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Camping

Our UK Camping forum has all the information you need on finding the right equipment for your tent or caravan.

Original poster

Weekend tents??? you know the ones, when the big detached palace is too much, or when you want a stop over en route??? 4 person (at least) 2 rooms, CHEAP

82 replies

crunchie · 03/06/2007 13:54

Anyone??? Seruisly I want a cheap and cheerful tent for one nighters, not worried about it being slightly 'fairweather' as it will be the grab and go one if the weather is nice, or one that we use on the way IYKWIM

Must have 2 rooms, pref sepatrate ends of tent and must be cheap

OP posts:
quadrophenia · 04/06/2007 19:57

can't stop talking about them at the minute, think its the time of year or something, you guys like tent porn, i like vw porn

Lucycat · 04/06/2007 20:01

Fantastic marymoocow!

So glad you liked it - so where are you off to next?

Original poster
crunchie · 04/06/2007 20:01

slubber we have a citroen picasso and a smallish roof box, we fit EVERYTHING we for 2 week holiday into it. We have a LOT of stuff. Inc 4 duvets, fridge, 2 tables 4 chairs, 2 umbrellas, 2 ready beds for kids and double airmatress for us, food boxes, clothes holdall etc

This year we will need to add a lightweight tent and a tow bar and bike rack for 4 bikes

You can get airpumps that run off the car ciggarette lighter (and rechargeable ones in tesco I saw today)

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Lucycat · 04/06/2007 20:02

Slubber - yes you should fit all your stuff easily into an estate car with a roof box.

Do you have an adaptor for the cars cigarette lighter that you could use with your electric pump?

Lucycat · 04/06/2007 20:03

beat me to it crunchie

Slubberdegullion · 04/06/2007 20:04

My word crunchie, you must be an excellent car packer.

Aha cigarette lighter jobby. Very good. I spent 4 months lying on a foam mat as DH and I travelled around Oz. I have no plans of doing that again. A woman in my position needs comfort and a good nights sleep.

marymoocow · 04/06/2007 20:06

Lucycat - we've got 3 more adventures booked.
A week near Poole, weekend near Nottingham, and then 2 weeks near to Bude.
We don't do things lightly
Crunchie - dh wants to know how you manage to get it all in for 2 weeks, our picasso was jam packed for this weekend, and we had a roof box. I suspect we have too much but can't think what to leave behind - maybe the 3dc

Slubberdegullion · 04/06/2007 20:07

Do we need a fridge if we are just planning on doing weekends to start?

How important is chilled beer? Or fresh milk for morning tea?

Original poster
crunchie · 04/06/2007 20:14

It is all about planning, in the roof box goes the tent - last in first out!! Along with airbeds, ready beds, and pillows for us and our duvet.

Boot of car lie tables, behind our seats go chairs (they are the long folded canvas ones) We tabke out the middle seat totally and our frigde fits perfectly there, full of food. All our pots/pans/kitchen stuff goes in crates which can be stacked. Teatowels and other towels wedged in. One bag of clothes for all of us (you are camping you wear the same clothes for days) Kids are allowed one small rucksack of toys each, and they have theri pillows and duvets wrapped round them en route (They choose to do this)

Washing up bowl in middle of car (in case of sick) Loo roll/kitchen roll and nappy sacks (for same reason) inside washing up bowl. Spare tracksuits to hand. Comes with practice!! A coupleof years ago I packed the car (no tent/frigde etc as we went eurocampping) and fitted 2 kids bikes in, no roof box, poor dh couldn'tget it allback in for the journey home!!

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marymoocow · 04/06/2007 20:14

Wouldn't say you need one, but we found it nice to have one this weekend, as it meant we could concentrate on enjoying ourselves rather than running to the shops, or worrying about freezing ice-blocks. Mind you it was our first time, and so had enough to think about iyswim, and we are planning longer trips so had it anyway

marymoocow · 04/06/2007 20:16

so i would have to leave one of the dc at home then if you fold the middle chair down then . Now let me think which one would i choose....................

Original poster
crunchie · 04/06/2007 20:16

ah we only have 2 kids!!! fridges aren't important for weekends, cook boxes are fine overnight and you can usually get milk at the shop. You can ask the campsite to freeze the ice blocks and they lend you some in teh meantime

OP posts:
Original poster
crunchie · 04/06/2007 20:17

no mary, I take the whole seat out totally!! Leave it at home

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Slubberdegullion · 04/06/2007 20:23

crunchie, just copied and pasted your post of 20:14 in to my new camping word file!
Sounds like a military campaign. I am never allowed near the car at packing time (due to the spatial inability), but I may just print out your post and blue tac it to a car window. And then scarper!

lol the washing up bowl and tracksuits to hand!

Lucycat · 04/06/2007 20:24

Now we pack totally diferently as our tent is too heavy to go in the roof box. All our sleeping stuff, clothes bag, fold up chairs, dh's fishing stuff goes in the roof box - all the light stuff basically - then the camp kitchen, cooker, gas bottle etc go in the boot, the tent goes in last right near the back of the boot.

Our cool box goes down in front of dd2's feet as she is still little and doesn't need the leg room yet.

Lucycat · 04/06/2007 20:25

yes tis a military operation - all ticked off on my list as it goes in - and we still usually forget something

Lucycat · 04/06/2007 20:27

We have an ice cream tub with kitchen roll in for travel sickness - you can put the lid on it all until disposal time.

Peachy · 04/06/2007 20:27

Mum has an airbed with a pump (battery) built in. No problem!
( she doesnt ahve a car)

marymoocow · 04/06/2007 20:27

I was thinking that our tent might be too heavy for the roof box. Don't think dh could lift it up there in the first place. Did take a rather fetching photo of him practically inside it when he was trying to attach it to the roof bars. Trouble was dc were watching, and nearly moved the ladder that he had used to climb up to reach lol.

Slubberdegullion · 04/06/2007 20:27

Lucycat. Your post also copied to word file. Just to confuse DH

Mental note made: packing car of great importance to reduce potential of campers-crack-up at arrival and setting up time.

Slubberdegullion · 04/06/2007 20:29

Also copied (sick box with lid).

Peachy · 04/06/2007 20:30

and I would consider this tent

Lucycat · 04/06/2007 20:30

lol at your cut and pasting slubber!

We also have a flask of coffee ready for when the tent is pitched - a must before the win box is opened!

Original poster
crunchie · 04/06/2007 20:31

depends on the weight of teh tent, ours is about 22kg I think it all fits into a large suitcase thingy (bit like a mens suit carrier, which folds in half and cllips together.

BTW from arrival to 1st glass of wine with tent up and beds made is about an hour. Dh does tent with minimal holding stuff from me and or kids, I do airbeds, kids do chairs, tables!!

OP posts:
marymoocow · 04/06/2007 20:32

Now we hadn't thought of the flask, that was one thing we were desperate for when pitching this weekend. I had prepared the dinner and frozen it at home, after tips on here which was invaluable.