furniture (chair, sofa)
Groceries & toiletries
Cooler
Bunch of other stuff I am sure I am forgetting

Since we'll have a preferred site, we'd like to add our mini fridge and 13" TV/VCR for this trip, too.

We have a Ford Freestar mini van with roof rack and a soft carrier. We can take out one of the seats and have two kids in the back bench seat and one child in the first row of passenger seats.

Any tips on packing all that stuff (besides leaving half of it behind!)

 

[Disney Crazy Debbie]

If I am not mistaken DFW means Dallas/Fort Worth, right? I would not buy groceries until I arrived in Orlando, not WDW, but a grocery store close to the WDW so you wouldn't have to pack all of that until you were actually at your destination. I don't know that I'd bring a TV either simply because you'll have so much to do that you probably will hardly ever use it and I know I seldomly even turn it on while in my room and I am usually a TV addict! Just a thought!

 

[rer1972]

I've seen these large "bags" that you attach to the roof rack. Don't know if it will help store more, but it might keep things dryer if it rains. Also, maybe you could ship some things to Fort Wilderness. I think I've read where other people have done that.

 

[christinou]

I think that it is great that you are still doing it, I agree wait until you are there to do your shopping. How old are your kids, can you stack some stuff at their feet? if you bring the fridge fill it up wih all of your closing, if you have a hitch, you can buy one of those platforms carrier thingie, they are great to put one coolers and such, and of course use you cooler to pack all of your pots and pans, or whatever fits in it.
Have fun.....

 

[va32h]

Thanks for the tips. We do have the soft rooftop carrier. We were thinking we'd put the duffle bags with our clothing in there.

Packing stuff in the fridge is brilliant! I can put the linens and dishes in there, I think. Our youngest will be three, so I can put some things at her feet.

I sure wish we'd gone with the Caravan with Stow & Go seating over the Ford, now!

My main concern is that the kids are comfortable on the drive. It's over 1000 miles each way - we usually take 2 days to do it, about 8-9 hours of driving per day. So I don't want them to be squished in with a bunch of stuff.

I saw one of those platform carriers at the auto parts store the other day. We might look into that. In fact, I have a home based business that involves traveling to craft shows and stuff, so a carrier would come in handy for that too. (and I could write off a portion of the cost as a business expense!)

I will also call FW to ask about shipping things ahead of time.

Big grocery shopping we can do in Florida. We will want the cooler stocked with snacks and drinks though, so reasonably accessible for the drive.

Yeah, the TV we could leave behind. In fact, if I left the TV behind I could downgrade to a non-preferred site and save a few bucks, I suppose. We do have a built in DVD player in the van, so if the kids were truly desperate to see a movie, we could stick them in there!

I admit though - I am a sucker for resort TV! I just love to watch those cheesy little shows they do about the parks and resorts. But I can live without it.

 

[stinkerbelle's mom]

We just went in June. Our van has 3 split seats in the middle & a bench seat in the back. We stuck our 3 kids on the bench seat, put my mom in one of the split seats & removed the other 2 entirely. We put our bags in our soft carrier on the roof because we knew we'd take that off anyway went we spent the night on the way down & back. We had a cooler stuffed with drinks & snacks in the back seat where one of the seats would have been. This gave my ds some room to move around. In the back of the van we packed the stuff we knew we wouldn't unpack until we got to WDW. Some other suggestions would be to buy some baggies--all sizes snack, sandwich, and gallon size. Condense as much as possible, put things like bandaids in the baggies, etc.. I read somewhere else that some one else uses pringles cans for that purpose. We packed goody bags for the kids, each had their own filled with snacks, drinks, toys, and games. That helped free up space because these things were new to them so they were obsessed. Also it might help to bring less clothes & do laundry while you're there.

I would definitly take out that middle row of seats if you can. That will give you so much more room! Good luck & have fun!

 

[va32h]

Stinkerbellesmom, your kids must be angels, because if I put all three of mine in the backseat, I would be driven insane by the fighting within 100 miles!

