Your camping must haves / must do's please for a complete and utter novice

[Monroe]

Our financial situation will be taking a significant hit over the next few years. DH has therefore bought a tent and thinks this will solve our problem of at least getting a few breaks away with the DC's. The problem is neither of us have ever been camping and are pretty much winging it.

So please can you tell me what your essentials would be, what we should definitely do and also what we should also avoid. It will be me, DH, 9 year old ds and 6 year old DD, thank you ☺

Oh and i have an emergency potty thingy (potette plus from when potty training) for the kids (they are 3) so they use that in the night or first thing if it's urgent! I'm generally ok as long as i go right before i plan to go to bed, plus i always have a little jog back to warm me up. Make sure you go to bed warm or you will stay cold. Do some star jumps! I do however have a wee bottle/funnel thingy for emergencies.

Absolutely agree with everyone who focusses on keeping warm and a good night's sleep! Have been camping this weekend and again was truly grateful for the comfort of my ExpedSim. They aren't cheap but are worth every penny. I hate the mummy sleeping bags since I hate feeling constricted so I have a double all to myself so I can stretch out . If it is cold I have a cheap sleeping bag over the top of that. I also take proper pillows. I always think that any idiot can be uncomfortable on camp - it takes skill to be comfortable.

Practise putting your tent up before you go.
Sleeping- my dd swears by her SIM, but I have always been fine with an ordinary airbed. What ever you have, put several layers underneath as the cold strikes up from the ground! I prefer a single airbed, it's like being in a boat on a wavy sea on a double. I take a duvet and blanket, but get hot feet age related and like to be able to Chuck all the covers off if needed.
A night loo is essential imo. It's a right pain to get up and trek to the loos in the middle of the night. You can either just use a bucket with a lid, or there are lots of porta potty types on the market which are much more toilet like - basically a holding tank at the bottom which has elsan or similar chemicals in, with a the top half containing flush water and a proper seat and lid. They start from about £25.
Take good waterproofs and wellies and lots of socks, Woolly hats, sunhats, wet wipes, toilet roll, toys for when it rains, cool box and ice packs (most sites will refreeze them) and plastic boxes with lids for storage.
If you have two rings, use one for the rice/pasta/potatoes and the other for Bolognese, curry etc. Bbq' s always go down well with salad and rolls. Soup for a hot lunch. Lots of cake, fruit, snacks. Everyone is hungrier outdoors.
The caravan and camping club have a good network of sites, have a look.

I get a bit obsessed about having clothing organised. Each individual has a cloth bag for clean socks and underpants which means they can always find the clean ones in the inevitable clothing heap that develops.
One back pack is emptied on arrival and all dirty/damp clothes go in that. Once we get home, the whole thing tips into the wash.

Use a cardboard box, flattened out on the floor, just inside the door. Footwear goes on and off and stays on the cardboard. It keeps floor cleaner and helps in damp conditions. Dispose of at end of holiday.

In the UK, the kids and I get into pyjamas by 5pm (unless its very hot! ha!). Clothes back on over the top and then you just take off whatever layers as necessary when you go to bed. First rule of camping is not to get cold. Fleece onsies are the best for the DCs as the evening sets in.

Waterproof shoes -usually wellies - for schlepping to the loo block in the early morning. (Don't need these if camping abroad - we take Crocs instead).

Brilliant tips - great idea to put kids' PJs under their clothes for the evening.

We use thick survival blankets (foil backed) www.amazon.co.uk/Highlander-Thermo-Survival-Blanket-Silver/dp/B003U9UPRG under beds and find them much warmer than plastic-backed picnic blankets.

Solar fairy lights that come on when it's dark and go off when it's light - we use these www.redrobinsolar.co.uk/blingstring-solar-fairy-lights-warm-100-leds-p6?gclid=CLejwbmC8MwCFUQcGwodDmkFDg

Someone here recently recommended fleece pillowcases (Dunelm mill) and I'm trying them out this weekend - think they'll help avoid the weird cold&clammy pillow feeling at night

Suitcase stoves are really cheap and useful. Has anyone linked to Blu's safety warning about them yet? I've just bumped it again.

Also safety advice about never bringing BBQs and stove into tent.

My camping must-haves are:

Chair with high back, not stool to perch on.
Duvet and real pillows.
'Carpet' in bedroom (large foil-backed picnic blanket £8 from Lidl)
Kampa Khazi (although bucket with lid would do)
Kindle Paperwhite. So I can read in bed without disturbing DH or DS.

Also nice-to-have in the UK is a real fire. We camped for years without them but tried it once and it made such a difference in those long, cool evenings.

