Your top tips for surviving a week's camping please!

[Ceolas]

We are hard strapped this year so the main holiday is going to be a week's camping. The children and I all enjoy camping and DH has reluctantly agreed, but we've only every camped for 2 nights before.

There are 7 of us. 5 children are aged between 11 and almost 2. We have a Campus Yale tent (2006) which is not massive. I'm worried that unless we're super organised it's going to be a bit of a nightmare and DH will refuse to camp again!

So, experienced campers, what are your top tips for keeping things ship shape and orderly? Also, cooking - I only have one of those cheap one-ring burners so I reckon that will need upgrading if 7 of us are to eat for a week.

All suggestions gratefully received :)

go to a warm country

Top tip for camping with 5 young children? ALCOHOL

my top tip, if you or OH are a light sleeper like me, take ear plugs and a black out eye mask thing like you get on airplanes. If the weather is windy, the noise of the tent blowing about can wake you up, and the sun rises quite early so it can be good to block that out at 5.30am!

Last august when it pissed and pissed and pissed it down, we came home after a week. And did not stay for week 2. Best thing we ever did. Go, and enjoy. But if your dh has had enough after 4 days, then you can come home. infact you can come home anytime. can't you ? when that dawns on you, it kind of changes everything.
Bet it will be fab.

Hi
We have camped in the area you are going to, and loads to do.
Aslo if you go near Newcastle,check out 7 Stories Book Museum is brill but may be dear for 7 of you,not sure of price. Also Aquarium at Newcastle - Tynmouth I think. Metro is cheap in Newcastle and some free museums too.
Lots of layers for sleeping on, picnic blanket, airbed, fleece, sleeping bags, extra fleece/blanket. Have a lovely time . [csmile]

Keep all your clothes in a suitcase in the boot of the car. This keeps them clean, dry and out of the way.

Hi Bibbi
we take suitcases too. Reading this wondered if I had got camping etiquate wrong as seems to be Boxes are the in thing!

I typed a lovely (I hope) reply about the boxes and posted it on the wrong thread. So here it is, in the right place.

Re the boxes for the clothes, I got them from Sainsburys and Homebase. They have a black clip at each end to hold the lid on and the lid folds in half. They were on offer in Sainsburys around June/July last year and they are the smallest which is 24l. I put them in the car already packed and find that one each fits all our clothes and other bits. This doesn't include towels, fleeces and coats though. The kitchen boxes are bigger. More like the link earlier. HTH

Add message | Report | Message poster chicaguapa Wed 27-Apr-11 09:54:14
Just to add, we specifically didn't get the folding crates as they have holes in and we wanted to protect the clothes/food etc from creepy crawlies (and damp).

I've also thought of another tip: if it's raining in the day, I would suggest putting the bedding etc in the car during the day to keep it dry. We had days of rain and the atmosphere made everything really damp.