Beginner camper single parent

[TeaKitten]

Total newby to camping, I’m a single parent with 2 kids age 5 and 9. I’m thinking of buying relatively cheaply to see if we like it first. But is it realistic? I need a tent that’s manageable to put up with only kid help, ideally has a porch to store stuff in, and will also fit in my very small car with me and the kids. Will we just be miserable budget camping?

We love the idea of it but I’m worried about being too far from toilets (as I can’t leave the youngest especially), and struggling too much to get the tent up before my kids loose interest and decide they want to go home 😅

How long are you planning on going for?

I did this when my DC were young. I took all the camping stuff, 2 DC, 2 bikes and a dog to Cornwall for 4 nights. We had an amazing time.

Practice putting the tent up in the garden first so you know what you're doing when you get there. Having electric hook up really helps too, as you can plug in phones and an electric cool box.

Do it! I found it quite empowering as it showed me I could do this stuff without a man.

Yeah go for it! Love camping. Agree on practice putting tent up.

Easy stuff for breakfast (or pre breakfast snack) - juice cartons and some brioche or pastries or something. Bacon and eggs is great (by the time the sun is all the way up!) but my kids always wake up super hungry

Layers of clothes including warm hat. It's much easier to cool down than warm up so put more layers on before night than you think you need . Keep some clothes in your car in case everything inside the tent gets wet.

Bucket or potty for night wees!

Lots of campsites have bell tents you can hire with fridges and all different amenities. Might be better to do that first time than spend money on camping stuff and end up hating it.

Cheap tents are terrible in the rain at 3am.

We’ve been to many campsites which have pre-pitched tents available, and very often the option to hire all the camping accessories too. Where abouts in the Uk would you want to go?

Ideally yorkshire/Lancashire so we aren’t too far from home the first time. Probably would go for one night for the first time unless we found somewere perfect that insisted on 2 nights

https://www.millets.co.uk/15980932/eurohike-rydal-500-5-person-tent-15980932/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping&gclid=EAIaIQobChMImoyfrLSI_wIVSOvtCh1oYwtVEAQYBCABEgK7kfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

https://www.millets.co.uk/16231965/eurohike-sendero-4-family-tent-16231965/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping&gclid=EAIaIQobChMImoyfrLSI_wIVSOvtCh1oYwtVEAQYBSABEgJS5PD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

If your 9 year old is helpful you should have no difficulty putting up a tent like this on your own. The Rydal will be worth the extra money. Practice putting it up in the garden, look on You Tube for putting up that model, all the 9 year old needs to do is hold poles in position while you secure the pin. But my kids loved being part of the Putting up The Tent, your 5 year old can be in charge of holding the peg bag and handing out pegs.

I wouldn’t go for one night, the work of putting everything up and packing away isn’t worth it and you lose the joy of the ‘camping day’ in between

You might find somewhere that you can hire a tent ? Or borrow from friend to see how you get on?

To save buying cooking gear go to a campsite with a cafe- if it allows disposable BBQ you can cook one evening

I used a vango tent - www.vango.co.uk/gb/camping-equipment/3016-beta-450xl-clr.html. Like this

Ie Tunnel not stand up - I could just about put it up myself and with DD small help it was easy - as small as possible

I am sure cheaper will be available - I got that because we knew we liked camping and wanted a tent to last years - but the style should suit your needs

You also need sleeping maps and bags - if you have a yoga mat that might help ? Similarly - a Double quilt for a single person might do the job of a bag - take some extra blankets

Can you borrow a tent to try it first? It's actually not that cheap to get set up for comfortable camping from scratch.
Kids love camping.
You can get toilet buckets if you want to have something to use overnight so you don't leave your little one alone.
There's a great campsite at Morecambe Bay - has a cafe and very tiny area with rabbits and other animals to see. Nice clean facilities too.

Sorry about the random image!

Search Yorkshire glamping perhaps for your first nights out ?

