Help me shop please: £250 to cover tent, bag, some kind of bed... what would you buy?

[tryingabitharder]

So after years of family car camping and growing up camping and hiking I'm suddenly a scout leader and out frequently for short camps, and I'm finding that my ageing body is not amply protected by my old compact camping gear from my early 20s. I'm the only female leader so in a tent all on my own, need to be able to put it up quickly on my own too.

I have about £250 I can spend.

I much prefer canvas and I'm seriously tempted to put most of it to a used vango force 10 mk4, and get a cheaper sleeping bag, but I get really cold in bed nowadays and would have loved a down bag...I'm only 5'3" so ideally a woman's bag. Saw the lamina 20 but it was much bulkier packed than I'd hoped for...Also camp bed plus sim, is that the comfiest i can be on the ground?,

Would love help with this, please, as I'm losing a lot of sleep on to research, and am off camping on Friday, and hoping to buy kit in the next 48 hrs ??

So Go Outdoors have camp beds for £13 but I'd go for the £25 one and then get a 5cm SIM to go on top for another £25.

I'd then put your old sleeping bag on top of that and maybe use a really thick duvet from home too. Worse thing is being cold. The SIM will really make a difference to the cold coming up underneath and sleeping on a camp bed off the floor makes a big difference too.

As for a tent - I'd have a look on Gumtree or eBay. For £150 you should be able to pick up something reasonable.

If it doesn't have to be a ridge tent, there's a super little Cabanon Calais 2-main tent on Gumtree - they're really quick and easy to put up.

Thanks SalomeD. I was in go outdoors this morning, funnily enough, and thought the lowest camp bed was a bit wobbly but OK, although the bigger ones pack huge and I am limited for space as my car gets filled with all the kit and food for the scouts, so this comfy, warm kit needs to be small too :/ I hadn't thought of using a duvet over my old sleeping bag, that's a good idea. I have an old cheap sim which I'm hoping will be made usable on a camp bed, its just not comfy enough on its own but a full airbed is too annoying to put up and cold to use.

I am looking at a few old canvas tents on eBay / Gumtree, guessing I might need to reproof one? A good condition second hand f10 seems to be £170ish (going for mk4 so I can fit another person in when I bring my ds1 on scout camps occasionally.

Do you think canvas is worth the investment? I hate the dampness of poly tents, but they are a lot cheaper...

I have to say it's canvas for me every time (did buy an Outwell Carolina for £100 last year for when DS and me went to a family festival - loved that it was bright and airy but can't stand the rustling or the sound of rain on it).

Try Preloved too - I just picked up a kitchen tent off there for a good price.

Just noticed a super little Cabanon ridge tent has come up on eBay advertised at £100 but open to offers.

Cabanon Mercure

That is a nice tent SalomeD.

OP I bought a new cotton Force 10 and returned it last year because the quality was poor. I would definitely buy an old one if you go for one of those.

I have a canvas ridge that I bought last year for weekends and I love it. Obviously you can't stand up in it. Mine is a Cabanon Oregon (called carry on here as it really does look like something out of Carry On Camping).

I presume that you won't be carrying it too far at the other end (my ridge weighs about 15kg). If you don't have to carry it then I would go for canvas every time otherwise I would be looking for something lighter.

The green force 10 isn't bad, my husband has got a little three man tent nylon walkers tent that he uses on weekends, I can't remember what it is but it is very light.