Reluctant first time camper - help 🙈

[JustAMum31]

So DH has a dream of us being a proper camping outdoorsy family 🫠 personally - I think it sounds like hell but he’s got our (pre-school aged) kid all excited at the thought so I’m taking one for the team and going along in the hope that I’m proved wrong and actually love it 😅

DH hasn’t camped since he was a child so we’re complete beginners! We’re borrowing all the gear from a friend for our first try and then will invest in our own set up if we like it.

Campsite booked an hour from home - great reviews. Site has proper toilets/showers etc and is 10 mins walk from a small town with decent shop and farm shop. We’ve booked a pitch with electric.

Any tips and tricks for beginners would be very much appreciated. Any “must have” items to make it comfortable? Any top tips to make a more successful trip?

We’re borrowing - Air tent with carpets, extension for the electric, camping tables and chairs & air beds.
We’ve got - decent sleeping bags, portable gas stove, electric cool box

You can get packs of oversized baby wipes for a pits and bits wash if necessary, although you shouldn’t need those when there’s facilities on site.

I have a bag big enough for my clothes, microfibre towel, and a wash bag for going to and from the shower block, which ensures I don’t drop anything on the way. I also have a long coat that I put over my PJ’s on the way, just to keep me cosy, although some use dry robes.

Sliders or crocs

Strictly shoes off inside the tent

An old towel as a mat just inside the tent and a rubber doormat or car footwell mat outside the tent door. We leave shoes in the car overnight and crocs on the rubber mat outside the tent for nighttime toilet visits. This really cuts down on cleaning and mud if it rains

Don't forget to completely dry the tent before giving it back. It probably won't be dry when you pack up to leave the campsite in the morning but you can put it up in dry weather when you get home.

You won't regret the hats and warm clothes :-)

Practice having a more chilled attitude to the standards you normally uphold. You can certainly choose to prioritise having a daily shower and brushing your teeth twice a day if that's what you wish but it's ok to let things slide a bit in the wild. I do remember giving my 3yo a "bath" in the sink of a communal campsite kitchen once though, which the 3yo found hilarious and so did fellow campers. If you really want to do a bath, you can buy silicone rubber trug buckets from B&Q which fit into a shower cubicle and make a great little bath for a young kid, but it won't harm them to go unbathed for a few nights.

I often think on the threads about how many showers a day people have, the ones who think you are stinky/grim/disgusting/vile fir not having (at least) 2 showers a day are unlikely to have been trekking or camping! I remember giving the kids (then 3 and 7) a wash by our pitch, 3 yo stood in the washing up bowl but we've also been for a long weekend where no-one showered at all

Put whatever you’re going to wear to bed on early in the evening, then put your clothes back on top. It makes getting ready for bed much less cold.

If you do get into camping it's worth buying a simple tarp with poles. We use it to cook under when it rains and to keep the rain off tables and chairs overnight.

You can get collapsible washing up bowls with handles! Our Tesco Extra has them in stock v cheaply atm.

As a future investment, OP, when you get the camping bug 😂.

www.dunelm.com/product/collapsible-cleaning-bowl-with-handle-1000236647?defaultSkuId=30863459&branchCode=0335&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Utility_Washing+%26+Laundry-PMax_%5BGOO-LIA-HOMEHYGIENE-LAUNDRY%5D&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17885625296&gbraid=0AAAAADGqyX2aLlfn85QegiHaqsFLX28FI&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2q2c-NbUjQMVcJtQBh2PrxBAEAQYASABEgK0uPD_BwE

Everything takes so much longer to do .....washing, dressing, boiling a kettle, finding stuff, but that is a big part of the enjoyment. Slooooow down, breathe, enjoy the slower pace out in fresh air. (Go home early if the weather is bad!)

A winter woolly hat to wear on your head in the evenings outside and in your sleeping bag.

an eye mask for the very early sunrise.

a few spare pairs of socks. You will want a pair in the evenings as the sun goes down and a dry pair to wear in your sleeping bag (do not go to bed in wet socks).

once it is getting to evening time and dusk settling in, possibly when you have done your trek to wash up after dinner, change into a pair of lingerie trousers and have an extra layer to throw on your top as it gets cool. It can be surprising how much cooler you get sitting outdoors, even on very pleasant evenings, and it’s much harder to warm up again a later than to stay comfortable by adding the layers early.

