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| My little Renault Clio |
Being able to transport all of our crafting accouterments to the various events and shows can prove challenging. when packing my car, i have a small v.economical efficient vehicle to keep running costs to the minimum, my trusty steed is a Renault Clio diesel, always delivers 70+ miles to the gallon driven at road legal speeds and sometimes above!
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| Starting with an empty car makes life easier |
"Starting with an empty car makes life easier"
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| Full complement for a crafting event |
After a little thought and invention everything is installed in the vehicle, let me see????? kitchen sink, lawn mower and pond fish, no seriously some thought needs to go in to what you need as opposed to what you want to take.
Even with the amount on board there is still room for some small items.
When packing the vehicle any items that you will need to take out last will need to be packed in the car first this will make for stress free set up when arriving at your destination, especially if the weather is inclement and you need to erect that gazebo quickly, if the weather is raining getting everything out to get to the gazebo will allow your crafts to get wet, and you don't want that?
All is well and good when the weather is warm and dry, but when packing away wet at the end of an event this will be different, if you do need to pack away the gazebo when wet it probably will not fit in the bag wet as well as when it is dry (water takes up more room), this is when careful packing of the car isn't possible, it's a case of putting the gazebo where you have available room and is still needs to be the last item to pack away, you need the cover of the gazebo to pack all your crafts into boxes before loading the vehicle.
Like everything in life no two packing's or packing aways are the same, so when you think you have cracked the vehicle packing along comes that extra box/larger table or just more of everything and you have to start again, then of course if you are at the limit in carrying capacity you may have to upgrade to another vehicle that is suitable for carrying extra, or purchase a trailer to help ease the load, or maybe a roof box for the lighter items.
Trailerdom arrives
Well it finally happened, our crafting wares and possessions has now grown and can no longer pack all the items we need into the car, we made the decision to go down the trailer route to carry our gear.
Firstly I needed to source a tow bar for the Clio, not difficult there are plenty of approved type tow bars on the market, look on EBay best prices and advice without to much searching, located and purchased one, free delivery in two days from ordering, easy peasy.
On arrival checked out supplied parts were all complete and set to work fitting, full instructions were easy to follow if you are competent with a spanner and d.i.y, no drilling or cutting of body work either, after the tow bar had been fitted and weatherproofed with waxoyl the electrics needed to be sorted, again instructions supplied along with a selection of scotchloks and connectors, step by step instructions to follow, to test the circuitry as you complete each section either and trailer board, if you have one, or a dedicated tester that test each connection you make is the correct one that will power the different lights on the trailer.
All is well and good when the weather is warm and dry, but when packing away wet at the end of an event this will be different, if you do need to pack away the gazebo when wet it probably will not fit in the bag wet as well as when it is dry (water takes up more room), this is when careful packing of the car isn't possible, it's a case of putting the gazebo where you have available room and is still needs to be the last item to pack away, you need the cover of the gazebo to pack all your crafts into boxes before loading the vehicle.
Like everything in life no two packing's or packing aways are the same, so when you think you have cracked the vehicle packing along comes that extra box/larger table or just more of everything and you have to start again, then of course if you are at the limit in carrying capacity you may have to upgrade to another vehicle that is suitable for carrying extra, or purchase a trailer to help ease the load, or maybe a roof box for the lighter items.
Trailerdom arrives
Well it finally happened, our crafting wares and possessions has now grown and can no longer pack all the items we need into the car, we made the decision to go down the trailer route to carry our gear.
Firstly I needed to source a tow bar for the Clio, not difficult there are plenty of approved type tow bars on the market, look on EBay best prices and advice without to much searching, located and purchased one, free delivery in two days from ordering, easy peasy.
On arrival checked out supplied parts were all complete and set to work fitting, full instructions were easy to follow if you are competent with a spanner and d.i.y, no drilling or cutting of body work either, after the tow bar had been fitted and weatherproofed with waxoyl the electrics needed to be sorted, again instructions supplied along with a selection of scotchloks and connectors, step by step instructions to follow, to test the circuitry as you complete each section either and trailer board, if you have one, or a dedicated tester that test each connection you make is the correct one that will power the different lights on the trailer.
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| Finished tow bar and single electric socket |
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| Close up of tow bar and electric, no cutting of body work |
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| Trailer on hard standing area resting on axle stand have now fitted a jockey wheel to make manoeuvring when unhitched easier and safer |
Our little trailer, 5x4 feet and 20 inches deep load area, wooden floor and metal body carried on and A frame chassis, plenty of room in there for Hobbity to travel in, can get all crafting in the car now! (joking).
Now able to keep the gazebo and associated bits, pegs, mallet, poles, ratchet straps, raisers, chairs and tables separated from any soft or sensitive crafting items that aren't secured in hard plastic boxes. When we have to pack away a wet gazebo we are assured by packing it away in the trailer any water seepage won't interfere with other items that may spoil.
