Not sure I'm keen.... all that clobber!

[anonymousbird]

Hubby keen to get us all into camping. In principle, I think it would be fun. However, what puts me off is the practicalities - all the STUFF you need, how do you cook? will the children be comfy enough? how do you get anything dry/clean/washed etc?? I am not precious about the kids always being in clean clothes etc, but equally don't want us to look like a family of tramps who have had no sleep for a week.... DH doesn't really worry about stuff like this, but I can't help it.

Any suggestions or thoughts on how to ease ourselves into this, and is there any way of cutting down the clobber required or is that just unavoidable?? How do you deal with food and drinks etc??

Ie. a general plea for help to persuade me that we CAN cope with this as a family and I DONT need to panic about all the details!

Starlight when are you camping? Coz you aren't supposed to go in winter you know!

I find sleeping right up next to DS helps keep me warm, and taking wooly blankets to wrap around both our sleeping bags also helps, as does weargin a hat.

I have been known to do push-ups once in my sleeping bag in order to get warm and work up a sweat to heat the air in the sleeping bag. That does help.

I remember a particularly cold camping trip to the peaks (in october, serves us right) when I ended up putting DS in my sleeping bag with me and laying his sleeping bag, open, over both of us. We couldn't move we where so tightly squashed into the sleeping bag, but we where a bit warmer than the night before!

Starlight I don't get undressed at night, when we get back to the campsite after a day out (usually around 6 or 7pm) I nip into the tent and wip on my pjs under my clothes, before it gets too cold, so essentially I put on thick leggings and then my trousers back on, and take bra off and put thermal vest and long sleeved t shirt on, then sweatshirt and hoodie, and as the evening gets colder I add layers, rather than having to take anything off.

Then when it is bed time I just have to take trousers off and put tracky bums on (over thick leggings) and take my jacket and maybe fleece off, sleep in the rest.

I also put DS's pjs on him, then put his clothes back on, for the evening play on the campsite and supper, then when it's his bedtiem he doesn't have to undress, just take off some layers.

ps Starlight I have the heating on noe, and hate being cold!

I used to love camping when I was younger - until I had children.

I remember that it was just lovely waking up early in the morning. The nights were really cold - you'll need leggings and sweatshirts and socks etc. But the evenings in the dark with the fire and the silence were wonderful and memorable.

I used to take duvets AND sleeping bags.

Once I had cold, sad little children though I gave it up and now I am too spoiled to go back.

I saw countryfile on the t.v. and they had these luxury 'glamping' tents/pods - I think I could do that.

I once stayed in a teepee too - it was 'epic' as my teenager would say. But it costs about £2,000 to buy one.

I have a brill sleeping bag but also lie on a roll mat/insulating mat, with a duvet on top. Not only soft but also insulating so very warm at night.

fleece blankets of the floor or we have picnic blankets with a reflective underside

selfinflating mats (so so much better that airbeds)

decent sleeping bags

few spare fleece blankets to go over sleeping bags if necessary

fleece or flanellete pjs

socks (I always end up taking them off half way through the night)

warm beverage just before bed

hot water bottle INSIDE bag warming up pjs while drinking hot beverage
(little moan of pleasure as you don warm pyjamas)

We've never been cold with this set up. It's not minimalst though.

alcohol sadly does not warm you up

I seem to remember posting a few years back that eating fat pre going to bed was good for keeping you warm (no idea if it is true or not). I like to imagine it is though, so eat a couple of biscuits with my pre-bed tea or hot chocolate

Picnic blanket then mattress, then patchwork quilt, sleeping bag with hwb topped off with duvet. lots of snuggling and giggling with dcs.

All of those things but especially hot water bottles! I've been known to take duvets to go underneath and duvets to go on top. I lie them all along the back seat in a big high pile and then squash them down with the DCs car seats!

I hate being cold but have found that pjs, socks and my duvet are enough to keep me warm. Well, I also have the giant hot water bottle that is DH to snuggle up to...

I also have a good tip that I got from my scuba-diving instructor (I learned to scuba-dive in Scotland - brrrr!) - he said the secret to not being cold is not getting cold in the first place. I think the theory is that once you are cold it takes a lot more effort to warm up again. I suggest layering up as the evening cools and minimising the time you take getting into pjs and into bed.

Go camping, as long as the weather isn't too atrocious, you will love it!

or just camp abroad where it's warm?