Try second hand but only buy if you can see it up.
As mentioned some sites have tents up ready but usually cost more, I am sure North Wales will have something for you
My top tip tell no one, great owners I am certain if you drop them an Email they will advise you as they have bell tents to rent, see the stars at night and if you are lucky Dolphins swimming past.
https://www.trehelifarm.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjwpayjBhAnEiwA-7ena2ri3F4fpECurXlO1LDk8RNQtK2DpMdAnwC48gRrDSgVIVout864txoCubQQAvD_BwE

Make setting up camp a great game for the kids, take easy to cook food, Hot Dogs, Barbecue, many sites only allow if off the ground but usually hire them out.
Practice it home.
If funds allow eat out for evening meal, simple stuff for breakfast and lunch, once you get the hang of it you will do more one family we know cook a full Sunday roast over a camp fire but they have been doing it for a long time.,

5 and 9 are great ages for camping. Don't buy a cheap tent, but do buy a small one. There is no need to have a tent as big as your house and buy furniture, fridges etc etc.

For a weekend trip essentials are - decent tent, some kind of sleeping mat, a little stove (if you want to be able to cook any of your food), cool box and ice blocks, sleeping bags/extra bedding, torch and a picnic blanket. Over time you could add camping chairs, portable bbq etc. We take an old pan, cutlery, washing up bowl, washing up liquid/tea towel from home.

Something like this would be great for short trips. As someone said, try putting your tent up in the garden. https://www.winfieldsoutdoors.co.uk/vango-beta-350xl-3-man-tent/

Choose a campsite that has a few facilities - little onsite cafe or near a pub is ideal so you don't have to cook especially if the weather turns, some places also have games rooms etc which are handy. Lots of sites also have fridges you can use for your food or freezers to top up your ice blocks so look out for those. Go somewhere close for 1 or 2 nights when the weather forecast is good for your first trip.

No cook breakfasts like pastries/fruit etc and rolls and easy sandwhich fillings. Get a cheap camping stove like this and you can cook pasta or other quick meals. https://www.winfieldsoutdoors.co.uk/go-system-dynasty-ii-compact-stove/?source=aw&awc=6953_1684771207_91171e34a6ee2d4cf0e6fcad9da0b37f&utm_source=awin&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_campaign=Left+My+Tag

You will need some camping mats to sleep on - foam mats are cheapest or the thin self inflating ones. Take plenty of bedding as it can get pretty cold.

I would look for a nice independent outdoor shop to give you advice and so you can see things in real life.

Final tip - all go to bed at the same time. There is no way they will go to sleep and leave you to have a peaceful drink watching the sunset so lose that fantasy now (speaks from bitter experience...)

How tall are you?

A tent I can stand up in has been my minimum standard since I left my 20s, but other people are perfectly happy in low tents.

Being tall makes putting a taller tent up on your own / with a child easier.

Bags of brioche rolls and bananas make a great breakfast. Or cereal bars.

Or the instant porridge pots. Cereal and milk can be a nightmare with younger kids. (Spilt milk going nasty on clothes, rug and tent floor).

If you have a car, this tent or similar would be my recommendation.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/155564516175?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=rTiowvNcRWO&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=tRVzz0xbS0-&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

They are discontinued now but you can still get them on ebay. Once you have the knack, you can put them up and pack them away quickly on your own. Two beds so one for you and one for the kids, and a decent living area that you can stand up in. We have used ours for years. They have an air version now, which might be your preference, but is obviously quite expensive.

For your first trip, three cheap airbeds should be fine (get a pump that works off the car), torches (head ones are ideal) and some camp chairs.

A bucket lined with a plastic bag and a couple of nappies works well for a loo at night.

I would see if you enjoy it for a couple of nights, eating from cafes before investing in much else, but if not, a single burner gas cooker is probably best, bring a saucepan and plastic plates and cups from home and just do one pot meals (maybe make them at home and just heat them on camp). Once you get the camping bug, you will end up having to buy a bigger car to fit it all in, but to start off you need very little.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bright-Spark-1-Piece-Caravan-Camping/dp/B002Z77158/ref=asc_df_B002Z77158/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=330941257570&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9928443655555429662&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006836&hvtargid=pla-680823432368&psc=1

I bought a £99 decathlon tent - two bedrooms, middle bit - it’s on its fifth summer. We only camp for about three weekends a year so it has been brilliant. And with child help easy to put up. My DH hates camping and me and DDs love it - so we go just us or with friends. It’s so lovely. I think I spent about £350 to kit us out - decathlon is your friend.

