RIght, I'm a newby sp camper-could anything be more daunting! [grin]

[Feelingbetterslowly]

Was desperate to camp throughout my childhood, but my mum couldn't bear it! Am now on a serious budget due to sp-dom, and dd has never been abroad. Going on my friends' wondeful childhood memories of French campsites etc have decided we will camp in France this summer (with some uk practice camps first!). My french is fine so that's not a prob, but am worried about my lack of camping expertise!

I know I need

!. Tent

1. Air beds
2. Sleeping bags
3. storm lanterns
4. Stove
5. Cool box
6. blankets, duvets, clothes etc.

And want a tent with separate sleeping compartments so she has the choice of going in on her own or coming in with me. Will she be ok in her own pod? And gathering I need a living area in case it tips down. I think it's pretty obvious that I need tips galore, please!!

off the top of my head:
Wellies and torches for going to the loo in the night.
Water carrier.
chairs or groundsheet to sit on.
washing-up bowl to put dirty pans in an take to washing-up point

have a good time!

Hi feelingbetter. The camping gurus will be along shortly so in the mean time I'll make do.....

fwiw in your situation I would really recommend that you do a Eurocamp/Canvas Holidays type holiday first to make sure you enjoy camping before you shell out on all the expensive kit.

I camped (as did DH) loads before kids, but we did a Eurocamp first (when they ahd arrived) to check we still loved it.

We did, hence I have commenced kit buying bonanza

A Eurocamp tent provides everything you have mentioned in your spec...and you do not need to cart it all the way to france or pitch it

hth

Welcome to camping btw

a ha

a camping guru is here already I see

Oooooooooh slubber that is such a good idea! Have camped in my teens and twenties and LOVED it (except for that one time in March where we found out we were going two hours before we went and froze as we forgot half the stuff!!)

DD is super desperate to go too-she has 4 torches hoarded upstairs "for when we go camping"-I really have not ever mentioned my hair brained scheme to her yet!! .

You campers sound like such a friendly bunch!!

Can I join the campers forum-you all seem to really know each other! No more thread surfing now-I have found a home!

This crowd are much cheaper than Eurocamp.

I had never heard of them but a good friend is going to Italy with them in June for half the price of Eurocamp. I will ask her to post a rv on her return. She's a sometime mner.

oh we are!

touch fanatical sometimes....but very friendly!

sally, I just bought a water carrier that doesn't seem to leak Tentatively hoping third time lucky The top one - Sunnflair £3.99

(though I agree you don't really need one and a couple of bottles of water would be fine).

You need a bucket with a lid for night-time wees (you can get plain white nappy buckets with lids in Mothercare).

Hot water bottles if you are going anytime other than August bank holiday (and even then you might be better taking them!)

awww at hoard of 4 torches.

my dds are the same
"are we going camping tomorrow"?

"errr, can you see the snow on the ground outside....that's a no darlings"

Obviously the P&P on just the water carrier would be ridiculous - so I threw in a camping kitchen, a carry bag for the camping-stove and an Outwell fan heater as well

I don't do roughing it.

OMG you can go to the French Rivera! That's crazy!!

Feelingbetter....you're getting all the big hitters here now

[revolting sucky up emoticon]

Slubber, have you actually bought a tent now or are you still angsting over tent porn ?

omg soren - slubber now has a Cabanon canvas, the lot

Soren Oh I did I DID

here she is
(I didn't pay that btw)

[beam]

still haven't told DH yet......

Is it just me or is there so much info to take in that my head may burst at any second? Argh! Will NOT be daunted, will NOT be daunted!