The Mumsnet Guide to Camping

[GloGirl]

Help a woman out, we've decided to be campers. We've got two young boys and a short August weekend booked nearby as our first trip.

We. Own. Nothing! To camp with so want to start building our kit up from scratch and figured we'd probably spend around £1000 on tent and sleeping bags etc.

Any recommendations of what we need or top camping tips would be really appreciated

Don't want to spend a fortune on things we don't know will be good long term but similarly I don't want to underdo it and have an uncomfortable trip and never go back, or waste money buying cheaper items only to immediately replace them after 2 nights.

Bucket. No need to be traipsing to the loo in the night.
Or on a wilder site: bushes or behind your car.

That's so exciting! I'm envious of the excitement of first time camping
We first went when dd was 2 and I was converted when I saw how happy she was. She quickly made friends, loved sleeping in a tent and ate way better on a campsite than she did at home!
We used a portable dvd player to keep her occupied in the car while we pitched the tent - then we didn't have to worry about her wandering off while we were distracted.
We had EHU immediately and I loved having a wee electric kettle and fan heater so I could have a cup of tea in the warm even if it was chucking it down outside.
Get a kampa khazi - so much easier than trekking little people to a toilet block in the night.
Glow sticks make great nightlights.
Definitely crocs - so useful!
Will keep thinking...

Buy decent 2 or preferably 3 season sleeping bags. Don't be fobbed off with cheap things which come in a set. You can also buy child sized bags.
Mumsnet like self inflating mattresses. I need a proper air bed. Though the the kids have Sims. (DS, age 12) insists on a camp bed, but they are very heavy so it depends on how much stuff we have whether to take it.

In the UK, you will always need, wellies, waterproofs and your winter coats. Flip flops or crocs are great to slip on to walk across wet grass, and also to use in the shower if you want.

A bucket is needed for carrying dirty dishes and using as a wash up bowl.
We also use it to put clothes in when going to the shower so they don't get wet on the floor.

At night, for the kids (And maybe you) wear a vest, normal long sleeved long legged pj's, and then have socks, a pair of jogging bottoms, and a sweatshirt/fleece/jumper to wear if you are cold. These can also be used a dressing gown, and give you an extra outfit should you run out of clothes.
(Onesies are warm, but to have to take the whole thing off to go to the toilet)

The outfit the kids travel in should become their campsite outfit. Which they wear on the site until it is so filthy you can't cope. Every time you leave the site to go to civilisation get them changed into nice clothes, but change back as soon you get back to site.

Bring string and clothes pegs, then you can make a washing line if needed.

Some kind of wee bucket for the kids is necessary. (A potty is great when little) with a lid. My Dsis uses one of those composting bins, meant for the kitchen.

Oh no! Talk of piss buckets and sleeping in 7 layers is turning me off somewhat is this why you need so much wine when camping??

Forgot to mention I also have a dog so any dog camping tips will also be appreciated!!

Buckets are for the kids, so you don't have to get out of your warm sleeping bag to take them to the loo!

Decent warm bedding is needed. Sorry this is the UK!

Camping is a great holiday with kids. You are dealing with them in your own space with your own stuff. No tiny hotel room, or cottage full of breakable ornaments.
If they spill their drink, who cares, it's grass! If they flip their dinner, no embarrassment to you, or worry about the mess on the carpet.
Also they sleep like a dream after the first night, the fresh air tires them out.

I have a two/ three season sleeping bag, wear a nightshirt or shift type PJ and am never cold June - Aug in S Uk. Actually I often feel quite hot and unzip my bag a bit.

Not sure I can bear carrying a bucket of wee past friends we are camping with!

Can anyone help? Our tent is 6x3.8. I've just got our weekend reservation through and they've booked approx type and size of unit as 5x3. The pitch dimensions are 7.5x 9m - will we need to inform them of the larger tent? It reads like the pitch will still be ok? Ideally I'd like to have the same pitch as I presume we're next to who we've booked with.

Also can anyone recommend any good lanterns/solar lights/fairy lights?

It's a none-EHU that we're going to, at least first.

