Camping, advice needed

JAMIEDODGER · 15 July 2007 at 2:44PM

Hello all,

Boardguides please move if not in right place....

I havent taken the children on holiday for years, in fact dd is nearly 4 and has never been on holiday, the oldest DS1 has only been on holiday twice ever.

because of ds3 autism i have been reluctant to as i thought it would be way too much work. however, he is now 6 and half and i would like to do something with them this year.

i have been thinking about camping (but quite local so could come home if a disaster)

ds2 went camping recently with school and loved it, in fact i think they all would.

i dont want to spend a huge amount and to do it as cheaply as possible.

DS1 &2 already have sleeping bags.

i was thinking of getting two, 2 man tents (fairly inexpensive in tesco atm) eldest two boys in one and me and dd and ds3 in the other,
and 3 sleeping bags and a small cooker, taking all our own food etc, cards, football and tennis rackets. i have a 7 seater so fitting it all in isnt a problem.

can anyone think of anything else?

and is it very expensive per night on campsites?

thanks for your help:)

samnmalc · 15 July 2007 at 3:29PM

I spent my childhood camping with the family and LOVED it!!!

Take a gas powered light for night,as well as plenty of torches.

A bucket has a multitude of uses when camping,from fridge(fill with cold water and put wine,milk beer etc) , use to carry your washing up to the washing block even a middle of the night loo...if desperate!!:eek:

You will need a large water carrier/container.

A wind break is good for added privacy.

A mallet and a bag of pegs

Plenty of jumpers and wellies

I hope you have a great time!!!

ellie2912 · 15 July 2007 at 3:30PM

OOOH CAMPING I LOVE IT! :j

you are talking to a convert here. up until i was 22 years old i had NEVER slept in a tent. what was i thinking of?
My OH converted me and we have even been to Holland with our house on our backs so to speak and we loved it,even though out of 11 days we had ONE day of sun:rolleyes:

your kids will love it,and if you plan ahead you should be sorted,like you said take the obvious food etc but also take loo roll.some campsites dont provide it.WHY? i dont know.

erm prices if i can remember rightly we used to pay (this was about a year ago we havent been this year as i have a bad back:mad: )
roughly between £8 and £12 per night that usually includes 1 xcar and 1 x 2 man tent,so you may have to contact the capsites for a quote on extra tent etc.some capsites may charge per person. you may also get a reduced rate if you go for a few days rather than one night.(some capsites have a minimum stay of 2 nights)

if the weather improves take a cool box and some ice blocks some campsites have the facilities to freeze the blocks for you.

you should have a search on google for local sites.there are plenty of directories out there,then you can contact the campsite direct with any questions you may have.And you may be able to book over the phone as a lot of places will be getting booked up with the kids breaking up shortly.S o you may need to get a wriggle on:D

if you decide to go i hope you have a whale of a time and the sun shines.
ellie

coffeebean · 15 July 2007 at 3:57PM

Have a look at this site, will answer all your questions, and more!
https://www.ukcampsite.co.uk

vivw_2 · 15 July 2007 at 4:01PM

Don't forget freecycle...you may be able to get a cooker/ tent etc on there

shetitasatic · 15 July 2007 at 4:02PM

As a fairly experienced camper (just back from camping in the Dolomites, lake Constance and Switzerland) I would advise taking battery operated lights rather than gas ones. Gas ones get very hot and I wouldn't feel safe with young children around - especially one with special needs. Hope you all have a great time!!

Baileys_Babe · 15 July 2007 at 4:10PM

Go for it, camping is great fun.

It may be worth having one of the tents big enough for for all of you to be in together at times. Particularly if the rain keeps up being able to eat or play games in the dry will mean a happier time for everyone.

soon2bjobless · 15 July 2007 at 5:30PM

I love camping! Do watch out if some sites try and charge you for 2 tents instead of per person - could work out a lot dearer. Some camp sites do charge a lot (recently quoted £30 for one night for 5 of us!!)

Instead of buying sleeping bags just take normal duvets - also make sure you have something to lie on (not only for comfort but the ground can get really cold even in the hottest weather)

Our latest buy is a wind up radio with a torch attached - much better than running out of batteries in the middle of the night!

We only ever take one single burner (the kind that takes the gas canisters) and have cooked some great one pot meals on it - also the best toaster is the one which takes a single piece of toast (can get ones from Towsure) - there are toasters which you put over the gas and can fit 4 slices - 3 hours later and you will only just have warm bread!

Have fun (and as mentioned before - do check out https://www.ukcampsite.co.uk as there is loads of info on their forums)

johnmc · 15 July 2007 at 5:53PM

I can only agree with everything above.

DONT buy expensive sleeping bags. Asda do double duvets for a tenner, which makes them almost disposable.

The one thing I would recommend is air beds all round. Keeps you off the ground, warm and comfortable.

With the awfull weather this year I would agree that a large tent is desireable. Take a look at Argos and Halfords. This one looks good as a starter. Practice putting it up before you go!!!!!!!

Cookers. I use open fires where possible (most Scout sites encourage the use of altar fires), when I have to use a stove I prefer Trangia cookers, but for you I would say a double gas burner would be better.

Lights. It's the middle of summer. Use torches. After many years resisting I am now a convert to head lamps.

Enjoy!

<edit>
Startup costs can be quite high. As this is an exceptionally wet year why not consider Ebay as a source for a cheap chalet?

I'm looking forward to September as it's an ideal year, from my point of view, for picking up some cheap gear from people who have tried out camping and found it too cold and wet on their budget.

frizz_head · 15 July 2007 at 6:26PM

If you have never camped before, I would strongly recommend borrowing the gear first and seeing if you like it, before splashing out on all the equipment. To kit yourself out properly for camping can be an expensive initial outlay, to get all the equipment you need, and very costly if you find that you don't like it.

Re. the tent size, I agree with the other posters and try to go for as big a tent as you can afford, especially with the weather being as unpredictable as it is. For a family of four, I would suggest at least an 8 berth tent, particularly if you are taking blow up beds, as they can take up a lot of room.

Also, think about the eventuality of it raining (not wanting to put a dampner on your holiday) but you need to consider where you would have meals for example - if it was raining outside. A larger tent will come with a 'living' area as well as seperate pods for sleeping in.

JAMIEDODGER · 15 July 2007 at 7:11PM

thanks for all the advice:)

i have been camping myself many times (before the kids lol) i love it, my eldest two have been and my ds3 was 3 months old when we last took him, but we havent been since.

will look into ebay and see whats on there,

keep the ideas coming....

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Camping, advice needed

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