What to take if camping is going to be wet?

[SnortGlassesSlacksAndWatch]

We are not experienced campers, we had a week last year and have had two weekends this year so far. It has only drizzled for two half days in all that time which I think is incredibly fortunate considering all trips have been in the uk.

Next week we are off to Cornwall and whilst I am sure we can cope with the forecast rain, I'd like the collective wisdom of you lot to make it more likely!

DC have got all in one waterproofs and we all have wellies, we are taking a dvd player in the form of our laptop and will make sure I take colouring/puzzle books and some playing cards or snap etc.

What else would make a wet camping trip more bearable?

Pop up gazebo, so you still sit out doors.

Enough money to check into a b&b?

Sorry, am half serious. But having a back up plan might make it more bearable if it does get really wet.

Crocs or similar shoes for slipping on and off as you go in and out of the tent. Wellies are really difficult to get on when you wake up bursting for the loo at 3am.

Rotten-
We did start looking at static caravans instead and then thought that as long as the tent stays dry, we're not that much better off in a static! I think that if it's wet enough for us to abandon camp then we would head home instead of to a B&B.

Like the pop up gazebo idea.

Crocs- check :)

Loads and loads and loads of socks. My DDs kept running outside with no shoes on, even though they had slip on shoes, and so went through multiple pairs a day.

I gave up with shoes amd socks for that very reason - 2 preschoolers will never remember! They went feral instead!

Take waterproof tops and dungarees type bottoms for the kids, and lots of pairs of shorts so that you are not trying to dry the bottom 3" of trousers the whole time from wet grass etc.

Make sure you have a door mat/rug to dump shoes and waterproofs at the front door so that nothing gets walked further into the tent.

Research wet weather trips before you go so you don't use up all the phone battery trying to find how to get to the Eden project

Does your tent have a SIG? If not place the groundsheet so that you have a gap at the door entrance, either fold it back or shift it back slightly. This helps with the drips entering the tent. Would also second door mats, a rubber one on the outside and a 'soaking up' one on the inside. Next time I'm going to add some microfibre cloths to the list for wiping groundsheet inside.

The other thing is to consider where and what you might place wet coats and shoes inside. Some sort of folding airer/hat stand may help.

Definitely shorts and crocs/wellies, even if its not that warm They can always wrap up in tracky bottoms/PJs when the sun goes down, but for running around its much easier if they don't have long trousers or wet trainers. The feral kids who wear shorts always look like they're having much more fun than the ones who are 'properly' attired!

I take old dark coloured towels too, so that you can wipe things and mop up the odd puddle if it gets really wet and yes to somewhere to hang stuff up, it probably won't dry properly but at least its not all sat in a wet heap for days.

Above all, you need a sense of humour, my marriage ended off the back of a very wet 4 day camping trip as my stbxh was such a miserable bastard about it - make sure you have lots to entertain you and that you're all prepared to make the best of it and you'll have a fab time! (I have since been wet camping with just the DCs and it was fine without misery guts spoiling it - honest!)

Hot water bottles help you feel cosy when it's hammering down. We bought a tent carpet which is lovely when it rains. Lots to do if you can't get out - travel games, etc. For children a 'surprise' wet weather bag with puzzles, sticker books, new toy, etc. Treats to eat with a cuppa. A sense of humour

Door mat! Somewhere to put muddy wellies in tent so you don't end up with muddy sleeping bags! Pegs (in case it dries out and you need to peg out waterproofs.)

We just came back from Cornwall and one thing i would suggest is consider getting wetsuits. It may seem a bit of an investment but it is totally worth it. Beaches can be great even in dodgy weather with the right togs and equipment e.g a small pop up beach shelter. The beaches in Cornwall are so good it would be a shame to miss out!

We use picnic blankets instead of a tent carpet, not as posh but you can take them outside seperately to shake them and hang them in the car if they get wet.

I agree with wearing shorts with waterproof coat and trousers over the top if the Dc's are playing out in the rain. We dry lots of stuff in the car over the dog guard(we dont even have a dog it is to stop the luggage flying around in the event of an accident!!)

You definitely need a sense of humour, we have just come back from a challenging trip to pembrokeshire. I find it easier to laugh when its just me and the Dc's, DP loses his SOH very rapidly

Have fun and remember, you can always go home.

Good luck

Bin bags. Many, many bin bags.

Umbrellas. We managed to take all our waterproofs and forget an umbrella, which wasn't great when you didn't want the rain actually in your face.

Also, when you arrive, check out if the campsite has an iron in the shower blocks. It doesn't dry stuff, but running damp stuff under it certainly seems to help it dry and stop it getting too grim before it does. We always used to give our towels a quick iron after a shower.

Elastic clothes line, if you can string it up inside (I can in our tiny 3 man tent porch) you have somewhere for damp coats and if you have dry spells, can hang everything outside. Also chose lightweight sports style clothing which will dry fast and won't leave you sweltering inside your coat.

a shotgun. Seriously
I just got back from green man
never never never NEVER again

tell us what happened then?

Yes, tell all. Or maybe not; am already dreading trip this weekend...

We used a cardboard box flattened out inside the door to catch drips and to stash the wellies on. Worked a treat.

yy to a large umbrella for getting to the wash block.

And the littlest DD was known to have used the firebucket when we couldn't be bothered getting to the toilet block in an emergency.