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

I'll happily do premium static caravan holidays but that's the lowest I'll go as Ds loves them.
I'll never go camping .Like pp said why would acting like a homeless person be a good holiday? I genuinely dont get it.

I can imagine a first time camping experience at age 40 means you've never gravitated to or been interested this type of activity so yes it will be a shock!

After decades of camping I still love it but it is hard work. We have a bigger tent, all the gear for a more comfortable stay, even a porataloo!

So lovely being close to nature, walks, cooking etc especially in good weather, which it sadly often isn't.

I do think my time is coming now when I prefer walls to a tent ⛺️

Indeed.

I love camping, but it does come with the caveat that it does tend to be better if you can afford, store and transport decent gear. Also enjoying the first few times enough to learn from it, gain experience and invest in it.

I yearn to wild camp again as the DCs have cramped my style over the past 15 years, but DC1 has enjoyed Bronze DoE so there's light at the end of the tunnel there.

We mainly go for the rammed car, bring the furniture, 10 days on a holiday park set up. I remember a moment when the DCs were 5 & 7, old enough to detach slightly, were playing with other children and I had my first "ahhh" relax holiday moment since having them.

I find camping more relaxing than hotels. We know our gear and it's better than discovering that you've got the hotel room that's dodged being renovated since 1995, not the nice room that was photographed, or even that the tour operator changed your hotel so you never even chose it in the first place.
We once had to come home early from a camping holiday to go to a short notice family funeral. 36 hours after packing the camp beds and SIMs, we were in a 4* hotel... DS slept on the floor because he thought it was more comfortable than the hotel bed!

I've only had two tents destroyed by the wind in 30 years. My record low temperature was -6⁰C. Admittedly the first night of that weekend was chilly, but a fleece sleeping bag liner made a big difference the following night.

The advantage of staying more basic is coming home and appreciating home comforts.

It seems like you were poorly prepared for it. What area did you camp in? What bedding did you have? Food wise we will often take pre-cooked meals to reheat, or pasta and sauces which are all super easy. If we’ve been camping in cooler weather we’d always take a heater. It’s about working out what is important for your comfort etc. we always sleep with a camp bed, self inflating mattress or duvalay for comfort.

Have you heard of Smidge? It works well to protect against bites. They don't like the smell of it.

I loathe camping. I don't mind doing basic and rough but camping is seven shades of hell.

It's the whole constructing and deconstructing AS WELL AS the basic stuff. And getting cold at 4am and also having to get dressed and trudge to an awful shared outdoor toilet block at 4am for a piss (this waking up never to get back to sleep).

Na I'm so far past that. Give me a bed and duvet please. Even an uncomfortable one.

I'm married to a bloody scout leader. None of this stuff helps. It's still a fucking tent. It still is shite. Nothing makes this better. You can have a nice camp bed, duvet and loads of gear - but that just yet more stuff to pack and unpack and lug about. And it still is shite when you need a piss in the night and have to go to those fucking toilets.

Do not let anyone try and convince you it's about being prepared and having the right stuff. It categorically is not. It's still just shite.

What I do love about camping is being out in nature and it is great for families with young kids. We camped several times every summer for YEARS when our kids were young - often just locally for a couple of nights but also done trips to Europe etc. The killer was the setup (often around 2 hours when you've got beds to put up etc), followed by packing all the sodding stuff away two days later with a hangover after not sleeping properly for two nights - a recipe for divorce! If it was even slightly damp you'd have to find somewhere to air the tent at home so it didn't go mouldy. It was also epically shit if the weather was anything but wall to wall sunshine.

This year we bought ourselves a little 4/5 berth caravan - I think we got an absolute bargain as it only cost us £700 to buy and it's got nothing wrong with it, everything works, it's got a comfy bed, hot water, a toilet and a little kitchen/fridge and we've decorated it inside and made it super cosy, I love it! We've just got back from taking it around France for two weeks, I am never ever EVER going back to a tent.

I wouldn’t say lugging kit around is essential when your car is parked next to you tent. I’m sorry that your DH is shit at bringing the right stuff for you to go camping or choosing lovely places to camp. Never been cold while camping in the South of France or Croatia or anywhere European if anything the tent is a cooling escape from the excessive heat. Don’t judge all experiences by your own.

i can’t stand all inclusive holidays but i understand for some people who don’t actually want to experience and country and just want time away with guaranteed nice weather there is a place for them.

Seriously... You don't know my husband. He's very good at camping and has tried everything.

And you still have to lug things in and out of the car even if you have your car on the drive and camp by it so don't try and be smart.

You can't polish a turd no matter how much you try. Camping is shit.

Oh and I wouldn't do an all inclusive if you bloody paid me. Id be bored in about two minutes.

Damp wet, smelly tent with bugs.

No thank you.

If your cold at night obviously not, and some people will moan at everything I guess you’re just one of those types.

My DH always says, hotels and caravans and self catering places exist for a reason and that reason is why he does not go in a tent!

No. Really. I just get cold and being cold you can't sleep.

Camping is shit. People are allowed to dislike it because it's fucking awful.

We don't need your permission to dislike it. Enforced misery and suffering isn't for everyone.

Enforced misery lol….

We used to do it when I was a child as my father was a big fan and thought we'd enjoy it too. My mother hated it with a passion. I tolerated it because I didn't know any better. Having experienced hotels and rentals since, there is no way I am ever going back to camping

its autumnal though, end of august is colder at night

It is like a Squash and a Squeeze... a week in a tent and your own home feels like pure luxury😆

I am happy camping but it needs to be a decent campsite with nice loos and showers etc. And preferably an electric hook up..

Bug spray x

I've had to camp a few times, poverty, part of job. Never again. I can do wet/cold/dirty/tired/uncomfortable during the day butat night I want a shower and a bed and a loo that isn't across a wet field.

I hate it too, went for the first and last time in my 40s. The airbed deflated overnight, I'd rolled off it and woke inhaling the side of the tent. Never again.

Blair Witch ruined any prospect of me enjoying the woods at night. Brrrr!

My one 'must have' is a portable toilet inside the tent for middle of the night wees. No way am I trudging across a campsite in the cold and dark to the toilet block.