View Full Version : Family Camping...where do I start?!?!?!?
Hi,
Im new here, and recently my wife has expressed an interest in wanting to go camping for once or twice a year with our 3 kids for holidays...for say 3-5 or so days at a time. Now Ive only camped briefly before with friends who alreday had equiment....
Based on a family of 5 ( 2 adults, 3 kids under 10 yrs ) going away for 3-5 or so days, staying at a site ( to begin with ) that has amenities IE: showers/shops etc etc.
What sort of kit would I need...and what sort of cost am I talking?? Obviosuly Id want decent, quality stuff that will last, but don't want to pay over the roof. It is just a case of buying a tent, sleeping bags, kettle and stove etc etc???
Any help and advice would help :P
hi bigj depend on when you want to go really this year or next winter or summer there are always folk on here selling gear exampleive got a big 4 man tent which i will be selling inmo i would start by getting cheap gear to start theres gear out there thats just as good as exspensive stuff just in case the wifey changes her mind or borrow some stuff of friends and try it out weve still got some nice weather to come lol hope this helps there will be others to give there knowledge and advise regards dave
I think we're planning to go some time later next year. It wont be to soon as we're taking the kids to Disneyland early next year lol
I was told its best to buy out of season as places have tents etc on sale...I'll just have to keep my eye out ;)
The best advice I can give is to get a tent that is big enough for the kids to play in if it rains all day.
We spent over £1500 on a complete set up so it can be expensive.Have a good think about how much use you'll get out of it before splashing the cash.
£1500!! That be alot of money!!!!
Never though it would cost as much as that......but good advice about the kids, didn't think about how to entertain them if it was chucking it down. Thanks :)
I best be looking for some deals then!! LOL
JonathanD
21-09-2010, 21:24
But an old parachute can do the same thing.
But an old parachute can do the same thing.
Yeah Right .My wife would divorce me.
£1500!! That be alot of money!!!!
Never though it would cost as much as that......but good advice about the kids, didn't think about how to entertain them if it was chucking it down. Thanks :)
I best be looking for some deals then!! LOL
Our tent has every thing ,including carpet so the cost is high.You can do it a lot cheaper but we go camping very regularly and like our home comforts .
Our tent has every thing ,including carpet so the cost is high.You can do it a lot cheaper but we go camping very regularly and like our home comforts .
I didnt realise tents could come with carpets. I think we're just planning to try it out a few times first see how the kids find it etc. Is there any particular brands or makes of tents etc that I should be keeping an eye out for???
JonathanD
21-09-2010, 21:50
Our tent has every thing ,including carpet so the cost is high.You can do it a lot cheaper but we go camping very regularly and like our home comforts .
Carpets?!? Brilliant. I used to go out with someone who actually thought the countryside was ruined because it didn't have carpets. This was when I was living permanently in London. If I ever managed to convince her into going into the wilds, it used to cripple me carrying a bergen full of Krug or Dom P, smoked salmon and the biggest thickest rug in the world.
The girl I have now loves every aspect of the wild. I'm lucky.
When the kids were younger we used to take a playstation,flatscreen telly and a freeview box complete with aerial.Now they spend very little time in the tent and are mostly in the woods.
I know this may not be the bushcraft way, but I would look on ebay for something cheap. This time of year tents can be cheap - in shops as well as second hand. Don't be tempted to blow a lot of money to start with - try it first.
As for kids, they usually love camping, and there is the benefit of them tiring easily with all the fresh air. We have a portable DVD player plugged into the car with an extension into the tent - good way of chilling them out at night.
Good luck
ive got a kit list i got from my dad is in word format but in german i can translate for you if you pm me. the list is a general holiday list but as we have never been in a hotel 99% of holidays were camping. it was originally for 4 people but expanded to 6 (3 siblings)
John Fenna
21-09-2010, 22:28
I have seen lots of bargains in charity shops - donated by dispondent folk who have bought the kit and then spent a wet week in a flooded and wind flattened campsite....:D
Shop around, go to car boot sales and haunt the charity shops is my advice...but then I am concidered a miser even in West wales!
The Big Lebowski
21-09-2010, 22:33
The best bit about camping is keeping it simple... (bearing in mind you are with family/kids)
Big enough home for everyone, somewhere warm and comfortable to sleep, something to sit on, something to put food on, cooking facilites, crockery.
Good size familt tent (£200+), you will have to decide if the kids can all sleep in one section, or you have to devide them.
