If you are a seasoned camper, what would you recommend to a complete novice?

[AmbivalentCamper]

I'm very new to the 'great outdoors' thing. But my DH is very pro the idea of camping and wants the experience for the kids, and I'm happy to accommodate his desire, so I have agreed to a weekend where we go camping (providing it's not throwing it down.)

We have a tent, a stove and a kettle (given rather than bought, which is what's kicked off this whole episode.) . Cooking/eating apparatus, folding garden chairs and an air bed.

But as a camper, what would you recommend? (Either buying or adapting etc)

I feel like camping is probably one of those things where you upgrade and find your groove over time and experience, but I also would like to be prepared.

Any help gratefully appreciated 😁

Flip flops to leave at the tent entrance so you can pop them on and off when going in and out of the tent. Otherwise your ground sheet gets filthy

Don’t book in advance… most sites have availability unless it’s one of those fancy ofer the top over priced ones. It doesn’t matter how fancy it is if it’s pissing it down.

Watch the forecast and book accordingly.

Also, YHA sites are good because you get use of their bar/lounge area.

Maybe try a pod/yurt glamping trip first?

But you are presumably a seasoned camper? (Or vampire as autocorrect suggested) - someone doing it for the first time, I admit I am assuming a sizeable tent, inevitably putting poles in the wrong order or similar - it's going to be longer than an hour. Unless it is inflatable 😁

I am much more of a basic camper than some of you, but even so I would still recommend proper air beds, duvets and pillows instead of mats and sleeping bags. It's the small comforts that car camping enables rather than hiking.

Warm things for the evening - lots of them.

A torch for going to the loo at night

Ear plugs

The best coolbox you can afford - pp is correct to say take frozen portions of chilli/curry/Bolognese and then all you need to make is pasta or rice. Bacon is an essential in the morning too.

I would say:

Go for one night to start with somewhere not too far away - not because you'll want to go home but because less stress thinking about travel times etc.

Don't plan to cook. At all. Bring pastries/bars/cereal for breakfast. Bring ready to eat snacks. Go to a pub for dinner. Or a chippy or whatever. Much less stress not having to think about bringing cooking stuff and ingredients- work up to that after you've been a couple of times.

The main thing to take is a sense of humour - it’s not like being at home, you eat different foods, cook differently (if at all) and are all probably a bit less clean than usual but the sense of freedom is priceless and your kids will love it.

Lots of clothes, and spare blankets to go under roll mats/air beds. It’s better not to get cold in the first place than to try and warm up.

Spare torch. Power pack so you don’t have to turn the car on to charge your phone. and don’t underestimate how VERY dark it is once the sun goes down! Make beds, change clothes and wash up before dark. When I first used to go camping, it was gas canisters and mantles, the rechargeable LED lights are a game-changer.

As another poster said, don’t try too much on the first trip - cereal and bread are fine for breakfast, you can make sandwiches for lunch and then eat at the pub in the evening. As long as you’ve got hot water for tea or coffee, that’s my non-negotiable!

I hope you have fun and want to do it again.

Have a practice sleep-out in the garden if possible before you go.

I agree with this on e hookups… may as well be in an air bnb.

Not a camper but don't forget your first aid kit.

The number of a nearby hotel.

I'm done with the 4am waking up with the cold, the backache, the packing everything up whilst other just mither about, the bug bites, the tick checks, the toilet blocks, the weirdos...

But not everybody thinks like that or has that experience. Many people enjoy camping… with the right kit.

I am aware. But camping for those who think it is a good idea, because it sounds like a cheap option and who have never done it, need to know that it isn't a cheap option and it is ok to think it isn't even a good idea.

The OP's husband hasn't even done the work of looking at what is needed. He said he thinks it is a good idea but she has to run round sorting it all out.

And for something that everyone might hate?

The best suggestion has been to just camp out in the garden for one night and see how that goes.

I agree with@MerelyPlaying. Just go light, enjoy yourselves and chill out. Try to leave it to last minute to go, so you can pick the weather if possible, but don’t expect too much. Take more clothes than you think, and bags; but also don’t try too hard to have all the luxuries of life. Take pot noodles for tea, lots of snacks etc so you don’t end up cooking a lot. And do silly games, board games etc! Use it as a time to switch off and reconnect with life.

we did it a lot, with kids as they were growing up, they still say they were the best times.

Camp with electricity! In my area they have something called a “library of things” it has tons of camping equipment that you can hire.

The first few times we went we found it more stress than it was worth, but now we have lots of useful equipment it’s much better. We invested in a folding camper (like a hybrid between a tent and a caravan) which we love. But comfy beds, comfy chairs, something good to cook with (campingaz party grill is great)

We also go to holiday park type sites, with pools and restaurants- especially while our kids are young as you can’t guarantee the weather and it’s good to have stuff to do!

Most of my top tips have already been mentioned: taking duvets (ALL the duvets!), having a frozen pre prepared meal for the first night, having lots of lights (so many good solar/ rechargeable lights nowadays).

To my mind, THE most important tip is to not fix your plans until you know the weather forecast. It's best to be a fair weather camper. (Having said that I've just booked all our campsites for France and Spain in August, but them's furrin parts so it doesn't count).

