Sad no pals person wanting to camp on my own. Needing advice.

[colie]

Hi
I would love to go camping as a family but dh is having none of it.

Do you think I would manange myself with 3 children who are 5, 2 and 3 months. Although I think I may leave baby with dh and just take the other 2. My worries are:

putting the tent up myself(haven't got one yetMay need a seperate post for that

security of it. Any mad psycho's may think we are easy to pick on as just one crazy woman with her two kids.

Has anyone managed to camp happily without another adult with them. Or, if not, do you ever see anyone else do this .
Any opinions on this would be greatly appreciated.

well it is not impossible to camp on your own but you do need to know what you are doing.
First thing is to buy a tent that is easy and fast to put up. Many don?t say you need two adults but in practise are virtually impossible without 2 - holding poles too far apart etc. So, go to a camping shop you trust and ask them exactly what they recommend to sleep your number with fast system.
It is a good time to camp as presumably your youngest will still not be quite crawling everywhere early summer this year - that will help!
Once you have bought and practised putting up your tent (have a weekend camping in the garden!) then you need to google family run small campsites with decent ammenities. There are loads out there that feel totally safe. Camp near a loo block etc and you will be fine.
Just think about the practicalities - when you put up the tent, can you keep the car doors all open and the youngest two kept in their car seats. If you are fast at setting up you should be able to do it. Also, make sure your 5 yr old will be ok using a potty at the back of the tent at night so you can stay with all of them all of the time. Same for you. If you need a wee in the night - what you gonna do? Personally I would not risk a quick run to the loo block so are you going to have a toilet tent or park your tent discreetly up against a hedge? etc! Not very nice to think about but it needs thinking about lol
Next - are you going to cook? If so, need to think about the practicalities of this. For me this is the scariest bit about camping with children around - always worries me. The stove on the ground or on a stand seems so easy to knock over etc.. Just need to think about how you handle it - eg, keeping them all in together playing a game in the sleeping part while you boil the kettle for a cuppa etc. Many campsites have a diner/restaurant etc but nice to make the odd cuppa or heat up some pasta.

Just thinking, if you do get a tent and look for a campsite, when booking it, I would mention that you are an adult camping alone with three children and is there any way they could make things easier by picking out a campiing pitch in an ultra safe (well lit, near the ammenities) spot?

Is there no way your DH will go? Not even once? My Dh hated the thought of camping before we were married. I bought a tent and declared myself going on my own... as soon as he realised I was going regardless, he bought his sleeping bag and had packed his bags moaned a lot but we have camped every year since. Still moans but that is tradition now!

Tent. Dunno but will join you on a "easiest to put up" thread. (was thinking of starting that one anyway...)

Security. I've always felt really safe on campsites. Choose a nice family oriented one. I guess you'll be going in a busy period so there's always lots of people around.

Camp without another adult. Don't know, but very tempted to try later this summer. But DS will be 7 so a little more independent than yours.

if you are going to put up the tent on your own (or mostly on your own) don't get a dome tent.

I can (and have) put up our tent on my own and it is like

this

there are 5 sets of supports and they are all identical, so a very easy tent to put up.

I have gone camping with a friend and her kids, but my family did the lst bit of the camp on our own. We were fine.

Next year I intend to spend 6 weeks going round France , just me and the kids. But my two are 11 nad 8.

My worries for you would be the same as lemon's...loos and food.

My dad took me and my two siblings camping many times, although we were a bit older so able to help out more.

I would personally probably leave baby at home if you can, after all the older ones will get much more out of it than the little one.

Wouldn't worry about security, if you pick a nice family-friendly site, campers are a very friendly and trustworthy bunch in the main. Do be aware though that some sites can get a bit rowdy on weekends. UKcampsite.co.uk is very good for checking out reviews.

As for putting up the tent yourself, you can get small ones that 'pop up' with minimal effort, which you might be able to squeeze into. But if you want a more roomy tent you will need another adult to hold stuff down (especially if it's a bit windy!). Maybe you could arrange to meet up with another friend, or a Mumsnetter, to give each other a hand when needed?

Re: loo trips. When we were little we had a 'thunder bucket' in the tent -- noisy but saved midnight trips to the loo block!

Where are you planning on going? Many of the sites I've been to are really friendly and you could probably explain to them you're pitching a tent on your own and ask them if someone could help?

Thanks for the advice everyone. I don't have a garden to practice in but will see if I can try it out in the park

justabouttohavelunch-I am in Liverpool, whereabouts are you? Would be great to have someone else to go camping with.

Lemontart-thanks for taking the time to give me all that advice. If I do go I will def try and set up camp infront of a bush. 5 yr old would be ok about potty if I explained it all beforehand.
Dh did go camping with me many,many years ago and said will never go again. I have tried the guilt thing, telling him it is all about memories for the kids etc , but he is having none of it.

im a single mum and i camp on my own all the time and sometimes with my scout group. Ive found the best thing is to know your tent inside out, bride the kids with sweets and dont expect to look great!!

