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 Topic: New to camping
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16/7/2014 at 11:41am
Location: None Entered
Outfit: None Entered
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hi
the oh has this great idea to go camping, i'm not sure anyway have agreed to it so far but now need advice as we need to get tent etc etc etc,he is tight and only has budget of £500 to buy everything, he dragged me to go outdoors yesterday to buy one,The one he wanted is Hi Gear Zenobia Elite 6, as there be 5 of us going camping to adults and 3 children under 5, before he spends £260 on this, is there any others that are worth looking at, bear in mind he fussy as wants sewn in groundsheet and to be able to stand up in it.Or is it best to buy secondhand, if we find one he likes, I said we should wait as somewhere they must have tent sales at end of season so mite get new one cheaper, thoughts please
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16/7/2014 at 3:05pm
Location: Northern Ireland
Outfit: Bell Tent Vango Coleman and Quechua
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The sales have started early this year anyway. There might be further reductions, but this has to be weighed against writing off going away this year.
I would say a six man tent will be tight for 5 of you. I know the kids are small but that'll not last! Anyway, a 5 person tent does not mean what it should. It means that you can get 5 light foam mats in a row. But it not necessarily get 5 single airbeds in a row or even two doubles and a single. So I would go for an 8 man tent.
To be honest £260 is a fairly small budget for a family tent. I would be tempted to put more of your £500 towards the tent and take lots of your other things from home.
You can take cheapie airbeds from a supermarket and a single stove from B&M Bargains or Home Bargains or the like. While you are there at those discount shops, pick up some plastic plates and mugs.
Now all your bedding and pillows come from home. Your clothes can be stored and transported in big blue ikea bags or 'bags for life' and take a lidded saucepan and a frying pan from home. Take a decent knife, tongs for turning food and a chopping board. Stick to one pot meals or pre-prepared curries and chillis that you just have to heat up. Plan to eat out sometimes and find a nice deli near the campsite to make your own posh sarnies with nice bread.
Borrow folding chairs, or get cheap ones for now that you might upgrade next year. Get the kids to sit on a picnic blanket. Don't get too much folding furniture, a simple fold up table will do for the stove and you can eat off your laps for now.
If you do take to camping, start upgrading your equipment next year. If you don't like it, your tent will hold a good bit of its value and you can sell it again.
Consider looking on ebay for 'used once and didn't like camping' tents, many people sell at this time of year. Avoid tent brands Leben and Skandika.
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16/7/2014 at 5:10pm
Location: Leyland
Outfit: Lichfield Worcester 5 man
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I think the tent is definitely the one thing you shouldn't scrimp on. A lot of places will try to sell you 'kits' which include porch, carpet etc.
I'd say simply get yourself a tent that really, really hits your spots. For me, I'd not be in a smaller than 8 man tent an there are 4 of us. Space for storage and flexibility.
We also borrowed our first tent and pretty much everything to go in it! Once we returned and agreed that it was for us, we have chipped away and are now, after 4 years, at the point of needing roof storage!!
It's a great feeling being at the start of something so much fun, so enjoy it and keep us up to date with your adventures!!
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11 Hendra
12 La Croix du Vieux Pont
13 lCdP+The Quiet Site
14 Park Cliffe Cote D'Argent
15 Park Cliffe Le Pearl
16 Eskdale
17 Skelwith Fold
18 Skelwith Fold
19 Skelwith Fold
20 Skelwith Fold
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16/7/2014 at 6:40pm
Location: Northern Ireland
Outfit: Bell Tent Vango Coleman and Quechua
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To pick up on Katies point about the kiddies. Many tents come with darkened bedroom pods (Vango have and some Decathlon tents do too) for getting the kids to sleep a little longer, and for night time trips to the loo consider getting either one of the many portaloo options or you can get a thing called a bog in a bag which is a fold up stool with biodegradable inserts that can be binned.
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16/7/2014 at 8:39pm
Location: East Sussex
Outfit: None Entered
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I think this is a tricky one. Buying a cheap tent (new or second hand) that is leaky, too small, or won't stand up to a bit of wind can put you off camping for good. Buy an expensive tent and discover camping's not for you, and you'll be a few £00 down.
If you have friends who camp and have a spare tent, I'd try a weekend with them to see what you think of it. I've got loads of friends hooked on camping this way, and what self-respecting camper doesn't have a spare tent or 3!
Otherwise, I'd try the Eurohike that Sburford suggested. That's a lot of tent for not a lot of money, and you can always upgrade later on if you get the bug.
I'd go for supermarket air beds to start with, and bedding from home. Insulate underneath (large cardboard box flattened out or old newspaper is FREE, foam-backed picnic rugs are cheap and efficient). Take plenty of fleece blankets or throws (Ikea and Dunelm are good for these) for extra warmth.
Pots, plates etc from home are fine. Don't forget the all-important corkscrew and tin opener! Cheap folding chairs that can be used in the garden at home and a folding table, plus something to cook on, and you've got the basics.
The 2 most important things for a successful trip are keeping warm and keeping dry. Even the best camp site in the world is miserable if you're cold and wet. The 3rd is being able to eat and drink without too much aggravation. A bucket is fine for night-time wees.
Of course, if you take to it, you'll be in Go Outdoors or similar every weekend, and have a loft full of tents for every occasion... then buying a trailer to put it all in!
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16/7/2014 at 9:03pm
Location: Sherston Wilts
Outfit: Lunar Clubman 460-4 1988
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I would buy 2nd hand ( and I have, always buy from Facebook selling pages) there are some great bargains :-)
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Enjoyed tenting,
Enjoyed trailer-tenting,
Now loving caravanning 😊😊
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23/7/2014 at 7:41am
Location: Cheltenham
Outfit: Vango Aspen 700
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Definitely go for at least an 8 man tent for 5 of you. We have Vango Tigris 800xl which is fab and versatile. Most makes do this style of tent. They don't make them now but can be picked up cheap new. Definitely get a footprint to go under the tent as it helps keep the tent clean. A carpet is nice but not essential. What is essential in my opinion is some kind of loo. We used to have a fancy chemical loo but ditched it last year as it was a pain. We now have a £15 kampa loo which is basically a glorified buckt with loo seat and lid but won't fall over when used. That and a bottle of dettol has night time emergency number ones sorted if you don't want to have trips to the loo block in the cold and rain with the kids :-)
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Oh I do like to be beside the sea-side! Oh I do like to beside the seeeeeea!!....
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i'm an Outwell fan and so far we have three of their tents and they've been superb! 
