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We have done similar, but like yourself its because our son came along and many of our old faithfulls were just no longer appropriate. Not helped by our old tents really coming to end of their useful lives as well as being too small. We took our son to Wales last year with our old ridge tent to see how we got on as a family. We enjoyed it, but holes and leaks meant that it was time to upgrade:

so - 3 new tents (4 and 6 berths for different occasions - all used already several times!), footprints plus 1 carpet, tarp, extra airbed, new double burner stove with integral stand, extra suitcase stove and backpacker table, a bigger cooking pot for the trangia set, larger crockery storage as taking more of the old orange crockery and cutlery, a child's chair, Outwell baffins stool/table for flexible seating for our son, larger cool boxes and folding toilet.

There has also been the odd upgrade - rechargeable airbed pump now we have 2 airbeds to pump up, LED lights (as rechargable lantern gave up), etc...

But we don't intend this to be repeated for a while. Very much chosen and bought as an investment so that we can use the set-up for a fair few years (just as previously). Camping for us is a hobby, not the shopping, and its only one of several hobbies that need to be juggled!

Helen

We have one relatively big and expensive tent (for us), a SunValley 6 - this is for main family holidays.  We also have a cheap (£50) 5 man dome for me and one of the kids to go away and spend some quality time.

my wife and I are still using some of the gear we used to go backpacking with (sleeping bags, sleeping mats). 

Any additional bits were bought with careful consideration, and sometimes this meant buying the more expensive option.  My coleman duelfuel stove was a bit of an investment, but I know it will go on forever with a bit of occasional tlc.

We haven't bought anything new at all this year (OK, maybe a couple of Ikea holdalls for £4.99 each... but we use those for other things).

I have a short (but expensive) list of things I want (SI mats for the kids, new SI mats for me & my lovely wifey, a coleman petrol lantern and maybe a nice canvas tent) but I choose to spend my money elsewhere (on things like food and a house),  so the camping wishlist stays just that - a wishlist.

Camping CAN be a money pit - but only if you (a) buy the wrong thing to begin with, or (b) if you want new bits & bobs all the time (and choose to give in to the urge to buy).

Good luck at resisting...

EDIT: One last comment - we NEVER buy anything on a whim (unless it is a one-off bargain, and we always think very carefully about these). 

I can see a new stove at a good price, and walk away and think "do I really need this?" We then wait a month before allowing myself to buy it. 

I might end up paying a little bit more, but I can guarantee that the answer to "Do I really need this?" is usually "NO!".  In the long run, I think I save money by avoiding impulse buys...

Post last edited on 23/08/2010 14:24:41

The main reason for me wanting to camp again was paying over £200 for 3 nights B&B last year in the Lakes. I love going there and want to be able to go more than once a year. I'd also like to visit other places without the hefty price of hotels or B&B's.

Hubby doesn't want to camp, but we had 2 smallish kids then, so now it'll just be the 2 of us.........and one of our dogs. (the Bullmastiff can stay at home) so it should be more relaxing.

I've had to start again with all the equipment, when we moved back from 6 yrs in Spain, the camping stuff was left behind. Just bought the Outwell Nevada M today, hopefully we might get to try it out before the weather is too cold, then I can budget for other things we'll need for the start next year........... 

From a backpacking perspective - I have everything I need but can't help but look out for even lighter gear. Have a new tent that weighs about 40% of the previous and a mat that weighs about half the old one.

Quote: Originally posted by dmsplat on 23/8/2010

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EDIT: One last comment - we NEVER buy anything on a whim (unless it is a one-off bargain, and we always think very carefully about these). 

I can see a new stove at a good price, and walk away and think "do I really need this?" We then wait a month before allowing myself to buy it. 

I might end up paying a little bit more, but I can guarantee that the answer to "Do I really need this?" is usually "NO!".  In the long run, I think I save money by avoiding impulse buys...

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Sites come and go, but your tent and kit is your camping 'home', and it is important to make it right.  It's pretty important to spend a fair bit in the first instance, as nothing will put off a tentative camper more than cheap equipment and a leaking tent.  Once you have your setup, though, I find it's counter-productive to buy more, as you only end up with a tent full of fancy clutter!

Sometimes you see something really innovative, which you know will enhance your camping experience, save you space or be less weight in the car or in your backpack.  These items are usually well worth investing in, to make your setup even better, especially if you have a small car or are backpacking.  But I avoid buying expensive frills which take up room and have to be stored, and then make the camp more hassle to deploy.  For me, the simpler the better.

FoO