We bought some sleeping bags, chairs and air bed from Tesco a few years ago, the air bed went in the bin before the first night and we bought one at a local camping shop, the sleeping bags went back but we kept the chairs.
We have aldi and asda chairs for the kids which are great. Asda storage and electric coolbox and I think our cooker is from b&m.
Aside from the Tesco stuff we've had no problems.
We now need an extra air bed, sleeping bag, light (ehu) and possibly some other bits I'm forgetting.
I love a bargain but I don't want to buy cheap if its rubbish, so best makes/places to buy camping essentials?
Buy 2nd hand! I never buy new and have had no problems with anything :-) I use the selling pages on FB and regularly sell on them too, there's bound to be one for your area (if you, or someone you know us on FB) well worth it! Or there's Gumtree & Preloved! I've saved a fortune and got some great stuff :-) before my initial camping trip two years ago I did buy some bits from GO but haven't set foot in a camping shop since! eBay, FB etc all the way :-)
------------- Enjoyed tenting,
Enjoyed trailer-tenting,
Now loving caravanning 😊😊
Amazon is not bad for getting things at a lower price, I bought our queen size double height air bed on there this year, and a new kitchen stand, both were way below the prices on other sites.
I also believe in buying decent stuff, so you do have the advantage of finding what you like on Amazon as they have reviews for many things, then googling them to see the cheapest price online for what you want, both on Amazon, Ebay and of course camping shops.
I have saved a fortune over the years by doing that.
I sometimes find Go Outdoors to be a bit limited, and have noticed recently that more of their things appear to be of lower quality, they are not as good as they used to be.
Hope this helps and that you find what you are looking for.
Jane.
------------- Enjoying life beyond kids, new love, living on a boat and a new lease of life in my mid 50s! Never too old to reinvent yourself.....
Mum to five - 4 girls, 31,28,25 and 22 and one boy, 20
Engaged! Wedding June 2020!
I've never found anything local on FB, eBay, gumtree or preloved (I look a lot) they're always bundles either including tents or lots of items we don't need.
I'd rather buy sleeping bags new. What makes do you rate? I've found some regatta ones for a decent price.
For us it is not the makes but the warmth that counts, I don't know anything about Regatta ones, but having a quick google they are at the very cheap end of the market, so won't be the best, but could well be ok for what you want them for.
Ours are all either Outwell, Rab and North Face, but of course it also depends on the time of year you are intending to use them and how cold it is likely to be at night, nothing worse than feeling really cold for the sake of spending a little bit more on a decent sleeping bag.
Fine anything will do if you just want to spend a few nights away each year on the warmest days, but a good idea to see what all the other options are to suit your budget, if you're going to be regularly going away at different times of the year, the cheap ones might not necessarily be the answer.
My kids all have Outwell sleeping bags,these have come down in price in recent years, I can recommend the Cloud range, they are warm and lightweight, and I just saw one on Outdoor World Direct for 30 quid, down from £44.99.
Hope this helps.
Jane.
------------- Enjoying life beyond kids, new love, living on a boat and a new lease of life in my mid 50s! Never too old to reinvent yourself.....
Mum to five - 4 girls, 31,28,25 and 22 and one boy, 20
Engaged! Wedding June 2020!
£30 each is definitely in budget thanks. The Tesco ones we took back were awful, far too flimsy.
I don't want anything too thick as we have old thick ones (on their last legs now) and are often too hot in them. I want something that keeps a chill off but happy to layer up with blankets if it's colder
I've never been disappointed with Decathlon, who do sleeping bags, a variety of camping bedding options including the 'sleep in bed' of which I have three. Chairs, tables, tents, stoves, lighting all sorts of things, all good quality stuff.
'You get what you pay for' is my adage for camping kit. We've got an Aerobed airbed that I'd die for it's so comfy. Vango and TF gear sleeping bags I recommend as well! Had lots of good years service from both........!
Well, it is certainly worth getting a good quality sleeping bag which will last you years. I bought mine from Millets about 10 years ago and it still looks as good as new although starting to get a little thinner now due to constant washing. I would certainly want to see and feel a sleeping bag before buying so would go to a proper camping outlet.
I would never buy another airbed as every single one I had leaked. I now use a camp bed with a self inflating mat on top as a mattress. The camp bed came from Halfords and the SIM from Argos and were the cheapest I could find. My EHU lead came from Halfords and I got that very cheap too.
I have bought lots of stuff from ebay over the years. Mostly good but occasionally a disappointment.
Tesco do a good selection of general camping gear like lights and lamps and I wouldn't hesitate in buying from there although I don't know about the quality of their sleeping bags, SIMs, tents etc.
There are lots of different places to buy camping gear including campsite shops and small retailers...even recommended sellers in UKCS like Outdoor Megastore
I'm a fan of Cotswolds and Amazon. The biggest thing is to do your research and know your prices. I've got some good things from Mountain Warehouse and Millets. Argos used to be good for sleeping bags.
As you are in Liverpool, have you tried the outdoor megastore on Rimrose Road in Bootle? We have been going there for years, very helpful and quite often have some good bargains. Hope this helps?
B&M air beds are brill, I think they're bestway but can't be sure and were cheap. We've got 2 and even with a robust 8 yr old that can't grasp "don't jump on the airbed" they've lasted a couple of years and still going. They are the flocked ones.
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Topic: Where to buy essentials?
