What do I need for camping?

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Am thinking of some sort of budget holiday for myself and two small boys (aged 5 and 2 yrs) this year and was thinking of buying a tent. I'm confused by the differnt types and features out there though - what features should I be looking for in a good tent? I presume a
Should I buy little beds as well?
What small things make the difference?
What is PU rating and what should I be looking for?

I haven't been camping in years so treat me as a complete novice. I think the boys would love it though.

First priority, buy a tent you can put up on your own if you're the only adult. Someone will be along shortly to advise on this I'm sure.

Air beds or camp beds are a must, as are warm sleeping bags.

Check out ebay. We bought a great camping stove there last year.

You need sally strawberry or martian bishop to come with you

you need patience, a sense of humour and a couple of bottles of wine!

at the patience, the bottles of wine are a given.

I now have visions of me entangled in a mess of ropes and netting while DS's try their hand at swimming on their own. Good point, one that pops up ready assembled. And camp beds - can I get a double camp bed (I'm sure the ds's will end up in my bed)?

camping stove, there's lots more to think about - will I end up spending a fortune, hate it and waste all my money??

No you will have some initial outlay this year and each year after you discover you LOVE it you will buy a few extra things to make life more comfortable!

You could also do what we did on our first trip last year which was eat out in pubs every night (big family friendly pubs everywhere in the countryside!) so I didn't have to cook evening meals and try to store food (it was very hot when were were away). This year we're going to buy a camping fridge!

A list coppied from UK campsite!

In actual fact you don't need all of this, and some can be your own kitchen stuff IYSWIM

Unless you are a roughty, toughty type get a tent which sleeps twice the number of people actually going....so for 4 get an 8 berth tent....at minimum a 6 berth. Get a hydrstatic head (waterproofness) of at least 3000 mm for UK/continental use.

Get good sleeping stuff, nothing worse than being cold/uncomfortable. The rest you can scrimp on, and buy over time

Bags - Tent bag, plastic bags, etc.
Cardboard boxes if needed
Ice Chests
ICE! Ice Packs
Bucket
Lighting - Check batteries!
Gas lantern (these are superb)
Lighter (as in cigarette)
Matches (preferably water proof)
Spare batteries and bulbs
Spare lantern fuel and mantles
Shelter/Bedding
TENT!!
Sleeping bag
Duvet (if you've got room!)
Ground Sheet
Mattress or pad - Inflator for air mattress
Pillow
Windbreak
Hammer to sink tent pegs
Medical
Suntan Lotion (ever optimistic!)
Insect Repellent - Spray
Aspirin, Paracetemal etc
Tweezers for splinters and ticks
Antiseptic, plasters and bandages
First Aid Kit (may include all the above items)
Pocket Tissues
Cleaning and Personal Items
Soap
Flannel
Shampoo
Toothpaste and toothbrush
Comb/hair brush/clips/bands
Make-up bag
Razor and shaving cream
Towel
Deoderant
Toilet Paper (essential)
Miscellaneous
Swiss Army knife
Compass and Map
Safety pins
Mobile phone / extra battery and car adapter
Camera / good battery and extra film
Camcorder / good battery and extra tapes
Books, radio, cards, games, toys, etc.
MONEY, credit card, etc
Guitar
Bike ?
Binoculars
Chairs
Travel Clock
Clothesline and pegs
Basic tools (screwdrivers, pliers, etc.)
Maps!
Cooking
Stove with fuel and lighter
Newspapers for lighting a campfire
Charcoal and Grill for BBQ
Frying Pan
Sauce pan - ; With lid
Can opener
Thermos flask?
Corkscrew / Bottleopener
Dishes
Plates
Mugs
Sharp knife
Knives, Forks, Spoons and Teaspoons
Dish Cloth
Tea Towel
Washing Up Liquid
Consumables
Paper towels
Rubbish bags
Paper plates, cups, bowls, etc.
Plastic knives, forks, spoons
Aluminum Foil
Food and Drink

We bought our tent last year and it has already paid for itself.

I have just booked 5 days in N Wales for us at Whitsun

Oo Oo a camping thread!
You need to not mind being a bit grubby...and enjoy seeing your kids like that.
You need hot chocolate
You need lots of thick socks and carrier bags

Oh...and a tent and sleeping bags would be good

It's brilliant..you /they will love it

Depending on the time of year i'd also recommend hats as it can get very cold at night.

As far as tents are concerned they and go where they have a selection put up for you to have a look at - and then find the one you want cheaper online

what have i written? - I meant As far as tents are concerned then go somewhere where they have a selection put up for you

I understood you!

we never use camp beds just carrymats. very cheap and portable.

our essentials (some overlap with other posters):
waterproof coats and trousers for small children really help.
lots of warm clothes.
ear plugs if on noisy site.
lots of spare plastic bags for all the damp stuff.
corkscrew for the wine.
spare blankets for cold nights.
ball, bikes or other toys for playing on campsite.
torches for children as well as for you.

