I am going to do it!

[TheoriginalLEM]

I am going to buy a tent!!!

We looked at one today, a Vango avington - two bedrooms plenty of room and £280. Nearly bought it but it would leave me with very little to buy bits and peices so we took a reality check and are looking on Ebay for now.

Wht do i need to know? What are the basics we need?

We are watchin one on ebay that has all the equipment, its currently cheap enough but two days to go...

Should i say, there is me and DP and DD (9) oh and two jack russels.

Are there dog friendly campsites? how much on average does it cost per night, is it more expensive in the summer holidays etc?

Will i freeze my bits off?

We have a very basic kit and most of it is borrowed or gifted. You'll need something to keep your food in, we use an ice box which was £7 from adsa. Something to cook on, something to eat out of, sleeping bags and chairs. Everything else is an optional extra

If you are thinking of second hand also check out ukcampsite and preloved. A lot of things can be taken from your house to use or collected from charity shops. Lidl, Aldi, shops like home bargains and poundland are also good.

Forgot to answer some of your questions. The price will depend on the campsite, the more facilities they have the more they usually charge and yes, they all charge more in school holidays. If you are worried about being cold, take fleece blankets to put under your sleeping bag and take hats.

I have been known to sleep in my clothes but that was early April.

I would agree that being warm at night is the crucial thing - too cold and you'll never go again! Last night I had foil backed picnic rug, ikea rug, SIM, fleece blanket, 3 season sleeping bag opened out, and inside a further 3 season down bag. And I still felt the cold coming up from the ground .

Poundland foil backed emergency blankets are recommended on the camping groups for putting under and over SIMS. Its on my list to get some!

Lets be honest. Camping is one of those things that people spend too much money on and then decide they don't like it. Ideal for getting things second hand. I'd get new sleeping bags(3 season) and the rest second hand, or just use home stuff.

Lidls has some camping stuff in next week including self inflating mattresses which are great.

Being warm at night can conquer all! We take pjs, a tracksuit, duvet, sleeping bag and fleecy blankets. Our motto is you can never take too many blankets! Even dh who gets so annoyed at all the stuff we take would never dream of taking out the blankets!

I think most campsites are dog friendly, we average around £30 a night for 2 adults, 2 DCs, dog, electric hookup.
A friend takes an electric blanket with her, Im not sure I think this idea though.
Dont forget torches and batteries.

Been looking at tents today, am torn between this one or this one.

I personally would be happy with the first one and its £100 cheaper!!! but DD likes the second due to space to play inside (errrr but the whole idea is you will be playing outside!) which wouldn't neccesarily sway me but we do have two dogs and DP thought you'd get everything wet in the first one if its raining when you go outside.

I have a budget of around £400 for everything so the cheaper one is really pulling me but i don't want to have something thats too small especially as we would like to go away for a week or so.

Can anyone make recommendations for sleeping bags? i don't want a cocoon thing as i need to be able to move my legs, dp doesn't want a double, but i do. This is the thing i would spend more money on as everything else id get second hand or as we go along. Obviously need lights and a cooker, everthing else could be made do until i get more cash.

I'm not a camping person so feel free to disregard. But I think a space inside to play might be an eminently sensible idea given weather in the UK

Oh and enjoy your foray into camping!

That is a good point well made Holger :)

The Vango Icarus might be cheaper, but it doesn't include the front canopy like the Avignon - that extra bit of shelter is how you keep your stuff dry in the rain. Also, don't underestimate how much stuff you need when you're thinking about living area size!

Both Lidl and Aldi have their camping special offers in and their stuff is usually good value. My crockery and cutlery was from Poundland five years ago. Their picnic blankets are tiny but make excellent door mats.

Sorry, forgot to answer your question about sleeping bags - Sports Direct sometimes do the Gelert Pods for under £20 which aren't at all restrictive. We take duvets unless it's right out of season, packed into a vacuum bag they aren't too bulky. Fleece blankets from Ikea or Primark are a must have for chilly evenings or an extra layer on top of your bedding.

We have the vango icarus but don't have a canopy or awning which sucks especially when it's raining as you let water in when you try and get in or leave the tent. Its fine space wise for us, ds who's 2 and just about fits our 2 dogs. I'd recommend considering one with an awning or canopy. We don't like closed awnings which is why we've not bought one. Think we'll experiment with a tarp this summer.

EBay had some great deals on them last time I looked. Def buy second hand with all the gubbins like tent carpet and footprint. We should have done that

Sorry, forgot to answer your question about sleeping bags - Sports Direct sometimes do the Gelert Pods for under £20 which aren't at all restrictive. We take duvets unless it's right out of season, packed into a vacuum bag they aren't too bulky. Fleece blankets from Ikea or Primark are a must have for chilly evenings or an extra layer on top of your bedding.

thank you so much for the advice. decision made - we will go for the bigger tent with the canopy and get sleeping bags in a week or so. Am very excited!!!

I agree a canopy of sorts is essential. This is where I store coolbox, hamper, gas stove and also put the chairs and firewood there overnight to keep dry. Also wellies.

We have the vango icarus but don't have a canopy or awning which sucks especially when it's raining as you let water in when you try and get in or leave the tent.

My Vango Eos is a similar design. It was wet this morning. Everytime I went in or out half a cupful of water ended up on the floor by the door. When going in you then tread in it making it muddy as well. Very annoying design. I'n thinking about an army tarp to go across the top like a porch, but I wish their design was better instead.

I emailed Vango and the little chappy is going to pass it on to their product team or whatever, about door designs or making a strap-on porch for their side doored small tents.

If you are looking to save money I wouldn't bother buying sleeping bags.

We take the duvet from the spare bedroom and put that on the blow-up mattress, then a fitted sheet, then the duvet from our bed goes on top of us.

Super cosy. I take plenty of those cheap Ikea fleece blankets in case it gets really cold.

DD (3.5) sleeps in a cheap sleeping bag and the duvet from her bed over the top of that.

We take our proper pillows too these days!

Hope that helps.

I'd be inclined to spend more on the tent and less on other bits. Like others have said, you can take normal bedding from home instead of sleeping bags (or to supplement cheapo sleeping bags). Space to play inside is great. My dc have spent many happy hours playing lego or tent ping - pong in ours during bad weather.

The other stuff you'll need depends on whether you'll want electric hook - up, refrigeration etc and to what extent you're expecting to cook stuff!

We take ridiculous amounts of stuff, but much of it is stuff we already had, rather than stuff we bought specifically for camping.

I'm going to disagree slightly on the sleeping bag front and say buy a decent 3 season (ideally mummy shape) sleeping bag (doesn't have to be expensive - ours are Millets own brand I think) You need to be warm at night and that's the best way to ensure that ime.

Coolbox. Something to cook on (and eat off!) Chairs. A torch/lantern.

A camping table is handy but not essential. We sleep on SIMs (self inflating mattresses) but if you already have an airbed perhaps start with that. A blanket underneath your airbed/SIM helps insulate it from the ground.

Enjoy!

Another question if i may - comfort wise, how do air beds v self inflated matresses score? dp and myself aren't the lightest of folk!