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I've camped a few times before, but we're going "up market" this year - got a good sized tent (wiggle sale), so looking at leccy hook up for early season (booked), and more off grid in a field later in the year for RIAT airshow. Also looking to book at Bla Lake. I've a small solar panel from Decathlon, halfords 12/24v/mains cool box, camping beds plus self inflation mattress. Also going to get a porta potti - we've got most stuff already.
Any top tips ?
Leave all that shite at home and just relax in the lack of stuff?
Hah hah - done the not much stuff camping too.
Electric hookup for a tent?
Sorry I'm with Josh on this one, a big comfy tent and bed does make it better. But aside from that half the upsides of camping are in getting knackered doing stuff all day, dinner and a beer then either falling asleep as soon as when the sun sets or sitting round a fire. Then waking up at 4.30am when the sun comes up and either appreciating or regretting last night's choice 🤣
Proper coffee, that’s my number one.
If it’s Bala lake you can have a real fire on the beach (if it’s the one I’m thinking of) so take a big old pan to cook on, or a tripod thingy.
Comfy chairs and a little table, trying to cook breakfast in the tent on the floor is miserable. But if your chairs are low, get a cheap little low table from Decathlon.
Proper mugs cutlery and plates.
Early season only for leccy.
Headtorch, warm jacket and stove /kettle are the essentials for me. Wouldn't bother with a portable potty unless it's lashing down. A hookups not a bad idea if you want one. Collapsible washing bowl for washing up maybe?
Don't piss in the empty bean tin that is on the fire, it will stink. Unless it's someone else's camp and you're not hanging about.
Crocs, non see thru poncho, large plastic sheet/rope/poles etc to make extra space when it rains, campsite near cafe/pub
Take as little as possible otherwise you'll hate the idea of going camping after a while due to moving lots of crap from various locations.
Don’t.
I love camping on the hill or riverbank, mid adventure and lightweight/carry in.
Having discussed it at length with mrs_oab, and being inspired/advised by friends, we bought this tent for our holidays.
Just to add, we've had a static van for a long time, but have let it go as it's now older than the sites allow. Plan is hotels, camping by lakes (wife wild swims) and also overseas. Ground rent for a van is £4,500 now, and we were required to but another van at £30k, with a site use of 10 years - bloody bonkers money.
Plan to keep it as simple as I can, but the porta loo will be handy in summer when were on a field for 4 days for RIAT, and the loo's are just porta loos hired by the farmer.
We camped at Shell Island in September during a storm (in our old tent), which was fine, other than getting up in the night for a pee in a howling gale/rain.
Also looking to buy a Pug Traveller or equivallent in a year or two - can manage with either car at present, but also want the option of converting a van based people carrier for quick overnights, and carrying bikes and a sup.
The more stuff you have the more nights you need to stay to pay back the effort of setting up camp.
Says the man who has just ordered a cordless vacuum for his tent.
If you meant Bala Lake, ride up/down Hirnant Pass to Lake Vernwy. Also try Bwlch Y Groes from Bala side plus Dinas Mawddwy side (also shorter climb from Lake Vernwy).
On electric hookups, it's worthwhile getting a commando socket to domestic mains plug adapter just in case some eejit's idea of an electricity supply is an outdoor plug socket. It shouldn't happen, but for the sake of a four quid...
Assuming, of course, you've got an extension cord terminating in a commando plug. You do, right?
GOOUTDOORS.CO.UK I carry a little mains tester plug also, because I've camped in France and it's not uncommon for continental sites to be laissez-faire when it comes to live/neutral orientation. This sort of thing. Not that there's much you can do about it if it's wrong, but I feel safer knowing if it's wrong. Probably not relevant if you're camping in the UK but, well, other readers might be going further afield.
Doing Bala, for MrsF to swim/sup, me bike too. I'll take the CX bike and her hybrid !
Also going to get a porta potti
You'll need a specific toilet tent for it. Unless you want to forgo the tent and go 'au naturel' and enjoy the scenery while sitting on it.
The down side of that is it isn't a great view for other campers.
OK if you're going all out for a long family holiday:
- Pillows and duvet.
- Dewalt T-Stak stuff is great. I've got a big box and a drawer clipped together as basically a camp (but manly) kitchen. Holds all the stuff and doubles as a sturdy stool.
- (if you haven't got an electric hookup) Whichever lamp and USB add ons for your cordless power tool system & a jetboil
I'm always impressed by people that put up fairy lights and stuff, but cba with that.
Cork screw, oyster knife
I wouldn't bother with the chemi-khazi
Whatever you do don't buy a campervan. Anywhere that you'd like to go in a van already has 5000 other vans parked up ruining the view for everyone else.
We have a monster 8 berth tent with lots of "comfort" gear focussed on a minimum of one week in a spot type camping with a large dog, bikes and kayaks with us.
We've had some lovely trips in it (including 10 days near Bala) but when we are striking camp it reminds me how much I prefer a small tent and simple gear that packs up in an hour and fits in a car boot not a massive trailer or going self catering. 🙂
We used it for probably 8 weeks between 2020 and 2022. Last year (and this) it's unlikely to get an outing.
Honestly the best thing to have with electric hookup is a caravan kettle (draws less current) it just makes having a cup of tea / getting a pot of boiling water on for pasta etc quicker and really reduces your gas use.
