Make sure your footprint groundsheet doesn't stick out further than your flysheet, or it will channel water under the tent (tuck it under, if necessary).
Store stuff in cool bags - the padding protects - and label the bags so you know where everything is.
Don't walk across other pitches.
Take a decathlon bag (£1) for the shower, beach etc - packs down to size of a tennis ball, carries towels, toiletries etc with ease and you can hang it up with your clothes in to keep them dry whilst you shower. Dries out at speed of light if it does get wet.
Take Crocs or flip flops for that walk across to the loo block.
record a video of yourself pitching your tent, it might help you to play it back to see how it folds up. Check youtube and see if there's a video of your tent being pitched/packed, It would help other people learn how to do there own tent and your karma will be huge knowing that you could be helping someone else. lol
Its always handy to take a dustpan and brush...any mud/grass that gets on the tent floor from muddy boots etc can be swept away once dried. Put a piece of cardboard in the bottom of your boot. Then if it starts to get very muddy by your tent door you can use it to stop it getting worse, its not going to take up any extra space or weigh anything either (plus its free,use a flattened box). Remember to remove it as soon as the sun comes out to allow the ground to dry/recover!
Quote: Originally posted by Liddenham on 10/6/2009
Take a decathlon bag (£1) for the shower, beach etc - packs down to size of a tennis ball, carries towels, toiletries etc with ease and you can hang it up with your clothes in to keep them dry whilst you shower. Dries out at speed of light if it does get wet.
whats a decathlon bag??
feel like i have been missing out on something now!!! lol
------------- tina xx
mum to 5 kids
DD-20
DS-16
DD-14
DD-9
DS-3 and a half!
and a large, daft, black dog!!
* Keep Warm, Warm, Warm and you'll be able to cope with everything else (See all tips about insulating under and over airbeds, layers of clothing, changing into jammies before it gets cool and bedsocks!!!)
* Baby wipes come in handy for almost everything
* Try to use storage bags or collapsable boxes for duel purposes when transporting stuff and using whilst away (ie heavy duty garden bag with handles carrys groundsheet/carpet/airbeds then doubles as laundry bag to keep dirty stuff separate from clean)
* Collect sugar packets and sauce sachets all year round
* To reduce additional packing when going away, prepack toiletry bags (empty at the end of the season) and keep handy: towels, teatowels, loo roll, non perishables etc
* With the exception of your tent and your sleeping bags, use Poundland, Aldi, Lidl, and all supermarket seasonal bargains for all those extras you just can't help buying!!!
* Let the kids have a 'camping' address book (my kids make friends all over and end up swapping addresses on scraps of paper which invariably get lost)
* To keep kids happy (if you have space) put together a 'camping' indoor/outdoor activity bag, such as paper, pens, stickers, travel games, cards and badminton/cricket/rounder sets, kites, walkie talkies, skittles/boules, frisbee
Forget the TV,Laptops etc till you have the essentials. Keeping warm and dry are MUCH more important.
Dont rush out and buy the most expensive tent if you havent camped before. Buy a cheap but reliable tent - if you love camping, dont worry the cheapy will come in handy. Us tenters tend to hoard our tents. (Check the reviews of tents too before buying)
Take a Roll of Black wheelie bin liners with you. When taking a wet tent down, its better to put it in a bin bag than struggle to get it back into the tent bag.
If its your very first trip away. Take money for a takeaway dinner. Putting up the tent and getting all the gear ready can take some time. If you get a takeaway, then you dont need to start cooking at the end of getting the tent up.
The night before you leave - Pack what you wont need the next morning in the car. That way you arent rushing to get the tent etc down and away before the checkout time.
Keep a box of matches in the glovebox of your car. Handy and always dry.
------------- Always forgive,Never forget;Learn from mistakes,But Never regret;People change,Things go wrong;Just remember life goes on
Cool campers use Delta Pegs.
The happiest people aren't the ones who have everything they are the ones who make the most of everything they have
Quote: Originally posted by tinallkn4 on 10/6/2009
Quote: Originally posted by Liddenham on 10/6/2009
Take a decathlon bag (£1) for the shower, beach etc - packs down to size of a tennis ball, carries towels, toiletries etc with ease and you can hang it up with your clothes in to keep them dry whilst you shower. Dries out at speed of light if it does get wet.
whats a decathlon bag??
feel like i have been missing out on something now!!! lol
Usually displayed near the tills, they are durable lightweight ripstop nylon bags, which stuff into a attached plastic ball (around the size of a tennis ball). Excellent for beach and showers!
Quote: Originally posted by johnpodlesak on 10/6/2009
record a video of yourself pitching your tent, it might help you to play it back to see how it folds up. Check youtube and see if there's a video of your tent being pitched/packed, It would help other people learn how to do there own tent and your karma will be huge knowing that you could be helping someone else. lol
Unnecessary for Khyam owners, as Khyam's website has video of an expert showing you how it's (or how it should be ) done!
We got a couple of very cheap cotton bathmats that we keep inside the tent door. They're brilliant for absorbing any rain that blows in and drying the worst from your shoes. In dry weather, they seem to have miraculous grass-removing properties - all the grass on your shoes sticks to the mats, whcih you can just shake outside.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Handy info/tips for newbies
) done!
