i might just hide every topic apart from camping

[DuplicitousBitch]

seeing as all the other topics are populated by freakados atm

Ha ha! How long did that resolution last Sal? I saw you on the coolbox thread...

Ooh, they have shiny steel ones now...

oh you lightweights! there's nothing more fun than sitting in a tent being pelted with rain and blown apart by wind, with 3 small children whining at you

hang on... did i say nothing more fun?..

I know, I know. The problem is, as soon as I look into everything again, I remember how many things I do stil want l need.

Still trying to stick to no nonsense buying. Pegs essential, right? Still working on persuading thisisyesterday to buy Dutch oven. At least my heart will feel better in knowing someone else is enjoying their brilliance. However, if she would then be so kind mean as to post pictures of lovely stews, I can obviously not be held responsible if I had to buy one to duplicate her efforts. As I'm a good wife, you see. Well, I might be if I had a DO.

I have fond memories of hang gliding trying to erect my tent on windy days

oh i'm totally getting the dutch oven, just watching some on ebay now

we're off to the orchards site in suffolk for may/june half term, so will post some pics after that lol

do tell me about dutch ovens, please... can you only use them on campfires?

FAB! Will stalk you henceforth.

Isn't a dutch oven just a big heavy casserole dish though? I remember I was googling bread recipes and came across the no-knead thing for making bread in a dutch oven and I got very interested until I realised we have a dutch oven in the cupboard and it stays there unless I can get DH to fiddle it out for me (ridiculously heavy and surrounded by tesellations of baking trays)

Aitch, link here. I don't actually have one, but my parents have and I have fond memories of using it. Brilliant stews, soups, bread (everthing really, as long as you're not in a hurry), and you can turn lid upside down to fry eggs, bacon etc on. You can use it like a normal casserole on stove top or in oven too. I really want one, but trying to refrain from spending a lot on camping kit this year. It's clearly not going too well...

dh makes bread in our casserole all teh time, you see, and has only this evening cracked the lid. so he will either have to buy new casserole lid oooooooor, a dutch oven that we could also use camping.

i have just been reading the grapes of wrath and Ma always made bread in a pot over the fire and i just couldn't work out how.... well now i will find out!

you've started something now Sal! lol

btw, if i am tired in the morning i am blaming you lot!

i meant to have an early night tonight, and here I am looking up camping mats, dutch ovens, storm kettles, cool boxes and bread recipes!

It is, really, but depending on how your casserole dish is, might be more (or same) useful for camping. E.g. has a handle you can hang it from tripod if you want to cook over fire, a good one has a lid with rim, so you can put coals on top without it falling off, etc. But yes, it is a cast iron pot.

I try my best to please.

Oh yes, Aitch, this is the perfect time to get one!

FGS

I cannot believe that Sal has started a viral spread of a bloody casserole pot.

[plenty of the hmm faces in here some, with the eyebrow going the other way for added seriousness]

Aitch, most of the camping kit manufactures produce SIMs now. As with all things you get what you pay for in terms of durability and comfort, but as this is for a child then well kids will sleep anywhere if they are tired enough. You could get by using just the foam roll mats (again much much warmer than an airbed).

It's what I slept on as a child and look at me now
[hardy][ish]

£7

Stick a rug on top, put child in decent sleeping bag with fleece pjs on and you're done.

Nothing to break, deflate or fall out of.

dh and i used to merrily camp on those cheapo foam jobs before we could afford thermarests.

I regularly kick myself that we splashed out on buying thermarests for the dds when we could have got them a couple of foam mats and spent the rest of the money on wider thermarests for ourselves.

Guide camp staple those mats are too
[reminiscence]

slubber what sort of namby pamby children are you raising?

I KNOW.

It is terrible.

Right from the get go they get to kip on bleeding thermarests, and base camps at that.

What was I thinking?

Should have started them on newspaper fgs and then moved them up to a multi mat as the next level in camping comfort.

I pity the fool that I am.