Foldable crate for storage and taking washing up to loo block.
Freeze milk to act as ice blocks. Can also freeze wine bags.
Crocs for shower.
Glow sticks s a night light.
Proper mug (not plastic) for tea/coffee.
Frozen 1st meal - chilli and wraps. One pot food is the best and always tastes fine on camp. Chicken curry with tinned potatoes in the curry is fine but would be yuk at home. One time we had hot dogs, instant mash and sweetcorn. Again, we ate it no probs, but honestly?

We use a plastic trug like this for washing up and laundry (if that's your thing on holiday). Handy because you can carry it in one hand.

I heart you all, thank you

Going to order those survival blankets for definite. Not started my list yet due to real life getting in the way but going to do so soon and try picking up bits and pieces weekly from now on

Warning: you will get carried away.

I had to admit I had finally reached 'peak-stuff' last month having walked out of a camping exhibition empty-handed. There is nothing else I need

Camping is like playing house for grown-ups

Proper mug for tea and coffee- I totally forgot that. For years I hated plastic/metal cup camping tea and then one day thought, I'm just going to bring my mug.
Changed my camping life!!!!
A definite must!

Absolutely! We have glasses for wine too.

Buying things which 'will be useful for when we go camping' becomes a year round hobby, beware!

Try to think what can have dual uses, eg:
The mats from the footwell of the car can be used as tent doormats.
Plastic storage box with lids, pack small things in for journey, use as a cupboard when you get there.
Washing up bowl/bucket can be used a baby bath.

If you are planning pasta make sure you take something to drain it. I speak from bitter experience of fishing bits of pasta out of hot water with a fork! You can get collapsible colanders in Homesense.

There are some brilliant ideas on this thread particularly using car mats and something under the ground sheet so you can put the tent away dry.

One tip I took from another one of these threads was to get the little cereal boxes and just pour the milk in, no bowl required. DD3 thought that was the best thing ever on our last camping trip.

isItTheHolidays tip for using a bucket for your stuff in the shower on a wet floor when there are not enough hooks is a good one. There never are enough hooks. I have a couple of butchers hooks in my wash-bag for hooking over the top of the door .

For food I usually take a frozen curry or casserole in a zip lock bag for night one. By the time you get there it should have defrosted and be ready to be reheated.

tacos or burritos are also a good meal.

Marking my place as we're off camping next week. Have already bought those survival blankets though!

A small bin with a decent lid, and a good supply of binbags. Maybe think of hanging the bin up, to keep critters out.
More warm blankets.
First aid kit.
Several old flannels, or a cut up towel to wet for wiping hands before & after meals (depending on ages of kids)
Bit of rope & pegs for airing stuff

Brilliant advice already on this thread. Will try not to repeat.

Storage - plastic collapsible crates are great - we have one by the door for shoes, use them to store kitchen stuff, kids toys etc etc
Also big blue IKEA bags - use these to store clothes, towels and usually have one for dirty washing too.

We take loads of those cheap IKEA fleece blankets too.

My kids like those porridge pots for breakfast - just add hot water - useful on a chilly morning. Bacon butties are our favourite breakfast though!

Food wise usually take a chilli for first night. Barbecue with salad and bread. Fish and chips and/or pub for one night. Simple one pot dishes are good. I find pasta takes forever to heat enough water and keep it boiling so I avoid. Couscous and bread are the easiest carbs.

Flip flops or crocs are a must too!

Also if you have dcs, we found chucking cheap black sheets over the top of the inner tents helped them sleep in much later Quite a relief after dc3's 5am wake up on the previous trip!

I take a bag for life to the shower to put my clothes in.

If the campsite has a washer, I try to stick a wash on (or 2) on the day we pack up. I know it might cost extra, in comparison to doing it at home, but so worth it just to put clean clothes away when we get home and have less of a washing pile (we also don't have a tumble dryer at home). It's usually free because everyone else is taking it home!

Thereshegirsagain,
So right about the mug!!
I love a mug if tea in the morning but always dreaded camping breakfast as hated the feel of plastic mugs,
Last year we took mugs from home and I drank more tea than any other week of my life!!

Agree with collapsible boxes, pegs, bin bags and baby wipes,
Not much else to add...(getting lots of new tips tho)

We reached peak camping kit a couple of years ago and are now in the process of downsizing as we just got so fed up with how long it took to pack and unpack a small car! My tips for travelling (fairly light) are

camping chairs with backs (otherwise you get a cold back sitting out at night)
don't bother with camping table but have small folding table for kids
small trangier camping stove and small bucket bbq
nighttime toilet is small bucket with a bin bag lined with a super sanitary towel
glow sticks - fun for kids and then act as a night light for their sleeping compartments
Lots of little cereal multipacks - kids love choosing a different one each day
blue ikea bags for storage

We only go to campsites that let you have fires.