Hi all,

Need to start getting our gear together for Euro road/camping trip. Will be in a MX5 so space is a concern. We’re both students, so cost is a concern. Will be camping for around a month (with the odd night in a hostel), so comfort/useability is a concern.

Tents
Thinking of getting two Quechua pop-up tents – does anyone know the difference between the versions (1 2 and 3)?
Looking at these;
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/2-seconds-1-pop-up-tent-red-id_8206006.html
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/2-seconds-ii-pop-up-tent-netherlands-id_8248128.html#avantages

The version 2 is almost twice the price of version 1 (it is bigger though).

We’ve chosen pop-ups as we will be camping in a different spot almost every night, so want tents which are easy to put up. Unfortunately this means they are an awkward shape, but we can live with that.

Stove
I already have one lightweight screw-on camping stove. We are thinking of getting another one, something cheap like this;
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/bleuet-micro-plus-hiking-stove-hiking-and-camping-stoves-campingaz-id_8129319.html

Are we going to hate trying to cook most of our meals on 2 (wobbly) stoves? One of these more substantial stoves is an option, but obviously takes up more room, and would need two different gas cannisters.
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_745531_langId_-1_categoryId_165650

Camping mats
Thoughts in general on camping mats? Roll up foam ones take up too much room. 180cm version of this could work, but it isn’t that cheap (although it’s something I can use in the future).
http://www.alpkit.com/shop/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16532&category_id=289

Any thoughts/suggestions in general would be great!

Thanks, Duane.

The quechua pop-ups are pretty damn good now. Not that portable, because they fold into a big disc rather than a more managable bundle, good for car camping though. Don’t rule out a regular tent mind, Decathlon has some good ones but trad camping stores can be good too.

Those 2 tents… The standard law of camping is that if you want any space at all, 1 person wants a 2-man tent- gives you room for kit, most 1 man tents are basically enough space to sleep.

My car-tent is a Quechua 2-man Air, lovely. With biking kit, and living kit, and no big car to hide in, I’d go for the 2- no question at all. Little bit of space to live.

Stoves… Like you say, wee ones tend to be less stable. The one you linked is a nice bit of car-camping kit, easy to work with and pretty powerful. (and quite a bit smaller if you don’t use the case) My wee Coleman is small enough to fit in your pocket but it’s a balancing act. Do take spare gas though…

The Quechua tents are dead quick when you get used to them, they are big discs but very flat and you can squash that disk oval – so take your mx-5 boot to deceathlon and see the biggest one you can fit in the boot/rear.
I used one of those generic ones like halfords to cook for family of 4, they are definitely the way to go – but get a 6 or 12 pack cannister from somewhere cheap (its all the same gas) because they are expensive to buy just 1. Take a packaway pot set, a refillable water carrier and a pop up ‘sink’

Cheers for the replies.

Yeah, got a normal 2 man tent already, folded up shape (typical cylinder) would be handy as it would fit behind the headrests, but can’t be bothered with setting it up/taking it down every day.

Won’t have biking kit, but think a 2 man tent each does make sense.

You said about removing the case, how does that work? Is there an internal frame then to hold everything? Or do you just mean the case it comes with to store it in?

Yeah will take a few gas refills with us, although we’re hoping it shouldn’t be too hard to buy them along the way..

http://www.amazon.co.uk/PORTABLE-COOKER-BUTANE-BOTTLES-CAMPING/dp/B005LVFEWW/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

That looks pretty decent!

A foot for the camp stove makes a big difference to stability

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/stabilising-foot-for-hiking-stove-hiking-and-camping-stoves-primus-id_8090564.html

Also got one of these that I might look at selling soon.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/bivouac-piezo-hiking-stove-hiking-and-camping-stoves-campingaz-id_8129318.html

with regard to those alpkit mats, i have a couple of the previous model (slim airic) for sale, only used twice and in brand new condition if you’re interested? same dimensions and claimed weight of 750g each…

Yeah, was planning on getting a set of those feet. Or one of these;
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gelert-Multi-Folding-Adaptor-Camping/dp/B00CYJYWZY/ref=sr_1_70?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1370522278&sr=1-70&keywords=gelert
(althought I’m getting confused by the different gas cannister connections)

How much would you want for that stove?

