Scared...reassure me!!!

[littlestarschildminding]

OK...

So I have a tent and all the associated equipment to go with it....I have the children...the almost willing hubby...the enthusiastic best friend and we were planning to go on our first 'tenting' experience next weekend.

Now Im scared...

Firstly I have never put up a tent in my life..this is a 4 person dome tent with 2 bedrooms..I can't try it out as don't have a garden..if I were to try it out in the park I will get chased away by the park ranger..I have visions of us 'trying' to put up our tent in the forecast rain with 50 other campers looking on an laughing at our total incapabilities as novice campers!! Is it really that hard to put it up?

Secondly...it is forecast rain all next weekend... Is it foolish to go tenting in the rain? My tent being a cheap one only has a hydrostatic rating of 2000mm.... does this mean we are going to get soaked??? Or will it hold up to april showers??

Please reassure me

[Lucycat]

Please don't panic - as long as it's not raining (or too windy) when you try to put the tent up then you'll be fine. and other campers won't laugh at you, they will probably come and offer a helping hand and a cuppa! at least we always do.

It seriously is a good idea to try to pitch it before you go, if only to check that you have all the bits - any friends with big enough gardens to at least put the basics up? and if not then sod it - go to the park!

Ignore the forecast until about Thursady then think again - it is not fun camping for the first time in the rain and you don't want to put the 'almost willing' hubby off ever camping again!

LC - Here To Help And Reassure

[JetLi]

Ooooohh - I'm so
It'll be fab. Don't forget the mallet. And a bottle of wine and corkscrew - never confuse camping with slumming it
What tent did you buy? There might be a YouTube video of someone else erecting it maybe?

[littlestarschildminding]

Thanks LC and JETLI

Got the mallet... and the wine will def be the first thing into the car!! lol

Fingers crossed for the forecast!

[Mung]

We are in the same boat as you for the weekend. We did try and put the tent up in the garden at the weekend though. I am glad we did, as it was quite difficult and the children drove us mad. I am hoping that will be a little less excited by it all next weekend.

I hope it goes well for you and the rain holds off.

Where are you going by the way?

[claricebean]

No, put the wine in last so it's the first thing out!

We found other campers very helpful when we camped for the first time arriving, as we did, at 10pm with our enormous tent....Me reading out the instructions as DH struggled manfully.

Enjoy!

[purpleduck]

I LOVE camping. But not when it is raining. It is Not Fun when it is raining - so I second the idea of holding off until Thursday, then seeing what the forecast is.

We have put up a multitude of tents/ and a tent trailer on the patch of grass behind our house. And yes people do laugh at newbies putting their tent up. One day you will laugh too

Seriously, if its raining, don't go.

[pigsinmud]

On our first trip, our campsite neighbour said he had the same tent and helped put ours up in a jiffy!

[Overmydeadbody]

Don't panic. My best advice for putting the tent up is don't rush it, do it slowly and systematically. It's better to take ages but not get stressed.

If by thurs or fri the forecast is heavy rain all weekend, don't go. If it's patchy rain or light showers then go. I went camping last weekend, it was forecast light showers all of sat and sun, but we went anyway and it didn't rain at all, apart from friday night.

If you do go, expect to get wet and muddy. Take wellies and sandals for the kids, and wine and chocolate for you!

Glow sticks are fun when camping, I always take some for DS for night time entertainment.

[littlestarschildminding]

Thanks

Feeling a bit more positive now!

Have booked (arghh) a site near Salisbury which is quite close to us (about an hour away) so if it turns into a torrential mud bath we can stuff kids and kit in car and leg it!!

More than happy to get (a bit) wet and (very) muddy..surely thats the idea??

Was quite surprised that you can't arrive at the site I have booked until 3pm is that normal?? Seems a bit of a waste of a day..I guess we will go out somewhere on the way but going to have to leave the car all stacked up with stuff. Had assumed we would be able to arrive at noon ish..put up tent and then go off pottering for the afternoon!

[dobby2001]

have you got a friend with a garden you can try it out in?

[littlestarschildminding]

No... only friend with a big enough garden has just laid a new lawn and won't entertain the idea of us putting a tent up on it (I guess that is a downside of living in tiny London terrace houses) we have family with big gardens but none closer than an hour away... I have checked it is all there and have let hubby studdy the instructions...fingers crossed between 3 of us we will get it sorted!!!

[Mung]

Head to a Royal Park and test it .

Sunny here today...lets hope it stays.

I reckon that rain is fine if you are prepared for it, so make sure you have lots of towels, waterproofs and wellies and you'll be fine. Have fun.

I need to check when we can arrive at our site on Friday. I suppose that on the flip side, it gives you more time to take the tent down on the day you leave. We took 4 goes to roll ours up and get it back in the bag, so you may need the time.

[Motherload]

Can't give any advice on tent assembly, I'm afraid. I always found something urgent and pressing to do as soon as we hit the campsite and left the spouse and sons to do it! Hee hee! However, if the weather forecast is really dire, I would advise you not to bother. There's nothing worse than sitting under canvas listening to the rain beating down on your tent roof, and having to go squelching in a nightie and wellies for a wee at 3am! We abandoned a week near Pwhelli on day three one year because it did nothing but piddle it down from the minute we got there - God it was depressing! But then that's the beauty of camping - if you don't like the weather/the campsite/whatever, you can just pack up and go home! Good luck and happy camping! It's great fun - honest!