What can I not camp without? - 2 littles, first camping trip!

[Thegreatescape12345]

Hi all, I'm hoping for some great Mumsnet wisdom!

We love the outdoors and have decided to give camping a go. A friend is lending us a small 4 man tent, camping stove and table / chairs so we aren't shelling out if we don't like it, but there are still things I'll need to get.

Please give me your best advice for a first camping trip and what camping gear should we not be without? We are 2 nights, non electric hook up.

I need sleeping bags and something to sleep on for the kids, but other than that I have no idea what things are essential that I might not have thought of! I want to travel as light as possible (ha!) but without being left without something vital!

ETA kids are 3 and 5 :-)

Most importantly you want to be warm.

Take fleeces, puffy jackets, thick socks, hats and hot water bottles. Make sure that you get them wrapped up and in PJ'S before it gets too chilly in the evenings.

I use a 4 season bag all year round because I'm always cold...3 season would do. Whatever you do, don't be fooled by anything which says it's suitable for summer only, you will be freezing.

If your kids are used to a nightlight then get a small battery camping lamp which can be dimmed.

Something for them to do in their sleeping bags if they wake early but it's still too cold and damp to get up. E.g colouring, sticker books, Tablet, stories etc and maybe some snacks you can give them without having to get up yourself.

Extra plastic bags for wet clothes, to take to the showers etc.

I wouldn't recommend air beds, they are crap and cold. Self inflating mats or camping beds are much better.

Top tip, if your little ones are escapologists like mine then zip doors up to the top and add little bell so you can here them trying to open it.

Great solution to the issue! Just check the campsite rules as some either charge extra or don't allow them... (which is silly when you are allowed a large tent but not two smaller ones!)

Camping is a lot of trial and error working out what works for you. Plus make sure it can all fit in your car!

(No idea how we used to go camping in Micra....)

No EHU purely because we chose a specific campsite close to home (an hour away) so we know the local area, places to go and eat, and can come home easily if necessary - and they just didn't have EHU available when we were wanting to book. So thought fuck it, it's only a couple of nights. Be reet!
Would have chosen EHU if it was available. But I did think maybe it will be a bit more of an "authentic" camping experience without electric, and will give us an excuse to lose the phones and screens. May come to regret it but hey ho!

Wipes, loads of wipes.

picnic rug for the kids to sit on outside tent

Can you borrow some sleeping mats?

Bags of Brioche rolls, bananas, satsumas as portable snacks and breakfast

Zip the zipper to the top of the tent door to prevent early morning escape bids.

Eye masks, ear plugs.

Thank you everyone for all the amazing tips so far. I especially like the bells for the zips to stop kids escaping. 3 year old cannot be trusted!
I have added marshmallows, wind up torch / chargey things, solar lights and hot water bottles to my list! Also box of outdoor toys, great ideas there thank you.

I think we will need to get camping mats / mattresses as friend isn't lending these... Presumably camping mats means the squishy things like mattresses and not just sleeping on yoga mat type things. DH has looked and they are quite expensive so we may go for air beds possibly or I'll look into hiring some proper mats.

I did see a kids camping bunk bed in a camping shop the other week. I was so very, very tempted! (Honestly the kids are obsessed with bunk beds. Any holiday with bunk beds and that's their favourite part!) But I think I'll favour a comfy mat and think about that another time!

We don't plan to do lots of cooking so maybe will hire a fire pit or a BBQ one evening and pub another, and just take some easy bits for the stove for brekkie and hot drinks. I plan to try doing pancakes for the kids (dry mix in one of those bottles you just add milk to and shake!).

According to my friend the 4 man does have a living area that will fit 4 people plus table and chairs at a squeeze, so maybe if the weather stays fine we'll be ok for a short weekend? Or am I better going for the little living area regardless given the age of the kids - they won't fare well in a small space if it rains, especially 3 yr old!

Ah, lovely to hear ‘be reet’ .

A good camping lantern. A torch is ok for walking to the loo, but you need a lantern for the tent.

If you decide you like camping in the future, look at getting a solar set up.. we manage to run a fridge, pumps, phones etc off ours even in cloudy weather.

If its a 4 bed tent plus living area, it will probably be fine. Can you put the tent up in your garden to see how much space you have?

Definitely something warm on the ground that goes underneath your sleeping bags and roll mats. Regardless of the warmth during the day, the ground is very cold at night. Also change into pj’s early on way before bedtime so you’re not changing into cold pj’s and getting into a cold sleeping bag.

If you still have the foam kids click squares then these are really handy for 2 things - can go under a airbed/camping mat and reduces the amount of heat lost to the floor.
Second use is as a playfloor outside the tent great for colouring/magnet tile building etc especially in the mornings with dew.

Definitely recommend a equipped campsite - playground, bar and food options incase it's raining.

Never heat up your tent with a gas heater etc it can kill very quickly (bbqs people have used too)

Camping ...urgh

Little kids need little sleeping bags - a gap at the bottom means cold air. You can make a bigger sleeping bag shorter with a scrunchie.

And on the Camping Board, too!

Maybe you should keep a safe distance.

Insect repellent and antihistamine cream.

This!! A 4 man tent usually has no living area. It will be cramped!!

