I need lists! Essentials and Luxuries.

[lemontwist]

Myself and DH were seasoned campers pre DC, now 16months and 3. Probably tended to rough it a bit-chuck a few bits in the car and head off. We haven't camped for ages though, other than a night in the DPs' garden a couple of weeks ago which the boys loved.
We have a mahoosive tent and awning, stove and other basic bits n bobs but I feel I may be a camping softy at heart and am drawn to things like pretty solar lights and would love but can't really afford a carpet.
So I would really like to have a nosy to see what you view as essentials for any trip and any extras that make the trip a bit more special comfy .
Ta muchly in advance.

Lidl have 2m x 2m picnic rugs for £9 in this Thursday - make great tent carpets, nice & soft and give you some insulation from a cold floor

I can't do without my carpet, duvet and pillows, and EHU. Such a glamper, me. (I may even take a hairdryer)

The carpet is basically a picnic blanket. So just use them cheaply if you need to. It's so nice to get out of bed and step onto instead of the groundsheet. I haven't bothered washing it yet, but if it gets awful I will probably just give it a quick hand scrub with some hot soapy water in the garden when we get back.

So picnic rugs are the way to go then. Shame the nearest Lidl is about 20 miles away. I'll have to keep my eye out for something similar. Unfortnately DH is dead against EHU as he says it defeats the point of camping. I may try to pursuade him to give it a go. Do you think he'll be converted and never go back?

Saw some picnic rugs in Primark today for five or six quid.

We have an IceyTek which is brill and looks nice :) It's our sole concession to glamping really!

We tried EHU (had an electric coolbox) but found it noisy and bothersome. Much happier with the IceyTek.

Nearest Primark is even further...Damn you SmallTown
Just looked at the IceyTek. Bit pricey but they sound fab. Do they really keep cool that long. Do you use icepacks in them?

Yes - you have to swap ice packs over once a day but it works really well :)

I am lusting after an IceyTek thanks to mumsnet. But honestly my cheap cool box from tesco or somewhere works just as well if I put a new bag or ice in every other day... So can't justify almost a hundred quid to do the same thing just cos the IceyTek looks good!

I use the EHU for boiling the kettle (saves so much time for cooking etc, got a cheapie kettle for a fiver from morrisons!), hair dryer, phone charger (can't be phone less even while camping), ipad. That's it I think. Don't bother with an electric fridge though cos all the ones I've seen buzz and it would annoy me!

So if you need to get hold of ice packs / refreeze them somehow surely that's a bit of a pain. Or am I just not getting it?
Like the idea of having an electric kettle. Can't do without a regular coffee fix!

Most campsites will freeze ice packs for you, the really good ones have a freezer in the laundry room or somewhere equally accessible.

For me essentials are really good waterproofs and a few ikea bags or large shopping bags, picnic blankets, and hot water bottles.

Luxuries, electric hookup!

Hope you have fun

Essentials = wine.

I like your thinking Numberlock. Forget most things on the list as long as we remember the wine it'll be ok.
That might not have been the case the time we forgot the tent poles though I suppose

Whoops! How did that end?

forgetting the tent poles is legendary OP.

There's an official list in the mn camping section which might be helpful?

here

It may have been the worst camping trip ever in fact no camping was involved at all in the end.
Got out of car at reception and dropped DH's phone cracking the screen. Drove to pitch, discovered lack of poles. Driving through campsite the wheel fell off (yes, bolts sheared one after the other and it actually fell off). Phoned AA only to find cover had expired previous week and they would charge obscene amount to reinstate and get us home. Spent night in b&b and rest of trip sorting hire car to get tools so DH could fix it himself.
Oh what fun we had.
Remind me why I'm considering camping again.

Ah thans DewDr0p. Just what I was looking for. Could have looked at that in the first place and avoided sharing my embarrassing tale of woeful non-camping.

Sounds like they could have made a National Lapoon's Camping Vacation movie based on that trip!

Lampoon's.

Yeah, you couldn't make it up. Lucky DH is pretty handy with cars and there happened to be a couple of mechanics on the site who came to lend a hand point and laugh or we'd have been screwed.

Nothing can go wrong this time then...

Hence my needing lists, lists and more lists. Oh and we have a new car with all four wheels attached

Wow that's a horror story and a half! Good work. Lists are indeed the way forward. A few summers ago a friend of mine managed to forget her clothes

Yes the IceyTeks need the ice blocks/a bag of ice replacing every other day or so. I thought at first they were magic and just kept it cool for ten days but apparently not... they just work the same way that my cheapie box does.

(I takes frozen bottles of water, frozen milk and a frozen meal which keeps the box lovely and cold for the first two days. On the third day I usually go and buy a bag of ice to chuck in the box, again on day 5. This system works well for a week).

Yeah I was thinking magic too. Was dissapointed. I might just stick with our usual cool box. I've often just bought ice to chuck in like you say.
I was just thinking how on earth someone could forget clothes but then thought about my ridiculous story and realised can't really comment I hope your friend managed to get hold of some.

don't forget to put your food in tupperwear/sandwich bags, the ice makes everything soggy says the voice of wisdom

Hmmm bit disappointed about the Iceytek reviews here. I have just bought a Coleman Xtreme which promises ice will last for 5 days. Is that all nonsense? Am I going to be begging for room in the campsite freezer after all?