Went camping for first time! Im40. Never again lol

[TheOpalFox]

I went camping in a tent in the middle of nowhere with a friend
she suggested it and she’s a pro. Im40. Never been camping but never agajn
im not the best sleeper at home . But thought with walking miles a day and being near the sea would help me? How wrong was I
i loved relaxing and being away from home but cooking was a nightmare,
basic food that you have to make sure you cook properly ,
I was freezing !!! Even tho we had camp beds and sleeping bags I woke up froze!!!! And I have been hit by some many midges my legs are covered in bites :( sooo painful. We went for 3 nights
never again but glad I tried it lol

Oh, OP, I love it!

I've done camping all my life. I love the slower pace, cooking outdoors, the peace. I always sleep better (have a great sleeping bag!) And always set up the pitch thinking, "I could live here forever!"

We always camp in secluded places, few other people, no electrics and we eat well.

I love it. It's my happy place!

Oh plus campfires and a wild wee under the stars. What's not to love about that!

Same! I always think I could live like this!

I had this experience at 13. I've refused to even set foot inside a tent ever since. Humans invented roofs, walls, plumbing and electricity to avoid that sort of thing.

Get a 3 season sleeping bag. And a silk bag liner ( for warmth and cleanliness).
Wear thermals in bed.
DEET spray for pests.
Or camp at the Hilton...!

I’d actuality pay NOT to go camping! 😆 I’ve lived over 50yrs and have never camped, don’t see the attraction of pretending you’re homeless and spending money doing it, no thanks. Didn’t go to festivals as a teen, friends even offered to pay for my tickets if I’d camp with them…yeah, no thanks! It’s cold, uncomfortable, packing and unpacking and setting it all up…give me a hotel any day! And before anyone says..how do you know you don’t like it if you’ve never tried it?? Well, I’ve never tried potholing but I know I’d hate it! All my kids have achieved gold Dukes of Edinburgh so having parents that hate camping hasn’t stopped them..

Pretty much everything.

Nooooo!

It's perfect! 🤣

Can manage one night only, much prefer pods or safari tents with real beds

Last time for me camping.
I arrive with a tent and sleeping bag and my back pack.
The amount of stuff others had was un real.
Same night i said i was going to bed early i went to a local hotel and booked in.
Went back to the camp early the next morning.
Said id got up earlier and went for a walk.
I said i didnt feel well and went home that afternoon.
It was bloody boring and to much faffing for me.
Got home and booked a flight to Spain.

I hate camping. I hate ramming the car full with stuff. I hate setting everything up. I hate the airbeds slowly deflating. I hate smelling of smoke. I hate cooking shit food on a camping stove. I hate sitting in camping chairs. I hate being freezing cold at night. I hate having nowhere to hang soggy towels to dry properly. I hate washing up. I hate packing everything up and trying to get the blasted tent back in the bag. And i hate having to unpack the car when getting back. And then cleaning everything before putting it away.

DH went wild camping frequently as a teen with BB, weekly in the summer. Minimal stuff, washing in rivers, he loved it. Went once as an adult and complained non stop. I did warn him.

BIL (who had never been) decided camping would be the answer to all his holiday issues. Went and spent thousands, got the biggest tent he could find.
Went once, it rained, didn’t dry the tent when he got back. Binned it all.

I hate it. I’ve been three times in my life and hated each one. Not the holiday but the actual having to live in a tent. The last one I was so cold I had to go to bed fully clothed every night, and at all three I had to use shower/toilet blocks, and as someone who always needs the loo at about 3 in the morning it’s not great. And we were frying breakfast ouside in the rain. Never again.

OP .... you have made a very wise decision.

Civilisation has progressed over thousands of years with the purpose of preventing us having to live in squalor. There is no need to turn the clock back!

@murasaki that’s my rule too! I will make exception for a large comfortable caravan.

Evil Laugh

Yeah. Camping sucks lol.

That is such an accurate description but you forgot to add the moaning children.

I feel your pain! My DDs were always on at me to go camping 🤦🏼‍♀️ I had only ever camped at Glastonbury and I hated it. I eventually acquiesced and spent months getting all the equipment together. A decent tent, beds, sleeping bags, cooking things … so much stuff! I then packed my car until there wasn’t an inch to spare, drove for hours to a family friendly campsite and then had to essentially build us a home. I slept really badly, I was cold and cooking was beyond basic. We had to walk across a wet field to use the toilet and/or brush our teeth. I was so depressed 😂 I stopped in the middle of the field after three nights and said if they promised they would never ask me to ‘go camping’ ever again, I would find us a really nice hotel for the duration of the holiday. They were so happy and relieved too 😂 Three days later, I had to deconstruct my entire canvas home and pack it all up again. Pick the holiday out of that! It was never repeated.

YANBU, and I say that as someone who loves camping! If you are cold and uncomfortable, it’s miserable.

I’ve got a great set up and very good camping gear, so I can enjoy things (and stay warm/dry even in winter months). But I know that I would be feeling bloody awful if I didn’t have the right gear!

I hate it too..my OH would like to but I was reminded of me at 17 in a wet weekend in the lakes in a crap site with an extra long queue for the toilets in the morning (2 toilets both occupied and sitting there for an extra long clear out!) I was cold,wet and miserable and begged to go home during the night to my ex who had took me so we did..never again it was awful!

Yes, ghastly. I like proper, private, washing and toilet facilities. I'd rather stay at home in comfort and do day trips.

I think a lot of advertisements for tents say "nearly new" or "hardly used" - and a lot of us know why!

Having not camper for 26 years, I was persuaded to go camping again a few years ago. In spite of nearly freezing to death on a couple of nights, I've persevered and made it an annual trip. I've learned to prepare for the cold nights. I now take a sleeping bag and a double duvet. A woolly hat, socks and even gloves are a must in bed if it's a clear night. The winter pj's come out of hibernation even in August. If it starts getting cold on the evening sitting outside, we go to bed straight away, as once you get cold it's hard to warm up. Jungle formula is a must if there are midges.
We've camped in all weathers - 30°c heatwave, 45 mph winds where we actually attached the guy ropes to the car wheels, torrential rains and everything in between. It's all part of the adventure.
And I'm in my 60's!

I’ve been camping twice. Worst weekends of my life. Never again. I’d rather eat my own liver.

I love it too. My dc said it was my midlife crisis😂

I'm more on the glamping side though, so electric is essential for lights, kettle, fridge & freezer, good quality campbeds got us those extra large fishing beds, very comfy. I have a huge trailer, polycotton tents, I book two pitches next to each other, one for me, dh and ddog and our 6 berth tent and another for dcs in their own tents 😂

We go to France, usually by a river. I adore the slower pace, the weather, sitting with a glass of wine watching people go down the river and just pottering about after a day out sightseeing.

Dh doesn't want to do camping holidays anymore so I'm in the process of selling my stuff, although I'm keeping the smaller ones, just because 😂