Brand new to camping - anyone willing to take pity on me and give advice?

[TheOtherBear]

I went camping as a child and loved it, but have never done it as an adult. DH never went camping and is very against the idea - he struggles with things that are new and would rather veto the whole idea.

This wouldn't be such a problem if it wasn't for the fact that we don't have any money for holidays. Our house needs a fair bit doing to it and most spare money goes towards that. So I've now said that I don't see a way for us to have a holiday (particularly overseas) for several years, unless we try camping. Like, we'll probably need to invest in the tent, but pitches are so affordable (I assume....!). We've got three kids, and I hate the idea of having several years without showing them at least some of the world, even if it's France / Spain / Germany, etc.

Anyway, DH is finally coming around to it, so I need to get organised. Can anyone please help with 1) what kind of tent should we be trying, and 2) where should we go?

Other factors:

Ease of use - by his own admittance, DH is not practical. As in, he can't change a lightbulb and will ask me to do it. So I'm going to need to put up the tent all by myself (obviously the kids can learn to help too). I'm not really fazed by this, as I AM a very practical person, but I do want to make my life easier. Are inflatable tents really as good as they seem? Would that help me more than a traditional ones with poles?

Upgrading the experience - what can I do / get to make the experience as nice as possible for DH? A friend said they take a small fridge in their car with them (we have a big car, so could do this). Do people do that? Anything else?

Good weather - obviously this is never guaranteed, but if I've got any chance of DH enjoying this holiday (and like 'holidays' plural, for the next number of years), I need to make it as likely as possible. How reliable is the weather for camping in the south of France? And how do people find camp sites to go to?

I know that's long, sorry. Anything else I need to think about?

Don’t buy air mattresses but invest in a decent SIM (self inflating mat), we put ours on top of two camping beds placed together. Camping batteries are great as we camp without electrical pitches.

Can’t offer advice on easy to put up tents as we have an emperor canvas bell tent, but I thoroughly recommend bell tents for space. Separate awnings are great too.

How many kids and what ages?

When you say you have a big car, how big? We're just back from 4 days camping, 2 adults, 1 6 yo, and the Qashqai was rammed full and so was the roofbox. If you want to camp abroad with kids I'd be looking at Canvas Holidays type places where you'll need much less kit (and the tent will already be up when you arrive).

To make it more comfortable for DH - sunscreen, bug spray, sleep mask, ear plugs, tent you can stand up in, best bedding you can find. I hope he's not as whingy in real life as he sounds here, or your holidays may not be very enjoyable.

Appreciate the quick responses, thank you both!

Kids - three girls, 3, 6, 9

Car - Ford S-Max (we wouldn't need to use the boot seats, so whole boot space would be usable)

DH - honestly, he's a lovely guy. He would do anything for me. He just struggles with things outside of his comfort zone and gets anxiety. We're as certain as we can be that he's ND, but obviously he's in a massive waiting list for an assessment. If I can make one camping holiday a success, he'll then love it and be on board (he will want to go back to the same place everytime, but I'm happy to be the one pushing new places).

My advice, honestly, don't do it.
Camping takes everyone to buy in or it becomes a miserable holiday.

If it rains... solidly for 5 days, even the most positive pro camper can become miserable. Imagine the effect on an "I'm only here cos you want me to be" camper.

Before you spend money buying stuff, first go to a campsite where the tents are already put up for you. Then you can all see if you like it first. No point buying a big fancy tent if everyone hates it and you never use it again.

There are 5 of you so get a 6-person tent. The first rule of camping is to have a tent that's meant for one more person than the size of your party.

If you want a tent, get one from Decathlon. For occasional campers who don't want to go to Scotland, they're brilliant. Easy to pitch, cheap, good quality and they have a buy back scheme if you hate it. You can also go to lie on all their beds in the store. Unlike a PP, I hate SIMs because my hips touch the floor as a side sleeper, so I like at least a 15cm thick air bed, and SIMs never stay folder down for me when packing.

My top tip would be to camp on the outskirts of a decent sized town so that there are a lot of options away from the tent. If it rains or bakes, your neighbours are annoying, the music by the pool is awful, you suck at camp cooking, your chairs collapse as soon as look at them etc, you'll be glad of a good cafe with real chairs, somewhere to dry out or cool down and a decent glass of cold wine.

Camping in France is brilliant. The French are great campers (visit any Decathlon store to be convinced). Most towns have a "camping municipal" which is an affordable campsite but still with good facilities and often in amazing locations. They have baguettes and pastries delivered every morning fresh.
You will probably need a trailer or roofbox for the gear. A lot of people camp within a long day's drive of the ferry, so you don't necessarily need to go all the way south. We had a great holiday in the Vosges mountains for example, I think we broke the journey in an Etap hotel.

Your DH will be able to help with the tent, as long as one person knows what they are doing, the other just needs to hold things and follow instructions. Tunnel tents are the easiest to put up as they are just oblong with all the poles the same size.

The main thing about camping is you need to sort of develop your set-up over a few trips, so you can both see what other campers are doing or work out that you need refrigeration or warmer bedding or a sheltered area to cook. Otherwise you will start with too much stuff you don't need. I'd start with the right size of tent and basic bedding, chairs, stove and try some weekends away in the UK. If it's not perfect, don't give up, think what you need to change next time and sort it. The nice thing is that you are in control of your environment that can actually help ND people - wherever you camp it's still your same tent, bed etc.

Also, it's OK to just go home early or change plans if it really pours with rain!

Start with glamping: where most things are provided and set-up for you. Preferably with some sort of on-site catering or a pub within walking distance.
I think a 2-night trip would be about right for your first time. Any less and you don’t really get the holiday feel, plus it’s a lot of hassle for just one night.

