Camping - Where Do I Start

thomasz

I think you should review you budget.

buyitall

surfer_chicky wrote: »

For BBQs check these out, they are so compact yet quite big cooking area
http://www.iwantoneofthose.com/fold-flat-bbq/index.html

Wow, just ordered the briefcase bbq as a father's day pressie from the kiddies - as well as Quidco, there is a £5 off £20 voucher around, which more than covers the postage. Thanks.:j

BillScarab

adandem wrote: »

Personally, I wouldn't get a baragain basement tent to 'see if you like it', believe me, without good equipment, you may well hate it!
A good 2nd hand tent would be better than a cheap new one, you may get a good 2nd had job lot. You can do some research on the better brands.
We use folding beds like these
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3400243/Trail/searchtext>CAMP+BED.htm
They are really good as they keep you off the ground and are very quick to put up and down.
I would def. recommend getting good sleeping bags too.
We use a fridge, a heater and an electric hook up, I'm afraid I do like some creature comforts.

I'd second that, you need to be wary of really cheap camping gear. For sleeping bags don't get some cheapo rectangular caravaning type ones. Get some nice 3 or 4 season mummy bags. It's better to be too warm than not warm enough. For kids either buy adult bags and tie off the bottom bit (or fold it under them) to stop them disappearing into it or get some kids ones and supplement them with fleece blankets if necessary.

One thing to not is when buying a tent if there are 4 of you get a 5-6 man tent or bigger. Manufacturers are very ambitious about how many people will fit in a tent.

This is a good buy from a well known brand but is probably a bit small for a week or more, great for a weekend though.

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/tents/5023518611402

Check the inner height as well when you're buying as it's nice to be able to stand up inside.

It's probably worth going to a shop to look at the tent displays and get a feel for what you want.

FluffyFiFi

If you just want to try it out I would suggest trying out one of the sites in France that have pre-erected tents with all the necessary equipment (including a fridge and proper camp beds). If you go out of term time it is not too expensive, the weather might be better than here and the food and drink tends to be cheaper - try www.canvas-life.co.uk as they are pretty good.

msc1977

Hi - i havent been camping since i was a child but last b/holiday we went for the first time as a family to 'try it out'. My Dad and Brother are both experienced campers and their advice was to 'beg, borrow and steal everything except sleeping bags' for the first trip....so we did ..fortunately most stuff was from them and Dad came with us in his motorhome for the weekend so we had someone with experience with us:-) I did buy some bits from Poundland and Wilkinsons and we got our own sleeping bags but other than that we did borrow everything. Our little test trip helped us to realise the things we really needed, the things we really didnt, the fact that although we borrowed a 4 person tent for 3 of us we really needed one much bigger etc.......

I would certainly recommend having some sort of test trip just for a couple of nights within an hour or two's drive from home before parting with much cash......

Hotspur

After camping on and off for years and sleeping on air beds I have been converted to self-inflating camping mats and no more aching back in the mornings!. Just open the valve and air is sucked in - no need for pumps etc. And, the best thing is it feels almost like a proper matress. Have a look at https://www.alpkit.com for good value/quality mats. Go for one about 5cm or more for comfort, mine is the fat airic 7.5 cm and so comfy.

tbs624

If you want a tent that will stand up the UK weather have a look on the tech info, before buying, at the figure given under “hydrostatic head”. This is a measure of the tent fabric’s waterproof quality. The minimum HH rating is 1000mm (for a UK fabric to be described as waterproof) so the higher the rating, the better suited the tent is to our weather. The cheapest tents will lurk around 1500mm, and as others have said, you’re better off buying a good quality second hand tent via the small ads, than a cheap new one. People often trade up or down in size, so there are some absolute bargains to be had. Agree with Hotspur on the campmats.