Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Camping

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

New to Camping. All advice welcome please!

69 replies

Bookaholic73 · 28/04/2021 10:37

I'm in my early 40's and have never been camping before. My husband has been nagging for years to get a tent and go camping, so I've finally given in.

We've bought a 6 man tent, a gas stove, camping chairs, air beds and already have the pots and pans etc.

It'll just be the 2 of us and our 2 dogs.

So, I'm looking for any tips you can give me at all. How to cope if it rains, how ro get the dogs used to camping, the best campsites for couples (adults only would be a bonus), things we still need to buy etc.

Any and all tips/advice are welcome (and needed!).

OP posts:
Aprilshowersandhail · 28/04/2021 10:41

Make sure your ddogs are clean.
You will be cuddling them to keep warm!!
Always ignore the weather forecast... It's always freezing at night!!
Best tog sleeping bag you can afford.!
Me and dh realised having a single bag each is much warmer!! Although he complains!! Sheet on the air bed first is helpful also!

Heronatemygoldfish · 28/04/2021 10:48

Get a carbon monoxide alarm for the tent. I'm not suggesting cooking in it is a good idea because of fire risk etc, but if it throws it down, show me someone who won't be tempted to cook in the doorway...

You need to have one to BS EN50291-2 (BS EN50291-1 is only domestic home standard, so you need one with both)

Get as bright a lamp as possible - at least 300 lumens so it's equivalent to a house lightbulb. So many lights are dim... also lots of torches for middle of night trips to the loo!

something2say · 28/04/2021 10:52

Pack your things in a plastic tub. Much easier.
Remember a dust pan and brush.
Folded black bin liner to stand dirty boots on.
Blanket on bottom of bed for warmth.
Pjs and jumper and socks to sleep in.
Long life milk for your coffee.

Camping is fun.

ODFOx · 28/04/2021 11:00

The air in your air bed will get chilled by the ground unless you have something insulating under it. I recommend the silver emergency foil blankets which fold down to practically nothing but are perfect for the purpose.
Heat yourselves not the tent. Wrap up warm in the evenings over your pjs so you can take off the over layers and get into bed already warm.
Make camping the activity rather than a cheap hotel alternative and you won't compare so much. Embrace the outdoors. Find campsites which allow campfires, eat fire baked potatoes and sausages on sticks.

You've done the right thing going for a 6 man. Remember lots of towels for the dogs in case of rain and a bed for them to lie on.

Build your camp kit around how you camp, rather than buying lots of stuff before you start.
Enjoy Smile

BiddyPop · 28/04/2021 11:21

Don't put away the winter woollies - you need a hat for sleeping in, warm socks that are only for the sleeping bag, and if you have thermal layers they are extremely useful once evening sets in unless it is the absolute height of a heatwave summer.

Don't get cold in the evening - it's harder to warm up. So once the sun is setting, put on longer trousers and an extra layer on top. (I tend to put my thermal layer on then under my clothes - so I don't need to get down to bare skin when changing for bed - that was a gamechanger realising that!).

Have a pair of crocs, flip flops, shower/slider shoes.....something easy to slide your feet into for going to the toilet block especially during the night. And YYY to keeping muddy boots on a bin liner or similar (I have a rug inside the door of the tent for mine - when DH hasn't stolen it for the house Angry - but I usually bring food or other supplies in a carboard box and then use that cardboard for the boots space if the rug is missing).

Under the airbed, put a layer to insulate from the cold ground. Tent "carpets" are good, but expensive. I used a picnic rug from Lidl for a long time (rolls up and ties together, has a silver insulating back which makes it waterproof too - so very useful when camping), and got a pack of kids foam play tiles cheaply a couple of years ago, or even a spare blanket is good.

Have some entertainment for if it rains - cards, board game, books etc. Electronics (with headphones) could be good but need charging so either pre-charge power banks or plan to charge in the car while going on an outing. Find local outings to the campsite too for both good weather and bad - nice hikes (which could be fine if not too heavy rain and you have good gear), or museums, stately homes, adventure parks, even the cinema can be useful sometimes. Also identify potential places to get a takeaway or go in for a meal/coffee if the weather is against you.

"S" hook for hanging on the door of showers - sometimes the actual hooks are broken or there are not many, so being able to hang towel, clothes and washbag is very handy. And use a washbag that is designed to hang as that's much easier to deal with - often floors can be wet (or muddy) and you don't want to put it on the floor.

