New to camping: equipment?

[wonderwoo]

Morning. Have searched but most of the threads are quite old. We are new to camping and need to buy some.basic equipment on a budget (I want to make the right choices so we don't have to buy again when we realise it's not great).

We have a tent, sleeping bags, lanterns, torches and camping chairs.

We need to buy matresses/air beds... what would you recommend? We don't have much space in the car.

What kind of stove is best?

Anything else that is essential?

Thank you!

If you can afford it, go for 10cm thick self inflating mats rather than air beds, but they aren't cheap.
How long are you going for? If only a few days I'd suggest you just get a small single ring stove and focus on simple easy one pot meals supplemented with disposable bbq and fish and chips. I have one little stove and a larger two ring one but the little one gets far more action. Otherwise ebay is your friend for second hand equipment.
Sounds like you have the basics sorted, make sure you sleep comfortably and the rest can come later!

Agree with pp the self inflating mats are better than air beds.
A cool box would be a good idea too.
Chairs and a table whilst not necessary do come in handy

10cm mats are v expensive and bulky. We have cheap thin SIMs from Aldi and they are still better than air beds. Kids are fine on the thicker roll up foam mat from Decathlon. It has a foil back, so well insulated.

The little 'suitcase' stoves are fine, but do follow the safety instructions: no pan can overlap the gas compartment, and don't use 2 next to each other. (The heat from one can heat the gas canister of the other).

How many would you be cooking for?

I have a 2 burner campinggaz stove and gas bottle, more outlay and space, but for short trips / fewer people take my suitcase stove and manage with that plus BBQ.

The minimum is:
Tent
Sleeping mats
Sleeping bags (I take a duvet from home as well in case it gets chilly)
Torch
Cooking stove.

You can build up your kit from there if you enjoy yourselves.

I find Decathlon the cheapest. Good luck

Brilliant. Thanks all. There are four of us and only camping for a couple of days to start with. See how we get on! I cannot afford the self inflating mats but will check out eBay and aldi.

I have a large plastic lidded camping box filled with all my utensils, plates, pans, bottle opener, equipment I need. Don't buy anything new if you have it already! I keep it packed and ready to go on each trip.