Do camping and small children mix?

[Hilary]

Right, the situation is this - we have been offered a brilliant deal on a big tent suitable for our family. We are very tempted to buy it as ds1 starts school in September so suddenly we will need to holiday in peak times and can hardly afford a holiday in low season as it is.

Do any of you have experiences of camping with young children (4 and 2) and have you got any tips or must-haves?

Thanks,

Hilary - I bought an "as new" tent off ebay lasdt year and was really disappointed as it came with a tiny hole in the mos net and boot prints all over the inners which don't come out. However there are some sellers on there who only sell new tents at discount prices. Presume they get them from the suppliers. They are fairly easy to spot so if I were to do it again I'd definitly do that.

Regarding looking at the actual tents I have noticed that there are usually tent shows all over the place during the summer. Saw one near Chesterfield last year and also one near Cheshire Oaks but not sure how you would find out where they will be. Search on camping shows perhaps? Not sure.

I now buy all my camping gear from www.wildday.co.uk - they are very competitivly priced, spot on for delivery and a very wide range. Thoroughly recommend them.

As to family tents. Well the tent we bought last year was a 4 man tent with 2 oppostive bedrooms. It worked OK but we found we needed more social space. Also the two bedrooms thing didn't work well as the kids always come through to us in the morning so we end up squashed. They always say get the biggest tent you can afford as manufacturers are always a bit tight on their space allowance.

We've just bought a Wynnster Mallard 5 (from wildday £185) and put it up for the first time last weekend. It went up so easily DH could have done it by himself, well he more or less did! And it is huge inside. A lovely big domed bedroom which will EASILY sleep 5+ with an optional divider so ideal if you've got small kids. Its also got a huge social space, 2 doors )one of which has a fly screen which is useful) comes with groundsheet etc and porthole windows which the children loved. I am so pleased with it I can't recommend it enough. Oh and it has yellow guyropes which sounds trivial but our old tent had black ones and we were forever tripping over them at dusk! We had two tables and 4 chairs along with all our boxes etc in the social area and there was still plenty of space.I would say it is an excellent tent for a family.

we have got a tourer caravan(an old 1980's one) and its the best thing we ever bought. The kids absolutely love it, you can get away for the week for less than 100 pound site fees. If the weather is nice it really is the best place to be, I love it. With a tent you also have cheaper fees. What I find really useful is to take a baby bath with us to give the kids a real good wash down in (mine dont like showers they are 3 1/2 & 20mths) and all the obvious essentials, and of course a real camping essential lots of booze.

Good idea about the baby bath but quite bulky - I was thinking of taking the small paddling pool we've got this summer. It was only about £3 from woolies so if it ends up bust then no problem but will compact really small. Figured we can put some water in it in the morning so it warms up in the sun while we are on the beach and then they can have a good old wash in it when we get back! Should be room for all 4 kids that way (not all mine!)

Failing that the plastic boxes people tend to use for food, plates etc also make good mini-baths and can be used for storage too.

We always bathed toddlers in the washing-up sinks...bit unhygienic though I suppose!

Hilary, some caravan dealers also have tents on display - there used to be a great one at Lostock Hall near Preston but I can't find any trace of it now - however Barrons caravans might have tents too, their homepage says they do but the mainpage doesn't have a link, so I don't know...anyway

Barrons North West
Chapel Lane
Coppull
CHORLEY
Lancashire PR7 4NE
Tel: 01257 793377

and if they're no good they might be able to tell you where else to go.

We have a 6-berth frame tent - it has a lot of poles, DH colour-coded them with insulating tape, putting it up is OK as long as it's not windy and it is massive, about 16 feet long, and head room is 6' plus. (Google for Cabanon for huge frame tents.)

We go camping mob-handed one weekend a year, with various other families, and have had 7 or 8 people sitting round the table in the evening, plus lots of space around. It's great on chilly/windy/wet evenings though the windows do get a lot of condensation!

We also have a tall dome tent which is very fiddly to put up - bendy poles have to be threaded through fabric tubes - good once up though. (We USED to have a very large ridge tent but DH managed to lose it - not the poles, just the tent - it was a doddle to put up but you couldn't stand up in it. Dome tent has replaced that.)

Hilary - just found this:

For Sale in Lancashire Sunncamp Chalet Six frame tent inner bedroom plus kitchen area, used very little vgc £175ono 07779046043

here:

www.westcountrylinks.co.uk/forsale/tents.htm

Worth a look!

And another one:

For Sale:-
Relum Super 7KV Frame Tent - 12 months old (used twice). Mint condition. Other camping equipment included - details on request.
Price £ 285 ono
Being sold by Will Reeves in Manchester
Who can be contacted by phone on 07789745202

Advert Placed: 17/6/2003
Advert ID: 2953

website: www.ukcampsite.co.uk/adverts/forsale/view.asp?ad=2953&subj=Relum%20Frame%20Tent

(They're £500 new!)

(Must stop googling and sort family out!)

Thanks everyone for all your advice. We're really going to go with the camping idea so we'll need all this info. Thanks Jan for all your efforts on my behalf, I'll be checking out those links.

First camping holiday planned for end of July so better get sorted!

Hilary - really do recommend the mallard. They also have last years model at £180 which is excellent for a new tent of this size. Its the same as the newer model but without the porthole windows.

type wildday clearance section £180,

Or if you prefer the newer model you'll find it
type wildday 5 man tents £190

The RRP is £250. They don't charge postage on larger items and ours arrived next day - handy if you leave it to the last minute.

