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!

shoes/slippers for inside tent and a box with a lid for outdoor shoes.

Airbed and inflated mattresses are cold because the air inside of them is cold, because of this you need an insulated layer between it and your sleeping bag. We use yoga matts, thin, easily stored, grippy so they don’t slip and can be muti purpose. You may also find you get some condensation between the bed and whatever flooring it is on, and between the bed and the insulating layer, so it’s important everything is aired well during the day. Without an insulated layer the condensation on the bed will make the sleeping bag damp.

Sleeping bags are insulating and will hold warm air that you create, so don’t put a cold body in one. If you wear layers you’re simply preventing that warm trapped air from reaching your body, additional layers should go on/under the sleeping bag, not on your body.

Memory foam can become very firm when cold, so don’t take a normal memory foam pillow as you’ll essentially be putting your head on a large brick.

Nights are damp, so make sure everything is properly packed away in the evening, but especially clothes otherwise these will be damp in the morning.

Make sure your tent has a decent porch so you aren’t sharing your sleeping area with wet or damp clothing, towels etc, anything damp needs as much air as possible.

Tents are not sound proof, make sure your children are disturbed by noises outdoors as this can in turn disturb other campers. We once had a child who screamed every night because they didn’t like the sound of a sheep bleating.

Two or three tables ... for putting all your cooking and food stuff on, for your gas stove, for eating, for games etc etc

I've been camping for over 50 years... the trick is to take as little as possible whilst having everything you need and treat it more like an adventure than a holiday.
Cover all your bases of shelter, heat, light, food. Remember the bathroom is much further away than you are used to!
Hanging washbags. Sleep in a hat. Put on warmer clothes at dusk. Remember laundry pegs, tin opener and corkscrew! Open all the tent vents in the morning, close them at night. Keep your tent floor tidy or you will attract things like ants. Put your rubbish away often. Never bring bbqs into the tent when they are out. Don't pitch under trees or near water. Check door flaps for earwigs before opening! Keep inner tents sealed but ventilated to keep bugs out. Warn kids repeatedly about guy ropes, put glow-in-the-dark pegs or lights on the corners and door. Instant hot chocolate. A good cool-box, though we used to keep milk in a saucepan of cold water in the shade in the 70s! A seat and a blanket for everyone, double sofa seats are great with kids. Glowsticks, solar stick lights and fairylights, a stargazing phone app and binoculars. It's going to be amazing x

Single air beds (we had camp beds for ours when they were small instead but single beds for me and husband). Picnic mats under the air beds help keep cold out, cushioned mattress protectors also help with insulation and are easy to put on air beds, you can use them instead of sheets if you want to save a little space.

A big enough kettle, and lidded/insulated tea mugs. Proper cutlery. Blankets are better than sleeping bags because you can kick them off when the tent gets hot in the early morning. Separate bath bags so you're not waiting around for each other outside the campsite washrooms. Bug spray/bite cream (essential). Tick tweezers.

If you're camping in the uk, find a local supermarket that will deliver your groceries to the campsite so you're not driving for hours with food in the car. And remember you can always pop in to a local supermarket or hardware store for forgotten things like tin openers or extra blankets, so don't let yourself get too stressed over the packing before you leave, just make a checklist and tick things off and tell yourself you'll buy anything else.

A camping toilet is useful unless you're camping within easy reach of campsite toilets. Bath mats make good absorbent door mats for tents if it's wet.

Also if you're camping somewhere where you don't need to drive, like right next to a beach, remember to run the car from time to time so the battery isn't flat when you're ready to leave, that can ruin the end of a holiday. And I find a small dustpan and brush makes all the difference when cleaning the tent to repack.

Oh, and a groundsheet tucked over everything in the car. That way you can take it out first and unpack the car onto it so the things put in on top aren't sitting on the grass while you put the tent up. It also stops things falling out the moment you open the door, if you're like me and pack the car to the gills and beyond.

You need a holiday by the sounds of it!

Air beds are really quite cold. So defo a duvet or blankets to go on top of it. Thick self inflating roll mats are warmer for next time.

Take a ball for outside and also some colouring or paper, dobble, cards in case it’s raining.

We got recommended these nightlark coverless duvets by a seasoned camper. Using them for the first time next month. We’ve got the Decathlon inflatable camp bed with self inflating mattress which are really
comfortable.

Overnight avoid cotton - wear either synthetic fabrics or natural ones like wool are warmer. Mountain warehouse do great merino wool base layers.

Emergency foil blanket then mat then air bed then cover then sleeping bag, air beds are freezing without anything under them! My kids are mostly grown now but Lordy they could sleep on a washing line! Me however I need warmth. If you sleep well you'll enjoy it, if you don't you'll never want to go again. Also stay warm don't get warm so just before it starts cooling out your layers on. Oh and gin

Some of the best camping experiences we’ve had were when we were first starting out and we didn’t take too much stuff.

That said, we always prioritise sleep!

TIPS:

• We line the floor of the tent with interlocking foam mats like these.
• Layer foil backed picnic blankets on top of the mats.
• Air beds and sleeping bags are grim. You need self-inflating mats and your own duvets. SIMs can be picked up cheaply on Amazon nowadays.
• We layer cheap fleecey blankets - one under the mat & one on top to act as a sheet.
• Hot water bottles for everyone
• A hat, buff and gloves for everyone - cosy for sleeping and easy to remove at 5am when the tent is roasting.
• We tend to sleep in comfy clothes - oodies, leggings, joggers, jumpers, fluffy socks.
• Eye masks for everyone.
• Wine and a herbal sleeping pill for the adults.

