Camping

[Kidsaregrim]

I haven’t camped since I was a child but have great memories of the adventures we had as children
I am a bit worried about the PlayStation and other electronics burning the brains of my children and think they need to go back to nature a bit more!

AIBU to my poor family for wanting to go and get a massive (air) tent and try and recapture my youth?

if I am NOT being unreasonable have you got any ideas, suggestions, must haves, places to see or other top tips 😊

Not their tents OP but I have a lot of their other stuff I've bought second hand, trousers, rucksacks etc all good they have a good reputation, if it's a bargain I'd snap it up

If you, and none of your family have been camping recently, or are not used to camping, I really would move towards this in stages rather than buying a load of gear and finding no-one likes it.
It's quite a marmite thing. I personally hate camping, but all the rest of my family love it.
In your shoes, I'd do some outdoor stuff first - go away for 3 or 4 days in a Youth Hostel (some of them have camping pods outside), or a site where the tents, or pods are set up for you already.
Or maybe drive or fly to France to one of the EuroCamp type sites so you are sleeping under canvas, cooking on a BBQ and in a camp kitchen, but you won't have bought all the stuff and you will be likely to be warm enough.

We camp and love it (bell tent addicts here).
To echo the others, try before you buy with a pre-erected tent on site. That way, you know if you will do it again.

A good camping experience means getting a good night's sleep and staying warm. As long as you have those two sussed, you will enjoy it.

For beds; a roll mat, a decent sleeping mat (there's a good selection second-hand) and a sleeping bag or duvet. I am a big fan of using fleece fabric too - either to sleep on or as an extra layer.

In terms of keeping warm, layers are your friend. Always take extra socks and a designated place for shoes by the door, so they don't tread in mud or rain through the tent. If you are going to a hot climate, crocs or flipflops are brilliant for a late night loo dash. Finally have a porch or awning where you can cook outside whilst keeping the sun/rain off.

A not-quite-complete camp list;

Sleeping bags, bedrolls, pillow, fleeces.
Cooking equipment + stove
washing up liquid/cloth. We take a cheap wash bowl, others a folding crate for carrying the plates.
Folding chairs
Torches and a main lantern or light for the tent
First aid box (tupperware box with savlon/plasters/paracetamol etc).
Easy-dry towels
Entertainment, like cards etc.
If abroad, think about mosquito repellant for the tent.

Camping is ace.

My one tip is to take a stove/kettle of some sort so that you can make hot water bottles. It’s often cold going to bed, but too hot when you wake up. So a hot water bottle sorts you out without having to resort to loads of clothes and extra blankets that make you too hot in the morning.

(Also consider earplugs and a sleep mask.)

Do it! We go once a year and love it! I had never camped until about 3 years ago, we have a great air tent, comfy beds, blow up sofa etc and it’s fab! The kids love it too! We do stay on a very well equipped site with great facilities, restaurant and swimming pool though!

Was brought up camping every year, eventually hated it (mainly because we did it every year and my friends did big flying holidays)

As an adult (from 24 onwards now 33) we camp every year, either for our big two week holiday or if we go abroad for that we will do a couple of long weekends.

Lake District is our absolute favourite. New forest has some lovely sites although if you do want any electricity, the tent sites are few and far between with that facility there.

Devon round Dartmouth is lovely. Cornwall is also great. Depends how deep you want to go / far from home for your first attempt

Don't get an air tent, they are bloody heavy and Alot bigger than their poled brother/sister versions and a pain to put up. I've known 6 families get them (including us) and all have reverted back to pole.

I can't sleep in a tent but 20 years ago when we had our first baby we purchased a cheap 2nd hand caravan off eBay. £750 with all the kit. We loved travelling and thought we could explore this beautiful country.

Our 3 boys have all grown up caravanning. It's the most amazing outdoors way of growing up. So sociable. Back to nature. Its the only way I can see of semi recreating that freedom to explore that we grew up with in the 70s.

Everywhere you go you find something new. There is beauty everywhere.

Eldest is 21 now and still loves coming with us. We bought a campervan as well now (VW style) so we have all sorts of options. We often go with friends and their kids. I couldn't recommend it more.

We go a lot btw. Throughout the spring and summer most weekends if we can. Feels like you've really done something with your weekend.

Love camping. But it has to be comfy and spacious, I take camp beds, electric hook ups and a lot of home comforts! I think trying one that's already up is a great idea. Although you won't experience the putting up the tent fight then!
Preparation is key, read lots on here and I also like Tent Talk UK on Facebook

We love our air tent. It's massive, not cramped at all, and it goes up in 15 mins. We've got top spec inflatable beds (not inflatable mattresses) and always go for sites with extremely clean and modern shower and toilet blocks. If you're comfortable, warm, dry and have access to pleasant facilities then it's an amazing experience! There's also no need for the interior of the tent to become damp or grubby if you're smart about it. Once that happens you're onto a losing battle.