Our old tent was a dome and it was really tough trying to force the poles to bend into position. The Wynnster is a tunnel tent - the poles just clip together and thread through the sleeves but you don't have to wrestle with it at all. So if you do go for a modern tent I'd say go for tunnel rather than dome. Also the old dome tent meant that the people sleeping on the outer edges of the sleeping compartments had the fabric very close to your face and it got very hot in that position. The tunnel tent feels lovely and airy.

Our friends bought a canvas frame tent. Its quite a handful to put up but not too bad. Canvas is meant to be more breathable so less ventilation and its also warmer. But the major down side is the size when down. Their tent takes up loads of room compared to ours. Also our tent dries very quickly which is great if you need to dry it at home or want the dew to shift early. The canvas tent is very heavy when wet and takes ages to dry too - they have to wait till the sum comes out and put it back up in the back garden. It does have lots of space though and a nice traditional feel to it.

Well, we took your advice Katherine and ordered everything from Wild day. I'm hoping it will arrive today but it is unlikely on a Saturday, and Harry Potter Saturday at that! We've had friends to stay this weekend who go camping so I have been quizzing them at every opportunity. We've even borrowed their camping fridge! I'm very excited and would set off immediately if we could but will have to be content with the end of July. We borrowed a book of campsites from our friends and are in the process of deciding where to go.

Thanks for all your help and advice.

Does anyone have anything to say about cold boxes versus camping fridges. What do you all do?

just wondered if anyone could reccommend any campsites in any of the following areas:north /south devon, or somerset.all we require is somewhere to pitch our small tent,v clean loos/showers and thats it!tia

Yoko - can't vouch for it yet as we're going next week but there is a gorgeous looking site in North Devon called Northmorte - can't wait!

Last year we went to Penhalf Farm Camping Park at Widemouth Bay near Bude. That was also a gorgeous location on top of a cliff overlooking the sea. Amazing views and really nice, smallish site. Search on the name on google for a link.

Regarding fridges etc. We've never had one at all. We have used cool bags - you can usually swap the cold packs at the shop to keep it going, but we tend to just buy small amounts as we need things so they don't go off. As long as there is a decent shop on site for milk, spread etc its easier than cluttering up the tent. Mind you now we've got a lovely big tent that isn't an issue so maybe we should rethink.......

Sorry that should have been Penhalt Farm. Typo!

Thanks Katherine,actually today a friend mentioned the very same place Northmorte so i reckon it must be ok!

Katherine - where do you buy waterproof trousers for a toddler ? We're off to Glastonbury in a couple of days and they sound like an essential accessory !

We got ours from a gelert discount store in Porthmadog but presumably you can get them from any gelert stockist. But Ithink most outdoors shops will do some sort of waterproof trousers for little ones. I would say they were just about the most useful thing we brought....

But it wouldn't rain at Galstonbury would it! Never The other thing is that providing its not too cold stick them in shorts - legs dry quicker than trousers, especially jeans etc so if you haven't got waterproofs then stick with shorts. Have fun.

wildday have age 3/4 regatta waterproof trousers for £9.

We go to that shop Katherine its good isnt it, I especially like the folding Gelert chairs they do-theyre soo comfy!

Hilary - sounds like you've got all your stuff but are you in Manchester ? Cos if so Camperlands is absolutely great (south Manchester, they've got a website you could look for). We went there looking for something like a torch or some such thing unrelated to camping, but once we'd been we booked a camping holiday straight away, it just got us in the mood!! It's brilliant!

Funnily enough, we went yesterday! I just want to set off straightaway! After we had been, we took our tent to a nearby field and put it up so that when we get to the campsite we'll have the first idea of what to do!

Hilary when are you going? Did you say the end of July? Why don't you try and sneak off for the weekend closer to home before then. That way you can work out what things you haven't taken which you would really like to and what you can do without. Its less daunting doing one or two nights for the first time and it means you get to practice loading the car too which is often more complicated than putting the tent up!

Does anyone use children's sleeping bags? We are borrowing a tent, and ds has got a cheap adult sleeping bag from Woolworths, but after looking at Wildday I am tempted to get a junior sleeping bag, as we have to order new mats etc anyway. I feel like he ought to have a really nice one, as my old faithful sleeping bag is really good quality, but am I just being taken in because it looks so cute and little? Is it a rubbish investment because he'll grow out of it, or good because he will be warm and cosy?

Katherine,

would you recommend the Mallard rather than the Coleman bispace next to it on the Wildday page?

anybody,

can you recommend a campsite in South Devon?

thanks

outofpractice - we bought our boys adult sleeping bags .. they pack up really small anyway, and it seemed to make more sense than buying little ones. DS2 was a bit lost in it at first, when he was only 3 - but seemed to cope OK.

I think I'm going to buy DH and I a double sleeping bag and my babies (4 & 2) can have our old ones! Junior sleeping bags seems a waste of time to me.

We have just bought the most massive tent (can sleep up to 12!! But each bedroom is huge and the 3rd bedroom doesn't need to be used at all, so you get double the living area. I got it off ebay for £250 inc packaging (RRP £350) from a shop call Outback trading in Cornwall. Fantastic guy on the phone.

My one irritation is that going to the french campsites which I know are fab, costs sooo much in school hols. £330 is teh cheapest I have found. We will stick to Cornwall this year I think!

I could not resist but went for a 170cm one, which should last him until he is a teenager, and is cheaper than the adult one. The baby sleeping bag is the cutest thing, but could not justify buying it. Also, last time ds ended up sleeping in my sleeping bag anyway in the middle of the night ... but wasn't sleeping in someone else's sleeping bag always one of the delights of camping?