Easy first-time camping

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Sara
02/08/2004 at 18:04
Last time I slept in a tent was 20 years ago, with someone else doing all the organisation. Now I am thinking of taking it up again, and as I have to be in Devon later this month I thought I'd try it out.

So here I am, with a 14 ukp Argos tent and a 15 year old sleeping bag, without knowing what to do next-apart from trying to put the tent up beforehand.

Any hints on minimum equipment for a couple nights tenting end of August? Is a pad really necessary or can I manage with a couple of old blankets underneath? That and a torch should be all I really need, right?

I'll probably look for a car-accessible campsite to begin with. Any suggestions for campground in eastern Devon, or a good resource for finding campgrounds? Pardon my green-ness, but apart from toilets what else do campgrounds provide - do they usually have a cafe of sorts or vending machines, etc?


bryan crick
02/08/2004 at 20:05
Sara, how long is a piece of string? If you only intend on car camping then take the bloomin lot! But if you are just getting back into the swing....take the bloomin lot.

In other words make sure you are as comfortable as you can possibly be, I would definitely recommend a sleeping mat and/or a Thermorest.(I take both).

Your old sleeping bag should be fine and if it has been stored fairly well will certainly do you for the summer.

As you say many sites will even have a cafe on them but they will be extremely expensive and will not provide you with a cuppa at all hours so I would definitely take a cooker,cup, 'T'bags/coffee bags, ( I don't do instant),cuppa soups and drinking chocolate. Comfort again.

You ask about sites there are sites where you will get a porta loo and a cold tap right up to sites with heated loos, showers,a bath, full laundry facilities a club house/restaurant/pub.
You don't say whether or not you are going to walk or just sit around the site relaxing?

That should get the ball rolling for you, others will be along shortly.

you ask for a list ok....

Rucksack
tent
sleeping mat
thermorest
sleeping bag
silk liner
pillow
cooker & fuel
cup/mug
pans
fork & spoon
water bottle
washing kit
Towel
Flannel
clean clothes
warm top

this is probably the minimum, some would say not complete because there is no bottle of wine, then of course you will require a glass.

The most important thing is if you are not backpacking you can take it. Things get tricky when you have to decide on what your minimum is if it is all going into a rucksack and you will be carrying it up hill and down dale.
stouffer
02/08/2004 at 20:34
foldy-up chairs! get the ones without arms cos they pack into smaller bags cost a fiver from asda.

foldy up table!

get a torch/lamp that you can hang up inside the tent.

disposable bbq!

trek towel

we've started going camping more often and the amount of stuff we take has increased ten-fold. After a couple of trips you soon find out what stuff you wish you'd taken and see loads of stuff you see other people using that you think 'ooh i could get one of those for next time'.

as i posted elsewhere i've recently found www.ukcampsite.co.uk handy it has a good list of sites and user reviews for most of them.

oh and foam mats are a great idea - until you actually have to try to get on good night's sleep on one.
Orange Alex Ford
02/08/2004 at 21:24
Well I've just turned down the offer of a new Therm-a-rest for my birthday in favour of a nice new Forest top.

Karrimats are ok, cool and do the job. Anything else is good but you can live with a foam mat for a couple of nights.
steve holmes
02/08/2004 at 22:02
Therm a rest, Therm a rest, therm a rest! I haven't met anybody who's forked out for one and regretted it! Much more comfy than the things most grockles take (blankets, airbeds etc).

Katie says to take red wine for relaxation purposes. I take a hip flask of Talisker for this purpose.

Dave Mycroft
02/08/2004 at 22:29
Don't forget a good book. You need something to do when the sun goes down, and there's nothing like a good book (unless of course you have an iPaq with CF card TV Tuner) :-)
Alison Stockwell
02/08/2004 at 22:30
Red wine is a bad idea. It makes you want to go to the loo in the middle of the night, and that's no fun when you're camping.
Richard Watkiss
02/08/2004 at 22:51
I vote with the orange geezer on this - get the biggest fattest foam mattress you can, leave off blowing money on a Thermarest til you're an addicted gear fetishist.

A tiny stove+pans like the mini trangia is about £20, is dead easy to use and will heat up water for coffee, tins of soup, cook pasta etc so you can do "proper camping" but you will also be able to take full advantage of the local caff cos it's only a small stove...

Enjoy, Sara!
Evil Genius Darren
02/08/2004 at 23:05
I'd leave the TAR for a while too, but instead get a simple air mattress from Argos for £10 and sleep in comfort on that during the summer. Then see how you get on. A Karrimat is excellent once you are use to it, but for the first time in a while it might too thin for you. A miserable nights sleep will put you off camping.
hedley williams
03/08/2004 at 10:04
some form of insect repellant might be beneficial in the evenings to go along with the drink of your choice
Sara
03/08/2004 at 10:27
Many thanks for all the advice, folks! I suppose I better think of getting a small stove and a sleeping pad as minimum equipment, and remember all the other excellent hints--though an iPaq is probably beyond my means. I suppose a TaR or Karrimat would be useful even if I don't go camping very much later.

And ukcampsite.co.uk seems excellent, though there is no map there so I need to check out names of towns. I am thinking Dartmoor to start with.
Man on stilts
03/08/2004 at 11:40
To start with, I'd say a cheap Camping Gas stove, a kettle, maybe take a small saucepan from the kitchen, a coffee/tea mug, basic cutlery, plates etc (you can use your old 'home' stuff - why not?). Plastic washing up basin.

You will need a container for water - either a bucket or a collapsible plastic container (cheap to buy from camping shops).

Cheap sleeping mat. Genuine Thermarest would be overkill.

Electric lantern for use in the tent. Torch to carry with you.

Folding chairs - the 'directors chairs' you can get with mesh pockets for holding drinks in their arms are good and quite cheap. A folding table.

Waterproof clothing. Wellington boots. A warm hat. A sun hat.

And after that - think of the things you would like to have with you on a picnic or on an afternoon lazing in your garden: maybe a radio, biscuits, cakes, crisps, beer, wine - a little of whatever you fancy does you good!

Philip peters
03/08/2004 at 16:37
Have a trip to decathlon if there is one near to you, I picked up a 'thermarest style' mat for about £13. and it works great. Lots of own brand stuff at great prices.
Man on stilts
03/08/2004 at 16:51
Second thoughts for water container: Go to the supermarket and buy a large (5litre?) plastic bottle of still, bottled water. A good, economy container for storing water, with the added bonus of your not having to fill it and carry it back to your tent when you first arrive on site!

Orange Alex Ford
03/08/2004 at 20:08
Are the decathlon "TaR Style" mats light enough to carry for wild camping? For £13 that is a bargain.
Marcus Crompton
03/08/2004 at 20:09
Gelert do a fluorescent-style camping lamp with a remote control. Very handy if you've got a really big tent.
Glyn
03/08/2004 at 20:17
One of my most useful camping accesories is a 1L wide-mouthed Nalgene bottle, otherwise known as my "pee-bottle".

I must get round to labelling it.
Glyn
03/08/2004 at 20:18
...btw, the wide mouth is for convenience, not necessity.
Glyn
03/08/2004 at 20:21
One of my most useful camping accesories is a 1L wide-mouthed Nalgene bottle, otherwise known as my "pee-bottle".

I must get round to labelling it.
Orange Alex Ford
03/08/2004 at 20:24
? how bizarre ?
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