Non driving single parent camping what to bring

[Mummabear90hair]

Hi All, I plan to take my 5 year old son away for a few days camping. Will be getting the train to a great location.

Will also take our large pushchair. What are the absolute essentials I must buy? And food recommendations appreciated. Finances are very tight this month.

tent - ideally double skinned
camp chair each
windbreaker
portable potty (have one already)
mini first aid kit and meds
basic mini toiletries
sleeping bag and camping pillow each
lock for tent
portable outdoor toys
clothes and beach clothes + water shoes
small easy dry towel each
flip flops for shower
mat or blanket under sleeping bags to keep warmth in?

water bottles and mini cartons of uht milk and fruit juice.
pain au chocolate and bananas for breakfast
A couple disposable barbecue and pot to boil water if it will work???
coffee, quick cook pasta, jar sauce
Tin hot dogs and buns
snacks
marshmellows and skewers

Really stuck on what food that’s stable and won’t constipate us. Ds is a picky eater. Lunches probably out.

I should be able to fit this into a large 85l backpack, cabin case and under the pram. There are shops within 15mins of the site.

Any help very appreciated 😄

Some kind of solar light/lamp/phone charger!

Don’t fancy your chances of cooking pasta on a disposable barbecue! Can you get a cheap cheap stove?

we do porridge for breakfast.

Thank you I was worried about this, just having a look now. The idea of having gas cannisters makes me a bit uncomfortable but I suppose there isn’t really a way around not having a cooking source is there!?

porridge sounds great especially if the morning is chilly!

Don't lick your tent, advertises you have something worthwhile stealing and your tent is likely to be slashed

Ok… I’ve done a fair bit of camping/backpacking alone.

How far do you have to walk with all this gear?

I would try and cut that list down a bit.

i personally wouldn’t bother with chairs and would take a picnic blanket. Also doubles up as extra insulation under sleep mats.

I wouldn’t bother with the weight of toys. You can make your own fun.

Wouldn’t take a wind break. Heavy! Maybe take a lightweight parasol instead.

pls don’t be offended at the above! From personal experience less is more when you have to carry it.

RegardinG meals- get a small gas stove that screws on top of a 300c Gas cannister. Honestly these are safe. You would be able to cook small one pan meals. Boil water for tea etc… more versatile, small and compact than a bbq of any sort.

Tents- look on Facebook marketplace? Or Go outdoors. OEX brand is good and cheap ish. But great tents.

Haven't disposable bbqs been banned? I don't think you can get them any more.

Any campsite we’ve been to has a campers kitchen available. Usually a hob and a microwave sometimes an oven.

Don't bother with the windbreak or portable potty. Unless your son doesn't normally use a regular toilet. You mention showers, so any campsite with showers is going to have toilets too.

As others have said, get a small stove that screws on to the tops of a gas canister. Single pot meals, no problem, far less bulky and easier to use than portable BBQs.

Head torch and battery pack for your phone.

Thanks guys I appreciate the help! It’s about a miles walk through a village once we are off public transport. I’m just praying there are decent pavements/grass verges but will email to check. guessing there must be as walkable to the beach. I don’t think that walk is too bad hauling wise.

Also just read the shop is 5 mins away, plus another 10 mins away.
Do you think it’s worth just buying (likely cold) food each night instead of the camping stove? Or is the stove worth getting? Cost wise it must work out the same for a few days.

Will leave the windbreaker and potty, he wears pull ups still for bed anyway. Will get the picnic blanket .

Will also bring small kite and frisbee instead of the bulkier toys!

Do I need a ground sheet in case in rains?

Do I need a ground sheet in case in rains?

Better to have and not need than need and not have.......

Definitely get camping stove. Hot food and drinks are essential if the weather is bad.

Is the tent already going to be done up for you? Can't imagine fitting everything into one back pack as I assume your 5 year old won't be able to carry much

I think you will have a lovely time. I have made some comments below
Do not take: Windbreaker, heavy pointless. Porta potti (wild wees for him, and the loos for No. 2s, Lock (no point - keep phone and purse on you) BBQ (plenty of sites do not allow them). I would personally take a camp chair for you, and a picnic blanket for him, unless you are cool with sitting on the ground. Small tent will do, built in groundsheet - ask if you can borrow one, most people have one. Take a rolly mat each, hard ground is cold and uneven. You must take lighting - those cheap LED headtorches will do the job, and leaves your hands free. Take a water bottle each, but just a supermarket one will do (I get that you are not meant to re-use them but for a couple of days they are not going to crumble or cause harm). Take a power bank and your phone and a cable - use it sparingly as once it goes, you will find things more difficult. Frisbee and a pack of cards, play snap. Make sure your sleeping bags are up to the job and put them in a bin bag, they are the last thing that should get wet. Waterproof coats, warm fleeces. The jury is out on the stove thing. On the good side, you can self cater for very cheap, pot noodles and pot porridge (take two spoons / forks or sporks) are your friend here along with tins of stuff that have a ring pull on, cups of tea and hot choc sachets, plus if you feel the cold a hot water bottle can be worth it's weight in gold. Don't take loads of clothes - nobody cares. I have slept in mine on camp (for more than one night too with a change of underwear I hasten to add) again, in bin bags or you may find your son's change of clothing is damp. Also check out the route from train station to camp with the little yellow man on googlemaps - if pavement, then fine, if not, you are pushing a pram down the main road and that is never a great one. Hope this helps, have a fab time xx

Hello! A single-mum non-driving camper here! I'm afraid i think you need to readlly downsize if you're walking a mile from the station (also, taking some of that stuff on the train in the summer will be TOUGH). I just take tent, rollmats, sleeping bags, books, torch, clothes, towel, gas stove for coffee and one pan for beans/soup. I don't tend to take food, but buy it there. You may be hardier than me on how much you can carry but i can't fit pillows into a 75l bag, with 2 sleeping bags.rollmats and tent on teh outer. Hopefully your DC will make a friend who has a ball/frisbee etc. I felt a bit sad sometimes we didn't have a bucket and spade etc, but you can borrow a lot! THe main thing you have to get used to is being surrounded by people who've brought their living room with you while you're basically wild-camping! Some sites are better than others -- i like to be next to the cyclists who just camp on the ground etc so i don't feel so poor-cousin-ish! (:

Check the facilities at the campsite. There's often microwave/fridge which will help. Some also have picnic benches so you wouldnt need chairs.

