Camping equipment

[bernardgreen]

Just remembered one of the best things about a ridge tent with ridge pole.........

A hammock

For keeping food and similar away from the floor and creepy crawly things

 

[Tigercubrider]

Mine is ancient but looks like this
https://memphite.com/bGljaGZpZWxkIHRlbnRz/

The outside space is good for cooking and keeping bags (not valuables) dry. The inner tent has a ground sheet.

Agree that you don't need a fridge but you can buy a cooler box that also runs on 12v or just use freezer blocks. Sensible shopping and storage helps. Deffo practice putting it up.

 

[mattylad]

BTW If you go for airbeds, dont forget a pump, electric ones make it so much easier to pump them up.

 

[securespark]

If you do get a tent like that and if not already done so - mark the poles up for the holes they go into.
Use something like coloured insulation tape on the pole.
This makes it easier to get them right in the first place.

All the tents I've ever pitched (if they have different poles) have colour-coded poles with a small loop of tent fabric the same colour as the pole stitched in at the right place for that pole. Often there is only one odd-pole-out.

If you have to pitch on a slope set up your bed so that your head is at the highest point.

 

[mattylad]

The slope comment was merely about practising putting the tent up, camping on a slope is not a good idea.

 

[JP_]

I have a Vango 5 person tent, and when I went camping with just my 12 year old a few weeks ago, it felt a good size! Normally there is 3 or 4 of us.
Small tent OK for sleeping in, but you will also need to dress, cook, store stuff like chairs, cold box of beers etc. Small tents quickly get cramped. I'd get something like this if I was buying now - Vango Farnham Tunnel Tent - Blue.

A good air bed is important, get a car powered pump - I spent £40 on mine, but forget the brand now. Camp beds are good for kids.

 

[Dreyl]

It also depends on where you plan to go camping, if youg going to be in someones back yard or a camp site where there is plenty of space and you will have someone else to hep you put it up then great buy a large tent. if you may be in a position where you won't have a lot of space or will be on your own then it is better to buy a smaller tent as they are easier to put up on your own.
each has its own pro's and cons
Large tents hold lots of people have loads of space, what holds more holds less and all that and own cold nights can take ages to warm up the inside. they also weigh a lot more to carry if you plan going camping anywhere you can't drive to.
Small tents are more limiting on space but they warm up easier at night and can be very light weight if you go on your own, because they are smaller they are also easier to put up solo too and more stable is poor weather.

If you plan to be someone who camps in fair weather then why bother with somewhere that is comfortable and huge where you can stand inside, part of being outdoors is to be outdoors not spending all your time in the tent. Take some folding chairs or sit on the ground and enjoy it camping is great fun and an excelent way to spend time with the family. if it does rain then go inside lie on the sleeping bags untill it stops then get back out again.

The only problem I can see you having is if you intend taking the dog lots of campsite won't allow them on.

 

[JP_]

camps in fair weather then why bother with somewhere that is comfortable and huge where you can stand inside

have you ever been camping in England? It will rain, especially if you have a small tent.

 

[StephenStephen]

If you're camping with a vehicle, I'd recommend an airbed which has it's own internal pump, powered from the cigarette lighter in the vehicle, BUT make sure that the air bed will fit in the tent!

A good air bed is important, get a car powered pump - I spent £40 on mine, but forget the brand now. Camp beds are good for kids.

Also, if you've a vehicle, why not just take a blanket (to go on the airbed) sheet, and duvet - more comfortable, and no extra cost to buy sleeping bags.

£130 seems a lot for a tent for occasional camping - I used to be a purist, but these days use Eurohike tents which seem pretty much as good as the vangos.
Rather than a fridge, consider a coolbox - and if you freeze food before you go, it'll then keep cool for longer.

 

[JP_]

sheet, and duvet

yep, I never use sleeping bags, sheet, duvet and pillow is much more civilised.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Agree that you don't need a fridge but you can buy a cooler box that also runs on 12v or just use freezer blocks. Sensible shopping and storage helps. Deffo practice putting it up.

A fridge will not work for long, on a car battery which is not being charged by the vehicle. If a fridge is essential, looks at using a 240v hookup lead, some camp sites offer hookup power.

 

[JP_]

I just use a cool box.

Tent putting up - proud to say I managed to put my tent up last month, and make camp beds, in under an hour. Used to take longer than that!

 

[IT Minion]

The main difference I've found with tents is how we'll they keep you dry when it's wet and windy. Simple straight down rain is fine in any double skinned tent. With wind the two skins can touch if the structure is too bendy. As soon as the skins touch water gets into the inner tent and drips on you or your stuff.

That's pretty common with pop up tents, harder with good dome tents and near impossible with good ridge tents. Guy ropes help a hell of a lot too obviously.

For camping out the back of a car the tent looks OK. EBay is worth a look as there's always someone flogging a barely used tent.

I'd also never cook in a tent, ever. It might be possible to do safely (edit: Im thinking if you're in the Arctic circle and it's that or freeze to death) but tents are all somewhere between highly flammable and napalm. If they catch light whilst you are in them then you'll lose everything in them and quite possibly get badly hurt.

 

[Keitai]

My son is four. My control freak girlfriend doesn't want me taking him by myself. Does that sound reasonable? I think one or two nights would be ok. She takes him with her sister and says its it's necessary as when one is cooking the other can look after him.

 

[IT Minion]

My son is four. My control freak girlfriend doesn't want me taking him by myself. Does that sound reasonable? I think one or two nights would be ok. She takes him with her sister and says its it's necessary as when one is cooking the other can look after him.

It isn't totally unreasonable, if you were doing proper cooking then he'd be able to run off god knows where.

But if you were using boil-in-the bag food, or dehydrated, then the cooking is simple enough (boil some water) and he can 'help'. Bonus points for cooking sausages or marshmallows if you've got an open fire.

Or go to a pub or order pizza. Work up to wild camping on Dartmoor.