Having the means to do a hot drink at bedtime is also a good idea to help settle to sleep. This could be a flask of hot water or the ability to boil a kettle/heat milk to make hot chocolate or tea or decaf coffee or even hot squash.

Go in with a mindset of it probably being a fair bit of work (and that DH knows that too) but at a slower pace and put in fresh air and nature. Give DCs jobs - bringing the rubbish to the bins, filling the water bottle (even if it’s only half full, or use smaller bottles to send them a few times to refill a bigger bottle at the tent), wash the dishes… And also get them involved in preparing and cooking the food, it is fun to do outdoors together. But also teach them about not moving around with sharp knives and to be careful around fire/bbqs/hot stoves, and not to run over guy ropes but always go right around the outside.

I like camping. I don’t adore camping. But I have gone loads with my Cub Scout pack (I was leader for almost 10 years) and girl guides growing up. And I’ve also gone with my dd a few times just ourselves, which was very different in not needing the same structure to the days, so we had more flexibility to change plans or go faster/slower as we felt like it. I have actually brought my tent with me on overseas posting to go solo camping here as there are loads of great sites within easy reach.

But getting sufficient sleep is key to making it an enjoyable experience and not a chore.

Also the tip about a tarp and poles is great - I upgraded my own tent from a basic tunnel to a tunnel with a canopy for the same reason - no issues when cooking in a massive marquee in the rain for 25 cubs and the leaders, but when just 2 of us and no shelter, that wasn’t so great.

And going camping doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice conveniences - someone mentioned the pre-cook and freeze a meal for the cool box, don’t be afraid to eat some meals in local cafes/restaurants, but whatever is available on site (often there’s a pizza or fish/chips can or something)), or to get a rotisserie chicken, crusty baguette and bag of salad from the deli/supermarket on your way back from an outing for another dinner and leftovers for sambos next day. I sometimes clean out a milk bottle, measure out the dry ingredients for pancakes and make a batch at home (marking the sides of the bottle where the dry ingredients get to and how high the measured milk goes), shake them up for breakfast at home before washing the bottle again and refilling with the dry ingredient to just fill with milk to the mark on camp for breakfast there. (Actually, I normally just judge the milk by eye and don’t bother with the first batch at home, but if you’re not confident about how liquid the batter should be, doing a home batch is useful to know the measurements, and what it looks like when mixed).

most sites have a freezer campers can use - refresher your ice blocks for the cool box there, or half fill an empty water bottle to freeze, or buy a bag of ice from the supermarket (that will really melt and get things wet but in an emergency it’s useful). Just clearly mark everything you put in the freezer with your name and don’t leave anything there when you leave (some places don’t allow that water bottle trick as many get abandoned).

I take those pop up toy or washing baskets that you get in b and m places and then any dirty clothes/ shoes/ toys etc aren't just lying around

Wee bucket/ toilet absolutely invaluable

Everything everything takes ten times as long, so don't fight it

Also if you're really brave I'd do 3 nights instead of 2 because the set up and pack down is a good half a day and you'll find there's no time to relax

Decathlon is great for this kind of thing. You can attach it to nearby trees as well as its own poles.
Tarp:
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/multifunction-tarp-camping-shelter//R-p-307422?mc=8544366&c=teal%20blue_caribbean%20green
Useful extra poles:
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/2-camping-poles-for-tents-shelters-and-tarps//R-p-123628?mc=8358159

If you really are going to Scotland the midges can be brutal. I guess your tent has midge nets and you need to keep them zipped up all the time as you may need to sit inside in the evenings. Make sure you have some long sleeve/long leg clothes. Take several anti midge measures as different things suit different people. You can even get net hoods which go over your face, might be worth having one for rushing out to the loo or doing cooking. We go with Avon skin-so-soft and anti midge coils here and also a repellent spray/stick like Jungle Formula. And something for treating inevitable bites.

I adopt the "Camping Hair, don't care" approach personally - I care not a jot what I look like. I've long since given up taking make up, as putting on mascara is about as much as I'll do.

Be a dry robe wanker - great for shower block trips, also crocs.

If you happened to buy some daft fleecy Christmas Pyjamas take them, last August the campsite we stayed at was awash with fleecy penguins and snowmen.

Accept that routines for kids go out the window - you might not get them to have a proper scrub in the shower (cleanish is clean enough) They stay up later, wake up earlier, run around all day so are likely to be knackered beasts on the way home.

