To think to enjoy camping you need to invest in the best and it’s a huge risk

[Raspberryberetthekindyoufind]

Just that really. I went camping in my early adulthood and hated it- small tent, shit facilitates, bucket for toilet etc
A few years ago my husband persuaded me to try it again and I said yes on the basis we would spend some of his bonus on getting decent stuff so we got
Blow up big tent which goes up in ten minutes with porch and lots of storage plus had a put up extra bedroom you can use a toilet cubical. Also bedroom are covered in black out material.
Portable flushing toilet with bags that you just take out and dispose of
Extra ground footprint
Extra roof protective sheet
Extra indoor roof liner to stop condensation

Tent carpet
Amazing thick comfy blow up beds
Inflatable sofa and chairs
Put up clothes storage unit
Storage rack for porch for shoes, toys etc
2 other fold up storage boxes

Tent Lighting unit
Good camping stove plus kitchen unit for it to sit on
Fire pit
Thick sleeping bags that can be used as a quilt of if like me you need your legs to be free
And the most important thing/ the best most expensive earplugs that don’t let a dam thing through
Also always go to a campsite with electric hook ups so you can charge phones, plug in a hairdryer etc (some people even bring a telly)
The reason I am posting this is to say I understand people’s misery and I used to think have all singing and all dancing camping stuff would be useless but it really does make a difference.
unfortunately it means a big outlay as well at the beginning
We took the risk and it payed off. I now love it and have been converted but it so could have gone the other way.

Just wondering if anyone agrees or disagrees with me

I wouldn’t go camping for a gold clock. Tried it once 😫

What the heck is a 'poled vango' and is it painful, Iwantmyhatback

Nope, I completely disagree! The less stuff the better for us. Besides we wouldn’t even fit half the stuff you’ve listed in our car! I love camping because I don’t have to clean up, I don’t have to blow dry my hair, I don’t have to think about what to wear, I just take a pair of jeans and one clean top per day. I don’t want electricity because I don’t want to use my phone, I turn it off and if there’s an emergency I can turn it on but otherwise it’s nice to have a break from technology. I love the weird meals you can come up with when you’ve only got one pan and a gas ring.

Having a carpet, inflatable sofa and a fire pit just sounds a bit over the top and more stuff to have to clean up than is strictly necessary!

I love it. I like the freedom of it, and being able to live slightly filthy for a few days. But three days is enough for me.

Less is more. In fact one of the things I do to get to sleep is thinking abut our set up and ways to make it more efficient. It’s strangely comforting!

I love camping, and agree you have to be well prepared, I put together my kit on a tightish budget.

I saved and bought a 5m Bell tent. It wasn't cheap but I went for this one as I'm on my own with two kids and a dog. This amazing tent only has one central pole so I can put it up myself.

To sleep we have cotton roll mattresses, which I "made" myself. (A couple of mattress toppers covered in ticking). They are heavy, but they don't deflate and I don't have to pump them up.

I made a couple of half moon rugs for the tent, these make a huge difference to the comfort.

I have an old wicker trunk for food and a Kelly kettle for cooking. An old heavy BBQ for a fire pit.

I always bring a bottle of bourbon!

Best camping trick I pull is bringing a squeeze bottle of condensed milk for my coffee. I love a camping coffee.

I like to go camping on my own and the joy of it is in being really lean so just a basic 2 man tent, bedding, a gas stove and kettle and my picnic bag with all the crockery/cutlery. Oh and earplugs, a book and a box of wine.

With the kids I would need all you have mentioned and more and I'd still be miserable!

I wish I could do the middle of nowhere stuff or st least give it a try but I know I would really struggle. We tend to go camping for a week (Carfest aside) so settling everything up is ok as we are there for a while. At Carfest we were on the disabled campsite so I could bring the car right up to the camping space.

I am glad having all the kit things make it possible for me to go camping and enjoy it. Even the storage helps as when I am bad in pain I can’t bend to the floor.