Be aware that some camp sites have restrictions on size (or double the cost per night) so a 9 man mini-city might not be ideal.
Good quality air beds (£30-40ea) are a must for comfort, as are half tidy sleeping bags (£20-30ea)... nothing fancy, just thick square bags that can be zipped up for cooler weather, or opened out to form a sheet during warm spells.
A good quality double ring gas stove (appx £80-100) for quick cooking, or foul weather. Portable BBQ (appx £50-70) that can be taken down the beach in the evening (kids play in water, you and other half sneaky glass of wine while cooking).
A chair for everyone (£10ea), fold out camping table (£30-40) for meals/prep work or buffets. large 12v cooler box (£20-30) for supermarket trips.
Pots, pans, plastic glasses, plates, cutlery (say £50)
Anything else is an added bonus. Radio is always nice for background music....
Thats the basics! and at a conservative guess appx £700 depending on layout.
The novelty of camping wears off very quickly with some, so its always worth checking the local free ad's for complete packages, or saving's on camp stoves, tents ect!
Halfords do complete packages for a very basic starter, but if you do like it, you will very quickly want to upgrade most if not all of the kit.
TBL.
Well, nomads in Iran have plenty of carpets, dont they?
I like my sheepskins.
theres lots of stuff at car boots this time of year. I will keep my eyes open.
My friend was desolate at the Go outdoors shop, I told her that the market is geared to festivals these days so kit is poor quality.
Buyer beware
have a look in millets for tents they have really slashed their prices...
if you take a look at www.ukcampsite.co.uk you should find all the answers you require regarding family camping. lots of tips and advice for family camping, lists of sites etc. and they are a freindly bunch too - a bit like the folks here :)
andythecelt
22-09-2010, 22:52
I started taking the kids away with a £50 ebay special tent, some £7 sleeping bags from Wilkinson, a twin burner gas stove I got for £6 at an auction years ago... and so on. It's really not worth spending a mint just to get started. Argos are selling off air beds for a tenner that are pretty good at the moment. As others have said car boot sales are great too. You just have to be adaptable with cheap kit. One summer the weather was so bad that everyone but us on the campsite packed up and left. The rain kept on hammering down for days until I lost count of the places the tent was leaking. I bought a huge blue builder's tarp and some bungees, cut some 3 foot long pegs from driftwood and pegged the thing down over the whole tent. It kept us all dry for the rest of the week when people with expensive bathtub floored tents were forced home.
Large Sack
22-09-2010, 23:53
if you take a look at www.ukcampsite.co.uk you should find all the answers you require regarding family camping. lots of tips and advice for family camping, lists of sites etc. and they are a freindly bunch too - a bit like the folks here :)
Yes' I'll second that. I'm a member over there too and you will pick up lots of info about family camping and equipment that you won't necessarily find here.
Cheers
Sack
sxmolloy
23-09-2010, 10:24
I would recommend having a look at your local www.gooutdoors.co.uk shop or somewhere that has tents already erected. My local Milletts, Blacks and Cotswolds Outdoors don’t have space to put them up on the premises. This way you can see what you get space wise before you buy and are not relying on picture or manufacturers say so. We picked up a 10 man tent from www.gooutdoors.co.uk as well as a lot of other stuff. Buying the discount card for £4 a year is a must as you get the reduced price and loads of offers via email and post.
When we go (me, the wife and 2 boys [aged 6 and 10]) we find the 10 man tent with porch (purchased separately) big enough in bad weather, it should do you and your family. Anything smaller i.e. a 5 man tent and have had it. In my opinion the berth rating is for sleeping in, not living in. I highly doubt we could get 10 people living in our tent, although they could sleep there at a push.
Heres the tent and porch we use, and like I say is the bees knees: The tent: http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/kalahari-10-p150788 and the porch: http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/hi-gear-kalahari-porch-p146792
Keep an eye out on ebay, these tents come up every so often, but seeing them erected elsewhere first is a must.
