We've been given a tent - what can we use from home before investing in camping equipment?

[mamabluestar]

As above really. Other than the tent we have no other equipment and have never been camping previously.

I'm thinking that we (me, DH, DD (9) and DS (6) ) could do a night away initially to see how we get on/decide if its for us.

Looking for advice on what we could get away with taking from home, before we decide if we want to invest in equipment. Thank you

You will need some basic bits to be able to cook on, but your pots and pans, utensils and cutlery from home will be fine and you can buy paper plates etc.

Have a look on gumtree and see if there are any sales for job lot camping gear. We sold ours all off for dirt cheap when we were done with it and the people that bought it were new to camping so were testing the water.

And depending on where you're going and when you will possibly need to invest in sleeping bags - unless you have lots of blankets you can create layers out of :)

Your own bedding, pans, crockery.

Would need
torches
Lilo, or sleeping mat
Camp stove of some sort
Groundsheet to sit on outside, or table and chairs

Maybe try to borrow some of these- cause the really cheapest ones of this stuff are so much less functional than,eg.a good camping stove, that struggling with the cheapest might put you off iyswim.

Have fun, you'll probably love it.

Could manage probably with nothing new, if you go to a nice grassy site on a dry warm summer night. Torch to find the loo at night and to add some drama. If you can survive without tea in the morning, or find a site with a cafe nearby, then use a disposable BBQ for the evening meal so no outdoor stove needed. ( some sites don't like them). Depends how many quilts, blankets you have as the ground can be hard and cold. We have a pull out sofa bed and the mattress from that could be used instead of getting foam mats. Take winter wooolie hats just in case you do feel cold at 3 in the morning

do you have fold up garden chairs?

Depends on what will fit in your car. If you've got lots of room and can take duvets (lots) etc then you won't need sleeping bags. You can use an old water bottle and your home pans utensils. So that would c leave... Something to sleep on and something to cook on. If you're trying out of go with cheap self inflating matt's from gooutdoors or decathlon (depends on whose nearest- the gear one is currently£15 in go) and one of those gas briefcase stoves..

Supermarkets often sell cheap roll mats or blow up beds. Anything else you can take from home. Duvets, blankets, pots and pans fold up garden chairs. Although again supermarkets sell camping chairs really cheap.

Those briefcase cookers are cheap too.