Great Camping Hunt

Missy™

After many, many years of sleeping just on the ground in my tent, I've finally caved in and bought camping beds for when we go car camping!

Argos has steel framed camping beds on sale for £15.99 at the moment. Bought two yesterday and was very pleased with the quality and ease/speed of assembling Similar ones seem to be about £30 each elsewhere.

There is a cheaper version at £9.99 but I went for the others so that there would be room for storage underneath (we have a small tent).

Our tent by the way is a Khyam - out of the bag and up in 2 minutes max! I've never regretted paying a bit extra for that wonderful convenience!

flea72

just came back from Tesco and they have a 4-6 man dome tent for £37.50

was £50, but the shelf ticket says now reduced to £40, but is going through the tills at £37.50

Flea

holidayfund2012

has anyone tried the Lipi Selk all in one sleeping bags? They look a bit like romper suits, in sleeping bag material! they are expensive, but for someone who feels the cold when I camp, I am tempted!!! Altho I might get laughed off the campsite!

egon

swee'pea wrote: »

Since about 25 years, I am using my 'handy list' for camping and other trips and I hardly ever get caught out with having forgotten a key item. But, since I do not have a car (I'm an epileptic mum/grandmum) and we therefore have to carry the lot to and from public transport, I'm also wary of being lumbered with things that turn out to be unnecessary.

This is how it works:

Before your first trip, make two identical, detailed lists of all the things you are going to take with you. You divide the list up into a column for each family member, another column for general items and the last column for food. One of these lists goes into your document folder and the other one you take with you. Of course, as soon as it is impractical/impossible to nip back home, you realise you've forgotten the corkscrew/address list/spare tent pegs/adaptor nozzle for the airbed pump/etc etc. This you immediately record on your list (or as soon as possible: you forget a lot with a bunch of toddlers or teenagers draining your sanity) and you mark the items as either 'essential' or as 'would have been nice to have'.

Now the trick is, you also record everything that turns out to be surplus to requirements; for example, you took 30 clothes pegs, but 16 was the ideal number (it is!!), or less than half the amount of underwear would have been plenty, since you were in your beach wear most of the time anyway.

Back home, you leave the 'travel list' in your suitcase, but not before you recorded the latest updates in the 'document list'.

This way - over time - you get a list fine-tuned to your individual needs. By and by, of course, the list changes: would you really still take 58-and-a-half nappies for your 14-year old?? There are changes in medications, preferred toys and what have you. The 'document list' is being written onto a fresh sheet of paper every 3-5 years, else all the recorded changes make it too awkward to read. A copy of the updated list replaces the one in the suitcase. I keep all the previous versions, though, and they now come in very handy for camping and other travels with my grand daughter.

I know, this all sounds very cumbersome, but, believe me, it isn't - just takes a few minutes. The great thing is, when it comes to packing our stuff, we just open the suitcase, scan the list and we know exactly what to take - we often are ready to go within the hour! Your choice of stuff is easily adapted for the length and type of trip (e.g. it probably shouldn't take long to decide whether to take that French dictionary onto the camping trip to Weston-super-Mare).

I hope this helps. Is anybody interested in the contents of my lists?

Please I like to know

spender

Just a warning avoid Campmania, I made an ordered some weeks ago, the money has been taken no goods though. You can not speak to them on the telephone nor do they answer your emails. Their prices look good and the delivery is stated next day!

Serial_Lurker

Davecam wrote: »

Hi MSE's

Has anyone bought the 6 man 3 room tents ALDI are currently stocking for £79.99:question: I'm looking to buy one but was wondering are these too good to be true as comparable tents at ARGOS and some websites are £120+ and even second hand on EBAY are £80+.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks in advance David.:j

Hi David,
This may be too late for you (although our local Aldi still has a few of these tents, now reduced even further).
Hubby and I bought one earlier this year, and used it for a week's camping in Scotland with our one-year-old.
When we arrived at the campsite there were near-gale-force winds and lashing rain, it took both of us plus a helpful chap from a nearby caravan to get it pegged down without taking off. However, once the outer was up, it was relatively easy to put the inner compartments up (we only put up one of the two at first, as the other side of the tent kept getting flattened by the wind. Once it had died down, we put the second one up to use for storage). All three of us fitted in one compartment, but there was only room for two single airbeds pushed together - once the littlun's bigger we're going to have to rethink! If you weren't using airbeds you could probably fit three people in reasonably comfortably, but you wouldn't have any space for kit.
The main part of the tent was high enough for hubby (5' 11'') to stand without stooping, and there was enough space for a very active toddler to play in without getting too close to the stove etc.
We did have some dripping at various points through the week, but I'm still not sure whether that was actual leakage from outside, or condensation from the inside.
And it is only the sleeping compartments that have sewn-in groundsheets, so it can get a bit drafty in the main part at times.
Was there anything else specific you wanted to know about it?

Sarah

izoomzoom

Anyone have any ideas as to what I can use / buy as a mattress for my baby. We have one more short camping trip this year (she is 9m old) and then of course next year she will probably be walking.

I could get another single blow-up mattress but am open to suggestions.

bloomsberg78

izoomzoom wrote: »

Anyone have any ideas as to what I can use / buy as a mattress for my baby. We have one more short camping trip this year (she is 9m old) and then of course next year she will probably be walking.

I could get another single blow-up mattress but am open to suggestions.

When we first went camping with our daughter who was 14 months at the time, we were in a medium size tent and tried to get her to sleep on an air-bed..it was a big mistake. She hated it and didn't sleep much, which meant we didn't either.

Last weekend we went camping again, but this time we had a stand-up tent and took a travel cot and she slept all the way through.

sooty&sweep

Hi

I'd advise you look on the www.ukcampsite.co.uk website for advice about camping with a baby.

I'd suggest taking a travel cot as also useful for somewhere to put child in during the day and know they're safe.

However if you're planning to get an airbed hae you seen the junior campas airbeds that have raised sides to help top the child rolling off.

Remember if you're sleeping on an airbed to put lots of insulation under/on top of the airbed underneath you otherwise you will find it very cold.

Mullhon2

Hi All,
Me & OH going to do West Highland Way at end of month and wondered if you lovely people could give us some tips. We do a lot of walks, always days as opposed to a week though! We're needing help, preferably a list if anybody has done it or similar of what is the minimum we should take? Obviously as it's a long walk we don't want to be laden down with unnecessary weight, but want to take what we'll need without having to spend any additional funds once there. After all, we're doing this 'cos we're skint (and great excuse for exercise before GNR)! And it's being the excuse I needed to convince him!
Many thanks in advance x