And xherbievorex, how much would you want for those mats?

I’d opt for one larger tent. Some sites will charge you extra for a second tent, sometimes even the price of two pitches. I have the 4 person pop up and it’s perfect for 2 people. Disc might be a bit big for you car though.

say, 40 quid the pair posted (they were 35 each new)? they have stuff sacks and puncture repair kits (unused, obviously!) included…

dknwhy, hmm, that is a good point. However, I think after spending the day together in the confines of a car, we’ll need some space. And as you say, the larger tents are pretty big when folded up.

xherbievorex, will have a chat with my mate and see what he thinks, tempted though!

To everyone else ( 😛 ), would you want to sleep on a slim foam/air mat for a month?

I agree with Northwind’s comments about stated tent capacity.

I bought a 4 man tent for our recent trip to SSUK and it was comfortable for 2 (3 would have started to be cramped).

The added advantage is that you’ve got an area to sit in (even better if you can fit camp chair in your car) and somewhere to bring the bikes into at night, for the added bit of security.

Takes a bit longer (about 15 minutes) to erect, than a popup, so would depend on how often you are moving campsite.

I’ve seen the flat stoves that take the butane bottles set on fire on more than one occasion btw.

Whereabouts are you based? Cost for postage of stove means only really worth selling to somewhere I can deliver.

I’m in Derby or North Wales.

Yeah, plan to bring a couple camp chairs along. Seen two for £15 at Halfords, although they’re fragile according to the reviews.

this bit worries me…

Won’t have biking kit

😉

xherbievorex, will have a chat with my mate and see what he thinks, tempted though!

okay, i won’t push them for sale anywhere else, just give me a shout (email in profile) if you want them mate!

I’ve seen the flat stoves that take the butane bottles set on fire on more than one occasion btw.

I threw mine away. Got one of those briefcase-style things, it drank gas like it was going out of fashion and could boil a cup of water in under a week. I don’t know if that’s representative of all of that style, but it was bloody awful.

Hmm, I read a few reviews for the flat type ones and they seemed OK, boil a litre of water in 3-4 minutes.

Reminds me, how useful is a dedicated kettle over a saucepan with lid, for boiling water? And those fold up toasting racks, how well do they work?

same as the alpkit mats but cheaper:
http://www.tesco.com/direct/tesco-self-inflating-mattress/207-5004.prd

What about a 2 room 4 man tent instead of 2 popups? Will give you a fair bit more space, though it will obviously take up more and be more of a faff to get up and down. Something like this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Grey-Green-4-Man-Family-Festival-Canopy-Camping-Tent-/130524920526?pt=UK_SportsLeisure_HikingCamping_Tents_JN&hash=item1e63e43ace

(No idea if that one is any good, but I have one with a similar layout and it’s been pretty decent).

I’ve got a stove burner like this
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vango-Folding-Gas-Stove-/171052815648?pt=UK_SportingGoods_Camping_CookingSupplies_ET&hash=item27d38ad520#ht_546wt_808

It’s much more stable than the ones that attach to the top of the gas cannister.

Also have a folding toaster which does work well and toasts very quickly.

A thermarest is a good investment, much better than foam mats or air beds.

Personally I’d probably pay a little more up front for that extra reliability. Those tents are OK, but a months use? you really do not want to buy another in france/wherever if it fails. Same with the cooker. Often; (particularly with outdoors kit) low price does not equals good value. After all, you are buying a home and stove for a month.
These things go up and down in a couple of minutes;
http://www.marshallleisure.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=152956&cPath=250&utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=base&utm_campaign=MLexport_feed&gclid=CKupuPjHz7cCFbMftAodwnoAKg#googlebase

Campinggaz stove;
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000Y854WC/?tag=hydra0b-21&hvadid=9556668669&ref=asc_df_B000Y854WC

+1 on the thermarest. Worth every single penny.

Just my £0.02

I’ve also got one of the burners annebr suggests.

