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Even though the days are lovely and warm, it is still surprisingly cold at night, even down here in the sunny south. I went out into the garden with the dogs at about 10.30 last night and thought "Brrr...., glad I'm not camping".

A really good sleeping bag will make a lot of difference, especially if you take hot water bottles and put them in the bags before you go to bed, so you get into a warm bed. Insulation under the air bed is essntial, we use newspaper, very cheap, takes up next to no room and you can recycle it instead of bringing it home. Lots of cheap fleece blankets under your sleeping bag will help too.

We also have the dogs snuggling up with us, that way we all help keep each other warm.

A tent with a SIG, or the flaps that you peg under a footprint groundsheet, will cut out a lot of the draughts. I agree about taking your Pro-Action back - that's what we did with the one we bought - it only lasted 9 days!

The noise of the weather can really be a pain if you're a light sleeper. I enjoy the sound of rain, and find it soothing, but the wind bugs me so I wear ear plugs at night. This also means the birds (and babies!) don't wake me at dawn.

Give it another go in better weather. I'm sure you'll love it. Once you've got the bug, the weather doesn't bother you quite as much.

Quote: Originally posted by beefysmum on 08/5/2009

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Hi Pink , if you bought your tent new from argos, take it back , tell them it leaks and get a refund , they are very good with returns, but you will have to dry it before taking it back.

you were right not to leave the heater on all night, no gas heaters should be left on all night. Fan heater is different.

with a tent with a sig and carpet , and a picnic rug on top of the airbed , a decent sleeping bag and a fleece blanket inside it, you will see a world of difference. I camped the last 2 weekends with a tent full of toddlers too, 3 granddaughters 2, 3, and 4 , and none of us were cold at night. I like a hot water bottle too, but nobody else wanted one.
A warm bed is the only way you will enjoy camping, get that right and you will be fine .

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All of the above. Yes, take it back.  Plus I will stress that you must NEVER leave gas heaters on in a tent overnight. Quite apart from the fire risk, gas appliances can malfunction and give out carbon monoxide. Now with the amount of ventilation your tent seemed to have this might not be an issue but better safe than sorry.

It seems though that you like the camping, it's just the equipment that's letting you down. The two things you should not skimp on are your tent and your sleeping bags. The Vango Icharus has ben mentioned...it's turning out to be this year's top favourite amongst the smaller tents, so well worth looking at it. It has a SIG too.

As for bags Vango, Coleman and Outwell do very good ones. Look for 3-season bags. I can recommend the Vango Nitestar range and they do square ended ones as well as mummy ones. Get a pile of cheap fleece blankets for between you and the airbed (held on by a fitted sheet) plus some over you if it's really cold.

The dogs will need some insulation too.If they're in the pod with you then put some cheap cellular foam mats on the floor for them to sleep on. They'll freeze on a bare groundsheet. Donate them your old sleeping bags you buy new ones...they'll pack up smaller than a quilt.

The other great thing for dogs is vetbed fleece. It's warm and squishy, so keeps them comfy as well as warm, and it wicks moisture away from the surface, so is great if they're a bit damp, as it helps them get dry. It dries really quickly, and is machine washable, which is why they use it in vets.

You can buy it online, either rolls that you cut to the size you want or sheets. It doens't roll up very small, but you can spread it out in the boot and pack stuff on top.

Hi Pink38, Don't be put off by your first experience.  Take on board what the others have said. Decent tent, sleeping bag, plenty of insulation, and thermals to wear under p.j thats my preference, you will be snug espeacially with a fan heater if you go ehu.  With me i find my self switching it off believe it or not because i'm too hot!!!!!

LOL

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Heather

P.S  vetbed brill

Fleece blankets are a great way of keeping warm, and they tend to squash up pretty small.    I use them in the sleeping bags, over the sleeping bags, and wrapped around me when I am sitting outside and it is chilly. 
Old newspaper under the airbeds acts as a layer of insulation, and can be ditched at the end of the trip.

Those plastic backed picnic rugs are also great underfoot.      I use them in the living area of the tent, and the awning of the camper.    If need be they just get chucked int he washing machine when I get home.

Lots of us have changed tents, for various reasons, after one or two trip out.     Our first tent was a smallish four man tent - but it has no living area.   First trip was fine, the weather was good.   Second trip, it rained almost constantly.    Well being stuck in a small tent with two small kids was not fun, so we bought a much bigger tent, which made a huge difference.    Having somewhere to sit when it is bad is far more enjoyable than being huddled in the bedroom section.

I have a small gas heater which I use to take the chill of the tent first thing in the morning and if need be late evening.     OK it does not heat the tent, especially as I don't have groundsheet other than the sleeping area, but it does take that early morning nip out of the air, while I have my cuppa, on the days when it is too cold/wet to sit outside.