Air mattresses will be really cold unless you put something like fleece blankets underneath them.
Your best bet would be getting some decent self inflating mattresses which will be comfortable and insulating

We put our tent up in the garden every summer and "camp out". It's very good.

The biggest thing I find is that we are much more comfortable sleeping if we have a duvet from home both above and below when we are asleep, even though we also have a foam bed roll on the ground and a winter sleeping bag. Somehow the extra weight and heat makes a massive difference. I'm not sure if that will fit in your car though.

We use two trangias for cooking, but if you are not planning to do a lot of cooking, that will be easier.

We have the collapsible washing up basin, which is very useful indeed, and a big plastic container for fetching water. tinyurl.com/2yc9fp85

We have a wheelie trolley for bringing everything from the car to the tent location as it really can be quite a lot of stuff.

It's all such a lot of stuff isn't it?

Last time we went camping it got terribly hot and I got a headache from the heat. The solution turned out to be a bag of frozen peas to wear on top of my head. That really was very nice indeed.

We usually take a lot of tinned and packaged food that requires no cooking or refrigeration. That is easier. Food that you can eat straight out of the pot is also handy, like rice or pasta.

Lots of string so you can build camp gadgets.

Hats with broad brims are a good idea for preventing sun burn. Like this:
https://www.alpinetrek.co.uk/outdoor-research-sombriolet-sun-hat-hat/

The ladybird book of camping is very good.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/335118850358
It has some guidance on how to build camp gadgets.

Good idea to take stuff to stop the pain of insect stings, like bee and wasp stings. And savlon and plasters in case of thorns and whatnot. Also thermometer and calpol.

Also some very soothing and ultra reliable activities that one parent can do with both kids, if the other parent is going round the bend from tiredness needs to relax for a moment.

Some don’t but absolutely loads do!

Or you can use a torch and a water bottle to make a lantern. OP you get a bottle, a bigish one, maybe a 4 litre milk bottle.

Fill with water and then put the torch behind it, a head torch with an elastic band works well.

Gin……. Lots and lots of gin.

if you get a good nights sleep you’ll be grand, cold come up from ground so foil blankets etc under and bed mats.
a portable toilet was a godsend when I took my four littles ( they’re adults now and toilet is a godsend for menopausal me 😂)

We used to be on camping mats and then I bought airbeds. OMG absolute gamechanger. We slept so much better!

Be prepared for real cold. Even in the warm months, I go to bed in fleece PJs with a thermal layer, jumper, coat, hat, scarf etc. My toddler wears winter PJs and a winter snowsuit to sleep in. If there was only one piece of advice, it would be this- prepare for arctic conditions! You will get much colder than you think.

Read on MN before that skin dries quicker than clothing, and that wearing shorts and sliders around the campsite when it's rainy makes things a lot easier. It's a great tip! (except for the night-time when, as I've said, you will be FREEZING!)

Focus on things to keep you warm at night this first time @Thegreatescape12345 ans make sure to take chairs! Everyone always underestimates the discomfort of sitting on the floor.

After that you will work out what you need. Think, how can I make this comfortable without going crazy (because if you get the bug it is SO easy to go mad buying stuff 😘)

I have been camping with my DC since they were very tiny (under 1y old). The site has no EHU or showers.
We took a potty in the early years. Lots of baby wipes and 'dog poo' bags, a well as spare toilet roll.
We also used interlocking foam squares for insulation on the floor of the tent. They were used to play with/on during the day. It gets very cold at night and that can seep through an airbed.
We also took a foot pump and repair kit for the airbeds. If you're staying a few nights they do tend to deflate a bit.

https://www.millets.co.uk/16537526/berghaus-air-400-nightfall-tent-16537526/4285798/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping

Here's a link to the tent. It does have a little living area, not sure DH will be able to stand up in it though... Will that be ok for two nights for the family, plus stuff? My kids are very active and hyper so I'm leaning towards getting the extra bit. But also I don't want to spend loads!
We do have a little pop up beach tent. Reckon that would be allowed, as a kids play area or possibly a toilet tent?! It's very small!

Fleecey PJ's, onesies to sleep in - check! String gadgets... Sounds interesting! I shall look into that for sure. I think I will take their screens for emergency down time for us. I think I'll look for some little bits on marketplace like a toilet or bucket with lid, a wind up charger etc.
I also do think we have those foam mats still! Wouldn't have thought about taking those!
I will put in as many blankets / duvets as we can fit in the car... I won't risk a gas heater so not sure heating is an option with no EHU, but hot water bottles will hopefully be ok.
I think any space saving will end up being food supplies - we can get that onsite or nearby so fingers crossed it all fits!

Thanks so much everyone, taking this all on board!
I will look at the inflatable sleep mats too and get those if we can't borrow.

It’ll be tight, but for two nights I think you’ll be fine.

This is one of the black out-ish tents so they won’t* wake up at 5am at least!

Duvets, onesies (with wellies for day wear is perfectly acceptable. They don’t need to get changed). I’m going to get a wind break (plenty on FB for around £10 round my way) for the next time we go away. Gives you a bit more privacy, keeps the wind off the stove and may help contain the 3 yr old a bit more.