I found them to be very good and sturdy, I was that impressed with it I ended up buying 2 and have cooked a meal for 6 people on them both.

I have this one from gooutdoors
http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/inferno-folding-gas-stove-p158211

I’ve got a Decathlon pop-up. I’ve never used it because when the boot starts to fill up it gets thrown out and replaced with the more compact T3 ultralight which is also roomier.

You seem to be hoping for a lot to fit in the MX5! You may have to think twice about the camping chairs…
Personally, I’d opt for Alpkit Dirtbag mats, 2 pop up tents, decathlon tarp for covered outside space on stops of more than one night, picnic rug (sit on your sleep mat). A couple of lightweight sleeping bags too.
I’d also opt for a smaller stove like a canister stove or Trangia.
If you’re concerned about wobbly stoves, put the feet on the bottom of the canister or take some cord and 2 tent pegs to secure them to the ground.

You’d be surprised how much space even minimal camping gear takes up….

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies.

I headed up to the Peaks with a mate over the weekend, including a night of camping, so that was good to see how the MX5 coped with luggage, test the camping gear I have etc.

– I have a 2 man Eureka tent, which went up and down a lot easier than I remembered, so tempted to use that, rather than a pop-up tent. Better shape for the car, and better technically too I’m sure. Only concern is that it’s more valuable, so will be more annoying if it gets wrecked (which is likely after 30 nights..).

If I used it, my flatmate would presumably still get a pop-up jobby, unless we decide to get a big 4 man tent together (which I’m guessing will take ages to put up and down..?)

– MX5 holds a decent amount, plus we will be getting a big waterproof hold-all and antislip mat for the boot, so that will carry a lot of stuff.

– Unsure what to do about camping stoves. I have a Coleman F1, which uses screw-on gas canisters. However, these are difficult to source in Europe apparently, most places just sell the one-use peirce canisters. Can get adapters to use them with a screw-on stove, but tricky to find.

Another option is a petrol/dual-fuel stove, petrol is obviously easy to find, but has drawbacks – harmful residue on pans, needs cleaning etc.

Anyone got any thoughts on cookers for a months camping in Europe, posssibly with a chuck spent away from big shops (especially around Croatia, Slovenia etc).

– Still debating about sleeping-mats. Willing to spend a bit more now, as a decent sleeping-mat is something I’ve needed for a while, and would hopefully use a fair bit in the future. Anyone have any opinions of old vs. new Alpkit sleeping-mat ranges?

Ta, Duane.

Another option is a petrol/dual-fuel stove, petrol is obviously easy to find, but has drawbacks – harmful residue on pans, needs cleaning etc.

Anyone got any thoughts on cookers for a months camping in Europe, posssibly with a chuck spent away from big shops (especially around Croatia, Slovenia etc).

Get a petrol stove.
Not really sure where you’ve heard those drawbacks.

Okay, fair enough, they require a bit more looking after – but that’s really every few years at worst. For a month or two, assuming it’s new/serviced first, you won’t need to worry about it at all.

No idea where you’ve gotten “harmful residue” from. Perhaps from people who don’t know how to light them and so aren’t burning properly vapourised fuel?

They are a bit more fiddly to use, but cheaper and more readily available fuel and faster cooking times vastly outweigh the negatives.

For car camping for a considerable period of time, I’d probably opt for the Coleman dual burner version.

And as for stuff you’ve forgotten, you totally want to be carrying some sort of barbecue.

Outwell 7cm mats are amazing for car camping

http://www.towsure.com/product/Outwell_Comfort_Self_Inflating_Camping_Mat_Single

Have you thought about putting a rack on the back of space is pretty tight in the boot? Plan what you put on there, and it can sit on the seats when you leave the car.

We use one of these stoves if car camping- a bit easier to cook something respectable on, especially a fry up. Obviously takes up more space though.
The continent’s full of cheap reasonable quality camping equipment, and while you’re in France, at least, there’s a Decathlon on every corner, so it’s easy to ‘upgrade’ if you find your kits not doing the job, or you’re short of something.

I’ve been camping in a Midget so if you can’t manage in an MX-5 you’re doing it wrong!

