New to camping

[Butternutsqoosh]

I'm not a natural camper....however this years holiday budget means I need to become one! We have a large 6 man tent but nothing else - what essentials do I need? Halfords has a half price sale on camping stuff today so I'm busy filling up my basket! Thankyou!!

Something to sleep on, roll mats are good, you need that layer between your sleeping bag and the ground.

Something to cook on/with.

A light source, might be an idea if you have one you can hang up (maybe more than one) and a torch for trips to the loo (or something to use in the tent if you are OK with that).

Do you have a car? If not you need a rucksack.

Some sort of ice box/cool box and some ice packs - label the packs, most campsites let you freeze them so have double what you need so you can rotate them

Something to sit on, folding chairs/stools. If yo are a family you might consider a table. If it is just adults mess tins can be cooked in and eaten from.

Plastic or metal mugs, plates and some cutlery.

Sleeping bags - they are marked as 3 season, 4 season etc you don't need 4 season unless you are camping in the winter but it does get chilly at night in a tent.

You can also get blow up pillows.

Tip: when you go to sleep put your underwear and socks in your sleeping bag, right down at the bottom so they are warm in the morning.

I am a fairly seasoned camper and this would be my list:

Nice sleeping stuff - a self inflating mattress is better than an air bed which just always deflates and if you are on it a double one with someone else you are just constantly moving. Bring your own pillows from home. We use a double sleeping bag for me and DH which keeps us nice and warm.

Good comfy chairs - I have an enormous moon chair which takes up loads of space but I can properly curl up in it and I love it. Small chairs for the kids otherwise they want to sit in yours.

A folding picnic table for eating at.

A folding kitchen thing with a 'cupboard' built in.
Gas stove
Portable toaster (its just two bits of metal you put the bread between and hold it over the stove)
Get a camping set of pots/pans, cutlery, plates, cups etc, so that you don't have to bring your own crockery from home - Decathlon do a set.
Kettle

Tent Carpet to stop the floor of your tent getting manky and also makes the tent more cosy.

Loads and loads of pegs, especially if you are going to a beach place. Maybe some kind of washing line as well, otherwise you are just trying to hang towels etc over guy ropes.

If you are not going electric (we never do) get a couple of those portable charger things for phones, tablets etc

Hanging lights - again you can get them in Decathlon and tents usually have loops to hang them off. If you want to be a camping wanker like me you can also get fairy lights/festoon lights for outside the tent.

I'm sure there is lots more stuff I could think of!

Oh a washing up bowl as well, I forgot about that. And some form of water storage.

Some form of entertainment eg a pack of cards.

Get the basics right. You need a decent chair. Camping is tiring. You need a decent sleeping bag. It gets cold at night. I prefer an air mattress as these are more stable than camping beds and a lot more comfortable than roll mats.

Two burner stoves, a kettle and a pan. You'll want lots if hot drinks. A large flask can be good to store the hot water/hot drink you've just spent ages heating.

There's nothing like listening to rain on the tent roof..enjoy. (That sounded ironic - not intended. It really is great l!)