Tell me everything about camping...

[MrsPiddlewink]

Somehow I have agreed to going camping this year. I've put it off for about 5 years.

We have nothing.

What are the essentials?

There are 5 of us (DH is very tall) + dog. Kids aged 3 - 9. Will a 5 berth tent be big enough? What features should be looking out for? Do we need a carpet?!

Please give me your tried and tested tips to make this experience as bearable as possible!!

• DH thinks we should do a week - I think a weekend as it's our first time. I'd imagine a week is fairly hard going?!

You need a tent at least 2 bearths bigger than the number of people otherwise you'll be falling over each other.

If you've never been before then a weekend is plenty. Try to borrow a tent etc from someone if you can or buy one secondhand.
Ebay is usually full of people selling full camping set ups because they tried it once and didn't like it.

If you've got a Go Outdoors near you they will have lots of tents erected so you can get in and see the size. I've always gone for the biggest tent I can.

We attempted camping last year. I was very glad it was only for the weekend!

We had a complete disaster the first night with a massive storm meaning the tent leaked and I got a wet sleeping bag. My worst nightmare of a huge Thunder storm. A child wetting the bed and noisy Herons feeding every 4 hours. The second night was better but I was very glad it was only a few nights.
I'd say ease yourself in with a weekend first.

In my experience (i camp more often than I am constitutionally suited to!) you need to accept that it is always bloody cold. No matter how warm the weather is. So don't skimp on airbeds, sleeping bags, fleecy blankets and hot water bottles. You will also need some sort of cooker, lots of gas and torches and lanterns. Don't bother with special camping pans and kettles though. They are usually crap. Taking comfortable camping chairs is absolutely essential.

A 5-berth tent is probably too small. As a rough guide, most tents seem to fit about a third of the number of people they claim to. I have a 3-person tent. Allegedly. It is as cosy as anything with just me in it. Two people would be uncomfortably squashed. Three people would be a complete joke.

I'd certainly go for a weekend first. But I'd also say that getting equipped is going to cost a good deal (even if you are economical about it) so camping can be surprisingly expensive.

Also I've found camp beds more comfortable than air beds and warmer as off the ground. Take plenty of bedding as can get very cold at night even in the middle of summer. Try Cool Camping for some lovely sites. Also you could always try a camping pod which is basically a wooden tent, but with electricity and maybe more. More comfortable but all the fun of camping like outdoor cooking. Have fun.

Thank you everyone.

So airbeds + water bottles + onsies + warm socks + sleeping bag + duvets.

A 7 berth tent then? Do they do those? !

And another thing...always have a practice run at putting the tent up. No matter how easily erectable they claim to be, you don't want to be in a cold field at twilight gazing in a mystified way at the instructions. Don't buy a pop-up tent either unless you particularly enjoy trying to stuff a Zeppelin into a pillowcase. They might pop up. They don't pop down.

sounds hellish * Pigleychez Tue 17-Mar-15 19:42:05

However if one can do it, you are not at the mercy of the weather being able to pretty much go when you please and its so cheap.

Pigleychez - your experience is exactly how I imagine it to be.

DH owes me one

How much are pitches generally? per night?

It's our first year too.

We have spent about £1500 on "essentials" including a roof box. Carpet and porch and footprint for tent were considered essentials.

We have practised putting the tent up and down in our garden. We chose a big eight-man for five of us, not least to have a spare bedroom for storage.

We are having a practice weekend about four miles from home over Easter. All our friends who camp have recommended this. The main advantage is that if you have forgotten something crucial or the tent turns out not to be waterproof, you chuck the DC straight in the car and drive home even at 2am. Come back the next day (possibly via Millets or Go Outdoors) to strike or carry on, as appropriate.

I camped with Guides as a child, and with DH very drunk at regattas as an adult so the hardships and surprisingly Arctic temperatures are expected.

Onesies? Haha! You will need to have a pee in the night. Attempting this in the pitch dark wearing a onesie is an interesting challenge. Also, campsite toilets - even on good sites - are the sort of places where you never really fancy letting any item of clothing touch the ground. Layers is what you need. But not necessarily all in one sort of layers!

You need a caravan

The ones we've looked at are apparently £7-12pppn. We're paying something like £250 for five for a week in Cornwall in the school summer holidays, with electric hook-up, and site amenities inc showers, pool, etc.

Go for a maximum of two nights to start with, if it's utterly hellish then it's not long to cope with til you go home.
Make a list of everything you'll need. Borrow stuff from people as much as possible because there's no point owning a camping stove if it turns out that you hate it.

"campsite toilets - even on good sites - are the sort of places where you never really fancy letting any item of clothing touch the ground"

Oh God

Also - what do you do about hair?! Mine is awful without dryer + straightners

Always have a layer between the air bed and the ground, newspaper will do, and another layer between the air bed and you.
We do fleece blanket and fitted sheet and then us in sleeping bag with a fleece blanket as a liner. Dressed in long sleeved top, tracksuit bottoms, fleecy socks, hoodie and a hat if it's very cold.