I must admit I do like the simplicity of camping, it forces you to just slow down which I find is what I really need on at least one holiday a year
Other good things from longer trips...
Self inflating air mat on top of a camp bed helps warmth and comfort (I'm not a lilo fan although a proper air mattress might be ok).
Fleece blankets/ throws are excellent.
I prefer a mummy bag to other coverings as it rolls with me on the camp bed (I move a lot in my sleep). If I was on a proper air mattress I'd go with a duvet.
Tea, lots of (loose leaf) tea 🙂
It's like buying a house: location, location, location... .
Do a few weeks of 'long' camping every year liek @garage-dweller up there
- Blackout tent bedrooms are the best camping innovation in history. Makes such a huge difference
- Folding frame camp beds are massively better than blowups. Firmer, warmer, don't go down in the night, go up in seconds, and leave you masses more space underneath.
-Vacuum bags and little pump (reverse balloon pump). Double duvet shrinks to size of a sofa cushion. Combined with bed frame above, I sleep better in the tent than I do on our £xxxx bed at home.
- Tent Carpet also brilliant, much nicer underfoot.
All things I would have scoffed at when young but actually do make for a more pleasant stay.
All our stuff lives in plastic crates in the loft ready to throw in the car and go.
Small boy with binoculars optional. Yes, we do the fairy light thing, fight me! 🙂
Midge repellent and a good book.
Pre cook some easily reheated meals at home and put them in the freezer, then take frozen. Acts as extra freezer blocks, and uses much less gas and effort to reheat a chilli, curry, or spag bol etc than if you make it from scratch at home.
A small dustpan and brush to sweep out the tent before you pack it away. Makes all the difference when you don’t have bits of old grass/sand/insects next time you pitch your tent. Use a separate ground sheet or tarp under your tent, and with a bit of luck with the weather and careful packing you should be able to put the tent away dry (use an old towel to dry off any bits of moisture underneath) which makes getting home and unpacking a zillion times more relaxing. Fold and dry your tarp as you pack up, wiping away the mud/worm casts, and you won’t need to do anything other than shove it in the loft until next time. Well worth avoiding the hassle of trying to hang a tent at home (unless you happen to have a giant barn to hang it in!), and will help make your tent last years.
+1 for crocs/flip flops for the morning.
You can't go wrong with a few rugs/blankets/throws to keep the chill off and as extra layers to sleep on.
We take a bucket, useful in it's own right but we put a bin bag inside and use it as the bin. Nothing worse than having a non bag flopping about full of rubbish. Store the bin outside your tent though...
have kids? get some cheap extendable skewers from Amazon for marshmallows
theres really nothing better than an open fire in the evening
+1 for fleecy throws- also windshield for gas stoves
I was having shite when I took this- you can keep your chemikhazi, and your toilet tent 🙂
Camping doesn't seem to be what it used to be.
Ask yourself why you are camping. I like it for a change, a reconnection with the ground. I love the simplicity.
My advice:
Avoid sites with hook ups, keep it simple.
Don't pitch under a tree.
Point the foot end of the tent into the prevailing wind.
Avoid depressions in the ground, water may collect there. Pitch as far from the gate/ tap/ toilet/ facilities as possible.
Sleep with your head uphill.
Pack small. Bring extra socks.
Never melt yellow snow.
Plan to keep it as simple as I can, but the porta loo will be handy in summer when were on a field for 4 days for RIAT, and the loo’s are just porta loos hired by the farmer.
your own loo in a festival kind of situation sounds like a good idea, just be sure to keep in its own tent
Our approach is small tent (2x2 man) and a big packable tarp. Quick and lightweight and if the weather goes bad you can shelter under the tarp rather than in the tent. We did five months travelling like that.
Always buy good quality gear.
Where we camp we often have to treat the water so we freeze containers with water to use as ice blocks and it becomes drinking water.
If budget permits, a decent air bed is great -
ACTIVEERA.COM If not, best bet is two singles under a shared bedsheet so you don't disturb each other every time you roll over.
You've got electric - cheap kettle and air fryer FTW. 🙂
Pre cook some easily reheated meals at home and put them in the freezer, then take frozen. Acts as extra freezer blocks, and uses much less gas and effort to reheat a chilli, curry, or spag bol etc than if you make it from scratch at home
Can't agree with that. I love cooking when camping. Petrol stove and a Webber go anywhere are the first things in the car. On one memorable occasion they weren't followed by the tentpoles... Which was fun.
Your camping tips
Buy a caravan
Always open a beer/wine as soon as you get there. It signals that you are on holiday before you start putting your tent up, etc, then enjoy the process instead of rushing it.
This might be exclusive to me but listen to your wife, she is better at remembering the erection process (ooh er missus).
Air tents are great as you can move them easily (guess that depends on size) if you decide later that its not in the right spot or facing the right way.
Yes to the toilet, if only for those mornings when the midges are up and about...
Cooking, just bite the bullet and buy a Carre Chef 2, they last forever and you can cook almost anything.
We bought various tents, then a small van to fit all our shit in, then a bigger van because we had too much shit, then a van that we could sleep in but we couldn't fit our bikes in, so we bought a huge van!
90 nights though over the last two years, not bad for a couple with a child at school and still working.
Toilet - fabric conditioner bottle. You can get a wide mouth proprietary variant for her.