Calling all you lovely camping people out there!!....

[CookieBear]

I am lucky enough?/mad enough?/brave enough? to be heading off for a couple of days camping over Easter. I've bought some aluminium mats to put under our airbeds (metallic one side & foam the other) as I was told this would provide us with a little extra warmth. However, my dilemma is...do we lay them metallic side up to reflect the body heat back up OR metallic side down to repel the cold?? It may sound completely daft but the more I think about it the more uncertain I am! Any help would be hugely appreciated. Thank you

up dammit keep the heat

think turkey

good thinking custardo!

how about if I am like an ice cube when I go to bed?? do you think it will still work?!

hot water bottle

IME as long as you have a nice cosy sleeping bag, body heat means you'll be toasty inside your tent no matter how cold it gets outside. I usually start the night in Pjs, socks etc but soon have to wriggle out of everything as it gets so warm.

The 2am dash to the loo block is another matter! Keep hat and gloves somewhere handy for that

Where are you going?

Definitely take hat and gloves as it can get really cold at night this early in the year. We take thermals too. WE also put a dunvet over the top of the airbeds for extra insulation.

..and a hot toddy too custardo!

aww thankx guys...megbusset, we are heading for my litle bit of paradise on the north devon coast. I find it helps to recharge the soul after a long old winter

at your camping trip... I haven't been since last May 'cause I had awful morning sickness all summer! But hopefully will take DS this year.

..for your morning sickness mb (even if it was last year!...not nice)
How old is your ds? do you think he will make a happy camper?
I've been taking my youngest ds since he was a baby and he just LOVES to camp.
Where do you go?

have you got an arctic bag? mine's like being in a sauna!

amynnixmum..might even be able to persuade dh to come if he thought he was going to get a duvet too! He is most definitely NOT a happy camper...

an artic bag?? now I like the sound of that!

Definitely take hot water bottles - we had them at the tale end of the season last year, and it was soooo nice crawling into a pre-warmed bed

Comme ca

My advice is don't skimp on the bedding. I lurve camping but its no fun when you're freezing cold. When we camp at Easter in the evenings I have on my thermals, then my pjs (so that I don't have to get them on later when it is even colder), trousers and two jumpers; then my coat, my hat and gloves, two pairs of thick socks and the car blanket over my knees. Then I am lovely and warm and I can still move enough to get my glass of wine from the table to my mouth

Blimey - how do you go the loo? or do you have a colostomy bag fitted?

be easier with a straw to the wine glass so you don't have to bend over!

littleeasterlapin..merci beaucoup!! liking the bags loads though not liking the price. There are 5 of us not sure that-

a) budget will stretch to the cost of 5 of these wonderful things or
b) how impressed family will be seeing me all wrapped up and cosy in mine!

I always struggle when it gets to that point where I have to move away from the warmth of the camp fire and dive into a cold bed..of course that also means putting down the wine glass....maybe that's why we usually end up staying up so darn late!

lol lucycat!!

We actually have one of these sleeping bags from Argos, it's gorgeous and warm, in fact too warm in the summer - wait until it's reduced though - the always are at various points in the season!

although am currently coveting one of these They have them in our local Go Outdoors and look comfier than my bed at home!

Ahh, you see, you get INTO the sleeping bag then sit by the fire with the wine... then you just shuffle into the bed when you're drunk... er, I mean, ready.

You can get arctic bags through army surplus stores, that's just one I found on Google .

I like the look of those too lucycat but we've no more room in the car And the answer to your question is I wait until I'm bursting and then run (well sort of hobble) to the loo. Luckily I have a strong bladder

ok, I'm getting a clear picture of me now...trussed up in the most gorgeously (?) cosy artic mummy bag, wine clamped to side with straw firmly in mouth, hot water bottle in place, thermals to scare even the most bravest of dh's away, hats, gloves, enormous duvet and all wrapped up like an oven-ready turkey. Roll on april 10th!!!