What do I need for a camping holiday?

[RosscoPCole]

No I'm not going to a John Inman appreciation society gathering!

What things do you think are essentials for a comfotable camoing holiday with my OH and the young sproglet. We already have a large 2 bedroom tent and some imflatable matresses. So, what are the other things I need to beg, steal or borrow?

[Blue Meanie]

Well.. Where are you going? Out in the 'wilderness' or at a campsite with facilities. Will you be doing any other activities? What will your food situation be?

There is a difference between camping and camping, don't ya know!

[B16JUS]

Apart from the tent / sleeping stuff / clothes

a good torch or 2
gazebo
table for cooking
table for eating
chairs
citronella candles
plastic tubs for food
butaine cooker
plates, bowls, cuttlery
kettle
saucepan
frying pan
babywipes / kitchen towl
salt / pepper / sugar
tea bags / coffee

prob more that i cant think of

J

[LaserTam]

wellies or walking boots - hopefully for you it won't rain, but the grass is likely to be dewy and wet. Get your trainers wet, they wont dry out!
Head tourch - handy if there are jobs to do in the dark and you need both hands
Depending on when you are going, don't underestimate how cold it can get at night. Good quality sleeping bags.

[Kermit power]

Piffle. All you need is a tobacco tin, some fishing wire, a packet of condoms, a safety pin and a very, very tightly folded blanket. Ask Caravanman if further details are required.

[deckster]

My camping checklist said:

Tent + poles
Spare pegs
Mallet
Electric hookup
Bedding
- Us - double ready bed
- Kids - ready beds
- Electric pump
- Manual pump
- Patches
Lighting
- Big light
- Small light
- Torch(es)
Eating
- Stove
- BBQ
- Fridge
- Matches/lighter
- Gas cylinder x 2
- Table
- Chairs
- Cutlery/crockery
- Mugs
- Wine glasses
- Corkscrew
- Pots + pans
- Sharp knife
- Wooden spoon
- Spatula
- Scissors
- Measuring jug
- Water containers
- Cool bag(s)
- Washing up liquid/bowl/cloths
- Drying up towel
- Kitchen roll
- Toilet roll
- Picnic rug
- Camp larder
- Dustpan & brush
- Toolkit
Play
- Kids toys - popup frog
- Cards
- Books
- Battery charger
- Bikes
- Toolkit
- Pump
- Locks
- Towels
- Bucket & spades
- Arm bands
- Pop-up tent

Luckily we have a big car

[RosscoPCole]

Well we are going to the New Forest and have a pitch in a campsite called Hollands Wood, so its not quite Camp IV on the southeast ridge of Mt Everest!

[condor]

Tent, pegs and a mallet - that's the tent up.
Bedding - I use a foam based mat as a base, then an air bed, sleeping bag to replicate a bottom sheet, then duvet on top...and pillows.
Cooking gear - camping gaz stove (+ spare cartridge), saucepan + lid, cup, glass, cereal bowl, cutlery. Teabags, coffee, uht milk and cereal...perhaps some fruit.
Plenty of alcohol
Others - torch and spare batteries, washing up bowl, water bucket as an emergency fire bucket, foldup table, camping chairs, garden friendly candles.

I think that's my usual minimum - that's with the idea of only having breakfast at camp and eating elsewhere during the day.

[Pothole]

sell all the stuff on that long list and stay in a decent B&B?

[deckster]

Pothole said:

sell all the stuff on that long list and stay in a decent B&B?

But you see at a B&B, you have the kids knocking around all the time. Go to the right campsite and they bugger off all day with their new 'best friends' and do all that healthy kid stuff that they apparently don't do enough of these days. And you have a chance to get really well acquainted with a decent bottle of red and a good book. Magic

[Pothole]

deckster said:

Pothole said:

sell all the stuff on that long list and stay in a decent B&B?

But you see at a B&B, you have the kids knocking around all the time. Go to the right campsite and they bugger off all day with their new 'best friends' and do all that healthy kid stuff that they apparently don't do enough of these days. And you have a chance to get really well acquainted with a decent bottle of red and a good book. Magic

OK, but you still have to sleep in a tent, share a toilet with 100 strangers and shower in a portacabin with 10 minutes worth of hot water a day, don't you?

[pacman1]

Tin Mug!

When everything else has stopped working, you're cold and tired, and everyone's telling you it's your fault, boy, do you need a brew. Exhaust manifold will do. hth.

[RosscoPCole]

Thanks for all the hints and tips. A few more things have been added to the list of things to beg, steal and borrow.

[Limey 666]

[quote=RosscoPCole]No I'm not going to a John Inman appreciation society gathering!

What things do you think are essentials for a comfotable camoing holiday with my OH and the young sproglet. We already have a large 2 bedroom tent and some imflatable matresses. So, what are the other things I need to beg, steal or borrow?
[

/quote]

A raincoat and a pair of wellies.

[Iain328]

RosscoPCole said:

No I'm not going to a John Inman appreciation society gathering!

What things do you think are essentials for a comfotable camoing holiday with my OH and the young sproglet. We already have a large 2 bedroom tent and some imflatable matresses. So, what are the other things I need to beg, steal or borrow?

Depends when you are going but the problem with air mattresses is that you can get very cold sleeping on them if the ground is cold underneath (as it is now). If you are going to use them you may need some other insulation between the mattress & the ground and between you and the mattress. far more of an issue than whether your sleeping bag is warm enough (you can fix that easily with more clothes etc.).

[Legmaster]

Get some 'man' tent pegs and bin the poxy bendy things that come with tents.

The glow in dark ones have saved me a few face plants over the years

http://www.towsure.com/category/429-Tent_Pegs

edit to add linky

Edited by Legmaster on Friday 23 April 22:28

[Bill]

BBQ

Mossie coils and a holder so you can use them in the tent

Camp Bistro cooker

Corkscrew and tin opener

Washing up bowl and tupperware tub to keep the scourer/sponge in

[StevieBee]

Highly recommended are blow up beds with an integral electric pump. If you don't have an electric hook up, get a little gennie.

Also, take proper mugs and glasses. Coffee, tea, wine and beer does not taste the same out of plastic.

[kingofherts]

We stayed at Hollands Park a few years ago, it was great, just make sure you camp on high ground as it tended to flood in areas if it rained.. Make sure you walk up to the river just up the road and see the red water...

Oh, and make sure you put any food away in the tent when you go out, as the horses walk through the campstite and will eat anything left out....

[kingofherts]

Hollands Wood I meant...