We took a ‘normal’ tent, but I’ve now got a 2 man pop up from decathlon, it’s great! I’d get a tarp, some rope, pegs and 6ft poles from a propper camping shop, make a shelter for cooking under in the rain as Decathlon pop up’s have no porch. I’ve used a tarp and a bivi bag for normal camping, just pick a pitch next to the fence and throw it over.

I still use my Trangia, not very exciting, but fuel’s available most places, it’s stable and it’s safe, can’t leave it on and gas yourself and setting fire to the tent with it would be a challange. I’d be tempted by petrol though.

If you do buy a new tent then suggest you get one in a subtle shade of dark green – makes the selection of discrete ad-hoc camp sites so much easier if you know your tent is going to blend in with the background.

Noticed a 6 man Coleman “weekend” dome tent in Costco earlier, think it was only about £50. Small bag, didn’t look difficult to put up, couldn’t work out how you get 6 people in it though. If you’re close to one it might be worth a look. It’s not on their website though.

thats a 2 man with porch for 99 quid and the 3 man version is 129.99 and the 4 man is 149.99

make a shelter for cooking under in the rain assome Decathlon pop up’s have no porch.

Im; looking at the 3 and 4 man porched decathlon tents for going to europe over the summer- or rather im looking at buying one in europe.

They look like a good compromise , bit heavier , bit thicker but the overall hoop size is similar. – we are packing into a van though and this will be strapped to the inside of the roof when not pitched.

If you want to save space dont bother with tents, gas stoves or chairs. Just take a couple of ex army ponchos, a bivvi bag, and a hexi stove. All that will fit into a couple of pocket leaving your mx5 free to carry all the liquid refreshments. 😆
Have a good trip.

Yeah, have a good trip.

I give it a week 🙂

Check out http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk for all your camping needs

If you end up with a normal not pop-up tent and are putting it up and down loads, buy a compression stuff sack that is easy enough to stuff the tent itself into, and rather than rolling the tent up to fit it into the original bag, just bung it into the stuff sack and then do the straps up. Stops the tent getting creased, and it means that taking the tent down is a really quick job – we got it down to well under 2 minutes from fully pitched and pegged out to being packed up in the rucksack for our 2 man tent. Great if you are in Scotland being eaten alive by morning midge clouds. It also seems to take up slightly less space compressed than in the original bag.

Again, thanks all.

Tents –
Ideally trying to get a 4 man, 2 separate rooms, with a central dining area. Something like this;
http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/airedale-4-p179050
Although it has mediocre reviews. Pop up would be nice, but expensive. Hopefully a “normal” tent won’t be too much faff as we’ll get well practised at putting it up and down! My current 2 man tent, which I was impressed by how quick it went up/down, has clip on poles (rather than slide through), which cheaper tents wouldn’t have I’m guessing.

Stoves –
Get a single dual-fuel burner, like the Coleman 422, off eBay for about £40 used. Plus a bottle of Redex fuel additive to keep it running sweet on unleaded. Jerry can for fuel. Some form of seal-able bag for it all to stop the car and our clothes stinking of fuel.
Take my current camping stove for screw on canisters for boiling water etc, and buy a bunch of screw on canisters before we leave. If we run out or can’t find replacements once in Europe, buy pierce-able canisters and matching stove (hopefully find a cheap one).

Sleeping mat –
Happy to spend around £40-50, so going to try find a used Thermarest or similar.

– Would we regret not taking sleeping bag liners?

– We’ll be getting a big waterproof duffel bag and anti-slip matting, and some hefty straps to hold it to the boot. I’m hoping (depending on shape of tent); tent and cooking gear in boot, clothes and sleeping bags in duffel bag on top of boot.

Ta, Duane.

Tempted by something like this (although I’m put off by the separate ground sheet and 15mins put-up time)
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/9275740.htm#

or splash out on this (although I can’t see how it’s any bette);
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/9099830.htm#pdpFullProductInformation

EDIT:
This looks good actually, although more than we want to spend..
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/t42-dome-4-man-family-tent-blue-id_8090978.html#anchor_ComponentProductAdvantages