Well, I've been lurking around the site for a few weeks now and with your collective help have gone and bought a Vango Sungari 600 for myself, OH and three kids (9, 8 and 4 all boys).
Now, we need the next most important thing, beds and bags. I am pretty sure I want to go down the SI route with synthetic bags. This will be the first time camping for OH and kids, I have been before in my youth. I want to make sure everyone enjoys themselves and I want them to want to go again and I know a freezing three nights will not do that!
Problem is budget. I have spent around £300 on the tent and need to get the rest of my gear for about a similar amount. I hate buying cheap gear because I know invariably it will not do the task you need it to but I can't affor to go out there and buy £80 3season bags for everyone with Therm-a-rest SI mats.
So, my question is (finally, they all say!) what do I get. Millets have a Vango Horizon 3season bag half price at £30 which seems to be the best offer i've seen so far but they seem to be the only people selling that particular bag which then makes me feel its one of those dodgy "Sports Direct" type offers. Argos do the Gelert SI mats which I have heard mixed reviews about. Then I start thinking I should get a £5 airbed from tesco each and just get on with it.
All in all I'm totally confused as to what to do. I've spent the last week staring at sleeping bags of all prices and not knowing what to get. My kids love the outdoors, we have spent the last three years holidaying at haven sites in caravan but spend all our time out on walks and rambles. I'm sure they will love camping but I just don't have money to burn.
I hope I can get some sound advice from some of you.
vango xl self inflating mats x 2 19.99 outdoormegastore forget airbeds cold pop holes uncomfy self inflating mats are by far the best and comfyest on my 3rd year with ours
vango nitestar 300 sq for husband around 30 pounds
coleman diva or pacific or simialar for wife around 20.00 pounds or an outwell cotton number there around same price
2x coleman flannelette sq liners 8.00 each
3x self inflating mats for kids outwell dino or flowies 13.99 world of camping
and 3x 360151912462 ebay 11.00 each and are fab
id also get cheap fleece liners home and bargian do them might be to small for older ones there only 3.99 each wilkies also do them green gelert 7.99 each
all these are great for all year round we use them in october and march and are all fab
I agree with Angie. Put the kids on standard mattresses and buy yourselves the Coleman comfort mattress. We got one because of the recommendations of people on this site and it has transformed our sleeping experience !! Wonderful .
Fleece blankets under thick sleeping bags, hot water bottles and another blanket on top will keep you warm. Don't get too hung up on the brand of sleeping bag, a 3 season bag should do the trick.
Many thanks to all of you that have replied. I'm scared stiff of frightening the lot of them off which would leave me distraught and so has me completely stressing.
Although I have um'd and ah'd over the airbed/SI mat argument I think I want to go the way of the SI simply because it lessens the need to insulate the ground below. The plan is to throw a load of picnic blankets on the floor and then the SI on top of that. It also means, from what I have read, that we can bound in and out of the sleeping areas with more ease rather than tiptoeing around airbeds.
As for the sleeping bags I am going to go with coffeetimes advice, though I thank you Sarah for easing my worries about the brand I end up getting.
Again, many thanks for all your time.....if anyone else still wants to chip in I'd be happy to hear it, it'll be a couple of days before I actually get round to ordering stuff.
I'd avoid succumbing to the manufacturer's marketing hype through season ratings, which are vague at best. Always look for the comfort temperature and never the extreme temperature. The comfort temperature is the coldest an "average woman" could expect to sleep comfortably and has about 5*C leeway for a "average man", based on tests.
Women should consider going for a bag 5*C lower so that there's some leeway. Ditto if you are over 50, feel the cold or are less fit than you should be.
Square bags are preferred by many for comfort but they have poorer ratings for their weight and size.
If the bag and mat is good enough, you don't need all the other trappings (apart from a liner which saves on washing the bag). A rug as a carpet is nice though.
The Gelert mat at Argos is a thin mat at 2.5cm. In summer I sleep on a Karrimor 2.5cm mat and I'm OK but I use a 5cm one early and late season for the insulation from the ground. The mat is important for warmth too, although perhaps less of an issue in summer when the ground doesn't suck the heat from you so much.
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Topic: Buying sleeping stuff