Apart from ebay try your local paper - ours always has loads of camping gear in which seems very lightly used.
When you are looking at style of tent the magic phrase is 'geodesic dome' or 'dome style'. These basically rely on (usually) 2 bendy poles made of short bits pushed into each other then crossed over at the top and braced into loops at the ground. Consequently when putting it up you can do it with a couple of good shoves. They don't exactly pop-up on their own, but it's not far off.
Decide - do you want to be able to stand up in it? If you think you might be stuck inside eg in rain you will not enjoy it if you have to crouch down the whole time. The extra investment in a tent with room to stand & put your chairs inside would be worth it in my opinion.
A good solution for sleeping arrangements if you don't all go in together is for the children to be in a compartment and the adult(s) to be out in the middle section ie between kids and door. If you have a second 'bedroom' you can chuck all the stuff in there.
After trial & error we are going to get some of the all-in-one sleeping bag/airbed combinations for DD and DS (4 & 2). If an adult and a child are on a double airbed the child can get really bounced around when the adult turns over, and in our case DD has spent most nights asleep on the ground slotted between the edge of the airbed and the side of the tent. She seems OK but would def avoid camp beds because of tendency of children to fall off the edge.
we always take some of those storage crates where the sides fold in so they go flat, you can carry washing up about, etc, and much easier than plastic bags everywhere.
I would say that you can probably manage with a single gas burner. Once you have boiled water for your tea (top priority) you can then fry fish fingers, heat up baked beans, and make similar exotic dishes as required. There are some very elaborate camping kitchens on the market, but actually very little used IME. All food tastes OK when camping, it is a basic part of the experience as you probably remember!
So for 3 of you my list would be:
a hammer - rubber is best for banging in tent pegs. Or a wooden mallet.
3 plastic cups; 3 plastic bowls; 3 plastic plates; 6 spoons, 3 forks, 2 knives, 1 sharp knife. 1 thing for stirring and cooking. 1 frying pan 1 saucepan 1 kettle (not essential but quicker than a pan). 1 chopping board. 2 plastic crates (see above). washing up liquid & sponge & teatowel if posh. washing up bowl. I hve never required a bucket when camping - not sure what it's meant to be for?. Thermos is good for top-up cuppas. One gas burner and large refillable gas bottle. Can opener, corkscrew, Lighter. Some kind of lamp. Torches, more than 1. Wet wipes by the armful.
Sleeping bags for 3, airbeds for 3. Get a thing that inflates them from the car cigarette lighter. Pillow probably only for you. Extra blankets, fleece is good as damp resistent. you can throw them on yourselves when sitting around as well as over the beds. Waterproof rug for sitting on. 3 chairs & a table - it is absolutely killing to always have to sit on the ground. You can get an all-in-one bench and table set for less than £20, they don't last particularly well but are very handy for children.
Good but not essential - Cold box & ice packs; windbreak (in which case wooden mallet is best for banging in the poles).
please do not take bongos.

brilliant stuff!
I posted a reply earlier that seems to have disappeared.
I would have forgotten the mallat, the torches, the corkscrew - have added them to my list.

I almost bid on a tent on ebay but realised, thanks to here, that it was barely waterproof.
I'd love to see my sons mucking about - ds1 hates to get dirty though so it might be a trial for him.
vango seems to be a good make, any others?
'geodesic dome' or 'dome style' - thanks, will look for those.

Can I put up a tent on my own or is it a 2 person job? Does it take long?

Depends on the tent. We have a tunnel tent which we chose because of its large living area but this is definately a 2 man job. It takes us about 1/2 hour to put up the tent between us and then another 1/2 hour to get everything in and set up. Thats in good weather though - putting a tent up in the wind is another story

Our camping list is as follows
Sleeping bag
Waterproofs
Tents
Light
Torch
Batteries
Radio
Camera
Penknife
First aid kit
Cooker
Saucepan
Plastic bags
gas
batteries
Bowls
Cups
Spoons
Clothes
Can opener
washing stuff (soap etc)
Coolbag with icepacks
All of which fits nicely into 2 large and one small rucksack and a buggy We camp in style us!!!!!

ooooooo am I a 'roughty, toughty type' then lol Noones ever called me that before

after a couple of goes our tent now goes up in 15 mins, then takes a bit longer to bang in pegs.
yes, harder in wind.
You could do it alone, but very helpful to have another person - tho a 5 year old if willing should be able to help out effectively, ie holding one end of long bendy pole in place whilst you push to get the thing up.
in fact it is extra helpful to have 2nd person for putting away, so you can hold it off the ground to fold it and then push it flat whilst rolling it up (IYSWIM)
if you have a bit of space it is great fun to take a little pop-up tent for toys, sun shelter etc (or as in our case, sulking and pretending not to hear parents). don't forget to peg it down!

This place has a big selection just to get an idea about styles, sizes etc - don't know how their prices compare, but I would definitely look at second-hand ones myself
out door megastore

Don't buy a tent on Ebay unless it is a well known brand name. There are people who shift all sorts of tents on Ebay that will not stand up to a light shower, let alone and English summer!

Look for people selling their old tents, rather than people shifting dodgy imported tents in large numbers IYSWIM

You could also have a look in Loot as they may well have local people looking to offload their stuff now that Spring is on it's way and they are clearing out the shed!

If you find that you do need help putting up the tent, then us campers are a friendly lot, lots of dh's like to show off their testosterone by helping out!

btw martianbishop, which site are you going to at Whit? We are in N Wales too!

Forestry comission site near Beddgelert.

I'm going to mid wales in the summer hols....going back to the Land of My Fathers, as it were

And a lot of this stuff you can cope without.....kitchen stuff you can brink from home etc.

Get a good tend and mke sure you can sleep in comfort....that is the key...you can eat out/eat cold etc, don't need chairs etc but you do need a walm comfy nights sleep.

And tunnel tents can be quite easy to pitch...ours can be put up by dh alone in half an hour, a friends geodesic took 1.5 hours and two adults....it does depend on the make I think

We're going here at Whit, as recommended on MN!!

I'd echo the tunnel tent option - well I have to say that don't I mb! seeing as we have the same tent........

Look for a flat pitch as well! sausages roll off the barbie really easily!

I bought the blue NEVADA tunnel tent in ARGOS (129.99 at the mo although I got it for £79.99! Don't know anything about it's waterprooficity but it withstood two almighty thunderstorms which lasted a day and a night last summer without letting in a drop!