Camping tips...

thriftwizard

Not sure whether there's a thread for this already? I searched but didn't find one, so thought I'd start one as we finally have some decent weather worth going camping in!

We've been camping for years - we had a big family, it was the only affordable way to get away most of the time - but every year there's something new or different to discover, either to make life under canvas cheaper, or to make it easier. I've seen so many people spend loads of money on all the latest must-have kit, only to have a miserable time because they didn't really know what was worth having/doing & what wasn't. So I thought it might be worthwhile sharing our experiences to make it easier for any would-be campers amongst us!

I've just done a 5-day festival as a trader, camping with my daughter and her friend, and this year's tip from me is living salad! Our camping fridge died a couple of months ago (after 15 years of good service; when the kids were small it was invaluable) & I decided that now the kids are all grown up, I couldn't justify the expense of replacing it. We don't use much milk, so powdered milk would do, and I'm happy not to refrigerate eggs, but how to keep salad fresh, in this heat? I do like my fried home-laid egg, lettuce & tomato sarnie in the morning... anyway, a 99p LIDLs living salad box did the job splendidly. Tucked away behind the tent & watered twice a day, the leaves seemed to grow at least an inch a day & instantly replaced the ones I picked to eat. It's now planted out in the garden & still going strong - 99p well-spent!

LolaLemon

I just done my first little camping, well glamping trip with my son. It was only a few pounds more for the little lodge per night than the tent.

My tips that I will be using for next time. Don't need the portable table, most places have them, and/or seem to sit on blankets anyways.
Don't need soo many clothes.
I loved my little camping stove. I cooked pasta, rice, French toast, full English breakfast, making spaghetti bolognais took a little time as I only had a single 'hob' but it worked.
I did have disposable bbq with me, but by time we got back to start making dinner, it would have been too late to eat by time it had all cooked.
If u can, camp somewhere within walking distance of a farm that will sell u some eggs.

thriftwizard

Eggs are a really good idea in general, camping-wise - nearly all the nutrients you need to get through a day, all in one conveniently-wrapped individual package & quick & easy to cook.

The little "suitcase" burners really are a godsend, too. When we first went with the kids, we used a big double-burner cooker with grill, which meant we needed a table & a windshield and a big gas canister with all the trimmings, not forgetting the magic Calor spanner! But now I'd take two of the little burners instead; we hardly ever used the grill bit, the case lid acts as a windshield, and the canister lives inside & spares can be bought cheaply almost anywhere.

An insulated water carrier is a good idea; you can get a lot more in a plastic folding one, but it warms up really quickly & definitely leaves a plasticky taste. We coped with a secondhand Thermos picnic carrier similar to this - I think you can get similar ones but don't know what they are called!

thriftwizard

Also - camp beds. I'm knocking on a bit now & airbeds have a habit of going down overnight - not good. A self-inflating mattress underneath them makes it bearable, and makes good sense insulation-wise, but isn't terribly easy to get up from in the morning! A decent camp bed (I had a Sunncamp concertina-fold for several years, which sadly died when the boys took it on a surfing trip, but has been replaced by a new Quick-Up from Ozzie B's on special offer) with a self-inflating or foam mattress is space well spent if you're not happy with sleeping on the ground. Everything's easier when you're sleeping well.

And - flip-flops, rather than wellies. They dry out a lot quicker, and your feet will wash!

sonastin

thriftwizard wrote: »

And - flip-flops, rather than wellies. They dry out a lot quicker, and your feet will wash!

Agree with this one. And shorts / rolled up trousers. Legs dry faster that cloth - especially denim. Manys the time I've gone out looking like a flasher with a long raincoat and trousers rolled up so they stayed dry underneath it!

If you're going down the coolbox option, the large polystyrene boxes that companies like Donald Russell use for their deliveries are way more efficient than the sort of plastic coolbox you can usually buy. Also, take way more freezer/ice packs than you think. You always forget to take them down to the freezer and the more you have, the more efficient the whole thing will be.

[Deleted User]

For the lightweight backpacker/camper, this is excellent, and cheap.

£5 with free postage.

Add a Coleman C100 gas canister, and you have a camping cooker and fuel, for less than a tenner, and weighing less than 300g. :cool:

ETA: Also, keep a C500 canister at home, in case of power cuts.;)

jackyann

Take old but clean tea towels. If you damp them, they will keep a lot of things fresh, like salad stuff.
If you take a cold box, try using bottles of frozen water instead of cold blocks, then you get nice cold water to drink (but you can't usually freeze water bottles at camp shops so this is a short-term tip)
I have lots of hooks to hang up in the tent, and put some food (such as veg / potatoes / apples) in string bags
I always take an old square of carpet for the first step into the tent, and a few old towels so one is always by the entrance if you come in really dripping! Actually my big camping tip is old towels which have a myriad of uses.

And yes, we took our kids camping so they could have great, affordable holidays, and it helps make them sociable & self-reliant.

thriftwizard

Pegs: always invest a couple of quid in bigger, stronger pegs than are supplied with your tent. What seems adequate in a shopping mall becomes woefully flimsy when a good breeze gets up, or the ground is hard or stony.

And never forget your tin & bottle opener. You'll be the most popular person on the campsite; everyone else will remember the beans & the beer, but many will have forgotten to bring anything to get into them with.

Mint1955

A couple of buckets and one with a lid

Keep a bucket of water at the front door of tent in case of fire.
The lidded bucket with a carrier bag in for rubbish/ emergency for sick kids or adults in the night etc.

Freeze an easy home cooked meal and by the time you have arrived and pitched the tent its de frosted enough to heat and eat.

If its wet underfoot then go for flip flops and roll trousers up much easier than wet trousers socks and shoes (Wellies make your feet sore after a while)

Put a metallic backed picnic blanket between floor and air bed to cut some of the cold.

valk_scot

Crocs are even better than flip flops imho. With cut off/capri type trousers. It's not a sexy look however!

s_glover

I would definitely agree with freezing water in bottles to keep things cool in a cool box or bag. These take a long time to slowly defrost and keep everyhting lovely and cold for a lot longer than freezer blocks.

If we have a BBQ in the evening we often cook extra sausages. These can be left to cool and then wrapped and kept cool overnight. These can be split in half and heated up the following morning for an extra quick brekkie / sausage butty.

Make sure you take a torch so when it gets dark you can see you way around to the toilets etc.

We always take plenty of tin foil, food bags, carrier bags and kitchen roll. These take up very little space / weight and have so many uses.

I would also recommend the very lightweight, sports type towels. These can be purchased relatively inexpensively and they take up less space and dry very quickly, so no soggy towels hanging around.

We were away camping last weekend and when it came to packing away at the end of the weekend we found my OH had been a little over enthusiastic when hammering the tent pegs in. Many of them were stuck fast but came out with a little encouragement once we had soften the ground around them with a little water!