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Topic: The mistakes we make

uktrucker

24/5/2017 at 8:35pm
Location: London
Outfit: Vango Beta 350xl

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Joined: 26/3/2017

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How many of us have rushed out and brought things that we later regretted?

Pump up beds ...so cold relegated in favour of pads

cheap tent pegs ....should have known better

Cast iron casserole dish ....should have stuck with dutch pot

just to name a few ...

Caligula

24/5/2017 at 10:20pm
Location: Suffolk
Outfit: Very variable

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polish bedroll
air bags for canoe.....and more I can't yet admit to

chipmonkey

25/5/2017 at 2:24am
Location: Meath Ireland
Outfit: Raclet Quickstop quechua base 2nds 4.

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Joined: 12/6/2009

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Buying EVERYTHING! And then finding that my car was not, in fact, a tardis and that as I hadn't bought a roofbox or trailer, I would have to leave half the stuff behind!

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Don

JoMarch

25/5/2017 at 9:03am
Location: Lancashire
Outfit: None Entered

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Inflatable sofa springs immediately to mind, its not even comfy.
Inflatable anything in fact.

Kampa Khazi - I know they are popular but for us it just took up too much car space and the kids would try desperately to squeeze out a wee for the sake of it because of the novelty value. Plus cleaning it was a pain. In fact I really don't mind walking across a field in the night to the loo, its nice to enjoy the peace and the stars.

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Mummy of two daughters and two guinea pigs

Bob61

25/5/2017 at 10:24pm
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My latest waste of money were two LED lighting strips. They are not very flexible and have a heavy 3 pin plug on one end on a very short lead so trying to secure them somehow to the roof of the tent and still reach the power source, even with an extension lead, proved impossible...anyone wanna buy two by two metre LED lighting strips

Bob61

25/5/2017 at 10:29pm
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My second waste of money this year, which isn't strictly camping, was a pair of trekking poles. Great for trekking in the Andes or the foothills of Everest or maybe even the Antarctic with the snow baskets fitted...but not a lot of use on the cliff tops overlooking Swanage Bay

BRYANMITCH

26/5/2017 at 12:50am
Location: GATESHEAD
Outfit: Shiney new ALASKAand tent collection

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Guilty

Inflatable furniture..flatpack storage(various)..posh windbreaks..Flushing portaloo..house size airbeds...a washing machine at one time! All bought and re-sold in order to make room for the tent!
Now with the basic set-up we have--it allows more time for people watching with lots of knowing looks and head-shaking as they spend 4 or 5 hours setting up.

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Bryan- TENT CAMPER...by choice!

Caligula

26/5/2017 at 7:05am
Location: Suffolk
Outfit: Very variable

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Quote: Originally posted by BRYANMITCH on 26/5/2017
Guilty Inflatable furniture..flatpack storage(various)..posh windbreaks..Flushing portaloo..house size airbeds...a washing machine at one time! All bought and re-sold in order to make room for the tent!
Now with the basic set-up we have--it allows more time for people watching with lots of knowing looks and head-shaking as they spend 4 or 5 hours setting up.

LOL!!

Nearly bought a very nice vintage ITISA tent,,,,nearly.
I have six cotton canvas tents, so why???

DeborahTurner

27/5/2017 at 9:14am
Location: London
Outfit: Vango Kalu Hypercamp Eldorado

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I am guilty of cooking appliances. Have not got value out of the pie iron yet (or managed to season it well enough to stop it rusting) but I still like the idea of it.

I also regret the too-long windbreak with guy lines, cheap one with poles was better, and now I don't take one at all.

PaulaMB

27/5/2017 at 11:32am
Location: North Yorkshire
Outfit: Albatros-Safir 7-Trisar 3-Octapeak F8

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I don't think we have made too many mistakes as we have got kit for all sorts of different camping

. Backpacking/cycle camping, weekend kit, canoe camping and car camping.

We did make the biggest mistake ever in buying a cabanon trailer tent a few years back. We were embarrassed by the size of it and hated the fact that we couldn't go to many of our favourite types of site with it - wild, carry your gear, if not under your own steam from the car park at least.

We used it twice

and sold it, biting a large ££££ loss!

DeborahTurner

27/5/2017 at 11:58am
Location: London
Outfit: Vango Kalu Hypercamp Eldorado

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Ouch, Paula MB.

It sounds like we like the same sort of sites, and for me, this keeps down the amount of kit I buy or contemplate and my mistakes are limited to small gadgets. i.e the plastic clip that supposedly holds a glass or can. But doesn't work unless on a table of exactly the right thickness for the clip.

PaulaMB

27/5/2017 at 12:18pm
Location: North Yorkshire
Outfit: Albatros-Safir 7-Trisar 3-Octapeak F8

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I am not sure what came over us Deborah, we both cringe with embarrassment when we think about it and have even cut right back to the basic campers we were when we take our luxurious Albatros. Once a year we might take a table and chairs and then think .... why did we do that?

Years of camping and we have acquired tons of stuff - the things we don't use anymore, like the 30 year old camping gaz two ring burner with grill, doesn't owe us anything and lives in our cellar for emergencies - we live remotely and only have a hot plate when our aga is off for the summer so if we lose power the trust old camping cooker comes out.

LesD

27/5/2017 at 1:46pm
Location: Stourbridge
Outfit: Tent: Outwell Nevada MP

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A battery powered uV bug lamp for a camping trip to Scotland. The midge ignored it. Various collapsible water containers and washing up bowls all useless but still looking for one.

seanfdh

27/5/2017 at 1:59pm
Location: North Devon
Outfit: Robens Fairbanks Coleman Phad X3

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We've given up on collapsible water containers too. Just buy a 5L bidon, refill as necessary and chuck (into the recycling bin obviously) when we leave.

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Sean

PaulaMB

27/5/2017 at 2:01pm
Location: North Yorkshire
Outfit: Albatros-Safir 7-Trisar 3-Octapeak F8

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We have got one of these Les, years old and we use it with all our different camping styles.

Ortleib bowl

heath63

27/5/2017 at 7:44pm
Location: wirral
Outfit: Outwell Nevada m Vango sigma 300

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I cant say i have made too many mistakes. I researched and looked at reviews before buying. Non of my equipment owes me anything. However now I just use large bottles for water rather than the concertina water canisters or the Jerry type ones. Bought cheap rock pegs, inflatable sofa, That burst when a very large person collapsed on it.

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New Year: Hesketh Bank
Feb/March: Red Squirrel
March: lakes
June: Morecambe
Aug: Lake District(not camping camping)
October: Red Squirrel

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