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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.

First time camping - what do we need?

53 replies

Lawnpop · 21/01/2022 08:40

I think camping is the only type of holiday we will be able to afford this summer. DH has bought a tent in the sale but what else do we need? We are a bit clueless. Our kids are 5 and 2. Please can anyone share a list of must have equipment and any other camping top tips. Thank you!

OP posts:
Imissmoominmama · 21/01/2022 09:50

@CliveThighs- it’s so much better for kids though, or so I’ve found.

Imissmoominmama · 21/01/2022 09:52

I always take two meals (that I’ve made) for the first two nights. Chilli, pasta sauce, stew type stuff. The second night’s is frozen to keep it fresh.

fruitpastille · 21/01/2022 09:58

Aldi often sell special buy camping gear in spring if you look out for it. Our self inflating mattresses were from there.

BiddyPop · 21/01/2022 10:07

You can use lots of stuff from home, you don't need to buy all camping kit.

Especially kitchen (a pan, couple of smaller pots (with lids), basin or plastic mixing bowl, bucket, plastic jug, crockery and utensils etc, bedding (pillows, duvets, spare blankets), etc.

If you have any "garden" crockery or plastic plates and glasses, they might be useful. And any folding garden table and chairs. (If you have massive space, even non folding is fine, but you'll probably want the space for other things). Also any picnic things - coolbox, picnic rug, flask etc.

Ziploc sandwich bags are surprisingly useful to store things. Also, as well as having a couple of pre-cooked meals (1 chilled for night 1, the other frozen for night 2), you could get a clean plastic milk carton, add the dry ingredients for pancakes, and just add the milk (and egg) on site, screw on cap and shake well to mix, pour into pan and and presto, pancakes for breakfast 1 morning. A disposable bbq can be useful at least 1 night even if you don't have a small one to bring. And you can eat out some meals as well or get takeaways to eat at the tent.

Lighting - head torches for when wandering (1 each!), and a lantern for the tent. A head torch faced through a full clear bottle of water makes a surprisingly good lantern. (Put the torch around the bottle but point the light to go through the water, magnifies it).

Also, stay warm at night so wear fresh dry socks in bed and a woolly hat (that's the part sticking out with no protection and where you lose most heat).

blobby10 · 21/01/2022 10:07

If you are using sleeping bags then the cotton liners are brilliant for adding another layer of warmth! And long legged and sleeved pjs too - none of this sleeping in the nude rubbish when you're camping Grin.

In my opinion the biggest trick to enjoying camping is to not expect anything - it isn't luxurious but it is different and if you can embrace the joy of doing something different then you may find it more relaxing than a hotel. I used to find it relaxing reading the paper/a book whilst drinking coffee and listening to the rain on the canvas! Dh had taken kids out somewhere or other to give me an hour of peace. In those days we didn't have devices so 2 weeks of no tv or screens was unexpectedly heavenly. We did have the radio in the car or ipods for personal music. We did have an electric hook up once we had mobile phones that needed charging Grin

BiddyPop · 21/01/2022 10:08

Sorry, for pancakes you make the dry mix at home and bring with you, and only add wet ingredients at camp.

rbe78 · 21/01/2022 10:11

DON'T GET AIR BEDS
DON'T GET AIR BEDS
DON'T GET AIR BEDS

Sorry! But airbeds are cold and wobbly. But mostly cold - you have a big mass of cold air underneath you. Buy 'self-inflating' mattresses instead (which is a lie, they still need a few puffs of air), which are thinner, but keep you much warmer.

They range from reasonable to super-expensive (e.g. Thermarest) - take a look at Go Outdoors, but also ebay/Facebook marketplace for second hand ones.
www.gooutdoors.co.uk/camping/sleeping-mats/self-inflating-mats/

Sleeping bags for kids will keep them nice and warm. For grown-ups I personally prefer to take sheets and duvets and make up a nice double bed.

Withnailandyou · 21/01/2022 10:14

Decide on the sort of campers you want to be.
We are lazy campers, we take a duvet.

Some people cook on site, this usually requires things like bringing things like fridges to store food, utensils, cutlery, gas bottles and cooker, lots of food (eg. Butter, ketchup, milk as well as actual food)

We take croissants for the morning as a low prep food, and eat out a lot. We sometimes have a bbq in the evening (disposable one) and buy the food that day so no need for a fridge. We usually use paper plates.

Comfy chairs are a must for us

Duct tape, electrical tape always go in our spares box. As does basic first aid, kitchen roll, batteries and a spare mallet. Bin bags always come in handy, and take more torches than you ever think you need!

JustKeepSwimmingJust · 21/01/2022 10:16

Electricity in a tent is a good way to add a lot of expense. To be done safely you need waterproof electrics and the site itself costs more. Personally I do without. Phones are charged when we can (with power banks, usb chargers in the cigarette lighter, in pubs) and otherwise we’re don’t really use anything electric.

