The Camping Forum

[Mandsjh]

Hi All

Back to camping after a break whilst the kids were young.

VERY eager to get going! We have a week in June booked and 2 weeks in August but that seems ages away and we also thought a weekend would be a good introduction for the boys and opportunity to iron out any problems with our kit or the boys!

Easter is the obvious choice as we have a 4 day holiday but it is so early in April this year.

I don't want to put the boys off by being cold but on the other hand, we can get naff weather at any time of the year in the UK can't we?

Anybody any thoughts / experience?

[subaqua]

Easter for last few years has been warm days but cold nights. if they get cold it may put them off camping . difficult call to make . 4 yr old will still be at the beginning of regulating own body temperature ( i learnt a lot about body temps few weeks ago when my 4yr old had a fever and temp of 102 !! ) so layers at night to keep em warm but not too warm.

you could always play safe and book 2 nights away that means if it is too cold 1st night and need to go home you havent lost too much money.

[St John]

My lot similar ages as yours went to Brean sands last Easter and the weather ended up being better than it was in August (other than for the chillier darker nights).

We managed fine with tent heater and fleece blankets at night! But by the end of the break we needed shorts and t shirts for the day time!

Easter/April is difficult to predict!

[Admin]

We camped at ilfracombe Easter 2011 day time we were shorts amazing weather! Nights were still chilly but heater was enough and replaced pyjamas with thermals which worked a treat

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[Rob-merlin1973]

We were going Easter but oh decided it would be to cold.... gutted:cry:

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[Gav]

We went Easter last year and had excellent weather in the day time - almost like summer. It was cold at night though. Some of our kids have got good sleeping bags. We also grabbed duvets off the beds and took those, as well as sleeping in a few more layers.
Last year our kids were 11, 8, and 2. The 2 year old loves camping and the cold didn't bother him. We made sure he had layers on and duvet and blanket and just made sure he wasn't too hot or cold.

We make sure they're well fed (a snack before bed can help keep warm through the night) and we keep warm around a campfire in the evening.

This year we may be going to Scotland around Easter time, either in the western isles or the great glen. We know it will be cold at night, so will probably go down the ehu and tent heater route, but also exploring a vw camper van hire option so we can travel around more.

At that time of year, keep an eye on the weather, and as suggested, and be prepared to change your plans.
Dry and cold is better than wet and cold.

[3goglamping]

No problem.

So long as you have decent sleeping bags, hot water bottles and lots of layers, including more blankets, you will be fine.
If you think you have packed enough blankets, you haven't - put another one in! Horrible waking up cold

[sarahc]

We went away last Easter for 2 nights with a 8, 6 and 2 year old. We made sure they were wrapped up all snug at night and they were all fine - really hot days, nights were cold - but warm clothes and covers sorted that out!!!

We have 5 nights booked at Easter this year - just hope it's as nice as last year!!!

[LittleSkink]

been taking my young ones camping since they were about 2, I would say the most critical item is what they 'sleep on' and not what they sleep in. If you are going to get cold in the spring it will be from the ground, unless you are taking almost no warm bedding (which clearly you wouldnt)

we have 6cm Decathlon A300 Self Inflating Mats (SIMs) for the kids, not cheap but 2 fill their sleeping area almost completely so they cant roll off. Early days we used to take their duvets and pillows from home plus a few cell blankets, warm pyjamas and vests. The eldest seems to notice the cold but our youngest doesnt (but then she will play in the snow in aT shirt and not feel cold so maybe not quite 'normal') so our eldest (now 6) has a proper Vango sleeping bag but youngest (now 4) has a cheap Outwell bag that cant be more then 4.5 tog and she is fine

if you plan on using airbeds then a couple of fleecy blankets on top of it will make it much nicer. Never used camp beds with kids but guess a similar logic applies that they would need something warm underneath

Good luck, and enjoy

[scon]

You might want to check this out;
http://www.in-a-tent.co.uk/blog/3

There's a good article regarding cold weather camping on this blog. I'm taking the kids to the Forest of Dean at Easter and I've invested in some camping mats to go underneath our airbeds on the strength of reading this. We've never camped this early before so we don't know what to expect.

Scon.