First ever camping holiday coming up, only just occurred to me that I will actually have to sleep in a tent outside

[MrsNouveauRichards]

:o

I know it is obvious, but I have been imagining sitting outside, cooking on the stove/bbq, even campsite 'facilities' and the eventuality of rain. I have thought about bedding and going to bed, but the actually sleeping part has suddenly dawned on me!

I'm not sure I will be able to switch off enough to sleep.

Also, what if the weather is like this? There is no way I will be able to sleep in a tent throughout gales and heavy downpour!

I am a twat aren't I? :o

Ah yes - the sleeping part. You don't actually sleep - it's all part of the fun...

If it's raining the noise definitely keeps me awake, plus various worries about leaks/things getting wet etc. I also love the fact that me and ds's are all in a row but they're bloody noisy sleepers and ds2 always seems to travel around the tent in his sleeping bag as he's such a shuffler!

So, I just accept that I'll get 2 - 3 hours of sleep a night and that the rest of the 'experience' makes up for it - making endless coffee because I need it to function on my little one ring burner, cooking on it as well, which I love, watching ds's play outside all the time. I really do love camping - just have accepted that a proper night's sleep does not come into it!

Make sure (if you're a coffee-holic like me) that you take a couple of one pints of milk, frozen, with you. That way you can use them as ice packs for your cold food and they'll have de-frosted enough to use as milk in your coffee first thing in the morning when you really need it, and on cereal, to get you going. That's my top tip for surviving it all

Coffee, yes excellent will pack a lot.

Also, alcohol? Obviously a necessity, but what kind?

alcohol's tricky because of the weeing issue... . So, I love my red wine and gin but tend not to drink too much because I hate having to get up and wee in the night when I'm camping. So while I'd like to be completely slaughtered I tend not to have more than a glass of wine .

But if you can cope with getting out of your sleeping bag to go and wee, and/or have a decent bladder, then red wine would be my choice - nice and warming!

ooh - just remembered - pack a hot water bottle. Obviously, it goes without saying that you'll go to bed wearing every single item of clothing you possess, but I also take a hot water bottle and it helps get me through until about 3am

Yes to hot water bottle! I have told DH I am taking them but he thinks I'm daft!

Wrt weeing in the night, I always need to get up, so going to use a bucket with cat litter in a bag. This was what finally swayed me to camping.

So maybe liquors? Shame I haven't got time to make any, will maybe get some of Icelands knockoff Baileys - it is surprisingly good!

No you're not daft, you're very wise . I tried the bucket method once but found it very tricky to be honest...! I end up weeing outside if I have to

Baileys is a very good idea - don't need much of it and it's lovely and warming - might try it myself when we go camping in a couple of weeks' time!

Also good slipped into hot chocolate for the children :o

Bloody adverts for Featherdown farms on the thread is not helping :o

Earplugs. I can recommend these. And an eyemask!

I did think of ear plugs, but as the kids are going to be in a separate pod to us I want to hear everything!

separate pod? Result!

Mind you, ds's tried this last year - each had their own 1 man tent but both ended up back in my tent at various points of each night due to wanting help weeing/getting rid of bugs/not sleeping. Aaaarrggghhh....

Hoping to knacker them out enough! Although if I get cold I may snuggle up with the sweaty little beasts :o

After last night was so cold and we had to put an extra blanket on our bed, DH now agrees with me that some duvets and hot water bottles may be a good idea! :o

I got some of those foil blankets from poundland to go under the kids airbed and think I might get some for ours too..

Ear plugs are essential. I really could not camp without them.

I'm sure you will still hear your children calling. What they do is block out some of the background noise.

I use them to sleep during the day but still wake up with my alarm.

A comfy bed is a must too. After lots of trial and error I sleep on an aerobed topped with a SIM, topped with a blanket. And a decent warm sleeping bag. Mine is an xl rectangle one so lots of room to wriggle but it's still very warm.

We take duvets, I found I was cold in a sleeping bag (were only cheapish sleeping bags and also was April). I use the sleeping bag as a bottom sheet, and I find this adequate insulation from the ground. If it is only a shower in the middle of the night the rain is strangely soothing, something to do with being wrapped up in the warm. I also take an old jumper to wear over my pjs.

Coffee, wine and food really does taste better when you're camping.

How much anti-cold stuff do you have - warm clothes, bedding, etc? How ever much, add more!!!!! Pyjamas under a fleece all-in-one plus a duvet (I didn't have sleeping bags, took everyones duvets!) was barely enough when I went last summer.

and welly boots

Ignore all these voices of doom!

The first night isn't necessarily the most sleep filled but I have to say that after that I sleep really well while camping! We have loads of cheap ikea fleece blankets but have never needed them (3 season sleeping bags and Aldi Sim fine). Rain wakes me but I get back to sleep really easily.

It will be fine!

I am actually very excited. My children are like large dogs and seem to need a ridiculous amount of exercise, so thinking this could be the ideal holiday.

I have the Happy Campers book and I am taking notes on how to make a good bed. DH seems to think an airbed and a sleeping bag is all you need. I am planning foil sheets under the airbed, fleece blanket under a bottom sheet, then sleeping bags, pillows and duvets.

Oh, and Bailey's :o

sims make the biggest difference to sleep, i have found. blow up beds are the work of the devil.
we take two double sleeping bags and deposit one child and a hot water bottle in each. by the time we come to bed they're roasting and the fewer clothes the better.

When we started thinking about going camping many years ago, I bought the best sleeping stuff I could for me, as I knew I was going to be the one taking them and frankly, the boys would sleep on or in anything, so I prioritised myself .

I've got a fat airic sleeping mat which is the bees' knees - don't think they do them any more but the nearest I can find is this: marvellous and I got a Coleman sleeping like this here - it's huge and lined with fleecy material. The boys have a mixture of decathlon and/or Aldi camping mats and sleeping bags and do very well indeed!

We're going for the first time this year next weekend - can't wait to start Sorting Out all the stuff...

Exactly - ignore any siren men's voices saying 'That's enough bedding, you surely aren't going to be that cold'. There's always room for another pair of really thick, comfortable socks. Don't skimp on sleeping bags if you can manage it (go 4 season if you can), add duvets on top, fleecy pjs, hat, socks etc.

I found that full thickness airbeds were much too rolly and unstable for us (I know lots of people swear by them) especially when a small child inches onto one side in the night, tipping you over - so bought proper Thermarest self-inflating mattresses which are truly fantastic - just thick enough to suspend you comfortably, but no waterbed rolling around to contend with.

I don't mind getting up to pee and seeing all the stars - one of the best bits -, so I maintain a policy of being slightly drunk all most of the time. It massively enhances the camping experience IMO. If you have ever been dragged onto a sailing trip, it's much the same, beer takes on a previously undreamed of significance.

Having said all that - the sleep you have is truly wonderful camping. Night 2 onwards does tend to be better, but the velvety depth of sleeping outdoors is not to be sniffed at.

If you get a really good weather forecast, consider actually sleeping under the stars which according to dh who is the only one who's actually done it is amazing.