Even if you are only doing a small amount of your own cooking, and buying fresh food daily, you will probably need some sort of cool storage. The solid cool boxes tend to keep the cold better than fabric ones, but a large one that is fairly empty is difficult to keep cold so only go for the approximate size you need. You could freeze a meal to bring with you to help keep it cold initially as it thaws, or freeze a bottle of water/bag of wine (the kind you get in boxes), and often it is possible to buy bags of ice in supermarkets. Many campsites also have a freezer to freeze proper iceblocks - clearly mark yours with your name before putting in the freezer. (Some people will bring bottles of plain water, 3/4 full (to allow for water expanding as it freezes), and use those to refreeze - but some sites don't allow this).

I always bring a flask, because if I have spare hot water, I might use it later for washing up/hot water bottle for bed/cup of tea etc.

BiddyPop · 28/04/2021 11:26

And think about 1 pot cooking recipes - you won't want to be juggling 3 or 4 pots, and the gas that would use, if you can help it.

sashh · 28/04/2021 12:05

Always camp within walking distance of a pub.

Take as much as you can with you, camp shops are expensive.

Fivemoreminutes1 · 28/04/2021 14:40

Two favourites: Back of Beyond in Dorset and Brick Kiln Farm in Suffolk

SmurfetteBlue · 28/04/2021 14:43

Fleecy pyjamas and under layer. It's always freezing in the night even in the summer!
And as someone has said above - put something between the ground and the airbed. Stops the cold coming up and making the air in the bed cold

Puffthemagicdragongoestobed · 28/04/2021 14:47

Make sure you have an area to sit under. Either a tent with a canopy or an event shelter. We have a bell tent and a large event shelter. We keep our table and chairs and our kitchen area under the event shelter. We have a gas stove that sits on a collapsible kitchen cupboard type thing.

Bookaholic73 · 28/04/2021 15:13

Oh wow, so many things I hadn’t thought of.

We have spare thick feather duvets that we’ll use instead of sleeping bags, 2 doubles should do the trick.

Thanks for the tip about something under the air beds, I’ll invest in the foil blankets.
I had forgotten a cool box, I’ll add that to my list.

I was going to just use our phones for light at night, plus we do have 1 lantern for the middle section of the tent.

Yes, the tent has a canopy part, plus a middle section to sit in.

Good call re the 1 pot meals, I’ll make a note of some.

@Fivemoreminutes1 thanks for the site recommendations.

OP posts:
Aprilshowersandhail · 28/04/2021 15:17

A decent light for reading. Our first trip we were asleep for 9 pm as I couldn't even see a page with the light dh had taken!! And way too cold for ahem other activities!!
Grin

Heronatemygoldfish · 28/04/2021 15:20

Oh yes cool boxes. We bought an electric one to keep stuff colder in the car, which then gets unplugged when in the tent. It has been jolly useful for general shopping ever since!

And a second gas ring/plenty of spare gas, especially if the small canisters. you can use it at Christmas when you run out of hob rings

Spare tarp. Can get decent size ones for a fiver online or at places like screwfix or toolstation. Use as a washable tent inner for mud protection or extra layer against scrabbling claws...

If you want to go posh, and have electrics, then research the power adapters carefully. Their voltages/currents can vary from site to site... also the length of cabling if you do that!

Spare guy ropes and poles. I give you west Wales in a gale...

If you catch the camping week, Lidl's middle aisle has loads of basic stuff! We got our camping table there for very little. Ditto chairs at Tesco (but you have some of those already).

Foldable washing up bowls/buckets are good. You need a washing up bowl or bucket to take stuff to the washing area which might be some distance.

The other thing which we learned the hard way - make sure it packs into the car OK and leaves you legroom! We have a small car and tall people, so bought a rather large roofbox. All the tent equipment goes in it apart from the tent poles (as they're heavy - best left in car). Then it's just clothes which we'd have taken for a normal holiday that go in the car and are guaranteed dry! If it's throwing it down on your last day or when you move sites, you can literally shove your soaking wet tent into the roof box and not worry about having a lake in your boot.