We use these beds which are great: http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/hi-gear-flock-single-sized-sleeping-airbed-p142437
This stove: http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/campingaz-camping-chef-camping-stove-p129861
The sleeping bags are bought from here and there. You will need lighting, tables, chairs, a heater etc but this can be picked up as you go along. Don’t forget out door games for the kids. Mine love this simple thing: http://www.amazon.co.uk/TKC-stomp-rocket-Super-Rocket/dp/B00008J1AV/ref=sr_1_1?s=kids&ie=UTF8&qid=1285233335&sr=1-1
Indoor games, for when it is wet or dark too. You need to think of food prep when the weather is bad too, hence the porch, we prepare and cook all our food in this, and then eat at a table with chairs in the tent when we need to. Remember to take a small BBQ as it can cook your food and also keep you warm at night. We use home fire logs from B&M bargains. At 99p each they are way cheaper than the Bryant & May alternative. They don’t produce much smoke and don’t let off and sparks that would damage the tents.
There’s miles more to consider, but this should give you an idea.
ok heres my suggestion assuming youre camping out the back of a car
the kingsize argos airbed and the coleman kingsize sleeping bag- wife and the kids should all fit in it. i use a dome tent that has space for that and my mat and bag beside it. dog can go in the outer porch
kinda similar to the vango apollo 500.
tisos were doing a deal recently with a vango dome tent and 4 bags for 80 quid
if its just a couple of nights then as far as cooking i'd go with the disposable bbq for sheer simplicity
the other key to enjoying it is picking a good campsite. one that has firepits and some trees. that way you can get a tarp up by the fire for any showers and the kids are entertained collecting twigs and stuff to throw in the fire.
http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/articles/view.asp?id=4 will show you were allows them comriecroft was pretty good and filled all your requirements.
also a lantern torch and a couple of head torches
so all in your talking around £200 if you dont get carried away
if you are looking for somewhere to go try googling happy campers they have loads of sites on there sorted by area and if you can have a fire or not
Start making a list and collect stuff as you go along until next year you're ready to set off. Don't forget the simple things like water containers, bowls for washing and washing up, a little bottle of washing up liquid (I use a small contact lens solution bottle) etc. I have three double burner stoves, gas, meths and multifuel. The multifuel wins hands down for power and usability but even with that the flame is a bit feeble so if you use it in windy conditions it needs shelter. Paraffin and petrol can be dirty and smelly, gas and meths are extremely clean, gas is very convenient but you always need a spare cylinder. All can be dangerous, gas can be very dangerous in an enclosed space, meths can be dangerous because you can't see the flame, petrol can ignite from a spark several yards away. If you use gas for family camping don't be tempted by the little pint-sized gas cannisters, get a stove that can take something like a 4.5kg bottle. Most of the time I only take a single 'roarer' burner petrol stove with me when I camp, it will cook in a gale on top of a snow-covered mountain. You probably won't need that sort of performance for your first few trips at least but if you come across something like that which runs on petrol or paraffin in a boot sale it might be useful as a backup. They're expensive to buy new, usually over 100 quid.
Yeoman Outdoor have a list of their shows (http://www.yeomansoutdoors.co.uk/camping-shows-list.aspx) on their Website but unfortunately the last one this year finisheS on 27th September and it's in Darley Dale, very near me as it happens. Their displays have dozens of all kinds of tents from one-man lightweight to things as big as a house, all erected in a field so you can see them. It would probably be a good idea to see that. They do some cheap tents and they sell the display examples off at the end of the show. Tents tend to get expensive when they are very light, for backpacking. You probably don't need to worry about the weight if you're using a vehicle so you can aim cheaper. I actually prefer the groundsheets in the cheaper tents as they're that bit heavier and I think a bit tougher. I have several very cheap tents, some of which I've bought from Yeoman, and I'm happy with all of them. I have an expensive lightweight tent and I don't like it at all. If you're going to have a camp fire give serious thought to getting a canvas tent, it's less likely to be holed by hot flying embers and safer in my opinion, especially with kids around. It will be heavier, especially when wet, and will need more care.
You'll sometimes be very glad of wind breaks and a porch, awning or tarpaulin. Of course you might be heading off to southern Spain and things might be different but it will be a longer trip.
Gotta do some work now, sorry...
Depending how much you are thinking that you might go camping it may be worth joining The Camping and Caravan Club. You get a massive book of sites and a monthly magazine. Members pay less on the plush club sites and there are thousands of (often more basic) members only small certificated sites that normally charge by the unit (ie. one tent or caravan and as many as it will sleep) and can be as cheap as £5 per unit per night. At those rates it doesn't take many nights to make enough of a saving over a commercial site to cover the membership fee.
was my list usefull???
The list was great thanks :)
Thanks for the rest of the advice....Ive started to have a look around at bits and bobs. All of your suggestions have been very helpful. I never realised there were so many options and choices etc! lol :)