I'm thinking of taking my three eldest (4, 7 & 8) camping.
I haven't been before. I've looked at the site so have a basic idea of the requirements.
My first task is buying a tent. I want to get an 8 man tent, for room and if more of us go later. I've looked at ebay and on here, but am confused slightly as to what to get.
What would people recommend? It would need to be fairly easy to put up and take down and I believe with a sewn in groundsheet.
Any advise much appreciated.
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It would depend on your budget mainly. Tunnel style tents are easier to erect and give better room and head height for footprint. Don't buy the cheapest thing you find but also don't spend a fortune whilst you are still figuring things out. If you buy mid-range you can then start lusting after the expensive ones lol.
How many bed pods do you want? Do you want optional canopies and porches to be available?
------------- April- rosetta 3 nights
May - walled garden 3 nights
June- ??
July- monkey tree 14 nights
Hi, not sure about your budget but we got a Kampa Studland 8 from Norwich Camping we phoned them up and made an offer of £700 for the tent (£549), vestibule (£90), Carpet (£80) and footpring (£40) which they accepted they even threw in a few other things we were buying. The tent is quite large it could be a bit difficult if you're pitching it yourself, we've put ours up once but I believe I could manage it myself if needed. You could always ask someone already onsite to help.
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I would guess that a trip to go outdoors or similar may help and view the tents. Go also have a sale on at the moment which might be better on the finances until you have given it a bash. :)
I borrowed a vis a vis style tent and tried that first, didn't like not being able to stand in that one, or pods end to end, so I went to go and had a look and prefer the sleeping areas next to each other to keep kids nearer to me, and standing height.
The canopies/porches provide several uses....... they are ideal for cooking in and if you decide to get a tent carpet can protect it from rain and mud (cos you can take your shoes off outside and leave them in the porch).
For your tent, you do really need to consider your budget, remember its not just about the tent, there is all the other stuff to get too to get you started. Also consider when you will be camping, for example summer only and on what type of sites this will help you plan what you need.
Go to some camping shops and look at tents too - it will give you more of an idea of what you want.
Happy shopping.
Jewels
------------- Jewelsm - a fair weather camper
August 2013, 14, 15, 16 & 17-Trevornick for two and a half weeks of sea and surf (and ever optimistic -lots of sun). Some other weekends if I can persuade DH
hi ,i think a hi-gear kalahari 8 from go-outdoors will do you for your first couple of years they are a good entry tent ,if you enjoy it you can upgrade to a better tent
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of similar dimensions but at a slightly lower price is the coleman coastline 8 reviews here but note the 2011 version does have zips along the bottoms of the doors, which is the only negative picked up on reviews of earlier models.
------------- April- rosetta 3 nights
May - walled garden 3 nights
June- ??
July- monkey tree 14 nights
All of the following tents are of similar style and size, they will vary in price due mainly to the quality of the materials used, ie flysheet hydrostatic head and type/diameter of poles and other little bits and pieces like pockets on inners etc.
Why not check out these tents to begin with - either google them and look at prices and/or look at the reviews on this site.
Vango Tigris 800
Hi-gear kalahari 8
Vango Vista 8oo (good price at go outdoors at moment)
Gelert Vector 8 (real cheap starter tent on Amazon at moment)
Kampa Pendine 8
Coleman Coastline 8 Deluxe
Goodness I could go on, there are so many in this style. Of course if you want to start looking at steel poles rather than fibreglass...
Happy hunting
Clare
Ps stick with the good makes and don't be fooled by something really cheap on **ay
Just having a look at Mrs Jubbly's selection there.
I'd say if you want to go for a cheap starter, the Gelert is an excellent buy.
If you're going to go more durable, the Vango Tigris is still a lightweight job, should be built to last and isn't very expensive. The mini porch/brow over the door stops rain dripping in when you enter.