GloGirl: cat litter is an option. Cheap cat litter in bucket, throw cat litter in a rubbish bag and transport as rubbish.

For comfortable camping with kids, these are our essentials:

A decent tent is a must, doesn’t have to be too large. Ours has a carpet. We use camping door mats. One outside, one inside the tent, shoes off while we’re in the tent = no mud in the tent.
Table with adjustable height legs is brilliant + Comfy chairs for everyone
Decent sleeping bags. I have a 4 season, kids and husband 3 season ones. Pillows from home.
We use a double camping bed (I think it’s Outwell) and use the space underneath to store clothes.
Kids have Outwell thin inflatable mattresses
Blankets at least 3 of them
Something for storing food + a gas stove
Portable BBQ, gas as some campsites abroad ban charcoal ones.
Cooler box. A decent size to fit milk, bbq meat, salad and beer/ wine
A mallet for hammering the pegs
Light and torches
Bin bags
Fairy lights and candles for the evenings.

We have been camping with kids for 9 years and loving it. We enjoyed many amazing camping holidays in the UK, France, Holland, Austrian and Slovenian Alps.

We camped quite a few times when ds2 was around 4. He used to roll off his air bed every night, so instead we just folded up a couple of fleece blankets, then layered a couple of folded towels, then a double fleece folded into 4. He slept really well after that. No more rolling onto the floor and waking up.

I also suggest a head torch, folding boxes to put your stuff in and real pillows. Maybe even eye masks if your tent doesn’t block out the light.

Microfibre towels dry so much quicker than normal towels.

4 season sleeping bag. Combined with a woolly hat.
Rechargeable Fairy lights for inside the tent, put solar panel part outside and you have low lighting from dusk onwards.
Crocs for the shower.
Sims.
One pan recipes.
Travel towels with a loop sewn on for the shower.
Pegs, food bags and food bag clips - a multitude of uses!
Ikea blue bags.
Door mat for inside the tent.
Fleece blankets.

Sometimes less is more. You don't want your weekend fun to be outweighed by stress of fitting it in the car.

We have 3 × 35 litre Really useful boxes, 2 kept permanently packed with cooking gear etc. and one for food. Double up as chair or table as they are very sturdy. Look out for outdoor plastic plates etc once the picnic stuff comes into the shops.

Windbreak is useful as wind can change after you've pitched.

Use footprint groundsheet to agree position and direction of tent.

3-4 season sleeping bag for UK, (from proper outdoor shop not tesco) you can always unzip a bit but harder to get warm if it turns out to be too thin. Buy ski/merino thermals to sleep in. I am a very cold sleeper!

For your first night take a frozen meal eg bolognaise or curry or similar that you can just reheat. I serve bolognaise with cous cous instead of pasta as it's much easier to prepare.

Hope you enjoy it!

Have a look on Amazon for 'Travel Johns' if you don't fancy a bucket. Ideal for wees in the middle of the night.

Loads of great advice on here. I would add...

• Some citronella candles for sitting out at night
• Matches - put a box in a sealed sandwich bag so they can't get damp
• I bought several really cheap PE bags (the nylon drawstring ones) and have one with torches in it, one for first aid stuff and one for spare batteries.
• Don't bother with holdalls, we have a big IKEA bag for each person with clothes, toilet stuff and towels in it. Saves rummaging through bags to find stuff
• I always take a jersey 'throw on' dress with me to go to the shower. - much easier than trying to keep PJs dry and then get dried and dressed in the cubicle. Take flip flops/crocs rather than wellies unless the forecast is really bad
• Take some quick and easy snacks for the children for the morning - brioche, cereal bars, smoothies, flavoured milk. Even if you wouldn't normally have them at home they are ideal in case 'proper' breakfast is delayed.

Well we made it!! Thanks so much for all your advice, we listened to most of it!!

First time camping since I was about 10 with school. I really enjoyed it despite being not the type - what worked was how great it was for the children to switch off and be outdoors and rough it. It felt like I was giving them a real experience, and for £20 a night it's cheaper to go camping than take them for a day out! They loved it.

