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!!

I solo camp in a 3 man tent (+porch). "3 berths" assume no luggage and sleeping like sardines.

Deadly serious about the decorations.

I love camping but you need:
A tent bigger than you think you need. So fir 5 you need at least a 7 berth
Airbeds
Electric pump for air beds
Good sleeping bags
Water Carrier
Cooking utensils
Gas stove
BBQ

Enjoy :)

Pound land had light up tent pegs last year they were amazing until they got submerged by the rain water

All the stuff to keep you warm is essential.

But don't forget your favourite mug. A cup of tea in your favourite mug can make the difference between it being bearable and wanting to abandon camp, leaving all your stuff behind you.

Oh and lights :)

Oh and take a roll of gaffer tape!

I use The Weather Channel app which gives you hour by hour forecasts. It's never let me down yet

Try to plan (if at all possible) to pitch and dismantle your tent in dry conditions. Nothing worse than fighting gale force winds and torrential rain for the sun to appear as you knock your last peg in.

IMO there is nothing worse than having to pack tents away (especially large ones) in the above conditions and dry out acres of tent at home. Aim to pack up and leave on your last day BEFORE the bad weather strikes, even if it means using your car as a base for the rest of the day

Oh and definitely pimp your tent Home Bargains/B&M do excellent solar fairy lights and the poundahops have loads of twirly tat and gnomes in their gardening sections.

If you're going to camp again it's worth getting a decent quality tent, like an Outwell or Vango, rather than buying cheaper like the Go Outdoors own brand and then replacing later.

Electric hookup is great, you can get one of the little fan heaters in case it's cold, but a low watt one. I wouldn't use a hairdryer or straighteners in the tent as you might trip the hook up. The toilet blocks will have power sockets.

Footprints and carpets are nice to have but not necessities. A cheap groundsheet under the tent will keep the tent groundsheet dry and much cheaper than a footprint.

We took a twisty ground stake for the dog,poo bags we could hang somewhere so easy to find in the dark,and headtorches.

Buy or borrow one of these tents - dh is 6'4" with a bad back.

Buy or borrow Thermarest self inflating mattresses - again see bad back issue above. Airbeds IMO are pretty useless, though I know some people swear by them possibly slim people who perch on top rather than fatties like me who deflate them rapidly

watch the youtube videos on how to pitch the tent. Often.

Yes yes to the practice weekend.

Yes YES to France.

Campsite loos are cleaner than mine

I like showering at campsites but I wouldn't insist on huge amounts of washing.

Staying very slightly drunk much of the time can really help.

Enjoy sitting around - that's my main occupation when camping, because the kids are off somewhere entertaining themselves. That and stargazing in the velvet dark. And drinking round the fire.

Camping with a sea view seems amazing but it does tend to be windy - think about the field behind the cliffs which is less beautiful but more sheltered.

Don't have a dog and camp.

Our first ever camping trip was for a week, we knew nothing! We forgot lights and torches and it gets dark, strangely, so you need them. You need electric hookup if you don't want to wait 20 hours for the kettle to boil. Decent bathrooms are a must.

Also recommend little fan heaters, it gets cold at night even in August.

And a BIG tent. There are four of us and we have a 10 berth tent which is just about right in my opinion ??

And wine. Lots of.

Avoid airbeds. They hold the cold air. Go for SIMs. Easier to set up too.

And why not check out the camping section in travel?

YY to windy sea views. Nothing worse than a flapping tent.

A broom and dustpan and brush are great for packing up day.
Skin so soft from Avon to deter the midges.
Some form of shelter to cook under.
A blanket cardigan/ shawl thingy.
Plenty of water bottles and a smallish rucksack for going out.
First aid kit.

Embrace the wild. Ditch the phone and the straighteners, light a fire, open the wine, enjoy. Take friends with you who will remember all the stuff you forget.

Camping is a mission. A palava if you ask me.

Went last year for two nights and I found that was enough.

If you have super hearing like me, take ear plugs. You can hear every noise around you.. And I mean EVERYTHING.

For me, people zipping up their tents whilst I was trying to sleep was highly irritating...then when they were in the tent, they would do more endless zipping, whilst attempting to find what it was they were looking for.

