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!!

It's all good unless it rains*

And when it rains, it's all shit.

*apart from the possibility of having noisy, obnoxious pissheads as camping neighbours.

OP - this is Chat - it attracts camping-haters. Post in Camping

My attitude to camping is that if you try and recreate your own home, or a hotel, in a field, and stick to all your usual routines etc, you will fail and be miserable. If you think of it as an adventure in the open air, enjoying the freedom, relax, chill, forget your usual standards of personal grooming, enjoy the stars, the fire, the horizon, the woods, the birdsong, let the kids run wild, enjoy a 'back to basics' lifestyle, then you will have much more fun.

I am completely inspired. Planning visit to storage unit to remind myself what camping stuff made the international move. I know the tent didnt. The lost rain fly was not a problem in southern California, but we figured we would noctice the lack in Scotland. And our 40 year old sleeping bags (bought used 20 years ago) were left behind with the person we gave the tent to. Other than that, I really cant remember. I am pretty sure we kept the stove. And the solar fairy lights!

Blu is right - it might be worth reporting your OP and see if they'll move it. Will stop it from going pfft after ninety days also.

On the poles-and-pegs note: it is really, really worth while scouring the pitch once you've packed up, to see if you've left any.

Preferably get DH to sign an affidavit saying that he too has checked for missing poles etc so he can't claim it's All Your Fault the next time you camp if you ever do.

Oh, and when packing to go home, DO NOT drop your car keys blithely onto the back seat and gradually stow everything else on top over the next couple of hours.

Even if your tent comes with pegs, buy heavy duty all terrain pegs. And a hammer with a hook on the end for pulling them out.

I love love love camping. When I was child, we used to spend four weeks of the summer camping then the last week my parents would book us into a 5* hotel - I feel a bit sad I can't do that for my DC as it was amazing.

Another tip, or plea, if you have a shower block with a separate shower room with disabled access exclusively (ie not baby changing etc), please don't use it unless you are disabled. Last summer, every single time I went, there was always someone in there who didn't require the disabled access (I know because they apologised, the others were full, DC were sandy, this was nearer etc) . After self propelling over a field and then waiting for multiple family members to shower, I was always desperate and it ruined the holiday a bit for me. Of course I would have to wait if a disabled person is in there, and I don't want to derail the thread, but I was amazed how many people thought it was ok to do this.

Well me and DH nearly divorced after a week camping in Cornwall last year, so good luck.

It was generally a lovely summer last year .... until the August Bank Holiday week when we were perched on a cliff in Cornwall. Rain, hail, wind, bored teens, more rain, our pitch looked like glastonbury.

Spent a bloody fortune as we kept going out to eat, couldn't be arsed to cook in the rain.

Drove all the way back to London in silence .... except for when DH missed the motorway turn off .... few expletives then back to silence.

However ..... friends have convinced us to do it again in Devon this year. I do think the memories fade, but this has brought them vividly back to life, so I may decline.

I would now like to also get a coupke of smaller tents,because as great as a 6 person one is,its no good for wild camping,and a van/car and trailer combo is needed for any length of trip.
A mallet is a good idea.Some strong string or cord and spare tarp.
For the dc's a kite went down well but water pistols were a mistake.A big shouty mistake.

The other thing with a bloomin huge tent is getting it really dry to pack it away,and storage at home.
All these factors need considering.
We can barely lift/fit ours through the loft hatch and it hax to be placed very carefully across the rafters.
I dread the thought if rats,mice or squirrels getting to it,because big tent= big replacement cost.
(Wonder if the contents insurance covers that,actually,if there's accidehtal damage cover....)

Mine lives under my bed in the winter, and permanently in the back of the car in the summer.

Excellent work, Kim! (Is that the bit where Enthusiastic Dad tries to encourage Calvin to go canoeing and gut fish before breakfast?)

Loving this thread. My essentials:

Huge tent - huge - we have an 8 man tent for the three of us

Footprint and carpet plus porch for wellies

Electric hook up and fridge (and chargers for every boredom busting gadget you can find)

Comfy chairs - we have a blow up sofa and armchair (Argos) and a 'moon' chair which we fight over

Blankets - loads of them

Any food you just add hot water to or put in a pan and heat up

Lights and books/kindle, not much to do once the child/ren are asleep

Wine in a box

Spare set of car keys...NOT kept in the car..........

Sense of humour

We love it, go every year, haven't got the sleeping bit right yet for me

Take a quilt over sleeping bags found them much warmer, and a camp bed to keep you of the cold ground.

My essentials:

wine.

More wine.

what I also found was dressing gowns, bed socks etc, layering do them all. If I'd known (about 2 years ago maybe 3?) it was going to be freezing in August I'd have taken hot water bottle and thermals (uniqlo).

Make sure you find stuff to do that's enjoyable that takes the sting out of camping/weather - we had a nice country fair and the White Horse nearby. I spent ages in the snake tent at the fair (no that's not a euphemism!) as I find them fascinating pissing off my friends further!

Someone once told me that the plastic boxes mushrooms come in were essential camping equipment - for peeing in, you understand.

That and the lack of anywhere to plug in a hairdryer was enough to put me off.

Lots of sites have facilities for using hairdryers and straighteners. Check carefully what facilities are at the site. Preferably see a picture! Sleeping bags are annoying but duvets take up a lot of space in the car. A foldaway bin is useful and stackable foldaway boxes are great to store food. Torches for everyone in case they need the loo in the night. Folding chairs, wine, corkscrew, glasses and thick jumpers are essential for sitting out after the kids are in bed! Enjoy!

Who needs a torch when they have a mushroom box?

And don't forget the pail to do a pee in at night so you don't have to all walk to the toilet block!

anyone got any good sites in Yorkshire.

We love Aberford but would like to try others...

Went camping near Scarborough a few years ago now. It was a small site, can't remember the name of it.