is buying all the stuff for camping worth it

[Sarah510]

soooo, am thinking about holidays, kids are 12 and 16, and I'm wondering would camping be a good 'bonding' experience for us. I just feel we are becoming a bit isolated - I know this happens as they get older, but it feels like it's gone by so fast, so quick! It's just me and the kids, and since lockdown we've spent a lot of time separate in our rooms with our different screens, it's hard to get them to come on days out. But the initial outlay for camping seems quite a lot - is it worth it. Also, I've turned 50 and need to pee a lot in the night... Also should I get 2 tents - a separate one for me as I snore..... Grateful for helpful hints on camping for beginners....

Hang in there with your teens. My 18 year old stopped camping with us for a couple of years, although he still went with his own friends. But last week he rejoined us and we had a really lovely time. Teens would rather have a claustrophobic one man tent of their own than share the lovely, big, fairy light bedecked family tent in my experience.

I would not start camping this year.
I would definitely have separate tents for all as you have 2 teens and they deserve privacy. Most pitches are sold by space size or size of group, not number of tents.
I would seriously not want to camp if I needed to pee several times a night.

I think you’d be better off in a B&B or holiday cottage, try National Trust or Booking.com

We have this in our camping cupboard

A separate groundsheet to go under our tent
A lidded bucket
A gas canister and stove to fit on top
season 3/4 sleeping bags
Pump
Double air beds all round
USB torches with red and white light options
Solar charger
Hanging led lanterns and batteries
Collapsible cooking kit
Matches
Toilet roll
Extra blanket for each person
Large mugs
Plates
A tent (!)
Chairs with cup holder and side pocket for books (devices!)
UNO cards
Mozzie repellant
Extra socks
Plasters
Paracetamol

There are lots of good sites with availability still, we had loads to choose from when we booked. All our regular sites which are on lovely farms with farm shops etc had spaces.

How do you deal with It? Ear plugs?
I have to wear them at home anyway because DH snores although I do have the option of going to the spare room. I have had some sleepless nights camping because of other people's snoring.

Anecdote. I once camped at a Blue Grass festival and discovered I was right next to the banjo tent. Oh no, I thought, I'll never get any sleep they'll be twanging all night long. It was actually wonderful and the banjos were like a lullaby soothing me off to sleep. Not all noise is bad.

I'd say get the teens a small two man tent each like a decathlon pop up then they will get use for festivals, camping in friends gardens and their own holidays when they are independent. Get yourself a three man with a porch.
I would say just get the basics, borrow a lot of stuff for yourself. Get the kids really decent expensive sleeping bags and mats and they will last forever, I had my last sleeping bag 20 years.

We've camped with ours since they were 6 and 8 and had fantastic times. Now 15 and 17. I think you've missed the boat tbh. We all go as part of a bigger group which is great, but if just the four of us with two as teenagers -not so sure?
We got electric hook up last time so they still had to be dragged off screens! Plus there has to be stuff to 'do' during the day. Sitting around in the rain ain't fun,
Think long and hard, this really depends on your DC personality. It could be an expensive mistake.

Lots of good advice from posters. I see a lot of 2nd hand/used once gear going up for sale. I loved camping as a teen, and had my own little tent. One trick that I learned is to put a cheap fleece blanket inside your sleeping bag (fold in half and get in between the 2 halves and then zip in). it helps you get warm quicker and then keeps you warm.
I just have a couple of these - cheap and cheerful, but do the job

www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/vitmossa-throw-grey-90304889/

The issue with cheap tents us they are often fail in bad weather. We have a pop up that is garden use only (we have 6 tents... But they are all different!). Camping equipment is built up over years.

Also I think it's easy to have romanticised idea of camping... Under the stars, no one around, camp fire etc. But reality... Fires are often banned. Campsites can be busy and noisy. A teen always on their phone will still be on their phone. You can't see stars because of the clouds. Trying to cook breakfast under an umbrella... But other times it can be wonderful.

Like PP said, try and borrow stuff to start with. It's what we did. And snoring will travel regardless, so just have one tent that has inner compartments for privacy.

Camping is great if you are organised. We have a plastic crate with camp kettle, pans, plates, cutlery, tea towels, washing line, washing up bowl, matches etc etc. We weed it before going (take out line and pegs if only going for 2 nights, for example) and add stuff like herbs, spices, stock cubes, kitchen towel and anything else we need. We bung it in the car with everything else and it doubles as a seat and squirrel-proof, waterproof storage for food and matches.

A lidded bucket makes a good overnight chamber pot. Just empty it into the loo in the morning.

Try just a weekend to start with and minimal equipment - that will help you work out what's important to you in terms of comfort/luxury if you want to keep going.

Not new, no. Especially if you don't know you'll like it.

Over the last 6 months we've just upgraded our camping stuff, spent £1200 on it but our old stuff was 10 years old and had served us well.

Try borrowing stuff for the first time. If you like it then look at buying your own, but mainly second hand.

@galesThisMorning and @Ponoka7
You always know the ones who are nipping behind their tent due to hearing the tent zip go twice in a few seconds.
Please tell me I'm not the only one who wakes up at daft o clock with a sense of urgency that I never seem to get at home and the furious fight with various zips while doing the dance of desperation 😂

I'm amazed that only one person has mentioned duvets! Sleeping bags are the most miserable invention ever. Just bung your normal bedding in a bag (I use vac bags to save space) and you'll get a much better night's sleep.
Also a blanket to go under your mattress (insulation under the bed makes a huge difference to warmth), warm socks to wear in bed, and an eye mask. Means you can actually sleep after the sun rises.

There is no end of things you n think you need but only you know.
Start with the tent. We bought a 2nd hand one first from a car boot with instructions for a blow up swimming pool.
Now over ten years later the most important thing is a decent tent that doesn't leak. Tent carpet and a good stove. Good warm sleeping bags and mats to lie on self inflating are fine. We also have a store cupboard with a guard for cooking. We use crates to eat on and sit on. Plus comfy chairs with coffee wine glass holders to chat. Everything else is upto you.

Our dc are 14,12 and 9 and we are camping less with them now than when they were young. So I agree I think you have missed the boat a bit with the camping thing. My 14 year old prefers places with WiFi and Proper things to do rather than looking for bugs And hours playing with bats and balls etc which is what they spent hours doing on camping holidays when they were little.

It would be cheaper to book a premier inn or similar.
But, if you do Desperately want to try camping, I’d look on eBay. People are always selling full set ups for quite a lot less than they paid for it. Often they have bought the stuff, used it once, hated it and then selling it off. We have added to our camping equipment gradually over the years so don’t notice the cost, but to buy it all in one would be a costly shopping trip for something you might only use once.

I don’t know what tent set up I would suggest for you though. We only have a large tent, but before the lockdown, when we were planning this years camping trips dd had mentioned about having her own little tent that we had refused to get. She would definitely rather be in her own tiny little tent than sharing with her siblings now, but when we go, the car is full, so no room for extra tents! I would also suggest a tent with the maximum amount of living space you can find. Maybe even an extra porch if they sell them for your tent design. I don’t know any families who ever say they have too much living space if the weather turns.

Just don't underestimate how cold it gets at night. We bring duvets and sleeping bags. Thick winter coats to sit out in at night etc.

The elusive lovely warm evening is the perfect campers dream. You can't beat it. The other 99% of time is fun as long as you are warm and dry.

I also would never camp I'd I didn't have a night time wee faculty that doesn't involve tracking across the campsite.

It is fun but it does get very cold at night, even if the sun is out in the day.

If you are in a rural area then take a red torch with you if you want to do some star gazing, it's better than a white light one as it's doesn't stop your eyes from being adjusted to the dark.

Oh, and the other thing - you don't need to go far from home, a good campsite can be just 20 miles down the road and it's easy to come home if you need to - we have been camping at sites where we were near enough to come home and feed pets. The next time we go we'll be near home as we don't want to use the communal showers at the moment.

I use vac bags to save space

How do you suck the air out of them when you are ready to come home?

Just don't underestimate how cold it gets at night.

This ^^
I have spent many a night under canvas shivering. What you sleep on is more important than what you put over yourself as the ground is very cold.

Re bedding

DH went motorbike camping a couple of weeks ago with a young mate. He said of the other guy - he could hardly fit anything on his bike becuase he brought two full sized pillows and a teddy bear .

if you're not careful you get to peak "stuff" and the misery of remembering packing and unpacking all those comforts outweighs the benefit.

I'd go for it..you could always trial a 2 night stay initially. Whilst a lot of places are booked up, I was strict with dates this year and have managed to find lots of availability still so you may be lucky.

So I booked us in for 2 nights- couldn't get Saturday night near a beach - only reason kids want to go, so they can swim in the sea ! So took Sun & Mon nights and booked time off work. But forecast has just changed from 24 degrees sun, to 17 degrees rain and lightening. Havent bought the tent yet... decisions decisions! Not sure I could cope with rain though I know it's a fact of life, but if we're only going for 2 nights... tent might get wrecked. MAybe I wont buy it til the weekend ;) thanks for all the advice

Rule of thumb is get a tent one size bigger than who you actually are. A "3 man tent" is comfortable for two and will be cramped with three. So go for a 4 or 5 person one.

Any tent worth bothering with won't have a problem with a bit of rain. Just make sure that stuff inside isn't actually touching the tent walls.

And another to say get self inflating mats, as thick as you're prepared to buy and carry. Most campers prefer them over airbeds (which always go down because the air inside cools and contracts) and traditional camp beds.

@Ginfordinner - I just roll them up to squash them, with a tiny bit of them bag open and then seal. I've never used a hoover to suck air out of the bags whether I'm at home or not. A vac-bagged duvet takes up no more space than sleeping bags. And getting sleeping bags back into their bags to pack up is much harder!

But forecast has just changed from 24 degrees sun, to 17 degrees rain and lightening.

I have camped in the rain before, and it is utterly miserable. I have also struck camp in rain, then you have the problem of packing a wet tent then drying it out.