The Camping Forum

[sopp111]

Hi everyone just thought id introduce myself as i'm new to the camping scene.Me and the wife just bought a tent and are going camping next week for the first time.My two sons 12 and 9 seem to be looking forward to it more than i am as i must say i like my comfort as we used to have caravans before.Not sure what to expect but i'm going to treat it as a new adventure We dont know wether to take half the contents of the kitchen with me or an old gas stove Any ideas?

[valleydaddy]

welcome to the forum

the first trip is always an adventure so take what you think and you'll probably use half of it

depends what your plans are in terms of food etc, if it's pubs/takeaways/cafes etc or your planning to cook alfresco will decide what you need.

The bare minimum is your gas stove and a vessel to boil water/milk in to make hot drinks and porridge

There is a checklist in the "downloads" tab of recommended items so that maybe a good starting point.

I'm sure you'll all have fun

[sopp111]

Hi
Thanks for the reply.We do have a hookup cable to take with us so i think maybe the kettle and toaster should go and i will buy a gas stove and take it from there.For the first trip i think we should stay sort of local incase we forget too much stuff.I hope we all have fun!!

[livsnana]

Hi welcome, you'll get lots of good advice here.

I am new camper as well, we are off on our first trip a week Monday. I have bought so much stuff that my husband has had to go out and buy a roof box because it won't all fit in the boot!

One of the best tips is to pitch your tent before you go, have a dummy run so to speak.

Sarah

[sopp111]

Hi Sarah
We pitched the tent today and it took us about 15.Not bad considering it was our first time.We are going away on Monday for 3 days weather permitting ( we live in Scotland so it always rains lol) .I already have a roof box as you can't get much in a Corsa boot!!

[livsnana]

Ahh 15 minutes is good, our first go was wednesday and it took us 18 minutes. I can imagine you wouldn't get much in the corsa lol. What tent have you got?

[sopp111]

We bought a Eurohike tent package from Millets just to see if we like it.If all go's well we will invest in a better one as were not sure if these tents are any good.
Steven

[Alan]

Hi Steven - welcome to the forum.

We have a Eurohike tent - the Eden. It works well for us, doesn't leak. We did have to attach some velcro to the porch area, as the wind could blow some rain into the porch area, but once that was done - the tent is more than ok, and great for the price.

We have since upgraded to an Outwell - but use the Eden for short breaks.

Have a good trip. We have found that the more experience you get, and the more organised you become - the more enjoyable the whole camping experience becomes .... and every time it is "an adventure" - you never quite know what will happen

[Wayne]

Hi Steven and welcome to the forum.

Its a good idea that you have brought a tent with the idea of sampling, better understanding your needs from a tent and then looking at upgrading in the future to a tent that suits your needs.

[sopp111]

Hi, Yeah we think if all go's well and we enjoy it OK we should invest in a bigger and better tent. Not sure what kind yet but a lot of people on here seem to have Outwell tents so can I assume that these are good tents? I think we should wait until the winter for the sales to come in when everyone offering sale tents.

[Wayne]

The winter sales might come early this year. By winter there won't be a large choice in my opinion.

[sopp111]

Ok thanks.I'll wait and see whats on offer at the time.We want something not too big but enough room to live and eat in if its raining. Only minus is we have a Corsa so i dont want to fill the boot with a tent and have no room for anything else.I think a small trailer would be a good option.
Steven