The Camping Forum

[activist3]

Hello All,
I am about to embark on our first camping trip as a family and wanted advice if possible. We are staying on a showground and have bought the following kit. We will be going straight from car to pitch and then car being moved.

Coleman Coastline 6 (and front porch)
2 double airbeds (tesco/b&q)
Eurohike 200 Sleeping bags for me and wife
3 x childrens sleeping bags for the children 7,4 and 2
Camping Gaz Chef Stove with grill
Wind Up lantern and head
Pull out camping table and chairs.

I have a few questions!

1) Can we cook in the living area of the tent or will this set it on fire!
2) We have got an empty 4.5kg butane canister for the stove but not sure where to get it filled and if we need to sign some refill agreement.
3) Looking at the forum it seems people advise to put something under the airbeds. Is it best for camping mats or someone suggested the insulation you put under laminate flooring.

Im worried that i have hugely missed something! and only have a few days before i go. i really want the children to enjoy there first experience and be warm and happy! So that we can have many camping holidays!

Are heaters recommended?

I would appreciate your wisdom!

Thanks

[OutdoorWorldDirect]

Hi There,

Good luck on your first trip out -

I have a few questions!

1) Can we cook in the living area of the tent or will this set it on fire!
2) We have got an empty 4.5kg butane canister for the stove but not sure where to get it filled and if we need to sign some refill agreement.
3) Looking at the forum it seems people advise to put something under the airbeds. Is it best for camping mats or someone suggested the insulation you put under laminate flooring.

1) It's never good to cook inside a tent - the reason why is that gas is 80% water and basically when you cook all that steam and condensation will rise from the cooking and stay in the tent making it feel damp at night.
Also this can actaully make you ill and give you a cold - my advice is to use the front porch when possible, i know that sometimes the weather can dictate though so it might not always be possible to do this,

2) If you have a 4.5kg calor then you simply swap it for a full one at b&q or any other camping retailer or diy place. You only need a new contract when you get a new bottle entirely. however you can swap that bottle for any other size bottle. You just pay the refill price. Just be aware that you cannot take a calor gas bottle abroad, it will be taken from you at customs - if you are camping abroad you must get the campingaz bottles as you actually buy and own the bottle with campingaz as opposed to renting it! as you do with calor (hope i havent confused you.)

3)Some people choose to put a mattress under their airbed - like a self inflating one - i persoanlly havent ever tried it but it sounds like a good idea. Im more a fan of the camp bed with two duvets on top to make it comfortable.

Hope that helps you..And have a great time on your trip

David

[Donnelly69]

Its a good job that we all have different opinions - what a boring world we'd live in if we were all the same!!

1) In 25+years of camping, I've never had an issue with cooking in a tent (except for running out of gas half way through cooking a meal! ) Condensation - I think this is probably more of a problem with the new style of family tents with the sown in ground-sheets (i.e. less ventilation). As long as you open plenty of vents, during and after cooking, it should be no problem. Fire - Leave plenty of space between the stove and the tent walls, send the kids out to play with the dog so the table doesn't get knocked, after a couple of meals you'll soon have the hang of it. Common sense rules - always leave an exit available, always have a fire bucket, or buy a fire blanket/extinguisher and ALWAYS have a very sharp knife handy, especially at night. We use a fire bucket - always. Cheap as chips and keeps a beer or two cool as well! The knife is to cut through the tent walls in an emergency. If it's sharp, it'll cut quicker than trying to get out of a zipper that's jammed! They jam when you're going to the loo, so they'll jam when you need them most!!

2) As O/W/D said, you just pay for the refill - Simples!

3) Sorry, but this one I'm not sure about, as personally I'd put the sleep mat on top of an air-bed - not that I'd ever use one again - they're tooooo cold. A good sleep mat has way better thermal properties than an air-bed - it's a bit like wearing a thermal tee over the top of you coat............ But the best thing is to try out all variations 'till you find something that suits you. If your worried about being cold, find space for a spare quilt in the car, and as daft as it seems, wear a woolly/fleece hat in bed. Your Gran was right, you DO loose most of your heat out of your head.