BiddyPop · 28/04/2021 15:21

A headtorch is really useful especially for middle of the night treks to the loo. And you can put it on your water bottle (preferably a clear bottle just filled with water) and face the light INTO the water rather than out to the room to make a nice lantern and amplify the light from the torch.

twilightcafe · 28/04/2021 15:22

Go to the toilet before you get into your sleeping bag at night. Otherwise your bladder will torment you in the small hours.

Aprilshowersandhail · 28/04/2021 15:22

Best buy was our camping fridge. Not a cooler but a proper fridge... Plugs into the cigarette lighter.. We have a full size one and a drinks size one.

Aprilshowersandhail · 28/04/2021 15:24

This one. 6 years and going strong. Use it for days out and picnics!

New to Camping. All advice welcome please!
Nancylovesthecock · 28/04/2021 15:28

You will freeze on airbeds, even with something underneath. I would highly recommend two fisherman's bedchairs and proper sleeping bags. Duvets won't be enough in my experience. Do not underestimate how cold you can get sleeping outdoors! Better over prepared than under.

Oh and proper light/torches for nighttime. Again, don't underestimate how dark it gets in the middle of nowhere?

BeastOfBODMAS · 28/04/2021 15:34

Lots of bin bags. Put your clean clothes in, your dirty clothes in, transporting things to and from the car in the rain, catching drips from coats or dogs, covering your chair if it gets wet, kneeling on to put up a tent in the damp, protecting car seats when taking sodden grumpy children/dogs in search of an indoor activity.

People sometimes nick camping chairs or swap them with broken ones! Best to put in tent or boot of car overnight or when you go out.

Insulated cups or your brew will go cold instantly. Coffee bags are great.

Wellies are useful for trekking to the loo in the night once the dew is down so you don’t get your PJs soggy. And/or a pushbike if you are likely to be miles away and desperate!

Waterproof bags or carriers for the showers or it’s difficult to keep your towel/clean clothes from getting drenched. Multiple bars of soap/wash bags or you all have to take turns and it takes hours to get ready to go out.

A carton of UHT milk so when the proper stuff suddenly goes off you can have a tea to fortify you for the trip to the shop.

Aerielview · 28/04/2021 15:44

Even if you put an insulating layer under your airbed, they are still cold to sleep on - you're basically trying to sleep on a big bag of cold air. If you do use one, I'd recommend putting a blanket on top of it, underneath your sleeping bag. Or better still, treat yourself to a self -inflating mat (sim) as they are insulated. They come in varying thickness. I have a 10cm deep one, and I sleep as well on that as I do on my bed at home.

Heronatemygoldfish · 28/04/2021 16:02

We stop the freezing beds by having proper trekking roll-up foam sleeping mats or a SIM on the ground, THEN the airbed, THEN a three-season sleeping bag. You feel a bit like the princess and the pea but it works...

Have spent some time finding really warm sleeping bags too.

If your tent is the type with a sewn-in floor/liner so that you can't wriggle under the edge to get in, and the door flaps have double zippers that meet at the base, it can be worth having some small padlocks to fasten them while you are out. Won't stop a determined thief but might a casual one.

Oh yes - a roll of gorilla/duct tape!!!! Grin

Puffthemagicdragongoestobed · 28/04/2021 21:51

Oh and buy yourself a camping holiday in France (when allowed). No need for wellies or extra insulation!

DogInATent · 28/04/2021 22:24

Ditch the airbeds, get SIMs - that was the second best thing we ever did for tent camping

pombal · 28/04/2021 22:29

Just don’t- I got two posts in and already you need a carbon monoxide monitor and a dust pan and brush in a bucket.
Packing a dust pan in a bucket is NOT a holiday OP - deep down you already know this Grin

chipsarnie · 28/04/2021 22:38

These...

www.decathlon.co.uk/p/inflatable-camping-bed-base-camp-bed-air-70-cm-1-person/_/R-p-309887

... with an air mattress or SIM are an absolute revelation. Like a proper bed. Two can clip together and make a double. You can also store stuff underneath. Worth every penny.

Take your own pillow and a duvet (or two) . We've given up with sleeping bags, although we're summer/early autumn campers.

A windbreak is handy - also a tarp. Hugely expands outdoor space and keeps the wind out and the sun/rain off when used together.

Good chairs (pricey though). Cheap folders do the job but get uncomfortable after an couple of hours of chugging wine/beer/lemonade.