Also, if you don't mind all and sundry looking at you traipsing to the showers/ toilets in the morning in broad day light with just outta bed birds nest hair, then go for it.

Good luck OP!

And gaffa tape.

We have a double height airbed.I love it, it's like having a proper bed. I'd end up rolling about the floor trying to get up from a sim.

Am I the only one who doesn't mind going to the toilet late at night when the camp is all silent and I can stare at the stars? The only annoying bit is getting out of our tent as it has a dodgy zip .

We've got readybeds rather than airbeds and sleeping bags as our favourite site has a slight slope and the kids kept sliding off and waking up in a heap at the bottom! We have a fleece underneath and one on top and we are plenty warm enough. Fleeces are good because you can roll/fold them up small and fit them into little spaces as you are packing the car.

Don't forget a bowl or similar. There is usually a washing up area but you still need something to carry your dirty pots and plates in.

Do make sure you get a tent you can stand up in otherwise it gets very wearing after a while.

Think about how you are going to keep milk etc fresh. If you go for electric hook up you can have an electric cool box but ordinary ones (or bags) work just as well really as long as you change the ice-blocks. Most sites will have a freezer where you can re-freeze them overnight. Some charge a few pence but others don't charge. Remember to mark them so you know which are yours. We wrap coloured elastic bands round ours so they are easy to spot.

Get one of those corkscrew things that goes into the ground to tie the dog to. You are unlikely to be allowed to have it off the lead while you are on the site.

Carpets are nice but you don't need one. A picnic rug or something will do to start with.

Tent features to look for, I'd say definitely a sewn in groundsheet, they make such a difference when keeping out draughts and creepy crawlies. I'd also recommend one that goes up flysheet first. Then if you are putting it up in the rain you can get it up quickly and then chuck everything else inside and get bedrooms etc organised at your leisure. We've had one where you put a dome up first with bedrooms and living area and then the flysheet with porch attached goes over the top. It was a fabulous tent and the double skin made it very warm but if it was raining the inside got exposed to the elements when putting up or down.

We absolutely adore camping...I really didn't think I would as I like clean sheets, I like putting my make up on I like hot water ect. But it's such fun it's amazing if you get the right camp site.....we don't normally bother with electric hook up as where we go the toilet/ washing up block has sockets for phone chargers and hair straighteners.

As others have said washing up equipment like bowl to carry stuff in, plastic plates,washing up liquid, plastic forks and spoons, tea towels, pans and a frying pan.Utensils like a spatula, wooden spoon ect.

Lots of fleeces and blankets, camping chairs and cushions.

I wind battery powered fairy lights across the tent strings, they look gorgeous and cosy at night and help you find the tent on the way back from the loo as well! All the tents look the same in the dark.

Get your shopping when you've set up just don't leave anything valuable in the tent. Don't forget salt,pepper, tomato ketchup, cooking oil, firelighters/matches and candles which look nice on your table in the evening get some big jar ones they may ward off insects as well.

Plenty of toilet rolls, baby wipes, calpol, sun cream, plasters, anadin and lots of socks.I took 10 pairs for DD last ime we went and they all got wet or muddy in two days!

Cheap croc type shoes are brilliant as you don't want to walk mud into the tent and its such a pain pulling wellies on and off constantly.

I take a giant Tupperware container full of curry and rice for the first night usually so we can just heat it through on the cooker.

The second day when we've unpacked we do a BBQ. Using disposable BBQ and the usual sausages, burgers ect, keep these in a secure cold box overnight. Never leave any scraps of food of drinks out it will attract rats/ foxes ect.

Have a brill time take bats and balls, swingball, scooters, colouring books, loom bands, ect. And your kids will make friends before you even unpack!!

Do you have an idea which part of the country you'll be camping in? We may be able to recommend sites suited to the beginner

Oh dear, half the thread was written while I was typing all that out . I've probably repeated loads of stuff now!

I only go to campsites that let you have a fire.

There are less than you'd think.

Adults sitting outside tent next to fire and kids in bed in the tent = the main deal.

It's bloody freezing otherwise.

Where are you OP?

It will be 10x colder at night than you expect so I second the hot water bottle...and a "wee bucket!"