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Hello!

I wondered if anyone can give me some advice for my first camping trip (well, for 30 years or so), since I was a kid..

I bought a Sunncamp Nirvana 500 at the back end of last summer, but didnt get chance to use it as the weather was so crap.  Over the winter I have purchased the other basic bits and bobs I reckon I need for a camping trip (inflatable beds, lights, stove, etc) and now i'm eager to get into action.

THese questions will prob seem trivial and obvious to you seasoned campers, but I wouldnt mind your opinions.

Valuables... do you lock these in your car/take them with you or are most camp sites safe to leave things locked in your tents??

DO you buy your food fresh every day, or do you own one of those little fridges? (ive only got a basic cool bag with ice packs)

Would campsites be put off by 3 or 4 lads (we arent hooligans) arriving as a group? OR, if I ever go on my own would I feel like a 'billy-no-mates'

Camp fires and/or Bar-B-Qs?  Do most places allow them?

I live in the West Sussex area. I wouldnt mind going somewhere local'ish' to begin with, any recommendations?

If any of you can give me more tips I would really appreciate them!

Dave

Hi Dave and welcome to UKCS

Valubles - lock them in your car or carry them with you. It is not often something gets stolen from a tent but its not worth risking

A cool bag with ice packs will keep things cool to a certain degree. Before you leave home you could freeze milk, orange juice etc and put them in the coolbag to help chill other stuff and once they defrost drink them :). You can also take frozen sausages etc.

Some campsites will take a group of lads and some wont. Always best to ask but 4 is not a huge group so hopefully you wont have too many problems with finding nice sites.

Alot of people camp alone. If you want to go solo then go right ahead. No one will think you are billy no mates

Sites that allow fires are not so easy to find. There is a list on this forum so it would be worth checking to see if there is one near you. Most sites allow BBQs but again, check.

Check here for campsite reviews

Hope this helps

Angie

Thanks for the swift reply!

There are a couple of sites very local to me that allow camp fires by the look of it so I might try one of them out next week as I have nearly the whole week free from work..

Thanks for the advice about packing frozen food.. i didnt think of doing that..

Feel free to throw me any more advice!

What do you need advice on?

If using airbeds then insulation under the airbed and on top is a good idea to protect you from the cold air in the bed. Picnic rugs, fleece blankets, newspaper, cardboard etc will all work.

A first aid kit for people and tents is a good idea. Some tenacious tape for groundsheet or tent repairs, ducktape for emergency pole repairs and plasters etc for people repairs :)

If anything needs batteries pack some spares.

Dont forget the bottle opener/corkscrew !!!!

A group of lads together probably wont consider washing up so take a bowl,tea towels etc

Dont worry about crappy weather. Camping is fab in all weathers.

Where are you going to cook if it is raining?

Cooking in a tent isnt the best idea due to the obvious fire risk and also condensation. A tarp is a small packsize, versatile and handy for cooking under (and you can sit outside under it if raining ) but take it down if it gets really windy or you will be chasing it for miles lol

Make sure your tent is pegged properly in case it is windy. Are you planning on using the skinny little pegs that came with the tent? They are rubbish IMHO. If you can push them in the ground with your hands then there is only one place for them... in the trash

You can get some metal V pegs from all camping stores and they are not expensive. They will do a MUCH better job than the cheapo crappy things.

Ok thats enough of my rambling

Happy camping, have  great trip

Angie

All great tips for me Angie...

Thanks a lot again... 

I just took a look at Blackberry Woods website.. It looks great.. exactly what Im looking for

Cheers!!

Quote: Originally posted by woofa on 04/5/2009

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All great tips for me Angie...

Thanks a lot again... 

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No thanks needed, glad to help

Angie

Well if you do go there, dont forget to let us know what it is like and if it would be worth a journey from the northwest.

Hope you have a great time

Oh and I have just done my first "billy no mates" camp and it was great!

Go for it!!

I read your post... sounded great!  I will prob end up doing a billy no mates trip initially as its going to be hard for all of us to get the same time off as we are all shift workers..

Will keep you posted on where I go!

To save having to trek to the loo's in the middle of the night (almost a necessity after a few beers), take a bucket with a lid, or a plastic urinal with sealing top - available in most chemists for around a fiver