Our stuff is middle of he road, I can’t belive what you can actually pay for some of the things. Could have spend the same amount as buying a camper van if we had wanted too (and if we had it)

I disagree with you. But it's because no amount of amenities would induce me to go camping. It's hotels all the way for me.

I don't have quite as much stuff as the OP (although I'm tempted by the blow up settee and the carpet) but we have a fair amount. We have campbeds with thermarests on them, and I take my pillows from home, and now I finally sleep well. We have a nice big tall really waterproof tent.

We have a separate 10'x10' canopy that we put up over a picnic table so we have another space to sit and chat/eat/play cards in the shade or to stay dry when it's raining.

It's easier to cook for five people if you actually have a good double burner stove, and we've got a portable BBQ now too. We don't tend to camp anywhere near shops or pubs so we bring in all our own food/drink.

We sometimes get sites with power but it's fine if not.

Now we have all the gear, camping really saves us a fortune and we get to camp out in amazing parts of America, in state parks and national parks, under the stars.

We have a pickup truck so it's easy to transport it all.

Non camper here. Things i've learned from this thread which are probably obvious but i've never properly thought of are:

People go on holiday in tents you can't stand up in
Some sites you can't take your car to the pitch
Some sites you can't have a fire
You get condensation inside a tent
They can be boiling hot by 5am
You have to decide if you want to be in the shade in the morning or afternoon and boil the rest of the time.
There may not be any shade at all.
Noise is a massive problem.
Unless you have an awning your only option is the tent or the car.
There isn't always electricity available.
Even people who love camping seem to agree that the best bit of a day camping is the last little bit of it.

I had one horrible week camping in Marlow as a kid with the school - massive tent full of stinky kids - and swore i'd never camp again. Nothing on this thread has changed my mind

Holidayed in caravan's every year for the first 30 years of my life. The big static ones. My parents used to own a big caravan on the Durdle Door site in Dorset. When i was a kid most of the tents on the site were always quite small and basic. The camping bit was separate to the caravan bit and it was under tall fir trees and on a slope. On really bad wet night some of little tents would end up with a river running through them :( After really awful nights like this my parents would go down to the camping area with hot drinks and ask the worst affected campers if any of them would like to come for a bit of a dry out and a warm cupper in our caravan. Some of them would have sat in their car all night while their tent gradually washed down the slope in the dark. Ugh. Poor buggers.

I love camping. DH hates it. The only way I could convince him to come along is by buying every bit of gadgetry available to make his camping life as easy as possible. And still he hates it.

The DC and I go each summer with friends, plus we camp regularly with their Scout group. DH says he works too hard all year round to spend nights under canvas. I think he's missing out on a charming way of life.

The big investment is a huge risk, but there are ways to make it cheaper. Buy cheap, then replace the cheap stuff with better stuff as you go. I'm always thinking "which is the weakest link?" with my stuff, and looking to change it.

Although Laiste's List is pretty accurate a lot of those points are where the charm is aren't they? I like not having electricity because then I'd be using gadgets. I like that the tent is just for sleeping in so it doesn't matter that I can't stand up. I stayed at a beautiful site in Norfolk the other weekend, all wild and free, massive pitches shielded by wildflowers from other people, no noise, no light pollution, expansive sky. Gorgeous. I'd miss all that in a hotel.

My baseline for tent camping is:

Tent that "sleeps" at least double the number of people going (we have a 6-man for 2 of us and a dog)

Warm bedding

Comfy bed (I'm fine on an air bed, but put rugs underneath to keep the cold out)

Comfy chairs

Cool box

Camping kitchen

Decent stove (2 burners plus grill)

Windbreak to go round the above so things cook more quickly

Shewee and wide necked bottle for peeing in the night

Ear plugs

Eye mask

I'm a bit old school though, and feel that by the time you add electric stuff, it's not really camping.

DP hates tent camping (well, he hates setting up and packing up) and we have a motor home now. I have a loft full of pretty good camping kit. I suppose I ought to sell it really.

