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?

Decent weather
A bigger tent than the number of people
EHU
Decent beds
Alcohol

Embrace minimalism

We do the opposite. We have a folding camper/trailer tent with a proper kitchen, carpet on the floor, insulation, thermostatically controlled heating, comfortable beds etc.

Another vote for Alcohol.

We're another one with a trailer tent - two king size beds and loads of storage space to pack things just in case. Especially dry robes. EHU makes a huge difference.

Our teenagers love it and really enjoy playing games in the evening. Lots of walks and runs. Having dog number 2 now is making me a little nervous for our summer trips though, he'll be the biggest problem for early toilet trips, he loves company so will want to come too.

We are thinking of a caravan for weekend trips as the trailer isn't quick to set up, but it is great for a week. Loads of space, even when it's wet.

Reading all these posts is making me desperate for my camping holiday at the end of August! I can't wait! Yes, as we've got older we've had to up the comfiness of our bed, but nothing beats sitting outside our tent in front of the fire with a glass of wine (or whiskey if it's really cold). I love the slower pace of life and being outdoors.

I've done lots of camping and I now refuse to go as I now hate it! All the preparation, the sheer amount of stuff to take and all the putting away hell when you get home. Always feeling a bit grubby and damp.

However, reading all the posts I am bizarrely feeling quite wistful... my DC loved it (now a teen) always with a group of good friends, sitting with a drink in the evening outside the tent and having bacon and eggs in the morning. Trips to the beach, zoo etc Aahh! So there were really fun times!

Someone slap me before I agree to go again 😱

I love camping but only when:
Its of short duration. No more than 3 nights.
The weather is lovely. We'd never commit a holiday to it, just take off on Friday nights when the forecast is good.
The tent is big enough to stand up in, and for everyone to sit inside in a chair if they choose.
The location is beautiful.
There's a shared expectation that the activity is the camping, and no thought of using the tent as a cheap way to do a 'normal holiday'. A tent is a rubbish 'base', you can't get ready properly and everything takes ten times as long. You have to surrender to it and realise that sitting in a deckchair waiting half an hour for a kettle to boil IS the holiday, so chill and enjoy being outside.

I’m quite outdoorsy and always have been, I do a lot of out door spot like running, kayaking etc and we camped loads when we were kids but I really dislike camping now. Everything is just a bit wet and disgusting and I never sleep well in a tent so I’m always really tired which makes it hard to enjoy anything. Last time we went camping I was actually secretly pleased when the tent pole snapped in the howling wind at 11pm, made the kids pack up and drive 3 hours home in the middle of the night and vowed to myself never to camp again!

Two words. A Hotel.

Wine
campsite that allows fire
wild/woodland camping - never one where your tent pegs are near your neighbours

A duvet, decent pillows and a hot water bottle. Sleeping bags are never big enough

For me, the answer was camping abroad. Campsites in France are well-equipped, laidback and, if you go far enough south, pretty much guaranteed sunny warm weather. Camping should be relaxing - in wet weather it just becomes hard work. Done plenty of it when it was just dh and I, but once we had kids, I wanted something that was going to be easy, and the French just seem to 'get' camping. Spent many idyllic holidays there when the kids were young and still go there now it's just dh and I again (have upgraded tent to a caravan though - luxury by comparison )

We only camp in the most beautiful spots. For us #1 is Llyn Gwynant in north wales. We love it so much we took our camping up a step and bought a canoe to make full use of the lake and river.

Extra deep air mattress, the double depth style. I also take my own duvet and pillows and a few vacuum packed fleece blankets to go underneath and for if is extra chilly.

Porta potty for night time is essential for me. No wandering through soaking wet fields. Toilet roll needs to be either in sealed jars or vacuum packed individually as they will get limp and soft over night. Same with matches. Unworn clothes also need to be sealed inside plastic bags/boxes. Boxes can double as side tables.

Extra Comfy camping chair, like the £45+ ones instead of the 2 for £18. Makes star gazing at night so much more pleasant.

I have everything I need kitchen wise in a pre packed really useful box. Alll the things like knives, scissors, tea towels, plastic plates, cutlery, seasonings, chopping boards, tin opener, washing line, pegs, proper mugs, tea coffee hot chocolate, skewers, scrubber, fairy. Etc . It's a kitchen on the go and all I need is gas and food to cook pet much anything I can cook at home.

I have a pretty big chiller, I think it's a husky ice box. If you add frozen stuff to it 2 days before you leave, then pack it at departure you can keep things frozen for up to five days. So I freeze a chilli in a tub, sausages, bacon, 2x1 lite milks, a bottle of vodka and a few boxes of burgers etc. once we arrive and are set up we swap ice packs over from the site freezer as needed and top up with freezer frozen food.

I am in charge of 100% of t tidying the tent and cooking stuff while my DH. Is 100% in charge of putting up and taking down and packing away. Works for us and we love it.

You need to be one of those people that mosquitos don't go for, then you can open the front of the tent to get some air in. But it's still basically shit.

Llyn Gwynant is midgie hell and the sun sets so early because of yr wyddfa!… Sorry I used to work there so maybe have a different take on it 🙈

Have a decent tent, decent beds, decent set up generally. Hope for the best with the weather. Drink booze. Take ear plugs and eye masks.

I have an old camper van with a bed and a loo - 2 things essential for my happiness. Currently sat in the awning in a field feeling very content. Camping is a hit marmite I think… personally I love it.

I think it is one of those things: you either are a "camping person" or not. I am not. It just seems to me like the day to day, but made MORE difficult and tiring .. staying in a small space, sleeping in an uncomfortable bed, cooking with barely any essentials, no heating ( I come from a hot country, so for me even in summer is very cold at night). Then the packing and unpacking...😕 Nope! I would rather not have a holiday than having a camping one 🤣

I discovered a love of camping in my 50s. We go on all sorts of holidays but camping is my favourite.

Key to a good night's sleep: high up camp bed (also means everything can be shoved underneath), thick SIM, Arctic sleeping bag, wax earplugs, eye mask. Perfection.

pretty much guaranteed sunny warm weather

true, but it might also get a bit too sunny and warm - I'm in France and was not so envious of the campers in the 40+ weather we had a couple of weeks ago.

I am a fussy camper. I have very few campsites that I enjoy, but I do love those ones. Generally ones where the owners are very involved and on-site, because that way the night-time noises are of the type I enjoy, such as acoustic guitars.

I also require clean toilets and showers.

Massive tent is absolutely a must, because I cannot STAND touching the sides of a smaller tent and getting the breath-condensation on me. Also means there is room for drinking/cards if it's rainy.

I'm actually not too bothered about my bed, and I've often slept on the ground (on a groundsheet with bedding) in large tents at festivals etc.

I think it also helps that I am a natural early riser, and I love the early mornings of camping. The being in the open air at first light as the dawn chorus begins. And of course being first in the shower block.

For a single nnight, I'm pretty ok with anything - but for a longer holiday I would want all the above comforts, plus easy access to a pub.