When we don’t have electric hook up, we take 2 pump top thermos flasks like these. One for boiling water, one for cold milk.

I’d sacrifice a large tent over a pop up gazebo any day. We set up our kitchen in ours and add windbreakers for privacy. Bungee chords can be used on the frame to hang kitchen roll and create a make shift washing line for towels. Decorate with bunting and fairy lights and it’s lovely to sit under it at night. You can also clip an over door storage pocket thingy to the frame like this. Game changer.

A flattened cardboard box makes a good door mat and can be recycled at the end of the holiday. No shoes in the tent! Keep slip on crocs or sliders at the door of the tent for easiness. Flip flop are no use as you have to remove socks to get them on.

Pop up laundry baskets are great for storage and keeping the floor of the tent tidy.

@PuttingDownRoots rolos instead of marshmallows? You win the thread.

Now I’m wondering how I can track down some rolos for our own upcoming trip…

Yes, us too. We make a chilli and freeze it before we go. It stays frozen in the ice box for quite a while. The first night is usually heading out for fish and chips on the beach and then chilli for the second night.

How long are you going for? That will affect the stuff you 'need' to make it comfortable.

our mantra was always 'wet legs dry quicker than wet trousers' so in wet weather, shorts and wellies were the order of the day. You can cook some impressive one pot meals on those little gas burner stoves - we had three on the go over breakfast during our last camping expedition in 2016 - one did water for tea, one did sausages and bacon and the other did the eggs. You can also do an array of meals in one pan with a little bit of thought, loads of salt and pepper and not too much concern about how it tastes.

My son recently got an inflatable sleeping mat and says its way better than an air bed which never stay up and you have to either carry a pump or make yourself faint blowing the bloody thing up.
Collapsible baskets can be used for all sorts of storage, but a plastic box with a lid is perfect for storing trainers or other shoes which you want dry.

Always take more socks than you think you could ever use, and t shirts to use as under layers.

Make sure the children have stuff to do in the tent if it’s wet. Board games are great as you have the time.

Keep in mind the joy of a camping holiday is camping and being outside, don’t feel you have to fill the days with activities/sightseeing. Enjoy chilling out in a field.

Right, so today we went out and bought: inflatable mats, a table and some chairs. We’re getting there!

There’s quite a bit of talk on here about campsites having freezers. Is that really a thing?

Also, if I don’t have electric hook up, do people tend to find somewhere in the campsite to charge phones etc or do they take their own power banks? I’ve not got a power bank, so don’t really know what I’m looking for.

A hat for the night it does get cold
somewhere practical for each person to keep their things as it can get messy
socks
blankets
pillow
a potty thing with bags!
kitchen roll!!!
socks
pJs
pillow from home
an air bed each
a couple of mats to put down in the tent.
a plan for shoes, clothing etc

Very seasoned camper here!

Air beds (as in No insulation, cheap air beds) are awful. They pop easily, they’re freezing cold and if you share on you end up either up high or in a hollow)

Self inflating Insulated mats are the way forward.

You’ve got so many tips, not sure if I’ve seen Picnic blanket? We take a large one. For generally laying/sitting/drawing/eating etc. handy when the grass is damp.

Yes some campsites do have Communal Freezers. You wrote your name on your own freezer blocks (Sharpie) I usually wrap them all in a carrier bag too. And shove deep at the bottom 😅

Thermal vests
Wooly hats and gloves.
Down gilet or jacket.

Both for damp evenings when it gets chilly

I also used to take the bucket out of a commode I was given. It proved so useful for midnight wees and saved the palava of taking kids to the loo in the night. It had a lid. Loo roll was put in a plastic bag and disposed of in the morning when I emptied out the bucket into the loos.

Lots of 20ps for the shower

Ear plugs. And a spare set of ear plugs.

Instead of a lamp we used thick glow sticks for nightlights as they were subtle but lasted through the night.

Take hot water bottles if you have them.

Put pj's on way before bedtime so it's not cold getting undressed and into cold clothing.

Take a bucket toilet lined with a nappy for nighttime wees.

Have fun!

Definitely get a cheap power bank, but you’ll probably charge the phone in the car if you’re going out. I think most things have been covered here, but I second self inflating mats over airbeds. Don’t let yourself get cold. If you have a shower in the evening, put tomorrow’s clean socks on before you go to bed!

Most important, sense of humour and lowering of standards. Reading this thread is making me want to go camping again.

Put wet towels on the dashboard or parcel shelf of the car, they will dry fast if the sun is out.

Oh, and just remember that when it gets dark, you will not be able to find anything no matter how good your torch; prepare everything you need for bed, pick up loose stuff etc before sunset! And don’t leave food or food waste outside, clear it away … the sound of a fox rooting through your leftovers at 3 am is quite scary.

I hope you have a great trip

Single solar lights that stick in the ground. Put one at the peg end of each guy rope then you are less likely to trip over them as you stagger to the loo in the dark and you will also be able to see your tent as you stagger back!

A bucket for late night or early morning wees is a game changer. You can buy commode liners (essentially a bin bag with a super-absorbent pad in it) which are useful for keeping it clean and avoiding spills.

You can get a solar-powered power bank off Amazon for around £200 including the solar panels. This will keep phones and tablets topped up each day. Some of them also have 3-pin inverters so you can plug small items in if needed.

Bring loads of bin bags, loads of loo roll and loads of wet wipes.

Agree with everyone who has said bring proper pillows. To sleep on we used to take sun loungers with a self-inflating mat, then a sheet, then duvets or sleeping bags as it was warmer off the floor and you can store stuff under them.

Our kids loved having kites when we were camping.

Have fun, and please leave your pitch clean when you go!

This kind of lounger: