To think camping is absolutely bollocks

[FuckYrBellTent]

It's crap isn't it?

Everyone else has fancy tents you can stand up in, we have a squished up, leaky four man. There's a puddle in the middle of it. It's rained non stop. My head is aching. I had an argument with DH over putting up the tent. Everyone has a sore back. Nobody can dry out. The kids (7 and 10) tag teamed us by needing the loo all night and wanting one of us to come with them. We are meant to be here for one more night. Aibu to go home early?

We used to enjoy camping, but I think our tent days have reached a natural conclusion. It's shit unless it's blistering sun. If we wanted to be stuck indoors with whining kids we could do it in the comfort of our own home, with ready access to toilets and kettles. It always ends up raining and it's really properly lashing so not even the type you can go out in anyway

We are poor and this is the only type of holiday we can afford, but I really don't think it's worth it

Yes...I'm another bell tent wanker btw. It's the best money I've ever spent.

Although recently I discovered there are Swingers caravan clubs that will let you join if you have a tent.

Has anyone here ever tried swinging in a tent? I should imagine you would need to swing very carefully.

Anything less than 3* is considered camping in this house

Hell. On. Earth.

I feel the same about camping dh family take snipes at me all the time because I hate it and refuse to go. The times I have been it's been miserable, wet and freezing (at night)! FIL produced a bucket as a communal toilet when we got there... I was ready for going home at that point!
I don't blame you for wanting to go home, I guess camping just isn't for everyone x

Ok all you camping haters (I'm one of them, I've never done it, never will, this thread is confirming it) need to read 'The tent, the bucket and me' by Emma Kennedy. It's about her family attempting camping holidays in the 1970's. It is an absolutely brilliantly funny book, I shook with laughter, especially at embarrassment denouement of her young life. Highly recommended.
Yes I imagine camping has improved; but not without spending loads of ££ on equipment. Even buying second hand is almighty pain in the arse.

fuck camping. fuck it right in the ear

LOL!

FIL produced a bucket as a communal toilet when we got there... I was ready for going home at that point! Jeepers Cup that is grim .

i was going to argue the othér way but have to say camping in the rain is shit. i can cope with 1 days rain but then i need the sun come out and my tent is enormous so stuck in a cramped tent in the rain is not my idea of a fun holiday.

I'm not a fan either. We went a couple years ago with 4 kids to save money and I really hated it. I didn't realise you can hear EVERYTHING going on around you as well. Some bloke got up at 6 AM making a racket and then another bloke a couple of tents over had a go at him and then he shouted back and I was laying there thinking this is actually hell.

We love camping, it's fun and has a nice primeval feel about it.

The only time I have been miserable camping was when DH did a surprise weekend! No equipment just what we had in our pockets.

FIL produced a bucket as a communal toilet when we got there

Never shit in a bucket your FIL has just shat in. That's some solid life advice.

It is true we have a lot of gear. We have built it up over the years buying one 'big' item every year. If we bought it all in a oner there's no doubt it would amount to a week in a cabin...but we use this stuff again and again and again...whatever our financial situation (usually dire) we always get a holiday somewhere beautiful and atmospheric with tons of stuff to do.

We love camping BUT we have a large tent and only go to sites with very, very good facilities. Even then, if it rains it does ruin it. We have gone home a day early many times in bad weather

And ALWAYS take welly boots - wet grass and flip flops is never nice

A good tent with seperate central area and electric hook up(have to have a quick cup of tea in the morning a dvds for kids if raining touch)Always camp near a pub!
Have only abandoned camping once and we had a race in front of the flood up through Tewkesbury ,Glichester jut in time to buy lots of wine and food basics before our local town went under.We were lucky to get home.Didnt put us off though.

I love camping, the equipment is expensive however it lasts for many trips and is much cheaper than one hotel stay! We had a miserable morning waking up in Wales in a crap £20 tent we bought in Argos. The tent had flooded, I woke up with my head in a puddle.
We went straight to Gelert and bought a lovely big tent, I have stalked the internet for the extension for it for when we bring the dog camping he has plenty of space.

If it rains we have films loaded up on the iPad, or go out in the car to find things to do! I'm sad that I haven't got enough holidays following our 2 week holiday in the Caribbean and a trip to Japan. (First world problems). But next year we'll definitely go camping in either Scotland or Cornwall!

I didn't realise you can hear EVERYTHING going on around you as well.
Yes! We've got friends who are bell tent wankers, they camped a couple of hours away from our house so we went to visit them. They were all knackered because their neighbouring wankers had four children who were shrieking and shouting most of the night then proceeded practice an assortment of musical instruments at 6:30 am. No amount of rugs stoves and fairy lights can make up for actual walls

Exactly Notso!

You can hear every snore, fart, and drunken giggle in like a 20 tent radius around you. Fucking grim.

One thing you can do when it's raining, depending on where you are, is to get your waterproofs on and go waterfall hunting. We generally camp in mountainous areas being trekkers, so there's always a few to visit. The rain makes them much more dramatic and spectacular. You take lots of artsy photos then head back to the tent for warm drinks and fairy lights while uploading the photos to the laptop and going "ahhhh" at every one.

Go home.

Camping is only feasible for one night at a time. That way, the campers in the family get their fix and the normal people can have a shower on the morning of departure and a shower on arrival back the next day.

Sorted!

It is evident to me having recently erected a tent, that I am the very reason that Expedia was invented.

Everyone I know LOVES camping. They have the electric tents, the bunting, the electric hook ups.

They've all had to buy new bloody Volvos to cart around this "pay it back time and again" gear, and when push comes to shove they still have to do communal showers with questionable plug holes and cobwebs stringing across the windows and ceiling.

Bollocks to that shit.

YANBU in your current circumstances - after a few abandoned camping trips I was ready to give up on it altogether but when I looked into the cost of alternatives I decided to give it another try.

I think there are different types of camping and if you decide to continue it is worth considering how to solve the problems that stop it being enjoyable.

If you are only doing very basic camping it might be better to wait until you are certain of reasonably good weather before deciding to go. Obviously it can be harder to find somewhere but it may save on wasted weekends.

As a single mum I decided to invest in gear that made life easier. I reckon what I've spent this year alone would have paid for a package holiday somewhere hot but I'm hoping it's an investment that will allow for cheaper holidays for the next few years.

A few things that have helped me are an inflatable tent, roof box and electric hook up. I take an electric kettle, toaster and George foreman grill so I can do basic food inside the tent if the weather is really bad.

If I'm booking well in advance I pay a bit extra for sites that have indoor pools and kids club etc so if the weather us awful I can still keep the kids amused.

I have a big plastic box filled with travel board games, pens, colouring books etc. This only comes out for camping so the kids get shoved in their bedroom with the box and I drink tea and read.

A cheap rubber backed door mat takes up no space at all but can really help keep the inside of the tent dry when coming in with wet shoes etc.

Waterproof trousers and wellies for the kids so they can still run around if it's raining.

I also try to have a bit extra out aside for wet weather days out - if I don't have to spend this I can roll it on to Christmas or next year's holiday fund.

At its best camping can be the best holiday going but when it's bad it's miserable.

I did one of the cheap sun holiday deals for a long weekend a few weeks ago and it was fab to just turn up and have a lovely comfy caravan but I've booked to go to a similar site for a long weekend in a few weeks and the price difference was over £150 so I will be camping instead.

A week in Cornwall last year cost me 200. A caravan at the same site for the same week would have been £1000.

I remind myself of this on the nights I am huddled up in my tent reading a book by torch light, drinking wine and fantasising about a hotel with a balcony!

Go home OP, don't prolong it , it's meant to be a holiday, not a trial, for any of you.