Camping, What do i really need to buy?

misspenny

try pound shops for things like platic plates etc also got several small picnic blankets with waterproof backing from a poundshop small ones that only one person could sit on but great for laying out on damp grass when packing/unpacking everything from car, they also do cheap first aids kits

wilcos had a good range of camping stoves last year as well as tent accesories like maletts spare tents pegs and repair kits havent had i look to see if they gone any this season

blushingbride_3

if its something that you are thinking of doing regularly get a good quality tent, vango/gelert etc as these cheap ones are rubbish, break easily & if you've got small children you dont want to risk having a leaky tent!:)

chnelomi

I'm in for a definite vote on pound land. have had some great finds for camping in their. look out for the LED parasol lights great for hanging from tent inside or front canopy at night. also they do a premixed coffee sugar and whitener much cheaper than mr t etc and a good emergency warm drink. great for games for kids got loads of travel games for my kids. got most of my cooking kit their too (have spent a pretty penny on proper camp stuff and the £ stuff is ace in comparison lol) If you keep a look out and use a little imagination you can get everything to have an excellent trip for a small amount.keep an eye out for the mallets too my local camp store charges 3.49 and i got mine for £.

But do not scrimp on your tent/sleeping bags it really makes a differance especially in unpredictable weather. a good tip is having a dry run putting up your tent, and packing everything in the car.

Enjoy:j

SunnyGirl

We have a trailer tent now but I still prefer the old tent. I always open up the flaps on the windows & door in a morning to air the tent out then close them again at lunchtime to keep the warmth in.

My DD & DS3 were always cold at night, despite having sleeping bags that go down to -25, so we used to take old fleece tops & trackie bottoms for them to sleep in.

Also I second the pack of cards, some easily transportable games & something we got a lot of use out of was a swingball set. It pushes into the ground next to the tent and most kids love it.

Collect the little film canisters if you or anyone else uses them as they're great for putting small amounts of salt & pepper and the like in. Don't put masses of sugar in plastic tubs as it can sometimes get a bit damp.

Enjoy your holiday they are great times in tents. The children will talk about it for years to come - ours do. HTH

paybacktime2008

All you hardened campers will laugh at this im sure.:o

Last year we did a 2 night 'trial run' at the campsite 2 miles from home! Proved invaluable to realising 1. I needed more stuff! 2. That I didnt really like camping-though DS and the dog loved it.

kezlou

Our list of stuff, we use for camping.

Equipment
Tent (we got a pack from halfords includes – canvas, poles, pegs,and groundsheet)
Heres one thats kind of like ours, its on sale it comes with 4 sleeping bags, 2 double airbeds and 2 lights, all neatly packed into a wheeled bag) its currently £99.87)
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_catalogId_10151_storeId_10001_partNumber_845701_langId_-1

Mallet (pound shop)
Sleeping Mats
Sleeping Bags
Camping Pillows

Lantern
Handheld Torches
Head Torches (pound shop)
Portable Stove with lid ( B & M -single stove (gas) £3
Fuel - (B & M 6 gas canisters for £2.99)
2 saucepans, (poundland- 2 set)
frying pan (poundland)

Or buy army style mess tins where you can cook and eat out of the same thing, sell a two pack in pundland.

I bought a pack out of Wilko's for £4
set included: 2 big Plates, 2 small plates, 2 bowls and 2 cups

Cutlery (pound shop)
Cooking Utensils say a wooden spoon and spatula (poundshop sell a pack of 4)
Knife (penknife - poundshop)
Chopping Board (65p wilko's)
Kitchen Scissors (poundshop -can use instead of knife for cutting things up)
Water Carrier (i reuse old milk cartons from home)
Lighters
Matches

Cool Box / box (wilko's)
Ice Packs (poundshop - 2 pack)
Plastic Boxes - to put general stuff in e.g toys, food
Compass
Map
Picnic Rug (poundshop)

Personal Items
Towel
Toiletries
Water Bottles
First aid kit
SUN CREAM
Travel soap gel / wipes
Football

Essential Clothing
Combats
T-shirts
Jumpers
Waterproof Jacket (kids one poundshop)
Wooly Hat,Gloves
Sun Hat and glasses
Walking Boots
Trainers
Socks
Wellies (these are essential, i know, boy do i know)
Underwear

I normally take the above with us, in fact we take even less. Pound shops are great, we buy a lot of our stuff from them.
Wouldn't buy too much stuff, because as yet you dont know whether you will enjoy camping or not.

Justamum

BlimusOreilly wrote: »

I love camping but hate sleeping bags (as they make me feel claustrophobic)

I'm glad it's not just me then! I particularly hate those mummy ones where there's no space at all for your feet to move. I feel panicky now just thinking about it :eek::eek::eek:

Actually the thought of camping fills me with horror. I'd camp if I could get one of those Harry Potter tents which are like a house on the inside :rotfl::rotfl:

mathsus

I'm sure I can't better all the advice above and on other threads and sites but - if you are going camping with small children & there is a chance of rain, then buy a tent you can stand up in and where you can all sit round the table inside (you may have to push your sleeping compartment back a bit). Cooking & eating at ground level are no fun.

We take sleeping bags to sleep on - opened out - and duvets & pillows.

If you've got a tent with old fashioned poles then take loads of 'S' hooks so you can hang stuff up.

Buy as much naughty, ready to eat food as you can afford. Investigate things like 'straight to wok' noodles and lots of non-OS things in tins & packets. Most will be disgusting but you will find some gems. My children associate camping with Variety cereals, McVities Gold bars and Smash. Yum.

Take enormous quantities of treats & snacks for bribes, take playing cards & board games and loads of alcohol. Don't take a telly or dvd player or laptop.

Enjoy! it's a great life if you get the balance right - this is a holiday, not drudgery!

mathsus

oh! and definitely buy one of those gadgets for pulling tent pegs out and consider taking more than one mallet for quick erection in the rain or for 'helpful' children

lambanana

Everything you should need is covered here but my advice would be get a bigger tent than you think you need, when they say "4 man" what they mean is 4 people in sleeping bags packed closely together without room to move or for their bags etc. DH and I got a 3 man tent for our recent camping trip and are already thinking that if we make a regular event of it we'll need to upgrade to a bigger tent. You'll need one with space for your "stuff" (clothes, food, games etc) and preferably one big enough for you to sit inside if the weather isn't that great.