bought an Icarus 500 with canopy a month or so back and have put it up in the garden a few times in prep for a camping trip to holland with the kids next month.
we have already
1 x double air bed,
2 x single air beds
1 adult sleeping bag
1 fold away 4 seat table
2 x fold away childrens chairs
im planning to alternate between eating out and making our own meals
so advice please on what equipment do we need *there is a powerpoint to the tent that we have paid for. my children are 5 and 8 so do we need a toilet for during the night? any recs on what stove to get? what about small fridge? sleeping bags or light quilts for the kids?
any other tips or hints gratefully received as well as pointers as to where to shop
you say there is a powerpoint to the tent but you dont mention if you have bought your hook up lead yet, might be worth getting one so you can use the electric and your fridge etc
You could do with some roll mats or car wind screen reflectors for putting under the airbeds. The cold in the ground cools the air in the airbed and through the night it can get very chilly. If you put a layer in between it will insulate from the cold ground.
You don't need a fridge, a 12v electric coolbox with the correct adapter will do. In fact, if you do 'good cool box management' ie changing icepacks every day, bringing frozen food and frozen bottles of water, you don't need an electric cool box at all! A standard one will do.
Pound shops are the best place to get torches, roll mats, gas cannister stoves, spare gas cannisters, melamine plates etc etc.
no hook up lead as yet, any recs as to as which one?
cheers frome, i was just about to check out at campingmegastore, when i checked here for replies, so will pop to pound shops over weekend for roll mats etc
what about a stove? seen a cheap kampa alfresco double burner and grill for £30 (any good?)
the stove I use is from B&M Bargains. (it's a network of pound shops a bit like poundstretcher or poundland). It cost £7.99. The same stove in Argos is £34.99. If you're happy to carry a gas bottle with you then a double burner is the way to go, and nice especially if there's the grill. Someone (coleman?) is doing a double stove plus grill that folds flatter than the normal one. Again B&M bargains had one like that at £12 or thereabouts.
You'd need to do a bit of research into hookups, or EHU. B&Q were doing one for £30 but it only had one plug on it. I have a sunncamp one but it was £100. However I've been using it this year for my sixth year. Mine has got four plugs on it, and the plugs are reportedly waterproof (it's a bit of a bugger to get the plug in it's a bit tight) but apparently if you find your tent flooded and the EHU underwater it's supposed to be ok. Mine has clips on it and so I tend to hang it off the side of a table well out of the way of any impending water. (not that it's ever happened).
If you're getting EHU and thinking of getting a heater get the economy fan heater from argos for £11.99 as you can run it all night on low if you need to as the thermostat kicks on and off.
Quote: Originally posted by camping dad on 09/7/2010
my children are 5 and 8 so do we need a toilet for during the night?
Hi, we bought a nappy bucket (Re-Christened the 'Toity bucket' as anyone who's read Bill Bryson's Thunderbolt Kid will recognise!) with a snug fitting lid to use as a night loo. Was a bit weird at first, but beats getting dressed and traipsing up to the toilet block at 3am!
And on the subject of pegs, a few rock pegs will save you from saying lots of bad words muttered under your breath (obviously so the kiddies won't hear)
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Topic: what do i need
