Help, we've just bought a tent.....

[ShinyNewShoes]

title says it all, really. About an hour ago DH ordered a shiny new tent with the intention of us using it with our 2 LOs. Lovely, you think, and hopefully it will be. It's just that I'm not one of life's natural campers!!!! - I'm not exactly high-maintenance, but I do like a nice clean private loo/shower/personal space etc etc etc, and none of the tents we've looked at seemed to have an en suite.......
Anyway, have imbibed lots of wine in the last hour and am staggering off to bed now but just need to know that a) a Vango Breckenridge 400 will be our absolute perfect choice and b)remind me please what I will love about camping with children (will be just 4 and nearly 2) - I have camped before (UK, France and Iceland) but not since the LOs arrived!
TIA

Just go to sites with decent toilet/ shower blocks and pubs nearby and you will be fine .

I had never camped, then last year we bought a extremely cheap tent on ebay [couldnt stand up in it] and went with Ds who was 2 and dd1 was 5mths and I was pg with dd2. IT was fab and we loved it so much we went one more time last summer then sold the small tent to buy a big one for this year!!

Thanks for the messages of support, ladies!
Well, luckily no hangover this morning and it's sinking in that we really have ordered a tent. Anyone have any experience of a Breckenridge??? - I should add that DH didn't hide in a darkened room to order it or anything, I've had to accept that he and DD love camping (we assume DS will too) and it's our most realistic chance of holidays for a while, it's just that I'm pretty nervous about it. At a basic level, we've visited the big tent place nearest us soo many times that I'm now anxious that the DC will expect to run in and out of all the tents on the camping site!!!! Am reading the camping tips thread with great interest, and last night DH also ordered full waterproofs for DS and a warm fleece for DD.....

Camping is great fun

Any ideas which site you will be going to?

I think the first proper trip will be the site on the Sandringham estate (somewhere, the ILs have booked it, family meet-up planned - they're all camping fans too, you see, I really am outnumbered...) although we'll have to try putting the tent up before then (luckily there is a handy field behind our house) and there is talk of DH and the DC 'camping' in our old tent on our lawn before then (new tent won't fit on lawn. We won't all fit in old tent - shame.....)
So, someone please tell me that the facilities there are fab and that our tent will be perfect and I will be astonished at how much I enjoy it all

I've never heard of it but look here for ukcampsite info and reviews.

You will have fun - take loads of wine

Brilliant, thanks Dusty.

Wow a fabulous tent [wnvy] definitely one Dh and I have discussed- you'll be fine with that tent!

And some sites have fab facilllities- wood farm in charmouth has the best I ahev found yet (little lockable cubicles for washing etc, plus good showers), but there are loads of decent ones about.

UK campsite website has reviews on their sites which should help

Cheers Peachy, chuffed to hear that our tent should be good - we were all set to get the Vail 500, but DH was worried that it might be fiddly to pitch it really well and he was happier with the layout of the Breckenridge so we've gone for that (hours of debate!) but it's a it scary 'cos we've not actually seen one - not stocked anywhere near us at all. We got a good deal on it, I think, £300 to include a footprint. Are we mad to buy a tent that we've not seen?????

oo we saw that at a tent show last week - its very nice !!

Ah, excellent - thanks for that - was wprried that we'd lost the plot buying something unseen, despite stalking the puddlezone of our local camping shop recently

'worried' - oops

I was impressed how spacious it was on the inside without seeming to be massive on the outside if you see what I mean !

Brilliant, that was exactly what we wanted. Anything further that you noticed would be much appreciated!

Our local store has the Breckenridge and it is lovely- funnily enopugh our next big tent will be the Vail or Breckenridge! I wiould go for the vail, Dh the Breckenridge- not that its an issue atm as we have a very nice tent that was new this year (but already used 5 times so won't last for ever, iyswim).

And a Khyam QE for weekends- perfect!

The bedrrom layout (on the biiger model though) was fab- really spacious, i suspect that would translate to the 4 berth too; the fabric was incredibly good quality (how sad are we that we notice? ) and the windows were good and light.

Oh and both vail and Breckenridge looked easy pitch to me.

Can't tell you all how much this is cheering me up!
I think the issue with pitching was something to do with where the main door is in relation to tensioning the front of the tent properly; DH happy that otherwise they'd be easy enough to do. He does like a nice-pitched tent...... We considered the Wild Country Homestead but a lot of the living space seemed to be under a sloping roof, which we thought would limit its usefulness.
(Smirks to self at me, the camping-a-phobic-one discussing tent designs? What is happening to me??? )
Anyway, thanks again.

I did a double take at you going camping on your IL's estate at Sandringham (must read posts properly lol) I thought wow royalty, just who are shiney's IL's?

Nice tent btw.

PMSL at misunderstanding of ILs and Sandringham!!!!!!!

Will let you know how we get on, although may have to name change, as there is another Shiny person who is a regular poster (I lurk a lot and post intermittently, have been through a few names) and I don't want to jump on toes. May go for tent-related name, what do you think???

How about PoshShinyNewTent? taht's be posh for short which iirc isn't a MN anme I know

I like that one peachy

oooh yes Posh!

good one peachy - not like you that is it?

Oi

Luce

I can be up your way in 3 hours

START RUNNING

with this weather i think you should have brought a boat instead!