Camping - A lot of hard work?

[laughinggnome]

So we are looking at cheap holidays - newspaper deals, weekends away that sort of thing. Then I thought "Ooooh camping - just need to buy at tent and Bobs your uncle!".

But nooooo - theres airbeds and cooking stuff and crockery and cutlery and clothes and electricity hook up gizmo stuff and then clothes and then washing up bowls and duvets/ sleeping bags and apparantly - get this - Tents don`t even come with a toilet!

Sounds like a lot of hard work for a minibreak!

AIBU? Or am I missing something?

am I missing something?

You will be missing lots of things... hot water, baths, showers, television, a bar, comfy bed, heating, internet ......

I think you either love camping or hate it, and I can honestly say I hated it!

It's just another way of self-catering. I have had holidays camping as part of package adventure holidays but there were always 'staff' to do the work. I would not go camping with just family anywhere.

We used to do it and it is a lot of hard work, good fun though. We have upgraded to a camper van now though and wouldn't go back to tents.

It is hard unless you are very organised and used to doing it I think. Try boutique camping first in a yurt where everything is laid on. Or you can camp somewhere with more facilities and a pub and see how you get on before buying all the cooking equipment.

I've never camped. I'm more of a luxury holiday cottage kindofagirl. The thought of camping fills me with dread. My primary concerns are being cold, being uncomfortable at night, not being able to stand up inside, not having anything dry and squidgey to sit on, and needing a widdle at 3am.

Then last year I was on the receiving end of some free passes to the Big Chill and there was no choice in the matter. DP and I had 24 hours to get kitted up, so went to GO Outdoors and spanked a wedge on a 6-man tent that you can stand up in and has a big porch that fits our recliners in, a tent carpet, some really big, warm sleeping bags and a dual-chamber airbed. Throw in a weeks' supply of Travel Johns, a head torch and a best friend with a travel cooker and it was a home from home. I loved every minute.

We're going to try proper camping on a regular campsite this year. Yay.

You need to try it and see if it suits you.

We had some lovely camping holidays when DCs were smallish, but we had some terrible camping holidays when they were babies. I have no idea why I agreed to them.

It is a fab way to go away with children from about 5 to 12.

*NB not having DCs helps, I imagine

I sometimes take my DD camping for one night locally and it's very cheap if you have a car, so don't have to carry all your gear. Fish and chips for dinner, sheets, pillow and duvet from home. Bacon rolls in a local cafe for breakfast.

Only expense was a cheap tent (£50 second hand), two air beds (£8 each) and a pump (£15)

If you're on an air bed instead of a camping mat, and use a duvet, then you shouldn't be cold. I've always been fine in summer

Yes having a car makes a massive difference - we do it without and its a different kettle of fish. With a car you take loads of old comfy tut with you.

Agree about the ages of the dc as well - they need to be old enough to go off with other dc and for you to not worry so much about them being run over etc.

Yes, I was going to mention that the car helps, having a big ole estate and a roofrack means I can fill it with things I might need, and keep it all in there so the tent doesn't become a cluttered hell hovel.

YANBU... camping is a lot of things but unless you're in some swanky (sunny) location and have lots of high spec kit, it's not a holiday.

I like camping, despite my comments upthread.

It can be very restful. You need to be well equipped though.

Four years ago you would not have got me to camp for any money, I saw my friends tent and all I wanted to know was where the ensuite was but DH bought a cheap tent and we tried a night not far from home. It's the best thing we ever did, there is so much freedom for the children, no gadgets or tv, it's so relaxing I can't even read! Last year we camped our way down to Italy via the alps with our quick pitch tent and had the most amazing experience of our lives. I think the best thing is that within 20 minutes of arriving somewhere we had 'our house' ready for us, no getting used to new beds or finding stuff, everything was familiar and lovely just the view was new!

Money wise, as a family of 5, hotels are prohibitive because we need two rooms, minimum of £150 a night, our tent was £175 and the most expensive camp site (in the South of France, pool, water-slides, restaurant, pizza place etc) was ?30. I have already booked our ferry for next year and can't wait!

Strangely I love looking around tents and camping equipment but I hate camping itself.

I do, however, camp for two nights once a year for a karate training camp thingy. It's ok if the sun is shining but awful if it's raining (as it was last year). Everything gets damp.

There are certain things I've learned though- a self-inflating mattress is the dog's bollocks; you can buy dead cheap cutlery in Wilkinsons, ditto w/up bowls/crockery/saucepans; and a king size duvet folded in half, into which you insert yourself as the filling in the duvet sandwich + hot water bottle is far nicer than a sleeping bag.

Ds2 is starting to talk about going camping but I'm hoping he'll forget about it. ALthough I might consider a two night affair somewhere nearish to home. Wouldn't want to do it for a main holiday though. Am old enough to need creature comforts to make it a real holiday.

I love camping.

We have spent quite a bit of money on stuff in the past, but we have had some lovely holidays and we are lucky to be quite near one of the best camping places in Britain. Just had DS who is 6 months and can't wait to take him this year, our 4 YO DD loves it. However, if weather is rubbish it can make things a bit miserable. The best one we ever had was in April and we were lucky that the weather was really lovely.

We got given our huuuuggge tent but it's an old fashioned one and would love to treat us to a new one but we are skint because of moving.

waits for Pictish to appear and bang on about her bell tent. Again.

I love camping, precisely because it is a lot of work. But it's a lot of work done at a calm, restful pace, in the open air, with no pressure to do anything else other than potter around "making camp", drinking lots of tea, watching the DDs race around getting filthy and, eventually, letting the sun go down over a campfire and a glass of beer.

A serious case of "a change is as good as a rest".

But if you don't like being in the open air, or being a bit grubby, forget it.

YANBU - it's freezing too. Why anyone camps out of choice is a mystery to me.

I have done it about 4 times ever. Never again.

What about one of those pod things some camp sites have, like a tent but there all the time? Or do the £9.50 hols and go in a static caravan?

Tents don't come with a toilet but many camp sites do. They also come with showers, the local village may well provide the pub and if you have a car comfortable bedding isn't hard to bring. But I agree that you do have to enjoy fresh air, otherwise it is going to be miserable.

You need a bell tent with sheepskin rugs and a log burning stove.

Completely identify with AChicken's 1st paragraph. Its pottering smack.

pottering smack DH loves camping pottering, I researched camping chairs and found the best one ever, so I sit with coffee/wine/regional gut rot and watch him, my idea of heaven.