Hi all... I've come across this website and forum quite a few times whilst trawling the web for help and advice. So yesterday I finally signed up - Yay!!
We're new to camping this year - me, hubby and 2 girls aged 11 and 9 and we've bought our tent (outwell bahia 7) and are picking bits up here and there...
but it's so daunting and confusing all the items out there that you can get... one table looks exactly the same as its neighbour yet is £30 cheaper, etc, etc.... and do we really need this and should we buy that?! lol
So, I thought I'd start this thread (my apologies if there is already one out there) for you to tell me what I really need and what we could do without
and I'd love to see your pictures of your set-ups to see how all you experienced campers do it :-)
Thank you!!!
------------- I'm new to camping - so please be gentle!!
Welcome to the forums. I am sure many people will be along with advice and tips, however in the meantime you will find over 35 pages of peoples tents and their setups from here Show us your Tent Photos
Also you will find thousands more tent photos here
Plus to find campsites that suit your requirements and to read and submit campsite reviews, see here
I was going to say. i would first concentrate on the basics before you go spending a fortune on what you think you might need. Most of the kit out there you will not need, it all depends on the level of comfort you want.
think first about shelter (well you heave your tent)
Sleeping. some good airbeds and sleeping bags ( i don't use airbeds as I have a trailer tent but i am sure some recomendations will come)
cooking and seating. will you be eating in the tent or eating out? again there are lots of cookers on the market but i always coped fine with a grill and 2 burner set up.
I have been camping since i was a kid but I still get drawn into buying things I don't need (i see it as part of the fun:)
My advice would be go on a short weekend with the basics (maybe you can borrow some kit you do not already have, and have a think about what you would need/would like.
You will find what you need/don't need the more you go camping. It's personal preferences, but don't underestimate creature comforts. If you are going for a week or so and you intend to cook for your family, then you will need stoves, tables, chairs to sit on, etc. Do have a good look at other peoples set up and don't forget the sundry items like cork screws, bottle openers, knives and forks. The list goes on............
------------- The true test of fairness is how fair you are to those who are not
When you go camping you need something to shelter you from the elements= A Tent that's suitable to house you hubby and the girls both in the living area and in the sleeping pods..You have a tent....But no doubt if you take to camping.. in the coming months you will be looking for an even better one...When doing so...You will want one with a high Hydrostatic Head rating...AND when you go looking for one try to imagine how everything else you have will look/fit into the tent round you on inclimate days..
Also measure the sleeping pods to make sure the bedding you choose will fit in there...
You will need something to lie on...Be that airbeds/Self inflating Mattress(SIM)/or campbed...and sleeping bags to climb in at night.. 2-3 season bags are adequate from April through to Aug/Sept
You will need something to sit on/at for meals or just relaxing = Chairs and table...
You will need something to cook on/brew up on = Cooker of some description...
Those are the basic needfull's to make you comfy...and I would concentrate on gathering them together for now...Everything else is an add on...Needful in their own right(some of them)And can be purchased as time and budget allow...
As posted...there are several forums on here showing various tents/set ups etc and you should get some good ideas from them...You should also get some ideas from posts like your own from other people..or posts reccommending kit etc...
Welcome to the forum and the world of camping you have a lot of reading/research and buying in front of you...Enjoy............
All the advice given so far is great, there are a few little things I would add that are often overlooked but make life easier.
A stove table with a wind shield is an essential, a simple cheap one will do until you find out what you need. I would also invest in a wind break to give you some shelter and privacy outside, we use one of the old stripy beach ones as a lot less hastle to put up.
One thing I never fail to take is a packet or 2 of the yellow plastic storm pegs (Halfords sell them for about £3 for 10) as if you pitch on a site with lots of stones in the soil they flex round them and go in unlike metal pegs which don't and just bend. I would also recommend a reel of duct tape and some para cord which will deal with most tent/guy emergency repairs.
A couple of things also often overlooked (by me in the past) are a dustpan & brush and a washing up bowl.
My best advice as said above is take everything you think of and can fit in car, and refine over time.
Give it a week or two on here and you will be saying those classic lines. I need a bigger car or I need a trailer or Roof box which one should I buy. Welcome and enjoy. Geoff
Hiya. we've only really started camping this year as a family and the 2 things we have found essential are electric hook up and a electric cool box. most of the other stuff in our rapidly expanding collection we have bought very cheap from places like B&M, home bargain etc with the idea of buy it cheap and if it becomes an essential then we can replace it with better quality if need be or if we dont use it then it didnt cost much in the first place.
Ive stalked the forum pages a fair bit and picked up some good tips.
Hi everyone it's my 1st post in here :-)
We are also new to camping, I've never been camping in my life & I've let the kids & boyfriend talk me into getting a tent!!
We bought the Tent sunday & already starting to get a few bits - folding table & deluxe kitchen sink unit, few lanterns, hoping to get sleeping bed, air beds, plates ect within next week & go away in the six weeks holiday.
You will build up a collection of your own essentials over time.
There are the essentials, sleep, eat and somwhere to rest.
But dont forget things to do, I like to go off grid so no EHU for me. So its a wind up radio, newspapers, pack of cards, and other travel games.
Oh and on the table aspect, some have the shelved or storage under them, I wish I had got on of these rather than a normal camping table. Clever storage and packing becomes important for long camping trips.
But just remember, so many things you could buy, but so little boot space available.
We started last year, and have probably replaced every single item we bought for our first camping trip with more suitable, or just nicer stuff.
Decide what you want to sleep on, airbeds make me feel drunk, oh no wait... Oh yeah it's the airbed. So we sleep on just SIMs. I probably wouldn't camp without electric.
Oh and if you're struggling to spend your money the outwell camping club on Facebook is excellent at spending other people's pennies
------------- 2013
Easter - Thorpe park tin tent
May bank - Saxdale
Whitsun - Nantcol
June - Studfold
July - Priests house, Barden's back garden ;-)
July- 4 vents Paris for euro Disney
Aug - Saxdale
Aug- high straggleton farm
Aug BH - Studfold
Sept - Stratford
Oct - Masons
NYE -saxdale (eeeek)
We started as newbies in 2011. We initially bought cheaply. Cheap airbeds, cheap sleeping bags, cheap tent. We soon fell in love with camping and now have upgraded everything with a view to (a) enjoying the better quality and (b) having things that will last.
As essentials go, it depends on your holiday experiences and how you camp. If like us you will mainly spend time chilling in and about your tent then make sure you have things to do to prevent boredom. Games, radio, cards, alcohol even. Lol. On the other hand if the tent is just your base and you intend to be out and about, I would prioritise getting good quality sleeping gear. Camping and sleeping are not easy bedfellows. If you are out and about you'll want to maximise your sleeping comfort. If you're mostly in and around the tent then you can always grab short cat naps during the day.
If you'll almost exclusively self cater then you'll want a two stove burner and possibly a BBQ kit. As well as decent kitchen equipment.
Don't forget to pack batteries, a torch, wet wipes, kitchen roll, toilet roll, duck tape, scissors, washing up liquid and scourer.
If you plan to camp in march April or September and October then I'd advise on hot water bottles and thermals, as well consider a small fan heater and EHU.
Happy camping
------------- MAY 2017 - Loch Ken, Scotland
JUNE 2017 - Sango Sands, Durness, Scotland
AUGUST 2017 - Balloch O Dee, Galloway and Invergarry
SEPTEMBER 2017 - three brief trips
OCTOBER 2017 - hopefully one final trip before Halloween
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: New to Camping
Enjoy your camping!
