Camping newbie...better to stay in pre pitched tent in europe?

[krisskross]

just wondering really, DH has some extended leave in summer. we'd planned eurocamp etc but cost is huge! (always went out of school hols before).

Should we camp or stay in those pre pitched onsite things that have cooking facilites etc? I am thinking that we'd prob eat out loads if we camped properly so iit would be a false economy. also i have never really camped ...

You should definitely take the plunge and camp. Euro camp is hugely expensive. You can get really good starter sets from places like Halfords and even if you eat out a lot, it will be cheaper. Plus if you've got your own tent, you can use it whenever you fancy a break. You don't even need much. We used to use a cool box and got ice packs frozen on site everyday. Cheap and easy. We've upgraded now tons caravan. You can't beat the outside life! Look on ukcampsite.co.uk too. You can see campsite reviews and the classified ads are great

Ah I must say we like the pitched tents, sorry! But obviously depends on budget. Have you tried playing with dates, so not going on sat etc?

Could you try borrowing a tent and going in UK for a weekend first, see how you like it?

I would suggest that once you've priced up a decent family tent, all your sleeping, cooking kit etc, that it'll be quite a big initial outlay.

If you have a particular campsite in mind you should have a look at their own accommodation.
I have done Eurocamp several times (expensive in high season, but great) as well as taking my own equipment (campervan, so at least no pitching required). I much prefer turning up and having accommodation ready and waiting.
Looked at Duinrell this summer - staying in the Duingalows (onsite mobile homes) is half the price of Eurocamp. I'm pretty sure other European campsites are the same. If you contact them direct they normally speak English..

thanks everyone, i am rather foolishly in denial about the cost of eurocamp etc in school hols (its only ever cost us about £400 per week previously!) which is why we've looked at camping.

Thing is, if you think you may do this more than once it probably is worthwhile investing in the gear this year rather than spending that money on a ready-pitched tent for just one holiday.

Yes it is nice to have it all set up for you when you arrive but by just spending an hour or two setting up, you have saved yourself a lot of money.

I would have a look on Ebay maybe and see what you can get in terms of a decent quality family tent for under 300, probably under 200 even.

For your first trip, if you want to save money, a lot of stuff (pots/pans/bowls/plates/cutlery etc) can just come from home rather than investing in specific camping gear. You could take duvets and pillows from home, say, rather than buying sleeping bags, although airbeds or self inflating mats will be essential. Some French camp sites provide a picnic bench on the pitch which will save bringing a table, although you might want some sort of folding chairs to relax on.

Then you can see if you like it this year and, if you don't, you can resell the tent on Ebay. Simples!

If you do want to buy your stuff, i'd advise buying it on ebay. Lots and lots of people buy everything brand new, use it twice, then it lives in loft for five years before being chucked out...

thanks everyone, i've done some serious price searching on the web and we will have to camp,....properly!! im a bit squeamish about a second hand tent though......thanks all

Shop around as a lot of places will price match, including Go Outdoors and Camping international. Both have online sites too. I'll reiterate my reference to Ukcampsites. It's like mumsnet for campers! I hope you catch the camping bug.

thanks bed.....i hope so too