Do I need a gazebo or shelter

[SpottyBumPony]

Hey happy campers!

I'm taking my 4 year old son camping over the half term, just two nights to start off with but I'd really like it to be a regular thing while he is growing up.

I've bought a second hand air tent as It's just the two of us, the test run in the garden was so easy. I've camped before but in my 20's it was with friends and we just pitched up with a disposable bbq, blanket and not much else haha.

I'm considering if I should add a shelter for outside space aswell? There's a Eurohike Shelter for sale on marketplace for £45.00, it seems like a bargain but I've seen reviews saying it's not the easiest to erect.

So I'm after any suggestions or recommendations please? Halfords have an inflatable shelter which I am very tempted by but its £215.00

No, you don’t need one. We’ve only ever used one when we go en masse with a group of friends and want to set up a communal kitchen/eating area.

They are useful for cooking under if it rains but not essential.

I was going to say the same.

If we are away as a big group it's useful as a communal seating area, particularly if the weather isn't great.

I wouldn't bother if it's you and your DC - presumably there is room in the tent for you to sit if needed (just don't cook in it).

If you do get one check with the campsite, not all sites allow gazebos.

I go camping a lot with different friends. Some campsites people have gazebos, kitchen cabinets, electric hook ups and (I kid you not) TVs. Some have a one man tent and a sleeping bag. We have a bell tent so nice and high but when they were little we had small tents and squished in.

How big is the tent you bought? And what tent?

Enjoy your 2 day trip and see how it goes and whether you feel you need a gazebo.

You can cook in your tent if it rains, especially if you have space to keep the cooker well away from the tent walls, put it on a stable table, and your child can be trusted not to run past or throw balls etc that could knock it. I used to say everyone had to be the outdoor side of the cooker.

I have also sat out and cooked under a large umbrella in the rain.

Best not to plan meals that take long or elaborate cooking anyway.

But I would try out your camping style before spending loads on a gazebo. Especially when some sites don’t allow them (because they are notorious for blowing away) and some others charge extra to pitch.

Think about night time wees. Take a bucket with lid or Kampa Khazi etc, as you probably won’t want to leave your sleeping child in me might to go to the toilet block.

I find so long as I stay off alcohol and caffeine I don't need to wee in the night, definitely worth avoiding if you can, even if you can leave your DC its not great fun having to go to the toilet block at night.

Thanks everyone. I need to wee roughly 11,000 times overnight so had already planned a bucket/cat litter combo.

I'm not planning on cooking this time, we've got an electric hookup so I'm taking a low wattage kettle. I'll do a disposable bbq one night and we can get fish and chips or pub dinner the other evening. DS would be happy being feral with a tub of pringles tbh

I bought this second hand Halfords Inflatable. The garden test went well for putting it up and down on my own

I wouldn’t bother with a shelter or gazebo for that tent, just for the 2 of you. There’s room to sit in the living area of it rains, you’ll be fine.

I've done camping with a similar size tent and having a gazebo was brilliant. It gives you a whole extra room where you can sit and eat, spread out a bit.
We had a basic type from Argos and also added the side panels. It basically meant tent was the bedroom, gazebo was the living room.
I would say 90% of other on the campsite had the same.