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Well, first of all many thanks for all the help and advice beforehand - you lot certainly helped make the trip smoother than it otherwise could have been.

Me and my daughter have just experienced our first camping trip, we went to a site near Helmsley, North Yorkshire and spent two days there.  We did book a third once there but then the weather put paid to that (though we did receive £10 of the £14.50 for that night back).

What can I say....camping is certainly for me but I have to admit, mainly due to the weather, there were times I was thinking 'what am I doing?'. 

Anyway, here's the points I took away from the trip:

• Putting up a 4 man tent on my own will always take at least 1 hour and involve at least one episode of parachuting across the field or me getting the kickback in the shin from an overbent pole.  Or both.
• Everything I've read about fellow campers held true, the family next door blew up my airbed with their electric pump after seeing struggle on with a footpump.  Meanwhile my little girl had made friends with two other children and had sorted a game of frisbee while Daddy was doing the donkey work.
• Is it every newbie who puts up a tent and worries that the gap between tent and groundsheet is far too big and there's obviously something wrong with the tent.  Or just me.
• Why did I get excited at using my stove for the first time, I hate cooking at home.  And never eat beans or corned beef either.
• Airbeds, they're actually quite comfy aren't they.
• Once it started to rain, and I realised it wasn't going to stop....I checked the seams of the tent at least 20 times before settling down - and must have been hit by 100 imaginary droplets of water before getting into bed.
• After I got up I noticed droplets of water running down the inside of the tent, mainly down the seams....condensation or a leak...argh!!!  And the airbed had become wet in the corner yer there was no water between it and the SIG so obviously had gotten in through the net part of the pod....again, is there a leak or condensation - and why just the corner (and later the very bottom) of the bed?
• When i woke up there were two damp patches on the picnic blanket in the living room area - surely a leak after a night of incessant rain would have flooded the place?
• Bloody hell it was cold on a morning.
• Why is it everything is fun to children.
• Squelching ground underfoot is not pleasant.
• Peeing in a pan cos its chucking it down outside was er....not uncommon amongst campers I hope.
• It took me more time to clean the groundsheet and tarpaulin than it did to dismantle the bloody tent.
• How come I took less stuff home yet used up more space in the car.
• I can't wait for a better spell of weather and go again.

Loads to learn I'm sure but the main thing is - despite the cold and damp....and possible leaks - I enjoyed it.  God knows why....but I did.

it must be a British Trait,over pay to live in a field,in horrendous weather, with uncertain accommodation, pee in your cooking pots, chance of hypothermia,and we love it.

mad we're all mad 

Hello Durhamblue

Im so glad you enjoyed your trip with your little girl! Thrown in at the deep end as it were too with the weather!

If your airbed was wet, perhaps it was pushing the bedroom pod against the sides of the outer tent? This will let the wet through, also may explain wet patches inside, did you have stuff pressed up against the fabric of your tent? It may have also be condensation. If you tent is new, it shouldnt leak.

I take a BWL (bucket with lid) for night time emergencies, a nappy bucket with 'click on' lid to avoid spillages! I put a few drops of dettol or zoflora in the bottom (so it isnt whiffy - i have 3 kids!!) Just empty it at waste disposal in the morning, swill it out and put a bit more disinfectant in the bottom .

Its natural to worry first time in a tent.

Everything is fun to children because they havent learned to worry and stress like us (shame on us!!)

Hope you have many more happy experiences with more sun and less rain!

Quote: Originally posted by Sam Coleridge on 19/8/2008

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I also quickly ended up with my own "arrangements" - since I have an unfortunate habit of waking up at 3 am every night. If asked by a doctor, I now know the volume involved.

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Hey Durhamblue.  Glad to hear the negative things haven't put you off.  Here hoping the weather is better next time.  Best holidays ever for kids

Didn't you like the squelching ground?  We had a large patch under us on our last camp and I loved feeling it through the groundsheet

Quote: Originally posted by Atherwitzend on 19/8/2008

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Quote: Originally posted by Sam Coleridge on 19/8/2008

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I also quickly ended up with my own "arrangements" - since I have an unfortunate habit of waking up at 3 am every night. If asked by a doctor, I now know the volume involved.

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Is this a man thing?  In 2 years of camping I have only had to get once in the night to pee, and can't remember ever having to take either of the kids.  Yet OH is up at least once, sometimes more every night while we are away. 

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haha, no not a fan of squelching ground, couldn't help but thinking of the mess I was going to be welcomed to when lifting the groundsheet....but when it started seeping out at the sides of the groundsheet before that I realised it was particularly unpleasant.

Fab review Durham, made me smile :)

Glad you are still enthusiastic and sounds like you got a great attitude for this camping malarky :)

Heres hoping for better weather on your next trip :)

Angie

As like most camper this year we had very wet weather for our first ever family camping holiday in our Sunncamp family verio 600 plus. The tent stood upto the thunder storms and high winds very well and we only had a small amount of condensation inside the tent each morning. The one thing we did purchase before setting out for the first trip was a Sunncamp LULU(bucket with lid inside a loo seat) for £16.99,we got it so our two daughters did not have to hike across a campsite in the middle of the night in the dark. It was the best thing ever, it got used by the girls and the wife saving them the hike and getting wet. (Me being a man did not have to use it as i dont as yet at 45 years old need to get up in the night) am i luck or what.

The nice thing about our tent is it has a side extension that can be zipped closed during the day hiding the LULU and then opened at night for use as a toilet.

We had great fun even though the weather was crap and we are now planning to get another trip in during September.

Good luck to all who have still to go camping this year. Just remember its an adventure make the most of it.

Hi Guys

Totally new to this camping lark but looking forward to our first camping trip this bank holiday week/end in our brand new Sunncamp Pathfinder 2008! We are heading to a site near Marlborough which has good reviews, just hope the weather is kind to us, we have had a trial run putting the tent up in the garden so hopefully we won't shame our selfs on the day!!!!!!!! Will let you know how we got on?

Have a good week/end everybody

drayton