Camping gadgets and luxuries

[womblingfree]

We've just got back from our first camping trip since DD came along (she's nearly 5 now - call us gutless wonders...).

I noticed quite a few things that we could have done with and just wondered what other campers consider useful gadgets or luxuries.

Also where we can get some funky accessories from, as a lot of stuff seems v. boring - kind of wanting the hippy look.

We had a great time and plan to go a lot more next year so any pointer gratefully received.

[Bleatblurt]

[PeachyLaPeche]

What sort of cuky accessories?Things like chairs etc easy to come by- my hawaiian style one is by vango, but Mountain Warehouse have bright ones and theresloads about.

Essentials- first time we camped we took airbeds and bedding, single stove, chairs for us (we pulled carseats out for the boys), and eating gear. Oh, and an Argos proaction tent. Did fine, but much prefer it these days when we take a Cobb, a couple of tables, carpet for the tent and out Outwell.

[millenniumfalcon]

peg pullers are more useful than you might expect.

[millenniumfalcon]

not that they're useful for anything apart from pulling pegs, just that they really do make it a lot quicker to pull pegs

[Ripeberry]

Riven, are the fairy lights powered by battery? We just use a battery powered lantern, lashed to the pole with bunjee cord!

[womblingfree]

Have seen something called a lampion - which is a fabric lantern that you put on a pole to ID your tent and it also lights up at night which looks quite cool.

We took much the same as you Peachy, then realised it would have been handy to have had something to carry the washing up to and from the potwash in! Also designated shower bags, and remembering the mallet would've been handy !

[womblingfree]

Would also love to hear more about the fairy lights Riven!

[bea]

We have lovely solar fairy lights from sainsburys!!! Looks very cute and twinkly as the moon rises!

[mooseloose]

Did you take toaster and kettle for hook up? We also have camp gnomes (very essential). A fan heater to make it pleasant in tent for undressing! We hang elec lantern lights in tree.

[troutpout]

dh refuses to take electric kettle even when we go ehu. He says it is a step too far. I don't care since i never make the tea when camping anyway.
I don't really take luxuries...just pretty versions of things i do actually need. Like spotty plates.
I do have an outside tea light lantern which does provide little light...but i burn citronella tea lights in it (justify, justify

[Slubberdegullion]

Well I'm about as far from the hippy look as you can get, but I'll tell you about one of my new purchases this year that I initially thought was a gimmick but gave me the most humongous wave of pleasure whenever I looked at it.

This here camp kitchen, if you squint very hard at the picture you can almost see on the R hand uppermost side bar there are some little hooks, 5 hooks iirc.

Upon those hooks I hung my nest of camping saucepans IN DECSENDING ORDER. Oh yes, a neat and uniform arrangement of saucepans. Sometimes, I would just sneak into my utility tent to look at my table with the saucepans.

And you lot can mock and eye roll as much as you like, but deep down you all know that you want orderly saucepans. You know you do.

[DottyDot]

not very gadgety, but I made us a tent rug which is a big piece of lovely blue fleece, backed with foam carpet underlay and it's lovely - I put it outside the bedrooms so it's the first thing we walk on when we get up and it's all lovely and warm and soft!

[troutpout]

Where did you get the big piece of fleece from dotty dot?.I'm thinking of doing something similar for my smaller tent.

[DottyDot]

Hi - from a shop on Oldham Street in Manchester - it's a treasure trove of pieces of different materials - Aberkhan. But someone gave a link to a lovely fleece shop on-line - think it might have been this one?

[troutpout]

ooh thanks...am near manchester..so might give that shop a visit

[womblingfree]

Slubber - keep looking longingly at camp kitchens (like the Millets one with the mesh 'cupboard' underneath and windbreak), but there are only 3 of us and we have a big table that we can cook at one end of and eat at the other, so can't really justify it.

Solar fairy lights sound great.

We didn't do EHU this time but will def consider it next time as hopefully will be doing at least a week so will need more efficient coolbox.

Can you only run one item off EHU, or can you take an extension cable? Noticed some older bods in big tents/caravans with awnings who seemed to have table lamps, tellys and all sorts going on!

[troutpout]

our ehu has 3 sockets Wombling. You can get one socket ones too though.

[mooseloose]

I take REAL cups, (flowery) not camping plastic ones.

[bramblebooks]

I have union jack bunting.

Just wanted to share.

[womblingfree]

Thanks trout - haven't gone down that road yet and thought the site provided basic line and we would have to bring extensions.

Have just looked up triple EHU's - ouch! Think that may have to go on the Christmas list.

[mycampingshame]

We have two sheepskins - about £20 each from local market. We put them on our camping chairs at night when the kids have gone to bed and it transforms them. Say bye to cold, rough nylon and hello to warm, soft luxury.

Then we put them on the bed to keep us extra warm at night. Oh and they are great to shag on too if you are that way inclined.

I've also got a glitter ball, but DP usually 'forgets' to pack this.

[Chevre]

whoo hoo riven got her bell tent!!!!!!! is it everything you dreamt off?

i disapprove ot pointless camping nonsense as the whole point to is be outdoor enjoying yoruself not poncing about with fairylights attracting every biting insect within a 5 mile radius.

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[Chevre]

[Baden-Powell emoticon] that was meant to be