It's certainly an experience, just chill, go with it and you'll have a brilliant time, there's nothing like a Camping Cuppa at dawn.

Smidge is good, also works for ticks. Best thing to keep midges away completely is a strong wind, beware still mornings and evenings!

If you can’t get warm you won’t sleep, and if you don’t sleep you’ll never want to camp again. So here’s my routine for camping alone, but you can adjust when you’re sharing as you share each other’s body heat and you don’t need as much of this. But it will give you an idea of how cold it can get! Drill this into kids too.

BEFORE the sun sets, change into night gear. I wear Uniqlo extra warm thermals top and bottom, fresh thermal socks, a tracksuit bottom and long sleeve top. Wooly hat, very, very warm coat, fingerless gloves. Hot water bottle into the sleeping bag. Then it’s outside for the campfire, s’mores, wine, whatever you’re having. Make sure you wear waterproof boots so socks stay dry. At bedtime I take the coat off but leave everything else on, I often end up peeling it off as the tent heats up. Remember to close any air vents at night.

I sleep on a self-inflating mattress - not an airbed. This lies on top of a foil-backed picnic blanket. I put the coat on top of the sleeping bag.

In the morning open up the tent completely to air it out and get rid of the condensation. You want to completely dry it before the next night as the moisture will only make the tent colder.

I find once you get the heat and sleep right everything else is great, so I put a lot of effort into staying warm! As others have said remember that the enjoyment of camping is in the day-to-day jobs, I love making house!

I pack my pj's and bed socks inside my pillowcase so easy to find. Get the next days clothes out the night before while still light. Take electric throw or hot water bottle. Take spare matches. Put blankets in chairs to sit on, keeps you warm. Trug to put wellies, crocs etc in. Bunting.

You guys are all amazing 😊 Thank you so much for all the advice 😊

Instead of taking loads of blankets you could take long sleeved thermal base layers for nighttime with long pj bottoms and thick socks. I know you're only going for two nights but for future trips, if it gets really wet, everything will feel damp and its easier to get clothes undamp than blankets
My big tip is sliders or flip flops for the showers - the only thing I really struggle with as I've got older is walking on the same wet tiles as other bare feet. No problem sharing toilets and sinks but need those flip flops!

Also take a big bag for life when showering. Take all your shower stuff out when you get in the cubicle and put your dry clothes and towel inside the bag before hanging it on the door. Some showers send more water into the dry area than onto the body to be cleaned and I got really fed up with my towel and clothes getting wet too!

I find those collapsible crates are good for carrying washing up to and from the sinks.
Don't overthink it and have a lovely time

@blobby10 , undamp clothing proper made me laugh .
I am no longer going to hang my washing on the line to dry , I will hang it to undampen 😂.

🤣🤣 undamp only works if the stuff isn’t very damp To start with. I think I used a hairdryer to undamp my pjs when they had been in the tent on a very wet day

So far, i haven’t been proven wrong, i gotta say!

Can’t lie, if anyone ever got me to go camping again (unlikely), I’d make sure I had the nearest hotel/airbnb on speed dial. Seems a marmite thing to me, some love it and for others it’s their idea of a nightmare. I sadly fall into the second category.

@Bobthepotplant 😂😂 I very much fall into the second category too! That being said - I’ve never actually been 😂🙈
I’ve spent the last 15 years telling DH I’ll give it a try “one day” and I guess that time is now.

Our deal is -

• if I like it, or at least don’t mind it then we can invest in whatever family camping equipment he fancies
• if I hate it, he’s never allowed to talk to me about camping again 😂

Just wanted to come back and thank you all so much for all your advice 😊 We had an extremely successful 4 day trip with everything from blazing sunshine to torrential rain (good old Scotland! 😅) and I loved every minute of it 😮😁

We’re going to invest in our own set up 😃

Going to start a new thread for traffic but would love if any of you could pop onto it and give any recommendations for tents etc 😃

So glad to hear you had a great time! No tent recommendations from me I'm afraid as ours is old and we're looking to change it.

But key features to look out for are a high waterproof rating, darkened bedroom area, and being able to stand at full height. Other considerations are layout (do you want bedroom areas side by side or not) and traditional pole or inflatable. You want a tent that's big enough but no point getting one bigger than you need, especially if you think you'll mainly be doing short trips (as more hassle to put up and take down).