Equipment questions!

[mrsmalumbas]

A few for you:

Are electric cool boxes worth it or just get a regular coolbag and ice blocks?

Is electric hook up worth it - was thinking of being able to boil a kettle, run a fan heater etc but we are going in July so shouldn't be too cold? I just realised how expensive the cables are and am wondering if we should just go for a regular pitch with no hook up.

Do you think a Tescos 13 quid sleeping bag will be okay for camping in July? It says down to -7 but am not sure I believe the label!

Is there any other single piece of camping gear other than basic stove, table etc that you consider invaluable??

Thanks!!

Electric coolbox - not worth it imo, ordinary cool box with ice packs or a 3 way fridge would do.

Hook up - we've camped without it for years but I have decided to buy a lead this year because I want to be able to take the laptop with us and watch dvd's in our tent (I may take a small heater as well) .

I haven't seen the tesco's sleeping bag but there is nothing worse than being cold and it sometimes is cold at night in july. I have a vango astral 350 sleeping bag which is really warm. OH and I often use it unzipped over both of us with a blanket wrapped round us and a sheet for good measure.

My invaluable piece of camping gear is my little cadac here which I use to cook most things on and use the burner to boil the kettle as well.

Mrspnut, could you get two of those bags and zip them together? I want a warm bag- we always used to take quilt but boot space a premium now we have dcs. I don't like mummy bags- I like to snuggle with DH!

They do zip together you just need to get a left and a right bag in order to do it.

we never bother with ehu, even though we were given setup years ago

we will be getting a fridge though- to run out of car, but this is partly as by the end of camping season we sgall be weaning ds4

tesco bafg probably ok but you can get great ones for not much more

other equipment- tent , corkscrew, god book, we adore our party grill (dh is itching to add a cobb as well mind), dont bother with water carriers- buy a great 10l bottle of water then refill as it goes on,

decent panterns an essential, often overlooked

lanterns oops

thanks mrspnut, I'll look into that.

Oh yes Peachy - buy the best lanterns ans torches you can afford. Our coleman lantern has had the same batteries since we bought it 4 years ago, ditto our torch. They need replacing this year but they do survive all sorts of accidents.

Electric coolbox that runs off the car is crap. You either have a standard coolbox or a flat battery - it it doesn't cool that well either.

However a 3-way fridge is fantastic. It can run off the cigarette lighter (for journey), or electricity or a gas canister (this is what we normally do).
The fridge is as cold as the one at home so milk keeps longer than a day and your beers are actually chilled

we have a leisure battery to use as a midway alternative.

SEcond the Coleman lantern, it's been fab.

Not tried an electric cool box- as long as you are organised with the ice packs and have a good quality coolbox, should be no probs. We may get a powered coolbox now we're getting a bigger car. WE've got DH's hand me down 3-way fridge in the cellar, but it's very bulky- it used to go in their VDUB, but I bet the new ones are more streamline design.

Boiling a kettle on gas not a problem- we do it at home! A little hob expresso coffee maker is handy, as it can make a brew quickl, with small amount of water. We don't get the frothy milk, tho'

am crap at being organised with ice packs, totally beyond me

for outside after-kids-in-bed use you cant beat a gas lantern imo

would love one of those gas poered fridges but way beyond my means atm