As for heaters, we have a small gas heater which connects to a Camping Gaz bottle, but I think it's only been used twice in ten years When ever its on, I just see ££££ signs floating up, not heat. If you're cold, put another jumper on - it's nearly August, can't be THAT cold, can it?

[Rob-merlin1973]

As David said for 1 and 2.

As for the air bed situation.
Air beds are full of air and in the night this can get freezing cold due to the cold ground sucking the heat out of it.

If you put a camping mat or as i have done some of the silver backed foam laminate flooring underlay (rolls or folds up quite thin. under the airbed then this insulates it from the floor and your air bed and you stay nice and warm.

Heaters are a must. just one small gas one will keep the chill and damp out of the tent at night before you go to bed.

[OutdoorWorldDirect]

Condensation - I think this is probably more of a problem with the new style of family tents with the sown in ground-sheets (i.e. less ventilation)

Good point, i'll be stealing that from now on lol.

[livsnana]

Would you recommened a heater even in the summer months?

[Rob-merlin1973]

Would you recommened a heater even in the summer months?

Won't hurt to take it

[MrsPitStop]

Can I just check, we got a calor gas bottle about 10 years ago for the BBQ, then got rid of the BBQ so its still half full, when we bought it we had to sign a hire agreement form or something like that , that we where told we would need to show every time we wanted it refilled? Do we have to show this bit of paper or can we just go to a calor outlet and get it refilled, because Im not sure we even have that piece of paper let alone where we would have put it as we have moved house during that time.

[Rob-merlin1973]

You should be able to take it anywhere and they will swap it for you.

As far as i know there is nothing making you go back to the people you purchased from

[activist3]

Thank you for all the answers. I will pop down to B&Q later to look at the insulation. Just out of interest is there any difference in the quality of roll mats/ They seem to vary quite a bit in price.

RE The gas canister. I got an empty one from the local recycling place and took that to morrisons petrol station who swapped it for a full one for £14.99


Thanks

[Rob-merlin1973]

Thank you for all the answers. I will pop down to B&Q later to look at the insulation. Just out of interest is there any difference in the quality of roll mats/ They seem to vary quite a bit in price.

are you talking about roll mat's or self inflating mats. Roll mats are all very similar but if it is to go under an airbed i would go for the underlay. The reason being the mats are quite small and will be lost under the airbed wheras i have cut my underlay to fit the whole floor of the pod so keeping the whole pod insulated and protecting the pod floor.

If it is self inflating mat's then these are used instead of airbeds and are really warm. The thicker the SIM the warmer and more comfortable it will be and most people go for a min of 5 cm thick.
Hope this helps

Glad you got the gas bottle sorted

[MrsPitStop]

You should be able to take it anywhere and they will swap it for you.

As far as i know there is nothing making you go back to the people you purchased from

That's good to know, the place we bought it from closed down years ago

Sorry for hijacking the thread

[activist3]

No worries about the hijack!

I am also thinking of getting one of these...does anyone have any thoughts!

http://www.worldofcamping.co.uk/shop/co ... _bag__1184

and finally! In the diagram for the coleman coastline deluxe here

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Coleman-Coastli ... 170&sr=8-2 (end picture)

it shows the dimensions for the 2 birth pod on the right and they seem to fit with the dimensions of a double mattress. I am being a fool thinking this???

[Rob-merlin1973]

I would personally go with the Coleman Hudson Double Sleeping Bag.
It is warmer, has the hood but most of all it has a super soft cotton flannel-lining which is super comfy and warm

[Wayne]

Get the cheapest mats you can find, they are to insulate the airbeds, not for comfort.

B&Q have them on offer at £3.48 at the moment.