My top camping tip is extra fleece blankets. Light, fast drying, can go under sleeping people, wrap around them while chatting in evening, a pile of them can replace the inevitable wet sleeping bag at 3am...

Imissmoominmama · 21/01/2022 10:20

If you use a disposable bbq- put it on bricks, or stony ground. Campsites don’t take kindly to scorched grass.

We have a cheap non- disposable one on legs.

MangoLipstick · 21/01/2022 10:37

We went camping a couple of times last year when our DC was nearly 2. It was really fun and she loved it.
I would recommend air beds, but use proper sleeping bags rather then duvets from home. Even in Summer, the nights are chilly and if you use a duvet, the duvets get cold and almost feel damp.

I know you said you are on a budget but these things I think are important in order to get the best/most comfortable experience.

A little stove for cooking
Fold up chairs
A fold up table
A portable lamp for inside the tent
Coolbag

Initially buying all the equipment can seem expensive but if you go often enough and enjoy it, it works out much cheaper then other types of holidays, long term.

Oh and something I found useful, a little fishing net (the cheap kids ones) we kept getting flys and spiders inside the tent, the net was very useful for getting rid of them quickly!

trumpisagit · 21/01/2022 11:00

We camped a lot when kids were smaller and didn't take too much:
Tent
Sleeping Bags
Inflatable camping mats
Cooker
Cold bag
Chairs for adults
A table (optional)
Picnic mat for kids
Spare shoes
Spare coats
A football (essential)
Don't go overboard with stuff it makes camping harder work.

BiddyPop · 21/01/2022 11:28

Also, Lidl and Aldi have fairly decent camping and outdoor gear in their middle aisles at various points in the spring/summer. So that's another place to pick up relatively cheap bits and pieces.

And if you don't have plates etc at home that you don't want to break, you'll be bringing bin bags anyway, so using paper plates for your first trip is fine. We use Ikea kids plastic plates (they have a lip on them so small but good for sloppy foods), bowls and glasses, even now after 7 years since getting back into camping.

MazzleDazzle · 21/01/2022 11:46

The first time we went camping we took:

  • tent, pegs, mallet
  • SIM (self-inflating mat to sleep on. Worth the investment)
  • our own bedding (duvets, pillows and lots of blankets)
  • large battery operated lantern
  • basin, dishcloths, fairy liquid
  • plastic plates, cups & cutlery
  • dustpan & brush
  • shoes that are easy on/off (no shoes in tent rule)
  • camp chairs
  • kitchen roll
  • bin bags
  • eye masks (essential to block out morning light)

Depending on whether you have electric hook up or not, either…

  • a camping extension lead/adaptor
  • kettle
  • toaster
  • microwave (we took ours on our first trip as we didn’t have a camping stove!)

Or

  • camp stove
  • gas cylinder
  • small frying pan
  • small pan
  • chopping board & knife

We are now seasoned campers and have alllll the gear, but really you don’t need much on your first trip.

Always expect night one to be a bit stressful, and you won’t sleep well, but the second and subsequent nights will get better!

We’ve found that the size of the tent itself isn’t necessarily the most important thing, but having a porch or a pop up gazebo to sit under makes all the difference. Wind breaks round the edge give more privacy.

TragoCardboardCopper · 21/01/2022 11:47

Depends if its the type of camping you park the car next to, or if you'll be lugging your gear across a bumpy field.

If you get air beds, put something insulating on top (like a duvet or folded blanket) to stop the cold.

Sleeping bags and additional blankets.
Hot water bottles.
Gas camping stove, there's all sorts, the cheap ones are fine. You'll need more than one ring if you're doing proper cooking like a fried breakfast. Multiple stoves works well.
A cheap kettle that whistles.
A toast rack thingy for the stove, they're cheap and work well, you can do 3/4 slices at a time.

A light for inside the tent in case of midnight waking/toilet trips. Those bulb shaped ones on a string are good, you can tie them up somewhere and then they're easy to find in the dark.

Wellies/waterproof footwear. The grass will be wet in the morning.

Depending on your tent, somewhere additional to take off muddy/wet gear, so you don't get your sleeping area wet/dirty. A porch attachment or gazebo works well. Put a tarp down to stand on and keep mucky stuff outside the tent.

A table of some sort, to put the stove on. You can eat off your laps, but cooking on the ground is no fun!

Folding chairs. Cheap ones are fine, fold them in the evening to stop the dew getting them wet.

More layers than you think you'll need. It's miserable if you get cold and can't warm up.

A cold box. You can get electric ones if your pitch has a hook up, or you can freeze bottles of water to use as ice packs. You can drink them when they've melted.
Some campsites have a freezer available to refeeze ice packs.
Plan food that doesn't need refrigerating. Tins, and jars. (jars of hotdog sausages are good!)

