Cheap Tent for 1st time Camper

Peakma

have you tried the self inflating mats? they are great.

frizz_head

Peakma wrote:

have you tried the self inflating mats? they are great.

Where did you get them from Peakma?
Has anyone used the12v Portable Airbed Inflator (plug into lighter socket in car) - would it be worth spending a couple of quid more and getting this one, or is it best to stick to a foot pump?

Savvy_Sue

frizz_head wrote:

Where did you get them from Peakma?
Has anyone used the12v Portable Airbed Inflator (plug into lighter socket in car) - would it be worth spending a couple of quid more and getting this one, or is it best to stick to a foot pump?

We have one you plug into the cigarette lighter in car, and it's great, BUT there is a limit to the number of minutes you can use it for. We haven't used it for airbeds very often, but if you have several to do then it might not be 'meaty' enough (and you might drain your car battery!)

You'd need to make sure there was a good seal on the connector between pump and airbed.

Self-inflating airbeds - the pump sometimes seems to stop working after a while. And they're not really self-inflating, are they? The ones I've seen all it means is that they have an 'internal' foot pump.

penny-pincher

I saw an ad in the Sat Daily Telegraph for Halfords - they are selling a family tent PLUS 3 airbeds (1 double, 2 single) PLUS 4 sleeping bags - all for £85 instead of £150ish. Don't know what quality etc but it seems a bargain!

swankie232

frizz_head wrote:

Need a basic tent for a first time camper, suitable for a family of four. Have been looking at the tents in Argos, can anyone give me any advise as to what would be best?

Have never been camping before, but friends with a Trailer Tent have asked us to join them for a weekend trip in the UK in July.

Frizz

have a look at Halfords as they have some deals complete with sleeping bags at the moment.

swankie232

have a look at halfords as they have some deals complete with sleeping bags at the moment

Savvy_Sue

From next Thursday (9 June) is the time for heading to Aldi for airbeds, electric pumps, torches you wear on your head and other camping essentials.

BNU_2

My 2 sisters and I are taking my 6 yr old niece on her 1st camping trip for a weekend in the summer. Has anyone got any recommendations of how to keep her occupied on a campsite?

Savvy_Sue

BNU wrote:

My 2 sisters and I are taking my 6 yr old niece on her 1st camping trip for a weekend in the summer. Has anyone got any recommendations of how to keep her occupied on a campsite?

1. Try to find a pitch near some other girls, preferably aged 6-8.

2. Take a few simple props - soft ball, frisbee, bat of some description and set up a game in sight of other kids. Watch them join in.

3. Pack of cards, stack of pennies, play poker till the early hours. Or more suitable card games if you must!

4. Find out what the facilities are like there and take appropriate kit - swimming pool, bikes, roller skates.

5. Pray for good weather!

But hopefully it won't be too much of a problem. All muck in together with any cooking you're doing - barbecues etc. And I find things take longer when camping anyway!

Anya

My 6 year old and 3 year old so far have not needed much entertaining. They tend to see the big outdoor space and play out all day, make friends and generally entertain themselves. We just take a ball, aerobie, waterproofs and they are sorted. When it is raining as it did for us yesterday and the day before, we had a couple of little games and colouring stuff to hand. We looked at nearby attractions (indoor) and went there for as long as possible. We had the Sellafield visitors centre near us so went there. Not the most exciting of place, but free and the children were happy chasing words scrolling across the floor.!! If you are just going for the weekend you really wouldn't need that much!