What would I need for camping with three medium sized children and husband - weekends and short breaks?

[Northernlurker]

I have a little camping fantasy going on.....dh and I and dds (currently 13, 10 and 4) going off next year for weekends/short breaks. How big a tent do we need? What's good? Would we better off getting two? What's easy to put up?
What do you like to cook on?
I know we need a washing up bowl but as the last time I camped I was 4 myself I am otherwise clueless......HELP me please

[notnowbernard]

Slightly different specifications though... 2 av sized children and a crawling baby

We have the tent but don't know what goes with it

[bibbitybobbityhat]

I too am v definitely a weekend only camper, and a recent convert at that. DH and I seriously contemplated doing 2 weeks camping on a Eurocamps site in France this summer but fortunately he has had a good year work-wise and we have splashed out on an air-conditioned caravan with deck, as per !

However, for our one or two weekends camping per year in the UK we bought a Gelert tent in the sales for less than £200. Here is the thread I started when I bought it, has a link in first post www.mumsnet.com/Talk/camping/895604-Aitch-Aitch-I-39-ve-done-it-I-39-ve

Table and chairs: don't get the ones with the fixed seats, say all my much wiser camping buddies.

We have some small foldable fishing stools from decathlon for the dc and directors chairs for me and dh.

We also have a torch and a little lamp to use inside the tent at night.

We only go in the summer so take our usual duvets, sheets and pillows, rather than sleeping bags.

We do have a quite nice blow up beds, but borrow our friend's electronic pump to do the blowing up bit.

We have picnic-ware, enamel mugs and a mishmash of old cutlery always packed in the picnic hamper, so we just take that with us.

But we are very namby pamby lightweight campers who ONLY ever go with a group of friends, so all equipment gets shared.

[notnowbernard]

Like your style, Bibbity

What do you cook on? What food do you take?

Am 3-nights-max camper myself

[Northernlurker]

I am sort of thinking of 'living off the land' - going to the pub for evening meals so I reckon we would only need something to cook bacon on? And boil kettles obviously.

Gelert........I will investigate

[bibbitybobbityhat]

Heh heh at "living off the land". Sounds ideal. Yes, over the course of two nights/three days we would usually have at least one big pub meal.

We have a tiny one ring camping gaz thingy on which you can boil a kettle in about 20 mins, and cook bacon/eggs or warm up a tin of beans.

Otherwise we rely on our more lavishly equipped friends to cook food on their camping barbecues. Tis all v communal and slap-dash.

We usually go on a Friday night after school and I'll take something with us that can be heated in one pot to eat with bread. So a soup or stew. Saturday night we have a big communal bbq, meat, fish, bread and salads. For breakfast, variety pack cereals for the dc, muesli for me and dh. For lunch bacon and eggs. Take some apples, tomatoes, salad, cucumber, bananas, strawberries, melon, lemons, wine in the cool box. You will survive!

[ENormaSnob]

I am a camping newbie too.

We have bought a khyam Ontario 8 for me, dh and 3 dc.

Testing it for a weekend on 17th June. It took me and dh 20 minutes to put it up and was quite easy. Size is ample and it has 4 bedrooms plus large living area.

So far we have also bought air beds, sleeping bags, pump, folding water bottle, camping chairs, cooking stand and plastic cutlery.

Cooker, heater and kettle are being pinched from dh fishing stuff.

Still to buy folding table and toddler sleeping bag.

Taking a chilli for the first nigh, already cooked just needs reheating. Either BBQ or take away for the second night.