The locations you want to go to might not always have ehu, so its great to be independently powered. Comes in handy for the occasional power cut at home too.
If you have to choose, go for the gas options first. You can go anywhere with gas but if you`re 100% reliant on EHU you`ll really limit yourself to where you can take a tent. A lot of sites still only do EHU on the hard standings. Plus the EHU points get booked up quickly, so if you can`t manage out on the non-electric field, you can`t go there.
I only bought EHU and a CombiCool two years ago...somehow I managed to camp perfectly well without either for the other 28 years. Get a good two-burner stove (what were you going to cook on if you went all-electric??), stove top kettle and a gas lamp for outside the tent, battery for inside. Buy a decent coolbox with lots of icepacks and refreeze them on site whenever possible. I tried what you describe with a 12v coolbox, that is, running it for a few hours a day. Waste of money. Save up for a CombiCool for next year.
We used to be just gas, and ran a combicool on gas too. We had a blck cat heater for the nights. Now we have just upgraded to a trailer tent we decided to buy EHU. There is a big difference having a fan heater keeping you warm at night rather than the black cat. I feel the cold a lot and with the gas heater I wsa really cold even with all my layers on, but with the fan heater I can sit in just my pyjamas. I have just bought a camping electric kettle too, but I draw the line at a tv.
We started out with the 'gas' option and now have EHU...so we have the best of both worlds....! It's great to have the electric cool box and travel kettle...! We also run a fan heater in the cooler months and have even taken a fan with us in the summer..!
I bought EHU a couple of years ago but only used it this year for the first time and then only to power my hairdryer once and a phone charger!
I'd agree with Val, go for the gas option and then you will have much more choice about where you camp, it also avoids the problem about tv's, playstations, dvd players etc. etc., if you can't power them there's no point taking them!!
Like a lot of people have said, it is a personal preference, but we use ours as my OH likes her home comforts such as Hairdryer, portable TV, travel kettle, cool box etc.
Imagine, if the weather is rubbish, with EHU you can cosy up in your tent and watch portable tv / dvd AND run a heater. Without EHU, you have fewer options.
Also, you can charge your mobile phone, so in our case I would always camp with EHU.
Started using EHU last year for 1st time and love it. When things get wet they are dry in minutes using the £10 heater from Argos. We keep a slumber light on all night for kids, make a brew quickly, dry wet hair without going to the shower block. Have electric lights now so no batteries running out and no worries about gas and/or flames and we just got the electric coolbox for £30 from Aldi and it's fab, keeps everything as cold as in the fridge at home. All in all I would give a big thumbs up to EHU and thats without taking TV, DVD etc.
------------- SHIRLZ
I'm not a complete idiot...some bits are missing.
we now use the ehu always because there's nothing worse than coming back from a long hike in the rain and having to wait half an hour more for the kettle to boil on the gas :D
Quote: Originally posted by lynette74 on 23/6/2006
We never go for ehu as the whole point of camping is to go back to basics
Surely the whole point of camping is that it can be as indiviudal as you are? Some may prefer things very basic, whilst some prefer a few more luxuries.
We use an EHU for sheer convenience. Life is stressful enough! We could manage without it when there are no hook-ups available but prefer to use it whenever possible. It does not have to mean lots of electrical items - Be strong!
We've did 3 years on gas, and bought an EHU this year. I agree with Val, if you have to choose get gas, some places don't have electrics for tents. We have 2 trips planned this year which will require the non electric kit. We went electric for 2 reasons though. Firstly to run a coolbox, it makes catering easier and safer, and we were paying out for ice pack freezing anyway. We looked into the gas options, but to get one that would fit in our car was just too expensive. Secondly where sites do have electricity for tents you often get a better pitch, usually nearer to the facilities. Other benefits are lighting, and an electric kettle!
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Topic: your opinions please...
