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We managed to book up for last weekend early on last week.  I couldn't book the 2 1st choice sites and hadn't considered the one that we did get but we had a great time anyway and we are glad that we tried it.  So keep trying as you are bound to find a site that suits.  Our requirements are always toilets, showers, ehu, play area and take dogs. 

Jeannie

If you buy everything at once it is expensive - this is why I say to newbies, buy things like a spud peeler one week and can opener the next.  That way, you don't notice as much.

I also start stocking up on cans/packets etc early in the year they I don't have to find the money for them on top of the holiday cost.

Also bear in mind, that half the expensive stuff is a one off purchase - you don't need to buy a loo every time, just some more chemicals everyso often.   The tent is a one off, as are the airbeds and sleeping bags.  

We started off with a first timer deal, and are still on the same sleeping bags.   The tent has been upgraded, but the other one is still OK, just been lent out.   Airbeds had to be replaced, as cats and airbeds don't mix - now when we garden camp we use the roll mats or the selflates, and (sadly) we have lost he offending cat - athough the other cat doesn't claw in the same way, airbeds are still a no no - epecially as Tabitha sleeps where ever Alice is.

Don't think of it as look how much this holiday has cost - but look on your equipment as an investment for future holidays.

i think you have to look at the overall cost and how much use you will get out of it, and then realise than £800 is well spent.
it is as everyone says the initial outlay which although does seem daunting, it will be worth it - especially if have the same equipment in 10 years time!

our £300 frame tent + the other bits seemed expensive, but then there are five of us and we reckon we had about 20 nights per year for 5 years.....

now we've got a trailer tent and although some of the stuff we don't take, there are plenty of things which crossover from tent to trailer tent

I'm starting out camping for the first time with a young family on a budget. I read up on here what people mostly use and went to camping shops to see what was on offer. I got lucky with someone selling a fairly new tent locally and got a £200 tent for £26 ! so if we don't get on with it for some reason then its not a problem money wise. Can't see that happening though as expensive hols are out of the question for a while anyways. We have picked up the odd bits over the last few months and we mentioned to a neighbour that we were starting camping, he has just bought all new stuff and gave us his old 2 burner and grill free which is great and in good condition. So we were really lucky money wise though we want to look at getting a TT for next year. I think money well spent if you arent in a hurry is a great investment and I'm sure you won't regret it.

Just x your fingers for a great Summer !

DC

Hi Dragoncry

We loved our conway tt last year.  It's amazing what you are given when people know that you aren't too proud to accept them.  My auntie is moving house and as soon as she heard we'd got a new caravan up she comes with 8 pillows, 3 single duvets and a double duvet!  We have sleeping bags for the kids but dd gets cold so she will have one of the duvets and me and dh already have a duvet but the pillows will really come in handy as they can stay in the van so that they can't be forgotton!  They are all brand new too or hardly been used and i will keep the rest as spares.

Jeannie

When we decided to give camping a try we compared the cost of the tent etc with what we would normally pay to go away for a few days in a hotel and decided that it paid for itself even if we only used it a couple of times. 

After refusing to go camping for many years I gave in and decided to give it a go, worst case would be that we all hated it and sold evertything on Ebay.

I absolutely love it!!! I can't explain to non campers just how relaxing and stress free it is.  I don't camp lightly, I still take my hair straightners (so had to have EHU, my only demand) but my husband says that this was a small price to pay.

I find that I now love to shop for camping equipment, it is almost an addiction.

Can't wait to get out this year

Hi Melbaz

For years going camping sounded like my worst nightmare and when my auntie offered us the use of their caravan i shuddered cos i just didn'g fancy being stuck for a week in a cramped caravan with 2/3 kids whilst it p*ssed down with rain outside.

Then when i saw the price of a static last year at our normal site i realised that the only way that we could go is if we went camping.  What started out like a disaster and me vowing never again and asking why anyone in their right minds would actually enjoy doing this i fell in love with it but i still like all my home comforts and we know have a lovely caravan!

When i went to pick up some blue and pink stuff for our cassette toilet it took me ages to walk around this tiny little caravan shop because i had to look at everything for sale.  It is such good fun.

Jeannie

The pubs where we live charge £80 per double room per night for B&B, and that's not even en suite.

Your total outlay wouldn't get you much of a holiday here, and you can use all your kit over and over again.

Totally agree, my next purchase before our next trip is a wardrobe, I can't live out of a bag for more than 1 day.

I think once we have done the tent thing for a couple of years we will probably look at getting a caravan.

Quote: Originally posted by Moonseeker on 09/5/2008

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If you buy everything at once it is expensive - this is why I say to newbies, buy things like a spud peeler one week and can opener the next.  That way, you don't notice as much.

I also start stocking up on cans/packets etc early in the year they I don't have to find the money for them on top of the holiday cost.

Also bear in mind, that half the expensive stuff is a one off purchase - you don't need to buy a loo every time, just some more chemicals everyso often.   The tent is a one off, as are the airbeds and sleeping bags.  

We started off with a first timer deal, and are still on the same sleeping bags.   The tent has been upgraded, but the other one is still OK, just been lent out.   Airbeds had to be replaced, as cats and airbeds don't mix - now when we garden camp we use the roll mats or the selflates, and (sadly) we have lost he offending cat - athough the other cat doesn't claw in the same way, airbeds are still a no no - epecially as Tabitha sleeps where ever Alice is.

Don't think of it as look how much this holiday has cost - but look on your equipment as an investment for future holidays.

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I have been saving supermarket saving stamps for our holidays. I haven`t put them all on one card though, I have about £35 on one card, £30 on another and aim to have another £20-£25 on a third card before we go to York. I reckon it will cut our holiday money needed as the shopping is all paid for  £35 of stamps can be used for first `big` shop, where we get the pop,crisps, nibbles, beer and essentials such as cereals, eggs and anything else we didn`t have room to pack. The remainder of the stamps can be used to `top up` on what we have run out of and hopefully buy stuff for BBQ`ing. It helps if you check out what supermarkets are in the area you are visting though, no good saving Tesco stamps if the nearest supermaket is Morrisons!

We went daft with our initial spend and then topped things up over the years, we have two canvas frame tents, each just right for two of us for a weekend, if we go for longer we take both and pitch them facing each other with the canopy between the two, we live in one and sleep in the other

To be honest, we probably have too much stuff now, as we never take everything, it's just that we can't resist a bargain, we are slowing down now though, last year we spent just £40 on stuff and nothing this year although we're away at least one weekend out of three and a two week holiday to boot