Packet noodles are useful and snack bars. The really tiny bottles of squash concentrate that you put in water as drops.

A mat is a must otherwise you will be really uncomfortable as well as cold. The most space efficient way of keeping warm is probably thermals for pyjamas, don't underestimate how chilly it can get at night (especially if you have a single skinned tent!).
I'm curious where you're planning to sit on the train with all this stuff. I would recommend booking a bike space, because if you were planning to use a wheelchair space and a wheelchair user gets on you'll be stuffed. (ETA: I have done train/ rucksack camping a similar distance from the station, but with two adults to share the kit, so I do think using the pushchair to carry stuff is a good idea)
Hope you and DS have a lovely time

How about something like this op for boiling water?

We camp by motorcycle so have limited space too. We have a vango hiking tent, 2 thermorest self inflating mattresses, 2 sleeping bags, 2,inflatable pillows, small stove and gas canister, pots that fit inside each other, cutlery, plates and wooden spoon. Water bottle each, chairs than collapse right down and obviously clothes and crocs for nighttime. We can fit all the camp gear in a bag but it's fairly heavy, a trolley might work better than a pushchair?

Get rid of everything non essential. There's no way you're going to be able to carry all that.

I can't think of much worse than camping....
But I'm going to suggest a taxi from train station to camp site, it's a short distance so won't be expensive and if it's super hot or wet then that mile will feel a lot longer if you're carrying everything.
Google for local firms or ask the site to recommend one and book I'm advance if it's an area that only has local firms rather than Uber etc

You Don't need a tent lock. Inflatable pillows would save space. I'd check if there is some kind of shared kitchen, if not then a small camping stove would be needed. You can get solar powered battery packs. Charge it at home (they charge on the mains as well) and then keep it topped up in the sun. I wouldn't take food if the shop is that close by. Although it might be expensive, the often are.

A Frisbee is fine. But don't play with it near other tents.

Definitely don’t lick your tent!

I am glad you have already revised what you will take .

I agree with getting a small stove , make sure the gas canister is the squat fat type rather than the taller cylinder, they fall over ( guess how I know ! )

Get a good power bank , like this one , and a rechargeable torch .
My power bank will rechargeable my ( android ) phone several times with no problem.

The torch will last for a couple of hrs on its dimmer setting ( which is still plenty bright enough) .

I would highly recommend you pack everything you thinkneed and go for a walk twice the distance you think you need to , this is incase you get lost looking for the camp site or you have to trek to the far side of the site.

I can almost guarantee you will find you suddenly don't need half the stuff you thought you did !

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Portable-26800mAh-Charging-Flashlight-Suitable/dp/B099RFLVM9?pd_rd_w=8aPxA&content-id=amzn1.sym.6bf536e4-c6e0-4735-a2a5-4e53f4986834&pf_rd_p=6bf536e4-c6e0-4735-a2a5-4e53f4986834&pf_rd_r=27F8M9BE4GR3JRPEF745&pd_rd_wg=ucbUU&pd_rd_r=e8c09eb9-34ef-4f6f-a3f8-788fb1fef9a0&pd_rd_i=B099RFLVM9&psc=1&ref_=pd_basp_m_rpt_ba_s_1_sc

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rechargeable-Blukar-Adjustable-Flashlight-Waterproof/dp/B0B42R2GKP?pd_rd_w=MCrV0&content-id=amzn1.sym.6bf536e4-c6e0-4735-a2a5-4e53f4986834&pf_rd_p=6bf536e4-c6e0-4735-a2a5-4e53f4986834&pf_rd_r=GW4CDGT5A3VJ0T1J08BM&pd_rd_wg=RLEc8&pd_rd_r=6a5a5306-a9de-4d28-8f68-0cf92af37abc&pd_rd_i=B0B42R2GKP&psc=1&ref_=pd_basp_m_rpt_ba_s_1_sc

🤣🤣🤣

I've done a couple of nights backpacking with a 5 year old when I was younger and fitter! Fun but you really need be minimalist and keep the weight down. No chairs, windbreak,

Tesco had their camping stuff reduced when I was in earlier. May no be the greatest quality but will let you try out and find what works for you. They had lightweight inflatable sleeping mats, putting one of foil emergency blankets under the mat adds warmth too.

I'd ditch the BBQ idea and go for a stove, will be much easier. Think very simple meals, Uncle Ben's rice pouches with sliced hotdog sausage, instant noodles. There are lots of pouches of things like Bolognese sauce that are shelf stable and just need heating. Its very weather dependant but personally I wouldn't want to be without a way to make a hot drink. A mug of hot chocolate goes a long way in cheering up cold damp children!

We have a tent similar to this, which is great as it has space to or you both to sit looking out of it's wet. I'd want a 3 man tent for 2https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15981440/eurohike-ribble-3-15981440