Just back from our overnight camping trip

[Whizzz]

just trying out our new tent, which apaprt from the groundsheet dilemma (see other thread!) - went up fine & was lovely! Its a Gelert 5 man tunnel tent. Got there early yesterday & weather was fab.
We did have a chuckle though at the 2 or 3 young couples that turned up with what we called 'shag domes' - the tiny 2 or 3 man dome tents (one looked like it had been bought at ELC!), which we thought they had just got prurely for overnight antics!!

Quite possible had Whizzz

here are a few more obervations from this weekend:
Camping Types :
'Minimalist family' - have such a small tent that when I got up at 7 to go to the loo, family were all sat outside on chairs in hats & coats because tent was too small for them to stay in there.

'Shag Dome couple' - as discussed earlier

'All Mod Cons' - tent has all available accessories eg matching canopy, windbreak & chairs

'Dad & sons' - no nonsense military precision :arrive, put up tent, get in, go to sleep, wake up, take down tent, go home

I like your stereos Whizzz.
Here's some of mine (observed from inside my caravan):-

The Ubstadyouwon'tgetmedoingthisagains - lady sitting inside car, man sitting inside tent.

The SwimYouBuggersWe'reOnHolidays - driving rain, 40mph wind, small blue children shivering in pool.

The Smugs - observed at 7.30pm on a dry evening, Mum and Dad sitting outside tent at small table, lit candle between the two, each sipping from a full wine glass. Kiddy snores coming from tent. These are very rare. Unfortunately, the camera had run out of batteries otherwise I could prove they DO exist.

omg we were the smugs in france after 10pm as we couldn't get the kids to bed before that

omg Lucycat... our big kids were in their sleeping bags under the stars trying really hard to ignore their mummies who were quietly indulging .

Hmmmm.... interesting

I think I would fall somewhere between your shag-dome couple and minimalist family stereotype, as our tent is a tiny 2-berth affair, but it is only DS and I, no shag-buddy for miles

But I'm a firm believer in minimalist camping and don't quite understand the people who turn up with evreything and the kitchen sink for a weekend of camping lol

exept, we don't fall into youe minimalist category either, as we most definately wouldn't have chairs to sit out in! Maybe an orange bivvy bag used as a sort of cround tarp/picnic blanket at a push, but never chairs

oh god sally, I think DS and I definately fall into the outdoorsandsportyandlovingit variety

Mmmmm we were the really smug ones pretending they weren't even camping. Watching Godfather on DVD while kids snoozed in cabin bed above.

Did you see us. Oh no you wouldn't have as we stayed in hired camper van in Egyptian cotton sheets making pseudo witty comments about caravaners.

Motor caravanning and caravanning seems to be a bit like skiing and snowboarding. You are one or the other and think the other kind are total loonies/losers.

Have camped in tents but only at festivals

We have a Gelert 4 man tunnel tent, which we use for one night each year on DS1's cricket tour.

I quite enjoy the whole camping experience, but please could you tell me why you think this is an easy to put up tent?!

We always end up with the three 'hoops' at different angles and, this time, it was impossible to fix the inner tent as the outer tent was too far away!

I hate, hate, hate putting the bloody thing up.

The other thing is, even if you're minimalist, you still have to take loads of stuff just for the one night! I refuse to sleep on the ground so have airbeds (Halfords, easy to pump up ones) and definitely have to have a pillow!

I'd love a pop up tent, but on the basis that we only go once a year it's hard to justify. And the only good thing about the tent that we have is that there is a decent space outside the sleeping area, even if the ground sheet there is a separate one (another gripe)

did you see anyone with pastel bunting at all, or in one of those Cath Kidson tents?

We don't do carpets, tablecloths or such like - our tent is sooo huge, we can just about fit the dd's in the car never mind any poncey paraphenalia

I have seen those flashing rope lights on a tent awning - the ones that 'chase' each other.

twas on a truly dreadful campsite in Cornwall and that just about summed it up!

We stayed at a campsite in Seaton and caravanners obvioulsy used em as holiday homes and they had gardens and gnomes etc and real decking outside. It was just like a cheapish holiday home I guess.

We went away in a camper for 9 months.... and took everything until we realised that we were 100KG over the chasis limit. Now so long as I have a corkscrew I am happy.

Flum - one of the shag dome tents had a big pink flower on it not Cath Kidson but it did look like some childs play tent.

glamping will be my new word ... I couldn't go anywhere without a corkscrew either!!