Camping novice! What to buy....

[Biscuitsandtea]

We were thinking of buying a tent (hopefully a second hand one) but I'm not really sure what we need / want?

We only want to use it for occasional weekend camping - probably not our 'main' holiday, but think it is something we would enjoy for weekends etc - it would probably be lovely to be able to go with friends who camp and let the kids play etc / relax in the evenings etc.

But, I don't really even know what size we need. There is me and (very tall) DH and 2 DSs (4 and 1 yo) so obviously we need at least a 4-man, but would something bigger be better? We have a size issue with DH being 6'5" so I'm thinking one of these that are about 2m tall with 'standing room' might be good? Also, because he's tall he's gonna fill up a lot of sleeping space so I'm thinking if we have a 5 or 6 man jobbie then there is somewhere to stick all the stuff. On the other hand don't want it too big as it will be colder won't it? A lot of 6 man tents seem to have either 2x3-man sleeping spaces or a 2 and 4 man bit which would mean having bags etc in the sleeping bit. I have seen one with 3x2-man areas (pods?) which seemed like a good idea - nice small (warm) sleeping areas, but extra space to stash stuff? Don't know what you lovely lot think in your expert capacity? w 2-man 'rooms' doesn't seem to be a common configuration so maybe I'm missing something?

Also, any brands to go for / avoid? And what other stuff / equipment do we need vs 'good to have' vs 'total waste'?

I know that's a lot of questions (sorry!) but any advice gratefully received!

I am still new to camping but from what I gather you should always go for a bigger tent then to need so def a 6 man tent as the pods are so small. I am not too sure on specific tents but I love my outwell tent. Outwell and vango seem to be the most popular tents on he sites I've been. You also need to look at hydrostatic head so I think you need above 3000 to make sure it completely waterproof!!! Air beds and sleeping bags essential for a good nights sleep, good tourches and lights, picnic blankets make cheap alternatives to a tent carpet, decent camping chairs etc

In my experience if there's any more than 2 of you then the bigger the better - get the biggest you can afford, especially if you think it's likely you'll be going away with friends and will always be driving/won't need to carry it.

I wouldn't worry too much about being cold in a bigger tent - I think it's easier t stay cosy than it is to all be cramped in a too-small one. That's the beauty of duvets!

We also use a cool bag and freezer blocks to keep our food cool. When we went away our neighbours who were very tall had an outwell Montana tent which they could stand up in easily they had struggled with tents and said this was perfect for them. It had two pods and a nice decent open living space. There is also a handy side storm door and the option of a porch to extend.

For the use you're going to make of it, you don't need to spend a fortune. Go Outdoors normally have loads of tents on display so you can test whether dh has room to lie down without touching the walls and stand up.

A six man tunnel tent with a porch would probably suit your needs, like the HiGear Zenobia 6 which we've been fine with, my DP is 6' 4".

Also meant to say, we've been very happy with the Gelert Mercury we bought years ago - it's been very durable. You could make a day of it and take the kids to one of those tent and camping shows/exhibitions where they can crawl around all the display ones! They're e basically just outdoor showrooms - not actual shows you pay for. They often have them in The Lakes, the Peaks etc - not sure where you are.

My DH is 6'4" and we ended up with an Outwell tent as they seemed to be the brand that had the most usable space for someone of that height. A lot of tents were tall enough right at the centre, but the roof slope meant that he'd be stooping if stood elsewhere. Sadly, that ruled out the Decathlon pop up tent I fancied!

Also, with DCs the age of yours, you may well find they sleep better/longer if they can see you when they wake at night, so you may find you end up unzipping the divider between sleeping pods amd all sleeping in a 1 x6 set up. Our DS (3yo) is a perfectly independent sleeper at home, but seems to need the reassurance of seeing us if he stirs during the night in the tent.

Brilliant - some excellent advice and pointers there.

I am lucky enough to live near the very beautiful Peak District and have seen these tent show things - went to one with the ds's the other day but need to get DH to come among now it's the weekend.

Who was it suggested duvets? Are you allowed to do that camping? I'd not even considered taking duvets instead of sleeping bags! I'd LOVE that - I am not a sleeping bag fan at all!

Anyway, I'm taking studious notes to discuss with DH

The first thing i always pack is our electric hookup cable followed quickly by the toaster and kettle. Some fold away chairs and a foldable table make eating easier. Other items we cant live without is the bbq and the 2 ring gas cooker. Our lack of car space means we have to take dh's van for the equipment so have space for not-so-necessary items like the mattress off our bed

We chose our tent specifically so that DH could stand up in it. It is a 4 man and we would struggle to fit more than the 3 of us in (DD is nearly 3). Ours has an optional partition so that you can have one big room or two smaller ones. Ours has a porch and when we packed we put our clothes into banana buckets so that we could leave them in the porch and not worry too much about water running in, not that it did.

A torch/ lantern is essential. Crocs or flip flops for the showers are useful. We used inflatable mattresses and had a double and a single all in a super king fitted sheet for the 3 of us. I'm sur e I've used a duvet camping before and it worked well, though it might be worth taking a few blankets too as the nights can be quite cold.

Folding chairs are quite handy.

buy bigger than you need by two people.

take extra duveys, even if only to make mattress more comfy.

WINE!

Twas me who suggested duvets...we actually have a really cosy double sleeping bag but I just think you may as well make yourself as comfy as possible, so why not take both, and fashion yourself cosy little bedroom dens?!

Also: head torches. INVALUABLE.