It seems like the less I enjoy camping, the more DH is determined to spend money on it until I do, so what is worth buying?

[rookiemater]

Last year we made initial investment in tent ( Vango Diablo 600 bloody faff to put up but nice and roomy once there) stove, table, chairs etc etc. All in all about £350 worth.

Tried camping in the garden, could not sleep as joint airmattress (£19.99)was rubbish and inflatable pillows (£4.99 each) were worse than nothing. Gave up and went inside half way through night as DH was too cold.

Had disastrous family camping expedition last weekend, primarily because it bucketed and the campsite was a muddy field with some bubonic plague carrying portaloos. Oh and some crazed hippies sang "She'll be coming round the mountain" with guitar accompaniment until 5.30am when I woke up.

Unfortunately we are already committed to spending another three nights under canvas in a couple of weeks time as have arranged to meet DHs sister and family.
I am taking a note of nearby B&Bs and telephone numbers.
Meanwhile DH is on a mission to buy every bit of gear to make it better i.e. sleeping bag from ebay £122, another one for DS that is around £50.00 and two camp bed things at £19.99 each. At this rate we could have gone to a five star hotel for a week, as unless the next camping experience is very different from the last, theres no way I'm doing it again.

So the question is, is there anything that we could buy (as DH is determined to do it anyway) that will genuinely make the experience better ?

earplugs

seriously

sorry but pmsl at Coming Round the Mountain

A wine box and real coffee

Oh, and portable dvd player!

Oh I never sleep without earplugs.

Yes they were singing it honestly. It was my own silly fault, it was camping attached to a weekend fair. I assumed that the fair would be of the guess the weight of the marrow and homemade strawberry jam type. Instead it was an alternative one, where people tried to sell home knitted hats from tent to tent.

I got up to pee at around 11 - 12 at night, and there were a whole bunch of people just having their dinner, including children from aged 5. I was just amazed at everyone elses stamina.

a holiday home & dh can camp in the garden

lol at stamina

years ago a friend and I went to the Reading Festival and lay in our beds muttering 'Some of us have to sleep you know'

and we were young then. I mean ridiculously young.

Thats funny Cappuccino.

I camped a little bit when young and even then it did not float my boat.

I have no idea why I thought it would be a good idea to buy a tent.

I have just thought of plan B though. DH sis & her Dh are bringing a caravan although their kids are camping, perhaps i could bribe them to swap for the tent.

OK my top tips, and thee are free!!

TAKE YOUR OWN PILLOWS AND DUVETS, sod the blow up jobbies and sleeping bags. We always take our own bed linen

TAKE A BOX OF RED WINE drink as much as possible starting around 6pm, by 10pm you will be really mellow and sleep through anything.

PROPER PYJAMAS, or joggers and a sweatshirt if it gets cold (preferably with cropped legs so teh midnigght loo run doesn't leave damp ankles#

Lots of luck

We have just come back from a wet week in a muddy campsite in Cornwall. My first camping adventure! I took the bucket with lid, small bin liners and wood chip cat litter as advised on mumsnet for those late night /early morning wees. It was a godsend. Thank you, thank you to whoever suggested it.

£122 on a sleeping bag? Seriously?

a motoerhome - it cures everything

Just returned from a week of rain/wind/blazing sun/thunder & lightning in Kent- with 15 month ds- and it was still great! (err...apart from howling gale on Sat night which sent dp checking tent pegs for fear tent would blow down ).

So first tip- rain is no prob as long as you have sealed in groundsheet- but avoid high winds!

What crunchie said re: bedlinen- take your own pillow at the very least!

I know I'll get accused of being poncy but we bought a carpet for our tent (outwell hartford) and it was brilliant- much more cosy and rain/wine/baby wee wipes off really easy.

Try & get some ambient lighting rather than flourescent lantern. A sunjar is nice as long as you dont actually need to see to read or anything.

A pack of cards and lots of alcohol.

I will def try the cat litter tip, and the cropped pants are a great idea- cant believe I didnt think of that!

cat litter? what is one supposed to do with the cat litter?

I am intrigued?

Also, are we talking cropped pants or cropped trousers? If it is the pants to be cropped in what way is one cropping them?

pants, trousers, pah, I sneer in the face of accuracy.

I presume crunchie meant 3/4 length trousers.

Yes the sleeping bag was indeed £122, Dh will apparently use it for one of those many mountaineering camping trips that he often goes on

I have bought a Loo John or something, its basically a special thing you can pee in with a gel to solidify it as DH not happy about me peeing in a bucket in the tent, so hopefully I might be ok with full length trousers, or do you think I should go 3/4 just to be on the safe side ?

Agree about pillows, I have been camping before with DH (without DS) and with our own normal pillows it has been fine, I don't know if we will be able to fit in the duvet in the car, but will certainly have a go.

Fat Airic self inflating sleeping mats.

Far more comfortable than a camp bed

The more layers you have underneath you, the warmer you will be. Having a blanket on top is good too. Sleeping bags are generally warmer than duvet as they are designed to keep you warm in a tent, which a duvet isn't - too many places for the cold to seep in; but do bring your own pillows. We sometimes take a duvet which goes under our sleeping bags (we have loads of sleeping bags and so we use spare ones under the ones we're sleeping in too). That way, you're more shielded from the cold seeping up from the ground. We have a couple of airline type blankets which go on top and sometimes I throw jumpers, cardigans, anything I can find on top as well.

Pick your site carefully - not too sloping. I lie down where we're planning to pitch up before we start unloading, to make sure there are no lumps/hollows, and check which way to orient the tent and where the sleeping quarters are going to be.

I do hope you end up enjoying camping. There really is nothing like it (you know that already, but don't mean it in quite the same way).