Seasoned campers: what do we need for a REALLY comfortable and happy week camping in the UK.

[flowergirl24]

We’ve got a (large) tent. Three small kids who are excited for Friday when we head to a non-electric campsite in Wales.

If you are a regular/experienced camper, please can you share what we need to be comfortable for this trip?

We’ve got sleeping bags and two double air beds. Our test in the garden wasn’t great for me as I woke up with two DC’s heads pressed tightly up against me!

Really good sleeping bags and/or wear thermals under your pajamas. You’ll be surprised how cold it will go down to at night.

An awning or gazebo you can set table and chairs up under to shelter from the sun or rain

Depending on where you are and how much money you’ve got - a decent stove. It will pay for itself within a couple of restaurant meals. It’s not hard to cook fairly decent meals you know your kids will eat. Might also need a wind break.

Depending how long you’re going for you can freeze individual pints of milk that thaw over a couple of days, keeps the rest of the food cool and the milk fresh. Ditto with a batch of spag Bol for example

@Imustgoforarun thats great advice, thank you.

DH has managed to find a gas hob, so at least we can have tea!

Lots of places in wales have a library of things called benthyg where you can borrow all sorts of things for really reasonable prices.

Have a look for one near your site - or near home and have a look what gear they have.

The best things we bought were comfy chairs and a good gas bbq.

I’ve also seems that foil reflective blankets under the beds help keep the heat in.

My kids love their fake oodies and crocs for camping.

@AuntieEstablishment we are heading to Tenby.

Definitely singles are better! Then you can move independently without affecting other people.
We have something like Inflatable Camping Mat for Sleeping: Waterproof Single Camp Pad Bed Portable Compact Ultralight Sleep Wider Mattress with Foot Pump for Hiking Trekking Backpackping amzn.eu/d/0gWSKVgD this, and they're so comfy. Much better than airbeds. We clip 2 together for a double.

I also found that a nice thick self-inflating mattress on top of a camp bed, with a single sheet to keep it in place, was far more comfortable than a mattress on the floor of the tent.

a blanket or groundsheet to go under the air beds as a barrier to cold rising. Bucket for kids to wee in in the night. Air beds for everyone, 5 people need 2 doubles and a single. Big bucket for shoes etc.

black out tent!!! Fantastic!

A bloody great plastic box for all the kitchen kit. Once you arrive and some of the kitchen kit has been unpacked, you can use it to store food, and it also doubles as an extra seat for DC, or a low table.

Then when you go home, you can store all the kitchen kit in it - ours holds a box with our cutlery, all the plates, bowls and mugs, pans, dustpan and brush, washing line and pegs, a small airtight plastic box for matches, a box with pepper and salt, stock cubes etc, the washing up bowl and the a big flask like an insulated jug that we use to keep tea warm.

We camped a lot with multiple DC and each one had a very distinct bag with all their clean clothes in it. These were always kept in the same place in the tent, no matter where we camped, so it was easy for them to find their clean clothes. We designated one big bag for dirty laundry.

Used to be seasoned campers but age got the better of us (anyone want to buy a 7m tent with extension and all the equipment, ha?!)

So would recommend:
Earplugs
Small fan heater (even in July)
Throws/blankets
Hot water bottles for all
Anti midge sprays
Take as many plates bowls pans etc as you can fit as it's a pain washing up.
Outside rubber doormat for if it's raining
Small airer for drying clothes
Plenty of chocolate
...And a bit of courage if other campers are noisy after the curfew...

Slippers to keep your feet toasty inside the tent

Bobble hats, puffa jackets (or oodie if you have one), gloves to keep yourself warm in the evenings.

Plenty of blankets.

Electric lights - we have a leisure battery and charge it with a solar panel so we can run electric lights and charge phones.

Games/activities for the kids in case of rainy days.

Wine!

We always took a bucket with toilet seat when the kids were small. Lined with a bin bag and a couple of cheap nappies. Saved having to leave the tent for middle of the night loo trips in the cold, dark and rain!

Crocs or other easy slip on shoes for going in and out. Fairy lights! 🙂

OK, don't feel compelled to do all of these (we've been doing it a long time), but...

• plastic see through boxes are a lifesaver for storage whilst camping. Specifically a smaller one for knives and forks, one for dry food (e.g. pasta) and one for crafty activities if you are taking them. The boxes keep everything dry, together and easy to spot.
• Take blankets or fleeces for after sundown at night as you might want to sit outside when the kids are in bed. It get chilly, even with a fire going.
• Have a designated boot place for wet/muddy shoes, so the tent stays dry.
• Take extra torches. You don't want to be hunting for one at 10pm whilst your youngest has peed the bed.
• Take extra snacks.
• If you are using gas burners, it's best done behind a wind break or in the porch, so they cook evenly. Obviously, don't do it in the tent.
• Remember a washing up bowl, tea towel and fairy liquid
• Really, take more snacks than you expect.