Yep I think it does make a difference! We used to go
Camping lots as children but our grandparents had a camper van!

We invested in a big tent with separate bedrooms and porch, carpet, kitchen units and nice beds! We also need electric and
Have a mini fridge and kettle etc. We all loved it!

Phew! I’m so glad at the end you said it paid off as we are considering doing this - buying proper decent stuff. Like you I don’t really like camping. I do like bits of it- but I just cannot sleep in a tent- I am just too cold when I first get into bed. However some friends mentioned electric hookup (means I can have an electric blanket!) and it’s made me rethink the whole thing!

I don't get why people spend all that money on stuff to go camping though. The closer it is to a hotel room, surely the better off you are paying for a hotel room?

Aaaah yes but it isn't the same. The whole point of camping is being 'outside' all the time. You see so much sky, trees, grass etc. It is good for the soul when you commute to work and don't see any outside really.

@Backinthebox you win - horse + hammock = totally envious!

Yes I think that the more expensive kit you have the better the camping experience. We have a similar set of kit as you have listed and now take two cars to fit it all in!

Some people are purists and believe that all you need is a little tent and a mini camping stove - I do admire those people and wish I could be like them!

Reading through your list of home comforts you would forgive some people for asking why not just stay in a cottage or a static caravan.

But camping is so much more than somewhere to sleep.

Our tent got damaged half way through our two week trip and we luckily managed to find an available holiday cottage nearby. The cottage had all the comforts but it just wasn't the same as the freedom you get with camping.

There is something about camping that relaxes me in a way that no other holiday can.

The kids love it and are always so much nicer and better behaved when camping.

Even after having the most terrifying experience of my life last week when a severe gale hit our cliff top pitch I am still as keen on camping as I've ever been.

I don't think you have to spend quite so much/need quite so much stuff to be comfortable.

I think having a cotton/maybe polycotton tent rather than nylon is essential as nylon ones rustle and are like cookers in the morning. Also you have to worry about the inner touching the outer and all that gubbins.

We have a bell tent, no bedrooms, no footprint, no extension (though we have a tarp), just self inflating mats/sleeping bags and lots of fairy lights and that's enough. We've just been away in the heat and it was great to be able to roll the sides of the tent up and lounge about for a bit in the middle of the day.

Cupboard for food, a couple of tables and a cooker/bbq/firepit.

I think an electric hook up makes a real difference. To be able to have a cup of tea without blearily stumbling about for matches...bliss.

And a site with a cafe on.

Laiste the durdle door Caravan site looks lovely. I did wonder about those tents when we walk by the other day.

I haven’t been camping for years I think I would have to invest a lot of money for it to maybe be nice. We stay in static caravans/wood lodges.

I agree - we have a caravan. It means we can do all the camping outdoorsy things and then have a comfortable night's sleep no matter what the weather.

Our first caravan with all the kit cost us £1000 off ebay - came with everything even a full awning. We had a year of great times in it and decided to upgrade to a more all singing all dancing one once we had realised that we could then use it in the winter as well.

Now we are off most weekends and have just come back from 10 days in Wales. The amount of fun our boys have had growing up caravanning cannot be overstated. The oldest still wants to come with us at 16 as he loves fishing now.

@BackintheBox I love that you hammock in your horse box!
I’m a camping lover but none of the fancy stuff mentioned here ... yes, I do take a chair (i’m getting older & the knees aren’t what they used to be) but i’m definitely on the minimalist end than the Uber-fancy-pretend-it’s-like-home end of camping. I’ve seen people take hours to set up their kit & moan constantly if they can’t have their car right next to them ... I can grab all my kit in 1 load & walk it across the field. 2 loads if I have extra food/people with me.
Why would I want to spend hours setting up tables and fridges and 6 man tents and wardrobes and ... when I can pitch my tent in

I don't really think there's any need to turn this into an "I don't understand why people do this different to me" thread, is there?

We all do things differently because we want different things.