First time family campers

13Kent

We are considering buying a tent this year. We've had a caravan in the past, but not camped for many years.

Any recommendations for how to choose a suitable tent that's not too tricky to put up (we've had a look online and I prefer the ones that have the bedrooms at the back and a front living area with windows) for 2 adults and a 12 and 10 year old, and apart from the tent what are the other essential things we would need to buy, and any other tips please?

Thanks!

[Deleted User]

Aldi had a quality 3000mm tent 5 birth ft £79.99 which is good value to start you off. Have a look in Lidl too.

daveyjp

Camping is one of those things where adequate gear can be carried in a rucksack or on a bike. However for what you want the first item is a car large enough to take all the gear. A tent as you describe may well have two bags. The tent bag alone can fill half a hatchback boot and there will probably be another bag with poles, car boot almost full!

Add in beds, sleeping bags, pillows, cooker, gas for cooker, pots, pans, crockery, cutlery, lights, table, kitchen stand, chairs, clothes for all weathers, food, coolbox, water carrier, proper tent pegs, mallet, electric hook up cable (if you need electricity), all the stuff kids take on holiday and you are quickly into needing a roofbox.

With three of us a car and a roofbag is just about large enough. Add an extra passenger and we would need a trailer.

13Kent

Thanks, there are things on your list I hadn't thought of!
We do have a roof box which doesn't get used much!

13Kent

Does anyone know whether the footprint and carpet that they offer with a lot of tents are worth the extra?

kathrynha

Always go for at least 1 person bigger than the number you want to sleep in the tent, and go for the highest hydrostatic head you can afford.


Plain domes and tunnels are easier to pitch than tents with lots of pods off the side. For really easy pitching you can get inflatable tents, but I don't have experience of them to comment on how good they are.


Footprints are useful as you put it down first so it's easier to work out where the tent will fit best. Also useful when you take it down, as the bottom of your tent will be clean, and as long as you haven't had loads of rain, dry too.


I don't bother with the carpets. I have an old picnic blanket I use instead, which means there is space for wet and muddy stuff round the edges, but a nice dry carpet in the middle. It also goes easily through the washing machine.
I wouldn't pay extra for a carpet, but wouldn't say no if it was included free or for only up to £10ish extra.

sillyvixen

If you have not camped in a long time it is worth booking a weekend not too far away to try it out, before doing a week or two several 100 miles away.

A few years ago - I found a small boy in tears hiding behind my parents caravan (we paid for the week they were at home in a 7 week booking) .. Apparently his mum was wanting to go home as she had forgotten the matches and the shop had closed. They had only just put the tent up. We took said boy back to his parents and it turned out they only lived a few miles away (we provided matches anyway) it was a trial run for 2 weeks camping in France later in the season. We lent them a few things in the 3 days they were booked for. At least they knew how to put the tent up and realised things they may have otherwise not considered.

13Kent

Thanks, good advice, I think we'd do that, when we first had our caravan we did exactly that, getting to the site (which wasn't far from home and also not far from the dealers) and realised soon after that the leisure battery wasn't included in the deal, and we had to go and purchase one - we also popped home for the tv of all things as the weather turned rubbish and we needed to entertain some very bored children in the evening!!!

Good advice about that carpet and footprint too, thanks!

sooty&sweep

Hi

I'd strongly recommend visiting the https://www.ukcampsite.co.uk website.

There are lots of friendly people on there that will be able to advise you on camping kit & campsites too.

Cheers

Jen

force_ten

I am now a once a year camper as my family don't want to camp anymore, daughter is to old and the missus doesn't like camping so i do a solo trip once a year to a big airshow and camp for five days

a tent can be a big ticket item and the one thing that i would say is get at least a six berth for four people, for ease of pitching you cant beat the newer air beam tents peg out the corners and pump it up then peg out the guy lines and that is it job done, some of the bigger family tents can be difficult to put up in anything but dead calm conditions a bit of a wind and you could have a fight on your hands

a footprint is good for keeping the bottom of your new tent clean as it is much easier to peg out and clean a flat sheet rather than trying to clean the bottom of your tent, tent carpets are nice but not essential, i used to put a couple of picnic rugs down over the groundsheet in the living area

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ybs3KIcBz14

that is the sort of tent layout i would recommend for a family and that is one of the airbeam pump up tents so easy to pitch

a few things for me that are essential in a tent is full standing height in the bedroom so you can stand to get dressed, and plenty of room at the front of the tent to shelter from the rain and sit as a family at night, nothing worse than buying a small tent and then sitting in the car to shelter from the weather

force_ten

Deleted_User wrote: »

Aldi had a quality 3000mm tent 5 birth ft £79.99 which is good value to start you off. Have a look in Lidl too.

that is an ok tent but the one downside is the living area which for me is a bit small you will have an area in front of the bedroom pods that is about 4 ft 6 inch by 6ft 6 inch so four people on folding chairs and all your other kit you wont have much room in the front of that tent