This site is great! I've spent ages reading back through threads to get ideas on what equipment to get (and not get!). Please can anyone advise me on a few more things though...
Vango Wilderness 250 sleeping bags - are these machine washable? If not, is there another similar spec/price of sleeping bag that is?
I'm guessing I'll need to buy a spare sleeping bag for our nearly-4-yr-old who occasionally has a night-time accident - are the washable sleeping bags ok to wash and tumble dry at the campsite in standard size machines?
Should I get a Coleman Comfort double or two singles for me and dh? He's much heavier/taller than me - I don't want to feel seasick each time he turns over.
I've been looking at kitchen stands - is it better to get one with an enclosed fabric larder bit? Will that keep flies/ants etc out better than a carrier bag hanging up somewhere?
Is it ok for EHU to come into your tent at ground floor level as our tent has no special hole for it? (I've read the ukcampsites article about getting the right EHU etc) We'll then hang it off a pole or rest the socket part on a table or something off the ground. Our tent has a separate groundsheet in the living area, ie not sewn-in.
Are some roll-up mats better than others or are the cheapo £3/£4 ones ok for the kids to sleep on?
If we have a light in our living area (where no SIG) then will we get loads of daddy long legs etc coming to visit?
phew, I think that's about it - just need to persuade dh that it's a great idea now...
I can comment on the coleman comfort bed. A double will be fine as they have 2 seperate chambers and you can imflate them to your own like. If your OH rolls around you shouldnt feel a thing
Hi and welcome! I've never found the mats comfortable and nor have the children. We tried camp beds but they now have blow up matresses which they much prefer. If you're going to use electric then you can get a cheap pump to blow them up with.
As for threading the EHU into the tent, just make sure that it doesn't flatten the groundsheet where it comes in as the rain will pool in that bit and run into the tent...been there, done that etc etc!!
Good luck with the rest!
------------- SHIRLZ
I'm not a complete idiot...some bits are missing.
Re: Wilderness Sleeping bags - I don't know, sorry.
Re: 4 year old - we have one also and he wears "camping pants" (a pull up!) when we go just in case of an accident. He never wears a pull up at home but is happy to do so when we're camping because we make all seem like a big adventure.
Re: the Coleman Comfort - it has two separate chambers so no "roll together".
Re: kitchen stands - there might be something new this year but so far the only fabric enclosed ones I've seen have really flimsy shelves in them. We used to have one but you couldn't even put a tin of beans on the shelf without it bending! We have a metal shelved one now and keep all our utensils and food in plastic lidded storage boxes. We find this really handy because we store all our stuff in these anyway, just fetch them out of the loft at the beginning of the season, give every thing a wash, pack it back up and then each time we want to go camping that year we just throw all our kitchen storage boxes in the car (not forgetting all the other stuff of course!) and away we go.
Re: EHU - this is ok. They're made for outdoor use anyway.
Re: mats - not an expert but some have higher season ratings than others.
Re: daddy long legs - yes, unless you keep insect mesh or door zipped up.
Fantastic! Thanks so much for the replies. I'm still pondering about sleeping bags - are most of them washable? We might go to Camperlands on Sunday and have a good look at everything. We're only doing a 2 night try-out camp in August but I don't want to get the wrong stuff and put everyone off the idea!
My only comment is that I`d go for a warmer sleeping bag than a 250.....have a look at the Vango Nitestar range, in the 350 weight. And yes, they`re washable, as are most synthetic bags. But it`s not a good idea to wash sleeping bags a lot as they lose their loft. "Camping pants" are the best solution, really.
For the bedwetting: Huggies Dry-Nites. Brilliant. The child feels dry and warm. The sleeping bag stays warm and dry. No cold nights in a wet sleeping bag. No need for a spare sleeping bag. No washing. No draping over the guy ropes to dry when the tumble drying fees have eaten all your change. No embarrassment for the child. OK maybe not great for the environment in the very long-term but balance that against washing and possibly tumble-drying electricity plus shorter life-term of the sleeping bag and my verdict is that they are perfect for using on a camping holiday.
Buy them at home and bring them with you. They are available in most supermarkets in urban/suburban areas but, if my experience camping in North Wales is anything to go by, you'd be surprised how far you might have to drive to find them in more sparsely populated areas - or how much extra you'd have to pay.
I echo the verdict on airbeds - £9.99 from Argos for a single. Much more comfy for everyone and very useful at home for sleepovers. Invest in a pump that works off the car battery, £6.99 from Argos you won't regret it. You can use the pump to deflate them quickly too.
Thanks for the great help and tips. We bought an £8.99 camping table from Focus today and got some cheap Microfibre towels from B&M bargains - thanks to the other posters for these tip-offs! At the weekend, we'll hopefully make a decision on sleeping bags etc and probably be spending a bit more on the Nitestar ones. If it weren't for this site, I would have been clueless what to go for so I'm very grateful for all your help, thank you!!!
Definitely agree with the pll up pants. We found that our daughter was even more reluctant to get up in the middle of the night when camping because it was cold out of her sleeping bag and maybe a bit dark. she would then really not leave enough time to wake us up, get out of her sleeping bag zip open the bedroom compartment, zip open the tent, run over the site to the toilet. Makes it much less stressful
Re: 4 year old - we have one also and he wears "camping pants" (a pull up!) when we go just in case of an accident. He never wears a pull up at home but is happy to do so when we're camping because we make all seem like a big adventure.
Yep I do this as well for my 7 year old, dont want to spend my time in a laundry when we go away, would rather be on days out or sat withthe kids eating and drinking etc....so we use the pull ups too, much more convenient.
------------- As one door closes another one opens.. sometimes you need to spend a little time in the room thats all..
Do whats right and right will become of you ;-) Nichola xx
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Topic: Advice for newbie, please!