Table and chairs, tent, sleeping mats (splurged on the self inflating ones which are great) and cooking gear. We take duvets for extra comfy ness. And yes to layers, a hat and slip on shoes for loo run on the night.

Ha! The post above mine is the tent we have!

Sorry - last thing. All the decathlon tents have videos to show you how to put them up. They are so straightforward I watched it once and then could do it. Love decathlon.

I have taken my son alone camping loads of times, my top tip is to choose your pitch really carefully and set up next to the park. That way you can keep and eye on them, read a book, make dinner etc all from your tent.

Thanks everyone there’s some great advice here, it’s encouraged me a lot. On the tent front - I hear you all about not getting a cheap tent, but would it be a terrible idea to buy a very cheap tent just for the first time? Il link to the one I’m looking at, the price is just so tempting! But I imagine it would be a bad plan from what everyone has said here.

Glamping is a great idea, but it costs a few hundreds normally which would wipe out most of the money I have said aside to buy camping stuff so it’s a no go. There are cheaper glamping options that require you to bring sleeping bags etc anyway so again it’s not worth it on a budget. Sadly nobody I can borrow a tent from.

forgot to link the tent 🙈

https://www.millets.co.uk/16235460/eurohike-toco-4-dome-tent-16235460

3 of you will be very squashed in that tent OP, and as it is single skin condensation will drip down on you.

I've camped a lot over the years op and love it, honestly I wouldn't buy that tent. At a minimum you really need a sleeping area and a living area. With that tent if it's raining you are going straight into your sleeping area with wet clothes and shoes, which is not good. If you want to buy but stay on a budget have a look on Facebook marketplace for second hand, you can get a bargain. I'd also personally make sure the tent has a sewn in ground sheet, they're warmer with less drafts. For cooking if you have one take a slow cooker, much easier than cooking on a camping stove until you know if you'll like it. Have fun op x

Loads of good advice on here. I would also advise against a smaller single skin tent for 3. Tents are always smaller than they say, so a 3 man tent is perfect for 2, a 4 man tent suits 3 fine and so on. It isn't the size of the people per se, it is the size of the mats, your belongings and so on. Single skin means the condensation from you being in the tent overnight will drip on you, (even in good weather) and these tents are likely to have a low hydrostatic head - HH (this just means how much rain can fall on the tent before it lets rain in, any tent that does not mention the HH is probably a "festival tent", somewhere to sleep in good weather. As HH goes up, so does the price, but 2000 HH is the minimum , and a bucket / built in ground sheet / floor is helpful. It is very helpful to have a tent with an inner tent and an outer area (and you could put a bucket loo in for night time wees, as an OP said a bin bag and a few nappies at the bottom can help if balance is difficult - nothing worse than it tipping over full of wee). Definitely put up your tent with the kids helping in advance, it adds to the excitement, and is helpful. Sleeping bags are good if you only have a small car, but nothing wrong with normal bedding either or a few extra blankets. It gets cold at night, a hot water bottle is great. IRO cooking, have something you can boil water on, then you have tea/coffee, pot noodles, hot choc etc, you don't need to buy any special stuff, just a pan from home will do, coupled with eating out, or brought sandwiches / snacks you will be fine. Disposable BBQs are OK, but obv outside of tent, and to be honest, some campsites are awkward about them so check. Take a camping chair (and someone mentioned positioning the tent so you can see your kids at the park) Finally remember lighting, have a headtorch as a minimum they are cheap on amazon, there is nothing worse than trying to sort anything in a tent at night with only one hand or in the dark. Your kids will absolutely love it, perfect age for camping. If you struggle with anything, most campers are very kind and will no doubt help you. Have a great time xx