Air tents are amazing. I have a cheapie one from Aldi and can put it up by myself, take it down and most importantly, fit it back into its original bag when we're done with it. It's on its third year and has needed absolutely no maintenance and is still just as weatherproof now as when we bought it. Just don't forget the pump 😂

The trouble with making camping enjoyable, is that its expensive to get all the kit.

Id also recommend going to a site where you can use the tents there, as a start. Eurocamp are highly recommended.

Also, some of the really good sites (for me, that means a site with good facilities in case of bad weather, pool , play areas, pub grub, shop) the pitches are not as cheap as you might think.

There are camp sites with the tent and all the year already set up.
Tbh I'd try that first as to buy everything you need , get organised , set it all up etc etc , can be daunting and expensive .
Ok most of the tents are pretty big , and very well equipped , so think very clamping , but it might be an introduction to him and the kids .

Thanks all. To be honest, I haven't had much success searching for a UK or Eurocamp holiday where tents are already set-up. They seem to be very limited in availability and / or are still really expensive.

I'll have another search and see what I can find.

I guess this isn't a bad price. And I do like the location. I need to find more things like this, maybe.

https://www.eurocamp.co.uk/reservations/checkout/accommodation?newBooking=true&k=2625_2026-07-25_2026-08-08_LOC_2%28A%29_150477_1-FLBZBKZDA-2-FLBZBKZDA

(Appreciate it's not proper camping though, but hear what you're all saying about making my life easier!)

Camping is expensive if you aren't building up your kit year on year.

Have you got a tow bar? It is worth looking at a folding camper (or tent but I prefer the campers). Beds, seats, oven provided already. Ours has a bathroom which is handy for middle of the night wees and to clean teeth. A godsend when it rains!

Be cheaper to book and all inclusive for the five of yous in Spain than do a camping trip in France.

When our children were young, most of our holidays were camping holidays (UK or France mostly). Camping in France is brilliant if you don't mind the ferry/tunnel and the drive. The kids just have so much freedom around the campsites and they are so well equipped.

I always used to book the best campsites that we could afford, I particularly liked the Les Castels sites for longer stays:https://www.les-castels.co.uk/. Anything less than 1 or 2 nights, I used to go on the Pitchup site.

I would visit Go Outdoors or a similar store where you can see the tents displayed already set up and ask questions and advise on what to pack. We had a small car and had a roof box fitted. Or look for a good second hand tent with poles. Practice putting it up in the garden with your husband and children before you go.

I would take whatever you feel you need to make the holiday fun. I used to take a pillow and a duvet and eventually I bought my own airbed. There is no point in being uncomfortable, it can really detract from the experience and be very off-putting.

I hope it is a success for you.

https://www.eazycamp.co.uk/lepe-beach/pre-erected-tents.html this is on the south coast and close to pub, beach - good place to do a few nights as a tester. Air tents do go up quickly but are more of a hassle than traditional tents to fold up and put away, in my experience. If you're buying a tent, I'd make sure there is enough space for you all to site around a table inside it, in case of bad weather. Things I always appreciate having are extra blankets, windbreak, pop up shade tent, lots of card games and football/cricket/swing ball. And corkscrew, don't forget that! Our 7 seater car with huge boot always seems to shrink when we camp, and fitting everything becomes a game of car Tetris. BUT kids have been camping regularly since about ages 4/5 and always love it, the freedom they get on a a campsite, meeting lots of other children, and even the daily washing up becomes a game for them.

Can you borrow stuff from a friend to have a trial camp near to home first? Pick a few days when the weather's good.

If you can't beg or borrow everything, take items like pots and pans and duvets from your home. We used a folding sofa bed mattress instead of bespoke camping beds when the DC were very small.

When you do come to buy things, look for kit on Facebook Marketplace (although Decathlon may be cheaper).

France is a fantastic place to camp - we have many happy memories from there which our now-adult children look back fondly on. Sites are better and cheaper than the UK with more reliable weather but you obviously need to factor in travel costs.

Keep camping meals very simple - you won't want a lot of hassle and stuff to wash up - again, France is brilliant for this because you can buy great tinned and ready-prepared food in the big supermarkets. As well as very reasonable wine!

We used he pre pitched tents here when we went to Paulton’s Park https://www.paultonscampsite.com/pre-erected-tents

huttopia

Stop making this all about DH?

If he does come along he needs to pull his weight and put up the bloody tent, what is he, a snowflake??

Air bed! Air bed! Air bed!

Honestly, makes the difference between sleeping and not sleeping, for me (also a side sleeper).

borrow or buy a basic tent, pick a campsite with toilets/showers, and do a trial night close to home. Bring layers (nights get cold), a comfy sleeping mat, and don’t forget a torch and loo roll. Meal plan ahead, even just pasta or sandwiches. It’s meant to be fun, not perfect. You’ll learn as you go, we all started clueless!

Facebook marketplace or similar might be your friend. I often see tents/camping gear up for sale. I'm guessing people try it and decide it's not for them. Or go to an outdoorsy place at the end of season to get a bargain (doesn't solve this summer though). We do mum and 2 kids camps with a fiat panda and roof box so a big car isn't a must, though I would ideally like something a bit bigger. Probably start basic and you will get a feel for what might enhance your trips. Warm and dry is the priority, take more bedding than you think you need and plenty of clothes if there is no laundrette on site. Hot water bottles. It's not as cheap as it was to camp now (our favourite site has gone from £16 a night to £35 since the lockdowns) but it is still cheaper than other holidays. Check the site facilities and location before you go too, that bargain price may be because it's in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do - great for retired folk looking for a peaceful weekend away, not so much so for a family with kids to entertain.