If you really want to splash you'd still be getting a fantastic bargain with the Kampa Studland. They make really good tents and that one even has a little room for your portaloo. Also has built in canopy so you save on not buying one (they are SOOO useful). Check the bedroom configurations would suit you though.
Those would be my choices. The first two are fibreglass poles which are slightly less sturdy (but Vango have a special system which makes them v. sturdy) and the Kampa has steel poles which are a bit more solid but weigh a lot and take up a lot of space.
Bear in mind, if you're planning to use airbeds, 2 singles or 1 double will fit in a 2 man bedroom of any type of tent with NO GAPS AT ALL ROUND THE EDGES.
Welcome to UKCampsite, the most informative source on camping there is and welcome to camping.
Although I'm not going to recommend a specific tent, as others have already offered some useful idea's, but what I will offer is that before parting with your money you spend as much free time on here reading up on the advice offered, try using the 'Search' facility to check out any specific questions you have, because you're not the first and won't be the last to ask them.
Also jot down all your requirements and then most importantly go see some tents in person! Because what you think looks nice or might be the one for you gets blown out of the window when you look round them.
You don't necessarily have to buy from these, as you can then search online for the best price or even better use a local knowledgeable camping store.
Then its just sorting something to sleep on and in, something to sit on and something to cook/eat off, as well as lighting. Buy the main gear to start with then add to it, especially from home. Don't be tempted to buy gimicky camping things like pans when you can take ones from home for example.
And with little ones try getting a bucket with a lid for night time wee's to save trugging to the loo back and forth in the night, empty. rinse and drop of disinfectant in the morning sorts it. Oh and baby wipes come in handy for everything!
Good luck and Best wishes Sam
Don't forget to leave a review of all tents you've used, for a chance to win fantastic prizes
PS: Avoid Halfords and Argos starter kits, as you will always replace everything the next time you camp and you can put that money to decent sleeping bags (or duvets from home!) and tent.
Oh and insulation under and over the beds is really important to avoid being cold.
We are a family of 4 (2 adults 2 kids age 9&7) After spending what seems like months trawling the internet and going through the reviews on this gem of a site we decided on the hi gear kalahari 8. We are complete novices and neither of us had ever erected a tent, however we managed to get it up in the garden in 48 mins which we thought was pretty good going for a first time
It has 2 bedrooms at either end which fit a double air bed each (but nothing more) so me and other half in one, the kids one each and one spare for suitcases etc so they are out of the way. It has a good sized living area too, and sewn in groundsheet. If your on a budget (which we were) i think its great for the money and will hopefully get a few years out of it.
Although not recommending any tent, as what suits one person may not suit another, may I say this. Avoid those with a central dome, and bedroom pods around the outside as you have alot of wasted pitch space. although looking around the camping shops (one of my favourite passtimes) they do not seem to be as popular as they were a couple of years ago - now tehy all seem to be the tunnel tent style, Consider the bedroom section arrangement , as the last thing you want is to be crawling across to the other side of the tent at 2am when your little one needs you.
Somewhere to sit in comfort, inside when the weather is bad. Much as we would all liek to portray camping as being sitting outside the tent on a lovely sunny day , we know htat is not always true., and it is far easier on the bad days if your are comfortable inside. Our first tent didn't ahve a living area, and after one very wet weekend when we were stcuk in a tent witho nowhere to move or sit we decided that we needed to get a bigger tent with a living area. Kids were almost three and six. Got one next season, and made a heck of a difference.
The main thing I would say is don't buy anything you haven't seen in the flesh, pics on the internet can be very misleading! Work out how many will use the tent, what you are probably going to have to spend on other equipment such as beds, sleeping bags stove etc and then you will know roughly what to look for. I agree a mid-range tent is the best starter as you really wont know what you like till you've camped in it. Gelert or Hi Gear would be my suggestion - some good value tents in Go Outdoors at the moment.
------------- Pally
The pen is mightier than the sword - but only if the sword is very small and the pen is very sharp...
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: Complete Beginner