Most campers do not consider toasters and microwaves to be essential for a good time 😆

I also love an open fire. Far more simple to cook over than you think- incorporate some potatoes double wrapped in foil when you build the fire, and they should be cooked by the time it's time to start cooking everything else.

@AlisonDonutit won't let me untag you but 😁😂

Jesus. Lots of city mice on this thread giving advice on what to pack I see 🙄

op, I love camping. my DH and I do a lot of tent camping and backcountry camping, so I’d consider us seasoned.

Are you allowed fires? If so, obvs. provision for that. Bring 2x lighters, not matches.

Plan your meals and provision accordingly. For example:

Monday breakfast; eggs, toast, bacon; Monday lunch; chorizo and baguette sandwich; Monday dinner; grilled protein and vegetables.

When we camp, we plan meals that tend to use the same ingredients. So for eg, for dinner on Tuesday night we would use the left over sausage from Monday’s lunch to make pasta and sausage dinner.

Tinned, smoked protein—like herring and trout— is always excellent to have, fyi. You can have it as is, or you can make a sandwich with left over baguette, mustard, tomatoes, onions, aioli, whatever!

A small jar or salt is essential.

Assemble your own savory trail mix snacks. For eg, I like combining quality nuts and dried fruit. I don’t sting on this by the way! Get GOOD snacks.

Another thing I like to pre-make at home is popcorn. Just pop a cup of kernels, salt them and place in a ziplock. Enjoy!

Bring an ice box to keep your items chilled and only use blocks of ice—not loose ice chips. Always consume sensitive protein first.

I bring myself wine and DH packs his whiskey 😂
Personally, I like to bring a hot water bottle as I find it cozy to snuggle a warm bottle around a camp fire with a glass of red 🥰

For bedding, the usual: blanket, pillow, light sleeping bag and an air pad for below. If it’s been raining, the soil will be damp, so bring a tarp to place under your tent.

Charged headlight for each person (game changer!)

clean, warm socks, and underwear. Many pairs….
Wipes/tp, bar soap, and hand sanitizer.

Tea towels (I find these useful), pour over coffee cups and filter if you drink coffee, or tea bags!

don’t forget your wine opener or choose screw top bottles.

Gosh, this has got me excited for camping! Enjoy, OP!

Can’t emphasize the head torch enough. One for each person.

Thank you so much everyone! This is all very helpful!

I've commited and am looking forward to the experience. Well, hopefully! The kids are very outdoorsy so they'll love bashing about in the "wilderness". We're planning on doing a weekend away at a campsite we've seen in action before (but haven't stayed on).

Will definitely be getting a few things collected from the suggestions! I have a list and keep adding to it!

A complete change of clothes for everyone and a towel in a bag in the car not to be used unless shit hits the fan. That way everyone can get warm and dry. Add to it a bottle of water each and a cereal bar. That way you know everyone will be fine.

Enjoy it op camping is fab!

A tarpaulin to put under the tent so the tent doesn’t get muddy, easier to clean a tarpaulin and put it away again.

An electric air bed pump, much easier than doing it by hand.

A power bank for charging your phone.

Otherwise pack as little as possible because at the end you have to pack it all up again and get it back in the car.

It all depends on your camping style.

I never have EHU and we cook over a campfire (and have a gas stove). It's about enjoying the actual camping experience rather than trying to take as much gear as possible to make it like a house.

Also on the more basic / wild style campsites without EHU the pitches are generally further apart (I like woodland camping ) and less busy than campsites where pitches are regimented in rows.

Flip flops for the showers.
Butchers hooks / S hooks to put over the shower doors - never enough hooks.
Dustpan and brush for the tent - and keep the bedroom pods zipped up during the day to stop the kids bringing in endless mud and grass all over the bedding and to keep bugs out.
Binoculars - nothing like siting out in the dark looking at the stars, and you see the planets better with binoculars.

Just think through your day and what you will need for it.

Keep it simple. I see lots of people with loads of stuff and it takes ages to pitch and then put away.

No need to buy special packing stuff; just use suitcases.

Prepare each person a shower and bed bag; get a bag-for-life and in it add their towel, wash things, pyjamas etc. It makes shower and bed time easier as you can just grab each person’s bag and go.

We abandoned cereal as a camping breakfast.
The milk issue: keeping it fresh, keeping it cold etc. Plus kids on camping chairs always spill milk everywhere, which you don't want in the heat, with no washing machine.
Packs of brioche rolls, a banana, instant porridge pots or a bacon (or halloumi) sandwich work better for us.

Good tinned food: M&S tinned chilli, a pouch of refried beans, packs of tortillas keep well.
M&S tinned ham is good
Tinned dolmades if you have a middle eastern type shop near you or grab some in Lidl Greek Week - good for salad / snack lunches.
The pouch packs of lentil dhal or channa - I think there is a Jamie Oliver range? With pouches of microwave rice - which you can heat in a pan v quickly with a splash of water.
Tortilla flatbreads are good for toasted sandwiches - fill with grated cheese, sandwich together and dry fry in the frying pan. Cut in quarters. Put other fillings in if you like.
Avoid things that take a long tome to cook as you will use your gas v quickly.

However if the site allows campfires you can cook a whole chicken plus potatoes and carrots etc in a cast iron casserole with lid if you do it slowly over an ember type fire. (takes practice). But sacks of wood are often expensive, too. We just like having a fire.

And P.S - there is a MN camping board!!