Camping is hell.

[Thisisnothappeningagain]

I havent enjoyed camping since i was a teen. Dp is well into it 'i just chuck a few things in the car and go!' -_- (i wont even get in to how much effort it was to acquire, sort and pack everything for a family and dogs) i finally bowed to pressure and here i am, a trek across a field away from the locked, extremely poorly ventilated, toilets and no idea where in this dark tent trying to take off the key is even though ive tried to keep it in the same zipped pocket. I must have had 5hrs sleep all week.

I HAVE TRIED to be positive, but im seriously struggling to see why this is fun, or relaxing.

My last experience of camping was aged 6 in the Scottish Highlands in relentless rain and being eaten by midges. DM called a halt on day 3 and we found B&Bs for the rest of the rainy holiday.

A formative experience which taught me never to be tempted. Even Stone Age people managed something better than tents!

@BrozTito

My camping isnt the middle class labrador infested type though. I sleep in a hammock or bivvy outside

Yours sounds more roughing it in the wild than camping holiday. Bear Grylls style.

@BrozTito

Cos if its a massive pissaround to make dinner you just eat a ration pack instead

Now, see this talk of taking "ration packs" instead of food really isn't selling it to me.... I'd rather stay in a B&B and have actual food

Heres the ration menu. Much better these days, the old army ones were horrific evaq8.co.uk/Ration-Packs/24-hour-ration-pack-menu-1.html

Those ration packs look like the stuff they take into space. Yummy.

Some of them even self heat.

@BrozTito

Some of them even self heat.

Bleurgh.

I don't think families going on a camping holiday would be packing those. If it got to 'ration pack' time then head for the chippy/home.

DDs love ration packs. I enjoy carefully selected ones for nostalgias sake (I.e. no corned beef hash that hasn't been heated through properly). But as regular holiday food? No way.

Weve got the best camping weekend planned in late August. DH and his best mate are taking the kids, me and my best mate are staying home and drinking the wine. Such a shame we can't all fit in the tent...

(We could. We just prefer not to).

But I'm also looking forward to this weekend camping at an outdoor activity centre to watch the kids enjoy themselves. And we couldn't get EHU to cafe for dinner

I love camping but in my middle age, I do it in comfort. Decent camp beds, camping carpets in the tent, proper storage, and absolutely definitely electric hookup. I know that doesn't make me a "proper" camper but it makes me a comfortable and happy one!

It’s awful. Did it once when DC1 was 18 months old and waking up at 5am. Having to keep a toddler entertained in a tent until the campsite restaurant opened at 8am was pure hell on earth. I will never camp ever, ever again. Plus i have IBS and the thought of having to do a midnight dash across a muddy field to a freezing toilet block is my worst nightmare.

I can’t see anything good about it.

Weirdly I sleep better in a tent than in my bed. I find the noise of sheep soothing. And I enjoy the whole ritual of it, boiling kettles, my DP cooks amazing breakfasts.

Did it with my DD when she was young, now I'm 61 still love doing it with DP or another couple.

But if you don't like it and your family do it must be hell. You'll have to find something you like about it and build from there!

I loathe camping, never ever again.

It's not a holiday, more like being on the Island with Bear Grylls.

They arnt amazing but massively better than microwave food for example. I get lithuanian ones with more cakes and less british stodge

Oh OP my DH would be with you 100% of the way. I now take the dc on my own, have done since they were 4 and 3. DC love it and so do I, and DH gets time on his own chilling and taking Ddog off for long walks which normally include a pub lunch, and then back to his home comforts!
I agree with others if you're more a good weather camper having the right kit is essential, and my days of bivvying are well and truly over! I now have a camp bed and air mattress on top. Choosing the right campsite is also essential. I like the ones which have a quiet rule after 9PM, don't allow Music and off the beaten track, so other campers tend to be more considerate towards their neighbours.
Next year send you DH off with the kids and you enjoy some peace and quiet at home. Hope you found the key to the toilet

I think people go wrong thinking it will still be fun hungover

Unless you are on an African safari or going walkabout in the middle of the outback, I can't think of one place to visit that would be too to drive back to some civilised accommodation.

Hate camping, hate waste of time and the faff! Holidays should be: pack a bag, and fly (or drive when you are stuck with staycations) and pop in wherever you booked. The sea/countryside/views/forest are just as enjoyable when you don't have to build your own shelter.

Don't need to sleep on the floor in a tent to cook your breakfast outside either, if that's what you really want.

And don't get me started on the "community" feeling and shared misery in campsites, why just why.

People who love it should enjoy it, just leave me well out of it!

I fucking detest camping. It's not fun; it's not a holiday. Putting the tent up. Taking it down. Inflating shit. Reinflating shit. Deflating shit. Inevitable ingress of water. I felt disgusting the whole time. I managed three days with my kids two summers ago, and it was - just about - worth it because they had fun. But I'm praying they don't want to go again.

We have been camping, pre-marriage and also with children. DCs seemed to enjoy it. One, possibly both, has done it voluntarily since then. I'd rather have proper accommodation, for all the reasons stated above.
We know a couple, mid-60s, who love camping so much they spend a week or two each year on long-distance walks, wild-camping along the way. I just don't get the appeal, but to each their own!

I quite like camping but only with a spacious tent, comfy beds, a quiet campsite (the worst thing about camping for me is other people's noise!), decent showers, takeaways nearby, EHU and good weather. We have a caravan now and it is infinitely better than tent camping. It is always dry, the beds are comfier and you can sit inside it when the weather is (inevitably) rubbish.

I enjoyed tent camping in southern France because the weather was warm and dry the whole time so you could actually enjoy the outdoors. The only trouble then is the tent can get too hot!

I too think camping is hell on a stick. OP say you've had enough and book yourself a lovely room this evening.

DH went camping most years as a child. He said his main memory was sitting in the back of his car with his sister watching his parents putting the tent up in the rain.

Usually we camp/caravan for a week in France and get a gîte for a week but this year we are just using the caravan as holiday accommodation in the UK is so expensive.

I like campsites but like a couple of PPs they need to be:

• In the south of France or Spain
• Have bar/restaurant/pizza place
• Have a swimming pool

When DCs were small we camped - lovely sturdy canvas frame tent, all the gear to make life comfortable. Then one day we were walking round a campsite and looked at the cost of mobile home rental and realised for not many more €/night we could have all the benefits of the campsite but have our own toilet/shower. We never went back camping again.

Hate camping. It’s just a miserable experience. Every single time (been 3 times) someone gets an attack of the trots or sickness too. Washing child down in shared showers was NOT fun. The next trip it was my turn pacing across the field to toilets, it was then found someone eating a pizza in the loo block at 3am too.

All those memories topped with feeling dirty, tired, cold and damp. It’s a no from me.

I suppose if you live in a life of absolute luxury with an army of helpers it must be fun to "rough it up" for a change? I sadly don't, so I don't need the experience 😂