Camping without a car! Is it possible? And if so, how?

angie_baby

:j:j:j

Tent arrived!

Does what it says, pops up. And im even more impressed i put it away in 5 mins :j:j:j

So pleased and DS is too. Its not alot of space but for a 2 night break its going to be so much fun!

d-seven

Hi angie_baby...have you thought about the self inflating roll mats and pillows? I bought one of each and they are light and hold the heat in well. They are also quite cheap. You open a valve and it self inflates (its got a sponge type substance inside). I havent tried them yet, but probably will this year!
Also, the website for your tent said it weighs 3.8 kg which is heavy to carry on your back.. I lugged a 2 man dome round parts of australia and also bits of europe and those are about 2-2.5 kg. That can get a bit much at times and I was a lot younger then!!
As far as sleeping bags are concerned, I went to silverstone in '08 with my g/f at the time. We used '2 season' sleeping bags we bought from millets. They are light and ideal for summer camping. Mind you, I used an old sleeping bag when I camped by the river in Prague in the autumn of 95 and I was warm enough. best thing is to go to a camping shop and just have a chat with the staff about what you need (dont have to buy anything!). then have a look on the net to see if you can get it cheaper.
Might be good to go for a trial run. Pack your backpack with all you think you need and go for a walk with all your gear and see how you manage with the weight.
Hope you enjoy the camping. It's good fun :-)

Norman_Castle

Hi,Angie.your jumping smiley faces reminded me of how happy I was a few years back after buying a new tent to start going camping again.I ended up in my sleeping bag,on my new roll mat,in my new tent,and then the phone rang.I was in my kitchen at the time!.Well,you have to play with your new toys.
The previous post recomends self inflating mats and I agree.Warm and comfortable.Allthough foam mats are just as warm but lighter and cheaper.My mat was from decathlon,cost about £20 and is showing no signs of wear after 80+ nights use.I tried an airbed but found it really cold.If the nights are chilly,go for a walk to warm up before getting into your sleeping bag.Personally I would reccomend a three season bag.A bit more expensive and heavier but worth it.(I hate being cold at night).
As for camping without a car,yes it is possible.Some sites are difficult to get to without transport but there are a lot that have easy links to public transport.If you find a site you like and are unsure about getting there try asking the site owners about local buses etc.Most are happy to help.Have fun!.

d-seven

Norman_Castle wrote: »

The previous post recomends self inflating mats and I agree.Warm and comfortable.Allthough foam mats are just as warm but lighter and cheaper.My mat was from decathlon,cost about £20 and is showing no signs of wear after 80+ nights use.I tried an airbed but found it really cold.If the nights are chilly,go for a walk to warm up before getting into your sleeping bag.Personally I would reccomend a three season bag.A bit more expensive and heavier but worth it.(I hate being cold at night).

I would agree that foam mats are cheaper and some are lighter. I bought my self inflating mat from Winfields Leisure specifically for backpacking so found one that was a) full size (you can get 3/4 length ones which are lighter but obviously not as long) and b) very light. Mine is a Highlander thermalite. I think it cost about 25-30 quid and comes with 2 bags and a puncture kit. Compared to my foam mat its actually more compact. The advantage of a foam mat is that you dont get punctures! You gets what you pays for at the end of the day.
I always look around a camping superstore, see whats available and have a feel of the items before I buy. Then look on the web when I get back and see what else is available.
Your probably right about the three season bag. The 2 season ones I used were for 3 nights at silverstone and were perfectly good, but we didnt pay a lot for them. Again, you can get some quite compact and light multi season ones if your happy to pay more.
Here is a guide to sleeping bags: http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/expert-advice/sleeping-bag-guide

Ponkle22

You've got me intrigued about self-inflating mats. I will be camping later this year - usually use ye olde-fashioned lilo's but prefer them to roll up mats. Anyone got a link to a self-inflating mat? Is is a cross between a lilo and and a thin foam mat?

Ponkle22

LOL to Norman Caslte - that was very amusing about you camping with the phone ringing!:rotfl:

d-seven

Ponkle22 wrote: »

You've got me intrigued about self-inflating mats. I will be camping later this year - usually use ye olde-fashioned lilo's but prefer them to roll up mats. Anyone got a link to a self-inflating mat? Is is a cross between a lilo and and a thin foam mat?

Here is a link to winfields where I got mine, but you can get them from most camping shops.
http://www.winfieldsmegastore.com/l1-camping-equipment-l2-sleeping-l4-sleeping-mats-ppg-1-32.html

They dont inflate to a great depth but then standard sleeping mats arent that thick either.
The way they work is that they have a sponge type material inside them. As you know, when you compress a sponge, it returns to its normal thickness.
So when you un roll it and open the valve, it allows the air into the case and the sponge expands. Then you shut the valve and sleep on it!
They are very handy!

tinksy

hi

We have camped without a car on several occasions. Would recommend a site with good amenities near it so you can get to shops easily. We used to have a little one ring camp stove with the camping gaz which are really light and cheap. Your little one could carry it as they come in a case. Also very sturdy if you have a little one around.

When it dry and warm camping with very little is wonderful - when its wet and cold not so fun!!! One way to dry damp socks/pants thin tshirts is to put them in your sleeping bag, they dry from your body heat over night!

angie_baby

Hi All,

We are finally going camping for a 2 night stay on Friday :j:j:j

There has been a slight change of plan though. We are going by car - my dad has a trip kinda going the way we need to be so it means we can have a bit of comfort - ie at least a chair. And we will be taking our bikes too.

Ive also sold the tent - pop up one - for a £5 more and we have replaced it for a Vango 250 beta - same weight but has a living area.

We will be going without a car soon though, im just trying to ebay my way to being able to but rear pannier racks and bags for mine and DS bikes so we can use them. Also would like to get the lightweight towels. We wont be proper light weight as the sites ive been looking at we can get to by train and then cycle the last little bit.

We are both looking forward to Friday, DS recently went away with the cubs so has been giving me tips for the last 2 days. Have got a few travel games, coloring books and pens ready as the weather is not looking to good.

So if anyone has any last minute tips id be really greatful

So far we have

tent
extra groundsheet
x 2 sleeping bags
x1 spare sleeping bag
x2 roll mats
(im thinking maybe take the old duvet to go under us, as we are travelling there by car)
x2 chairs
stove
2 person cookset
x2 plates
x2 knife / fork / spoon
goodies box (coffee / cereal bars / choc)
x2 towels
lamp
wind up torch

Clothes / waterproof coats
Spare shoes
Travel games / paper / pens

Bikes & small rucksack each
Camera

As we are only going for two nights we wont need to cook to much, plan is on Friday to leave work, get to the site, put tent up and have dinner with dad and his GF. So really its just 2 breakfasts and 1 dinner. Im hoping to find some nice local bacon, eggs and bread for Sundays breakie.

So is there anything else i should be taking?

natsplatnat

Hi Angie - I just caught up on your camping plans!

I would definitely take a pack of baby-wipes..... useful for many things, little spills, dirty fingers, muddy shoes!

Hope you have a great time and look forward to hearing all about it!

Nats x