Take lots of magazines, books, things to chill out with ans just relax. I look for site with a playground and pitch as close to that as i can possible stand!

dont bother with cooking, get takeaways or chips!!

teach the kids some basic skills as you go along like collecting wood, building a den, tidying the tent or packing away. each time it will get easier.

for your first trip just go down the road/closest campsite you can find for one night, this will gve you the confidence to try further away.

take spare clothes and leave them in the car incase of rain, take blankes to roll up in in the evneing a the kids will be flaked out and take the duvets ( yes, we camp with duvets!!)

always let the kids make friends and talk to other families, its amazing how many times ive welcomed a gang of kids for the afternoon and been repaid with a bottle of wine or some early morning wide awake child watching!!

have fun and dont be nervous, its only camping!!

What about joining something like the Caravan and Camping Club? They then have club meets at various points around the year and you can go along to a meet (so you're already with a group of people, as it were). Much less scary way of going camping, and lots of people about willing to give you a hand with putting tent up etc.

the first time I camped alone my older two were 10 months and 2.5. It was actually a lot of fun.

I have a vango venture 500, I bought it because its easy to put up and fits 2 x double airbeds in one sleeping compartment, so we could all fit in. Actually if I were taking dd1 and ds (2 and 4) I'd just put 1 airbed up and use the other space to play in.

I have never had any problems re security. I tend to do fairly basic style camping too. The poshest we get is the forestry commission site.

That said, I'd really recommend camping with friends. Its all so much easier, and the kids love it!

oh christ yes duvets

I have a small car, priority for us space wise has always been warmth and dryness. waterproofs good too (for ALL of you). there is no shame in sleeping in your waterproofs, btw.

don't plan to do much, btw. plan to potter around the campsite (fc sites are good for this-they have trails etc attatched)

and plan not to cook.

you can always branch out into cooking later, but first few times go sonewhere with a cafe close by and get take outs. Have cold food/picnic food.

justabouttohavelunch-
I am not too up on areas in the north. I only moved here over a year ago. I have lived in Scotland up until then. I have a sat nav though, so if you can think of an area, then I can get there (hopefully!).

As everyone has said, for our first time though we want somewhere closeby!

about next summer's France trip on your own Martianbishop....

You would be fine safety wise on your own, just plan carefully for all eventualities, cafe / fish n chips etc for food is good.

For your first trip I'd recommend somewhere like The Plassey near Wrexham
Lots to do for the kids and you, food availiable and not too far from home.

as for tents go for something like this Khyam Quick Erect tent it has the bedrooms next to each other (or maybe all as one?) and can be put up in less than 5 minutes on your own,

I go away for the whole summer with DC, and DH joins us at weekends, so I have lots of nights on my own with kids. We first did this when the youngest was 6. I love it, and have never worried about security, we've always stayed at nice sites. Could DH come with you to set up, then leave you there ?

I love just being with the kids, playing cards, or reading to them, with nothing to distract us. And its a great chance to teach them chores - its the only time all year the boys know what washing up is!

Have also gone with DS, and her kids, which works really well, lots of fun, and means we can do BBQs, which is tricky when you are on your own.

I'm up for a weekend away too with the DSes ..waves at Justabout Or maybe just one of the DSes now I think about it

first time we went DD1 was 4 DD2 was 2.
i took a 2 berth dome type tent. just big enough for the 3 of us. DD2 helped by holding poles and DD2 out the way.
Never looked back.
Now got a big tent - DDs both help putting it up and often get offers of help from other campers.
no probs with security. got a 'potty' for night time wees (actually it's a small flip top bin - i line it with bin liner and disposable nappies - the DDs think it's disgusting and refuse to use it but i do.) Its fun. games, running around, pancakes. go for it.

Can't there be a MN camping weekend? I have exactly this query.

Hi - I've camped with dd and no dh. Though I suppose its easier with just one kid [

Anyay - we have a huge 5-person Outwell tunnel tent and I managed to put it up/get it down by myself. I couldn't get it back in the bag mind! Definetly have a practice run in the garden.

Ditto practice run for anything else like camping stove you're not sure of.

I made sure we pitched within view and fairly close to the loo block. DD was 6 at the time and when I sent for a shower I admit I left her playing in the field with other kids. I gave her strict instructions to come and get me if she needed me and I was very quick. But it felt safe and if I hadn't been sure she'd have come with me.

I took a potty so if I needed a wee in the night I didn't have to leave her on her own in the tent.

I was lucky and other people took pity on me in the evenings and invited me over to sit and drink wine with them so that was good. But I took plenty of books as well.

I think a MN camping trip sounds a great idea - can we organise one?