I'm also a huge fan of an air tent, 99% of the people we camp with have air tents and none of them regret it. They are heavier than fiberglass pole tents, but similar to steel pole but the weight and size can't be split like with a pole tent. Air tents are more expensive than the poled equivalent. So there's pros and cons. For me, the erection time was the biggest factor I looked at, and for the large technical spec tents we were looking at it was 45minutes for the pole version and 15 minutes for air.

As you're young enough, go for it! I loved camping when I was a child but now, once I'm down, I can't get up again.
I would definitely try some nights in a pre-erected tent before you decide to buy your own equipment. Then buy the best find hand stuff. Remember to have lots of warm clothes, good sleeping bags and something to cook on, with enough pans and crockery. Also a washing up bowl and tea towels. Good luck.

Big tent!

Think for you first time would be good to go somewhere where there are erected tents / yurts or similar to use, if not wanting to invest. Otherwise a second hand tent is a good idea. if get a tent, take duct tape in case of any holes appearing. Also useful as temp fix if a pole breaks. And dustpan and brush to clear tentbof bugs etc before packing up. Collapasble washing up bowl, tea towel, own washing sponge and liquid always useful. Layers of clothes for sleeping. Onesies are good for over pj's to go to loo. Torches / headlamp - is pitch black if go to loo at night. Something to identify your tent easily - like a windsock thing. A lot of tents look similar!
We camped last year at a site just outside cheddar. They had a good toilet / shower block, and also had some inside catering. Pizzas on the evening (had to pre order to guarantee a time slot), bacon and sausage butties and hot drinks in the morning, milkshakes/snacks drinks through the day, and even an ice cream trolley came around the site twice a day. That took the requirement of cooking (burning) bbq food off for us. Cpuld rent a fire drum for the weekend, and buy logs etc there (got delivered to us). A Frisbee is a good thing to take to occupy kids, and boggle was a success. We take kindles (backlit) for sitting out when kids are trying to get to sleep. Small speaker to link to phone for music (not played loud).

We love our air tent. But there are brands like Vangeo and berghaus were the beams are extremely thick and sturdy, and others where they are a lot narrower and do seem more susceptible to wind.

We actually have 5 tents we use or different things. Plus a gazebo and toilet tent.

When it's good it's amazing, when it's bad it's f+cking terrible 😂

There will be high points, the kids will love it, and you will get a sense of wholesome acheivement at some point while you're cleaning your teeth in a hedge looking at the stars, having watched the kids swimming in the river all day.

You will also have a massive row with your OH, possibly about something do with with packing the car, and when you get home it will take you two weeks to sort everthing out, clean it, dry it, wash it, and put it away, and be on very well acquainted terms with dampness.

Decent bed is a game changer, I need something like this which takes up as much room as a wheely bin, but without it I am very grumpy and it makes camping possible.

When the kids won't come any more, camping is over for me, but we have had some amazing times with friends and family that I will never forget, and we wouldn't have had otherwise.

We bought a VW Camper when the DC were young and ran as a 2nd day to day car, slept 4, or more if you put an awning on the side, used it for day trips as well, camped in the U.K., France & Spain. Got our money back when we sold it last year. Fab memories.

Absolutely not unreasonable! Getting a massive air tent and venturing into nature is a fantastic idea to create lasting family memories. Disconnecting from electronics and enjoying activities like hiking, campfire cooking, and stargazing can be refreshing. Look for scenic campsites, bring along games, and prioritize safety and comfort with good gear. It's a great way to recapture the joys of your childhood adventures and share them with your family. Happy camping!

My dc love camping! A week on a campsite won't do anything to stop the games console from frying their brains though. However much they might love camping, they're not going to come home and go 'Right mum - no more gaming for us! We are outdoor kids now!' They'll be right back on it with renewed thirst after a week off <speaks from experience>.

Don’t run before u can walk
do a weekend first

I'm a camper! But my set up is big, we certainly don't rough it.
My advice would be make sure you can stay dry if it rains, and you need to make sure of a comfortable and sleep.
Maybe glamping would be good as an alternative - away from electronics etc but not shelling out for all the equipment.
I can recommend Rockfield Glamping if you're near south wales.

the most important thing for camping is to be able to go at short notice when the weather is good
We’re still using my parents 1970s tent and camping stove. Good sleeping bags are a must and decent roll mats. But if the weather is glorious I thing else matters. I have camped in rain, frost and snow and it’s fine too.

Camping is a great way for kids to have freedom in a safe environment. I must admit I have always refused to do it without electricity and my camping holidays were considerably improved when we upgraded to a caravan.

We camped with our kids several times a year for when they were young. We all loved it. I still camp with my cub pack twice a year, which is a lot of fun - real back to basics stuff (except I insist on a proper toilets!)

But the single best decision I ever made was to buy a camp bed. I spent years sleeping on airbeds that went down in the night, roll mats that were too thin etc. I decided I was getting too old for all that malarky, and invested a whopping £12 on a basic camp bed, and it changed my whole camping experience. I sleep so much better, no aches and pains, and no crawling off the floor in the morning!