Something for the kids to do. Swingball, or a pop up badminton net or something to keep them occupied - especially while you put up the tent.

Practice putting the tent up before you go! You don't want to get stressed out or realise you're missing a pole or something!

Topbird29 · 21/01/2022 11:49

For easy food we take - instant porridge pots. Just add boiled water. Something warm in morning is good. Choc pain/brioches//cereal bars. All easy breakfast options. Tinned beans, hot dogs, soup all good for quick one pot prep meals. Also if pre prepped something like chilli or bolognese then easy to re heat. Snacks - we were popular on school camps when we get out penguins etc that can ve shared if your kids have friends there (or make friends) to visit. Some campsites have pizza vans / other food vans that come on certain nights, so worth checking out. Non noisy things to do when kids are asleep - kindle to read, playing cards etc. Dustpan and brush helps clear the tent out before packing, and take a roll of bin bags. Useful for all sorts - putting muddy shoes on, wearing as a poncho if really wet, and fir keeping stuff dry, or wet stuff separate. Take pegs- can hang towels / tea towels carefully on guide ropes to dry out. And poncho towels are great for kids and adults fir trips from showers. Not always a lot of room to dry and dress - esp if in there with a child!

Topbird29 · 21/01/2022 11:57

And marshmallows and kebab sticks for toasting (possibly).

WhoppingBigBackside · 21/01/2022 11:59

Waterproofs. Kagoules are fine and crocs-type shoes or wellies will do.
Head torches are useful. Take fleece jackets even in summer as evenings can get chilly

Take things for the DC to do if it's raining. Damped bored children are not fun

Practice cooking on a gas stove before you go and take food that cooks quickly

MazzleDazzle · 21/01/2022 12:47

I know it’s been mentioned upthread, but cosy hats & socks are essential. We also pack buffs to wear round our necks. We put them on as soon as the temp starts to drop and wear them to bed too.

A bucket for loo emergencies, to save trekking across the campsite in the middle of the night.

We take 2 large flasks - one to keep boiled water hot and another to keep the milk cold.

Battery operated fairy lights look lovely and up the feel good factor!

There’s lots of mumsnet threads on what to take camping - well worth a google. I trawled through them all before we went for the first time and made a list.

wolfstarling · 21/01/2022 12:57

I went through a mindset shift and viewed the point of going camping as going camping it was completely transformational.

You have this spot on. It isn't about getting something cheap - it can be, but you are missing out and probably won't enjoy it if this is the angle you are taking.

TheABC · 21/01/2022 13:09

Put the tent up in the garden (or a handy green space nearby if you don't have a garden), before you go. It allows you to check you have all your equipment and gives you the leisure time to "learn" your tent without whining hungry kids after a long journey.

To echo the others, borrow, substitute and look on eBay/gumtree for secondhand camping bargains (excluding sleeping bags: buy those buggers new). If you enjoy the experience, my top tip is an awning, porch or gazebo for future events as that gives you a "separate" area for relaxing once the kids are asleep.

Lawnpop · 21/01/2022 13:15

@BiddyPop

Sorry, for pancakes you make the dry mix at home and bring with you, and only add wet ingredients at camp.
This is a brilliant idea!
OP posts:
HipHopBanzai · 21/01/2022 13:28

I am not what you would call a natural camper, my friends can't quite believe we go once or twice a year. I've even surprised myself by camping through biblical weather conditions. I wouldn't say I love it but the kids adore it. The key for me is a decent site. We go to the same few every year because we know they have a small well stocked shop, clean toilet blocks and free proper hot showers and a decent washing up area.

Our kids sleep on self inflating mattresses. We put a blanket under them and then they sleep in their sleeping bags with a vest, pjs and onsies. They often complain they're too hot - and we camp in the north of england! DH and I have a decent air bed. Never deflates and is really comfy. We use sleeping bags too but do take a fitted sheet to put on it.

We've got all the gear now but just start small. Tent, with a porch if possible - means you can open it up and still cook in the rain, dump wet gear in it etc, table, chairs, stove (two rings if possible), fold up bbq that doubles as fire pit, crocs or similar that you can slip on for night time or early morning loo trips. Our tent has a couple of bedrooms that are made of black out material. They really do stay dark in the morning. It wasn't a hugely expensive tent but has been great for us.

TheWreckofHesperus · 21/01/2022 14:22

My camping essentials are
4 season sleeping bags
Good quality self inflating sleep mats
Electric hook up cable
Single induction hob (much safer for cooking than gas)
Rechargeable lanterns/torches - Amazon do them cheaper than a pack of batteries for regular lanterns

Gin

Good luck

MazzleDazzle · 21/01/2022 18:44

Fly spray. A quick zap in the tent before you traipse to the toilet block to wash faces/brush teeth & by the time you come back you’ll be big free!