Camping - What do I need?

torbrex

A decent picnic table and stools is also a must for longer trips don't underestimate how difficult it is to eat when sitting on a sun lounger.
Paper plates are OK but plastic ones are better.
Don't take any dishes that you cherish, be prepared for things to get lost or broken.
I always thought that 'travel rugs' were a joke until I went camping, there is something to be said for the blanket on the ground
First aid kit, even just a basic one and include something for insect bites.
Wet wipes.
A wind break can be handy to have but they do take up a lot of space in the car.
Same can be said for a 'camp kitchen' this is a shelf set that brings the stove up to waist level and has shelves for storing all your kitchen stuff, mostly they are made of metal and fold away flat.
If when you are filling your car, you leave the jack and wheel spanner at the very bottom, you will get a puncture, if you put it within easy reach then you won't (Murphy's Law)

SaLoGo

marywooyeah wrote: »

a plastic cup for doing a wee wee in - the loos seem so far away in the middle of the night!

Hmm... maybe a bucket? lol. Good idea though!

missylaney wrote: »

A tin-opener! We'd planned on hot dogs and beans for dinner the first time we went, took us till about 7pm to get pitched and organised then realised we didn't have one so it was crisp sandwiches all round!

Oooh hadn't thought of that thank you!

torbrex wrote: »

I am surprised that no-one has suggested a thermos for the first day, it always takes longer than you think to get the tent set up and then you need to get the stove out just when you fancy having a sit down with a cuppa.

That's a fab idea... I need my tea!!

torbrex wrote: »

Do a practice 'build' in your garden before you go so that you will get used to things, it is also worth it for loading the car as you will get to know what needs to go in last so that you can get to it first when you arrive.

Yeah we had planned to do that. It will just about fit... I hope!

torbrex wrote: »

A decent picnic table and stools is also a must for longer trips don't underestimate how difficult it is to eat when sitting on a sun lounger

I can imagine! We actually bought one that was on offer today

I can't wait to get started

mandragora_2

torbrex wrote: »

I am surprised that no-one has suggested a thermos for the first day, it always takes longer than you think to get the tent set up and then you need to get the stove out just when you fancy having a sit down with a cuppa.

I do take a flask, too, and every time I have hot water left in the kettle, I put it into the flask, as hot water takes an aaaaaage to boil on a camping stove, and it's a shame to let it go to waste, once you've heated it up, if there's any left over. However, errrrmmmm, with the greatest respect, a cuppa may NOT be what you want once the wretched tent is finally erected.

Take a corkscrew and a bottle of wine, or a couple of bottles of beer and a bottle opener. THAT'S what you need once the tent is up!! Let the good times roll!:rotfl:

eeeeeee

tescos massively reduce there camping equipment every year around september time and then again in december ... worth future thiugh ime sure
preloved is also a good site
sambucus ime not so sure about this website personally https://www.ukcampsite.co.uk
if you leave a fair comment about a bad experience of a campsite that you have stayed in ... they remove your post and ban you from the website
the european air cooled calender ( stick it in your google ) gives you some cheap festival style doos throughout the uk .... done quite a few of these with little dissapointment :beer:

andyg9053

two quilts instead of sleeping bag, one over one under. pillows,

mandragora_2

Oh! I know! Lots of socks. Definitely lots of socks. Spare shoes, too, even if they're ones you vowed to throw away - chuck them at the end of the holiday. Feet, shoes and socks can get wetter on a camping holiday than on any other experience known to man. After three days of damp mornings trogging across a field to the toilet block, dry clean feet in fresh socks and dry shoes will feel like the greatest luxury you've ever experienced.

Anselm

SaLoGo wrote: »

Obviously a tent! We're going to get one this weekend. I know we need airbeds, sleeping bags, a cooker etc! Is there somewhere I can find a list of the basics? We're going to start doing weekends at first, then looking to do a weeks holiday next year.

Tent, but don't get a popup, if you're looking to do weekends, get a decent tent like a Vango, I took one to download festival this year, well worth spending a bit of money on a good tent.

Wellies. Absolute must if it chucks it down.

A gas stove of some sort or hexamine cooker.

Spare socks, good boots, good sleeping bag or quilt, look at the tog rating.

SaLoGo

mandragora wrote: »

Oh! I know! Lots of socks. Definitely lots of socks. Spare shoes, too, even if they're ones you vowed to throw away - chuck them at the end of the holiday. Feet, shoes and socks can get wetter on a camping holiday than on any other experience known to man. After three days of damp mornings trogging across a field to the toilet block, dry clean feet in fresh socks and dry shoes will feel like the greatest luxury you've ever experienced.

Anselm wrote: »

Tent, but don't get a popup, if you're looking to do weekends, get a decent tent like a Vango, I took one to download festival this year, well worth spending a bit of money on a good tent.

Wellies. Absolute must if it chucks it down.

A gas stove of some sort or hexamine cooker.

Spare socks, good boots, good sleeping bag or quilt, look at the tog rating.

I don't think we'll fit (up to) 8 in a popup lol. We actually went for a Vango!

Good idea about socks & wellies... I hate wet feet!

I think the most important thing is to go with the mindset of 'I am gonna get damp/wet, I am gonna get muddied upto high heaven, I am gonna be cold (good reason to snuggle hehe) and I ain't going to look prisine for a few days.

I think once me and my sister are wrapped up by the BBQ with a bottle of vino we will love it lol

mandragora_2

What always gets me about camping (and we go away for a month every summer) is what I'd call 'camping clean - the miracle'. It works likes this. You're there, you keep yourself clean and sweet. Ok. We trog through the forest to get to our favourite spot every day; we cycle for miles on the fab bike tracks, we slather sunscreen and mossie stuff on ourselves and swim in the sea and lie on athe sand reading all day, but WE KEEP CLEAN. Hey, I even take clothes to the laundrette, we have a scrubbing brush and use it, and no-one is offended by us. We know we're clean. We tidy up, pack up, drive and ferry home. We walk in the back door, put a mountain of clothes by the washing machine and then look down at ourselves. My God!! How did we ever get so grubby? Not actually dirty, just a bit, well, grubby..

Cue hot showers decent quality English shampoo and shower gel, hot wash in a good machine for every scrap of clothing, bedding and towels we took away, and, about three days later you wonder how on earth you ever survived being so grubby.

But it was fun!