I can put the girls in the backseat (with a cooler between them, perhaps!) and my son in one of the split seats, and take out the other.

 

[djblu883]

Don't forget a roll of quarters and a tarp for rains that always seem to come...you don't want your bedding to get wet.If things do manage to get wet then the dryers can be a real blessing! TV...after running the parks all day the kids may simply be too tired...if not take them to the campfire to hear stories with Chip and Dale!!!

 

[rer1972]

va32h,

Have you checked the Budget Board? There's always some great tips for saving before and during your Disney Vacation. One thing our family always did was buy a few disney (Disney store clearance section is good for this) things before leaving for vacation (I know space is at a premium here), and then suprise the kids with them after a day a the park. It helps when everyone is always wanting to buy those expensive souvenirs.

 

[tripletots]

Someone from the "Trip Reports" board just wrote about their camping trip. I couldn't get on that forum board because my computer wouldn't let me (Net Nanny) or I would tell you who wrote it. I do remember that she had 5 kids! and she had a lot of her stuff shipped.

 

[stinkerbelle's mom]

Stinkerbellesmom, your kids must be angels, because if I put all three of mine in the backseat, I would be driven insane by the fighting within 100 miles!

I can put the girls in the backseat (with a cooler between them, perhaps!) and my son in one of the split seats, and take out the other.

Hmmm, they were exceptionally good, they might have been afraid we'd drop them off in the middle of no where! Maybe its because of the differences in their ages. Good luck!

 

[jonimce]

I have read other posts where people that fly to FW ship their camping gear. Our van is big (Chevy Express) and we have the hard carrier. Last summer we had this full plus one of those large rubbermaid containers on wheels (big enough that the three kids could fit in it) fit on the roof next to the carrier. Went about 6,000 miles with it.

 

[donac]

We have a triple seat that could be moved to the middle so that 3 could fit. When we travel with just the 2 boys we leave the 2 seater in and fill the back and the side next to the 2 seater. WE havenever brought a frig but we have been able to fit all our camping stuff and suitcases into the back and on the side. Don't forget that there is some room under the seats. We also only go during the summer so we don't usuallly need out sleeping bags so we bring our mats (usually laying flat, takes up less room) and pillows and sheets.

We also don't have a dvd player in the car but we bought a small one last year for the trip. They could then use it in their tent if they wanted to.

 

[irishbosoxfan]

Hi all!---I was remembered for a post! The posts about flying to camp with 5 kids was me!!! And I also posted about how we sent stuff to the resort for use while we were there!

I managed to get a camping list thread made a sticky and it is at the top of the camping section so if anyone has anything new to add please feel free!

We found that we didn't use some of the stuff we brought and it just sat in the suitcase so my big advise is pack light!

What we brought and used is 3 room tent,7x7 tent to store our suitcases(you'll have your truck so you could skip this) and a screenhouse to go over the picnic table
We brought a cooler (you have a fridge) and had food delivered to us at FW(no need to go anywhere but you'll have your truck and could look for better deals at other places)
I would skip the tv-we thought about bringing our portable dvd player with us then figured "this is Disney" and by the time we were done at the parks the kids would be tired enough to just go to sleep and we were right so I'm glad we left ours at home!
Yes you can ship stuff ahead of time and ship it back to your home if you need the info on how to do this just let me know!

If you have any other questions please feel free to ask!



ETA-Is your 6 person tent a single room or more than one room?--
I would skip the cots and add another air mattress--on our trip our 3 girls slept on a Q size AM, DH and I shared a F AM and the boys shared a F AM.
Skip the inflatable furniture there's enough room for everyone to sit at the picnic table
Skip the mini fridge if you are bringing the cooler-you'll have more room(in the truck as well as at the campsite to store your groceries) plus you can use the cooler as a suitcase for your trip to and from(we did)
Also FW is sand not dirt and it sticks to everything! Add a couple of cheap throw rugs so everyone can wipe their feet before getting into the tent!