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Camping

Our UK Camping forum has all the information you need on finding the right equipment for your tent or caravan.

OMG! So excited! Just bought a Bongo!

35 replies

SherlockHolmes · 10/08/2011 22:32

Can't wait to go and collect it - please tell me how fab they are and how much better they are than my collection of tents tent GrinGrin

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SherlockHolmes · 13/08/2011 21:54

Eighttosix have posted another thread about this, but I was thinking of using my pop-up tent as an awning - do you get charged an awning price for this, or another tent?

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EightToSixer · 13/08/2011 22:08

We've never been charged for the extra tent or awning, all sites we've been to have assumed it's an awning and included it in pitch rate, really it's a gazebo size pop-up, but we've never been charged gazebo rates.

Curtains and cushions sound great, ours doesn't have the curtain space or rail or anything, so we just have a windscreen cover on the front and another one cut in two for the front windows. I may go down the curtain route for next year :)

seeker · 13/08/2011 22:15

They are brilliant-but you need a mechanic who understands their cooling system-and it's a good idea to learn how to drain it yourself. Not difficult once you know how!

Ours is our only car- we love it. Check out the bongo forum- lots of helpful people on there.

VivaLeBeaver · 13/08/2011 22:30

I use my quercha base seconds as an awning with my campervan. Never been charged for another tent. Some sites charge an extra couple of quid for an awning so I just tick the awning box when I book. If someone said something about it I'd soon argue back. My camper van and pop up tent take up less room than the bloke next door in his massive tunnel tent with his mondeo parked next to it. But I'm already probably paying more as most sites will charge a van more than a tent.

EightToSixer · 13/08/2011 22:57

Agree with Seeker. It's worth putting a coolant alarm on, not too hard yourself. As Bongo's don't usually gave them and your first sign that something is wrong is usually going to cost you a couple of grand! Bongo fury forum a mine of information on stuff like this.

Readyisknitting · 13/08/2011 23:10

I'm currently on the way home from france in ours- we love it! Was pricey when the head gasket went last christmas though. Only downside for us is the fuel consumption, but it is great to carry 4 kids and all the accompanying crap! We plan to try it for sleeping next bank hol, anyone tried it, and how comfy is it? Would only be myself, dp and the shortie, other dc will sleep on the boat...

Readyisknitting · 13/08/2011 23:12

Oops, meant to add...
Bongofury is fab for info :-)
Watch your fuel guage, ours doesn't have a light
Maybe we should have a mn bongo rally!!!t to add...
Bongofury is fab for info :-)
Watch your fuel guage, ours doesn't have a light
Maybe we should have a mn bongo rally!!!

SherlockHolmes · 14/08/2011 01:10

Thanks for all your advice everyone. Have checked out BongoFury already. Am expecting this to be an expensive hobby [sigh]

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EightToSixer · 14/08/2011 08:14

Expensive hobb, but great for family impromptu nights away. We never used to camp for less than 3 nights and with 2 adults, so we could get our huge tent up. Now, we go for one night, with one adult really easily, so we've done a lot more. DH is away playing sport next weekend and is staying in the Bongo instead of shelling out for a hotel (I wouldn't do that, but I'm far too prissy about toilets and electric hook-ups!) :)

Reactor jotting - really comfy to sleep in, might want to use a camping mat or something on the downstairs bed, as the headrests are a bit lumpy though. We got a bit of foam cut to size for the roof for £24, it stays in roof when the roof is down too, so there is no rafting around with air beds or rolled up mats when we get there.

Sherlock, forgot to say it's been most used by us for Bongo picnics, we can still go out for the day with a picnic, but sit in the bongo with the chairs folded to tables and still have picnics in the snow or rain. In March we went to the forest by an adventure playground and cooked bacon sarnies next to the bongo, we wouldn't have done that in the car. We got a tiny travel gas ring (the one that used little aerosol sized gas cans, but has a full sized ring) from Go Outdoors) and we even got one of the heaters from the same range. We put it on for 10 minutes when we camped in early April and the van was warm in 5 mins. The most useful day to day thing though is being able to chuck the bikes, scooters etc in the back and just go somewhere different for a couple of hours.

SherlockHolmes · 14/08/2011 12:41

eight Have just chucked my and DS's bikes in the back to go for a first run out it this afternoon (without DH driving). I would never have done that with my car as the bike rack is so complicated and I was never convinced it was on properly! We also have one of those little stoves as we camp a lot, so can easily throw the box of camping gear in back too. We always store a tin of baked beans, hot dog sausages, tea, coffee and powdered milk in with the camping gear in case of emergencies so we could always have an impromptu snack Grin.

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