To ask how to go camping and enjoy it..?

[Alittlenonsensenowandthen]

Just come back from camping and yet again feel like it's more a test of human endurance than a holiday. I see others on the campsite seemingly enjoying the torture. What am I doing wrong?!

I've come back with spots on my skin, extreme tiredness from not sleeping and a boot full of muddy things for processing.

Let's be honest I'm never going to enjoy it, but I am genuinely curious for those that do enjoy it, what am I missing?

Send your husband to do it with the kids and enjoy the empty house. That's what I do.

I’d rather stay in the cheapest caravan than camp.

I love proper camping if a) we go with a big group of friends and b) for no more than 2 nights. I can tolerate, even embrace, the mess and discomfort for a couple of days but any more would drive me mad.
Or yes, do glamping...a proper bed and decent coffee easily available make all the difference.

This is obviously a big factor but on top of that invest in some decent gear. You get a lot of bang for your buck these days in places like decathlon so you can have decent set up which allows for comfort and the ability to prepare decent food. An inflatable bed/blow up mattress and some nice chairs are the bare minimum for me. I have fridge in the car, a bbq and gas hob so catering is no problem. If you using some festival tent and a £5 roll mat you are not going to enjoy it.

After a recent caravan trip, even that pushed me to the edge.
I threatened to park it and leave it in a lay-by. No DC here either. DH has learnt not to utter a word when I'm in one of those moods! 🤣

Easy - just don’t go. Life is the longest thing any of us will do, but it is still too short for camping. In my humble opinion. If like me you hate it, just don’t do it. There is no need to get learn to enjoy it.

It’s just not possible at all, unless you are some sort of masochist

You need to make sure you have the right sleeping equipment for a decent nights sleep and the right clothes.

Being too hot, too cold or too wet when camping makes it utterly miserable.

Accept it’s a slower pace of life so don’t expect anything to happen quickly…cooking, washing etc.

Go with good company.

Plan meals carefully-nothing too ambitious if you only have a 2 ring burner. LOADS of snacks.

and alcohol.

I love camping! Possibly because I live in a flat and don’t have a garden, the whole being outside experience is a bit of a novelty.

Comfortable bed, warm bedding, wine and good food is essential.

Spent five days in Devon recently in not great weather and still had a good time.

I only ever really thoroughly enjoyed it when the weather was consistently good and I could sit in my deckchair all day in the sun outside the tent and read. But, still, yes I always found it a lot of hard work.

What do you camping lovers do if you need a wee or two in the middle of a stormy or just a dark night?

Honestly that is the one thing that REALLY puts me off since no sooner have I done my business in my own loo, am tucked up in bed then I really need to "go" again. That can happen a few times in the night. I'd be a bit wary of crossing a camping ground to the toilet block, and/or waking someone up to accompany me either!

I suppose I could get a she wee or a bucket. But no, I would feel unclean sorry. I'm sure camping veterans have it all worked out though, and best of luck to you.

Go with friends, it’s the only way I’ve ever gone camping and I love it BUT it’s a big group thing, with plenty of kids for ours to play with, and lots of other adults to share the cooking/washing up/tent erecting/putting down with 🙂we go three times a year and I genuinely look forward to it.

Like others, comfortable sleeping arrangements are key. We have self inflating mattresses and take proper pillows and duvets.
And cook as little as possible. I tend to freeze a big chilli or bolognese sauce in a tub and use that to keep lunch cool I’m the cool box in the way to the campsite. By time we’re set up it’s defrosted and it’s an easy first night tea. After that I’ll cook bacon sandwiches for breakfast or the odd packet of noodles for snacks but we’ll eat out the rest of the time.

I’m a dry robe wanker and walk to the loo zipped into one, it keeps me warm and dry if I ever need a middle of the night wee.

Somewhere comfy to sleep. Makes a massive difference. I take a double camp bed (a proper one with legs so you’re well off the ground) with a double inflatable mattress to put on the top. I then take my pillows from home and either a double duvet or a double sleeping bag. I make sure I’ve got a rug for the floor (helps keep the heat in), earplugs and an eye mask. Takes up half the space in the boot but I don’t care, i’m
utterly miserable on no sleep.

I’d also say go for less than a week and be prepared to buy food, we cook breakfast and make lunch (normally cold stuff) but I very rarely cook dinner. We normally either get a take away, use an option on site or go to a pub. I can’t be arsed with chopping onions and boiling rice on a Bunsen burner for hours on end.

And this.

@Keykaty Why would you be wary of crossing a campsite to go to the loo in the night?

You need the biggest tent you can afford, really good sleeping areas and electric hook up.

We go camping a lot and honestly really enjoy it, we have 3 teenagers and they talk about our holidays all the time.

We always book a quiet site, never anywhere big like Haven. The small sites are much better and don't attract big loud groups.

DH has been trying to persuade me to go camping. I went with my family as a kid, to various festivals as a teen, and with a boyfriend in my very early 20's and hated it every time. So why he thinks I'd enjoy camping with two DC I have no idea! I've told him life is hard enough, I am not interested in any so called holiday that is more work than being at home.

It's utterly shit. I wouldn't force yourself. Once was more than enough for me.

What do you camping lovers do if you need a wee or two in the middle of a stormy or just a dark night?

Oh I love this bit! I genuinely just wander over to the loos. You get to see the place all quiet, maybe a smell of campfires, dawn breaking, owls etc. Honestly it’s far more dangerous crossing the road and no one is going to bat an eyelid at your nightie!

Honestly, I think its like marmite (other yeast extracts are available). You either love it or hate it and if you hate it there's no changing that.
I learnt the hard way with DH, he didn't like camping, now he HATES CAMPING!!!!
The Boy (15) and I go together, we do holiday camping sometimes, scout camping etc. DH stays home and 'looks after the cat' 😉

My tips are :

A dream catcher 10cm self inflating mattress to ensure a good nights sleep.

A duvet or a square sleeping bag ( never a mummy type one)

Your tent must have a porch that you can cook in and be an air tent for ease of pitching

Only book campsites that are not holiday camp type places so the smaller family run sites are best. Chose ones with award winning shower and toilet blocks. And make sure the pitch sizes are huge - camping too close to other people is awful.

Take a camping toilet if you have young kids or a bladder that wakes you at night. Make sure everyone knows the camping toilet is for night time emergencies only and empty it every morning ( I put mine behind the tent during the day so no one uses it )

Read all the reviews and don't book a site that mention noisy campers or large groups camping ( unless that's what sort of party you are )

Keep food simple - bbqs and salad or pasta and rice dishes.

Take an electric toaster if you have a hook up

Get a hook up!

Take gin ( make sure the camp shop sells ice ) and res wine.

Buy decent comfortable camping chairs ( but the £10 ones from Helfords . Ours cost around £60 each.

Get to the shower block early to beat the queues - you wake up early when camping anyway so shower as soon as you wake. I never have to queue.

Have shower flip flops in your toiletry bag.

Make the kids shower before bed so they don't have to worry in the morning.

Camp with another like minded family if possible - we've had the best times camping with friends.

I have camped for 15 years , often two weeks at a time and I am never more relaxed than when I'm sitting outside my tent with a cuppa or a glass of something nice.

All of this. Depending on the light, a night wee can become a night wander or a half hour with a hot drink or a book in the silence. Other times I just get back into bed and go back to sleep.

Go for the day ..sleep in the nearest pub/ hotel / guest house