The website festivalkidz.com has some great tips about camping with kids in the uk (at festivals). One of their tips is to use single self inflating mats instead of airbeds, and I’d definitely agree, the airbeds can be cold, noisy and feel uncomfortable if the other person is moving around. I managed to get some second hand off marketplace.

So are you planning beach?
In which case... dustpan and brush or a little handheld hoover to clear up all the sand.

I like a fitted sheet on the air beds plus sleeping bags for kids and own pillows. Duvet for us.
We have 2 doubles and a single for 5 of us and they wedge in perfectly across the sleep space. We only camp for max 3 nights.
Clothes airer and pegs.
Lots of dry foods - crisps, pain au chocolat and apples for easy snacks
Wellies/crocs to slip on
Warm socks
Fleece onesies or pjs
Wind up torch
A system for clothes and washing! We use IKEA laundry bags for worn stuff
Roll of black bin liners
Lots of spare clothes and undies for kids...mine love to get truly muddy when camping
Washing up bowl
Dustpan and brush but I'm taking my handheld vac fully charged this time as have electric pitch
In car phone charger and power bank...keep charging on all journeys
Plastic wine glasses
Wine
The poncho towels are great for to/from shower if kids don't want to dress/undress in shower block (in Aldi now)
2 in 1 shampoo/shower gel for kids for speed/ease
Sense of humour!! It will rain. Your tent will get muddy no matter how much you try to enforce "the rules"!

A mat inside the door of the tent to wipe off any wet. Shoes kept in the porch/outside the tent. Sliders are the easiest shoes, especially for night time loo runs. Don't use the gas in the tent 😄. A mat on the floor of the tent is handy too. All the warm clothes and bedding as already said.

Your bed needs to be warm and comfortable. Personally I don't like air beds. Self inflating mats are better.
Air beds are cold, lose air overnight and are rubbish for sharing unevenly sized people!
Kids seem fine on fairly thin foam roll mats, but a thermal or wool layer underneath really helps.
Decent pillows.
Lots of layers.
Take your first meal frozen (chilli or Bolognese is good) and it will defrost during the day so you only have to reheat it later.
Know where your torches are before it gets dark.
Head torches are ideal for kids.
Put a box by the tent door for shoes.
Mark your freezer packs (Sharpie or insulation tape) so you know which are yours.
If your kids are little - bucket with a puppy pad in it or a couple of sanitary pads for a nighttime wee.

Socks.

Fingerless gloves.
Big/oversized jumpers
Duvets for over sleeping bags.

Take the best thermos you have, because in non electric it's a faff to have to keep heating water for tea/coffer and it's easier to make a few cups' worth at a time

Domt share beds with your kids is the main lesson!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/BabyDan-Padded-Travel-Mattress-1083-60-75/dp/B096691VB1/ref=asc_df_B096691VB1/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=697233128155&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6537857535337278196&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045836&hvtargid=pla-1364545695018&psc=1&mcid=dc3354c51cf33607aae3f05e667c3569&th=1&psc=1&gad_source=1 For the 4yo.
maybe a ReadyBed inflatable one for the 6yo if it’s a squeeze to have a full size airbed/SIM.

Top tip from me (seasoned camper with and without hookup!) change into your PJs before dark, even if that means putting your other clothes back over the top. No getting into chilly PJs or cold drafts.

line sleeping bags with cheap fleece blankets (ikea do cheap ones) they are so handy - extra layer or line your camping chair in the evening or wrap round you.
earplugs are a must, camp sites are noisy.
crocs or fake crocs for night time wees - you don’t have to remove socks and your socks won’t get wet.
buy a box of wine. Take the bag out of the box and freeze it. The frozen wine will take at least 2 days to defrost and keep everything around it frozen too and you will always have cold wine. freeze everything you can - milk, water, literally everything that is freeze able. It’s then dual purpose.

The one thing we always forget is pound coins for the shower blocks.

other essentials:
head torches
a light for inside the tent
more blankets than you think you will need
a tin opener (always get asked for one by others)
lighters - for cooking stove and camp fire
waterproofs

In my experience, take duvets as well as sleeping bags. It can be a lot colder at night than you imagined.
Also, power banks to charge your mobile phones.
Torches and hanging lanterns for inside the tent
A camping toilet, to be used at night to save tramping across the campsite to the toilet block.
Slip on shoes so they are easily removed when hanging around outside/ going to the shower block.
Midge spray.
Ice packs marked with your name in indelible ink, which hopefully the campsite can refreeze for you to use in your cool bags.

God yes, I thought you meant sharing with your DH had been annoying- there is no way on earth I’d share with a wriggly child. Close is lovely, but you want your own bed it makes such a difference.