What we loved:

We got a great double camping chair from Go Outdoors and it worked almost like a sofa. Was great to cuddle up under a blanket with DH but also quite a stable beast for the kids to use in the day time as they fell off their own camping chairs a few times!

Our Outwell 7.5cm Dreamcatcher SIM was lovely! Really weird sleeping so close to the floor but was comfortable on my hips so I'm happy. Also used a double sleeping bag which was great on the cold night but drove me potty on the warm one so not sure about this!

Our tent was fabulous, envy from those we were camping with. Attracted so many flies though?!?! I know insect repellent doesn't work well for tents due to the materials used. Any recommendations on how to resolve this? Must have had 30 flies in and our neighbouring tents had none.

M&S filter coffee pod things - Fit over your cup and drain through coffee. Definitely a good idea.

Also needed first aid kit at around 1am with a high temp toddler - v smug I had my Calpol in there just in case!

What we didn't do/what didn't work well:

We bought cheap SIMs for the kids which were soft but didn't keep them in place, we were camped on a slight slope so they wriggled off. I think there could be a better solution. Perhaps a double air bed for them to share?

I did not take your advice about wee buckets after my travelling companions advised me against it. After 3 middle of the night toilet trips on the first night with me and kids I regretted it whole heartedly! I promise to listen to you next time.

I think some form of slipper/ugg boot would have worked well for all family to slip on and off.

We didn't camp somewhere you could rent fire pits so we had no fire - Think that's a must next time.

More fairy lights! We took some but not enough. Really loved out lights and lantern will link in the next post.

This was brilliant, I bought it ages ago as a night light for bedrooms. Soft light, little hanging loop if needed, cool to touch. Didn't pay this price for it but it was a few months ago!

www.amazon.co.uk/Upgraded-Ascher-Childrens-Dimmable-Adjustable/dp/B01EQQEW9I/ref=mp_s_a_1_17?keywords=night+light&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&tag=mumsnetforum-21&ie=UTF8&qid=1533977294&sr=8-17

These were brilliant- easy to hang up or take down and had a small light and a large one. V useful!!

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00J5MU0TK/ref=ya_aw_oh_bia_dp?psc=1&tag=mumsnetforum-21&ie=UTF8

This was our double camping chair

m.gooutdoors.co.uk/hi-gear-vegas-double-chair-p322071&gclid=CjwKCAjwkrrbBRB9EiwAhlN8_LoEXHmMLtiglLHQcA9a0HrBVocD5HZFzQseH3YAc5TULOqVEEriuxoCa1AQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CKOP29vP5NwCFakC0wodYRQOeQ

Need more fairly lights next time as well as a wee bucket. Also need cooking equipment etc so any recommendations welcome thank you!!

If you're away for more than a couple of days you really need electricity. It's hard to keep food cold without an electric cool box for more than a couple of hours, we camped in the recent hot weather and would have really struggled without it. Also unless you want to wait 4 hours for a cup of tea you need an electric kettle also recommend a small fan heater as it can be cool in the tent last thing at night.

4 hours for a coffee was right

I thought that any site that had a cafe so I could grab my first coffee instantly and feel human first thing would be just right for me!!

”You will probably trade ease of erection for size” Midgebabe

GloGirl, if you really get the camping bug you can invest in an Icey Tek, a cool box that keeps things icy cold for 5 days without EHU. Igloo boxes and Coleman Xtreme are similiar high performance ‘passive ‘ boxes, but the lovely Icey Tek coolers are beloved of MN campers. I have a 25l one.

For coffees we have a large flask, boil the kettle first thing and have water for about 4 cups before it needs refilling.
Also (not environmentally friendly) but a nappy in the bottom of a bucket makes a great kids emergency toilet. Once finished just wrap up the nappy and bin no mess or smells!

For some reason this has fallen out of my threads now so your posts didn't come up. Thanks for the advice! Think a flask is a good idea, it is really tedious waiting for the kettle to go!

Not heard of the Icey Tek coolers, they're on my list. Cheers. How many days worth of food can you fit in them?

Can you tell I am hooked? I am browsing the camping section on my lazy Sunday morning!

Omg they come in pink!

www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=Cctlye-UhUc

And Orange, and yellow and purple and bright green.....