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Topic: The usefulness of electric hook ups

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Ewen c

08/2/2016 at 6:27pm
Location: County Kildare Ireland EU.
Outfit: Tents

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Quote: Originally posted by Trekkin Tekkie on 08/2/2016
A little harsh, Thorgrim. Each to their own, of course.

Personally I find electric heating and lighting in low season help with the relaxation, to the point where we probably wouldn't go in low season without hook-up.

In hot weather, for a month's trip, managing without the facility to keep food chilled would, for us, be a major pain in the backside; we tend not to eat out much and so we would need to shop twice per day.

We do occasionally camp without hook-up, but the circumstances have to be right; mid season, short trip etc.

TT

Totally agree. For two weeks in France an ehu is essential. We sometimes go with or without for weekend trips. This depends on weather, which tent we have and time of year. It also depends whether we have the coolbox or the teens with us.

30 odd years ago I'd have laughed at the idea of EHU. I rarely even used campsites as camping was just a way to stay whilst up the hills. Now I can see the merits of it though I do feel a bit silly having an ehu in a wee tent.
If we all want to be purists, I suppose we should also ditch the rechargeable stuff and go battery, ditch the mattresses for karrimats and only use canvas tents with wooden poles and no Sig?
Nah, I'm getting too old for that and I won't be getting a tin tent unless the family bury me in a zinc coffin.

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Mucker1884

08/2/2016 at 6:30pm
Location: Derby.
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Quote: Originally posted by Thorgrim on 08/2/2016
No reason to have a EHU. The idea of camping is to get away from all the usual crap and relax.

If you really want electric get a caravan or stay at home.

I think you meant "your" idea of camping is to get away from all the usual crap and relax.

Personally, I can think of nothing worse! I hate to be relaxed when camping. I like power cuts, heavy rain and biting winds. I like to tread in dog crap on the way to the cold and trickling showers, and have kids running around my tent attacking each other with frisbees soaked in fairy liquid.

... But hey, if you like to feel relaxed, who am I to disrespect that. Each to his own!

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Francais

08/2/2016 at 7:26pm
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Yep, we all have our own take on camping, for us it use to be a fortnight in a static caravan during July, on the Cote d Azur, but once prices went beyond £1500 for the fortnight we knocked the static on the head.

Since 2008 we have continued to go to the South of France and the Cote d Azur, but using our own Tent has brought the cost down to less than £150 for the fortnight and that includes electric on a 3 Star campsite.

Absolute no brainer for us, even though I have spent a small fortune on kit!

dk168

09/2/2016 at 12:27am
Location: Devizes Wiltshire
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Quote: Originally posted by Thorgrim on 08/2/2016
No reason to have a EHU. The idea of camping is to get away from all the usual crap and relax.

If you really want electric get a caravan or stay at home.

Each to their own. I know what I like when I go camping - if I want comfort, I shall have it.

Another reason to use EHU - I get a pitch close to the facilities, rather than having to pitch some distance away.

DK

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geoffprinter

09/2/2016 at 3:05pm
Location: Kent
Outfit: 5m Bell Tent & Olpro Pop Tent.

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I dont pretend to be a "real" camper. We comfort camp because thats what we like. Ive stayed in some nice hotels etc, but none of them can match that wonderful experience of getting up on a nice warm morning in a tent, poking your head out of a canvas (or polyester) door in your dressing gown and being able to just go outside sit on your chair and soak it all up. and as for breakfast nothing matches watching your loved one actually enjoying doing you a nice cooked breakfast on an electric tapanyaki grill out in the open. I think I have said it before somewhere on here, but that 1st breakfast on a barmy warm morning at Field Barn in the Cotswolds will stay with me for a long time. Oh and BTW I made the toast on our electric toaster and made the tea and coffee with our electric kettle.

VangoMan02

09/2/2016 at 4:02pm
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Having been an avid backpacker in my younger days and done all the "roughty,,toughty" stuff as we men and women like to do when we are young.

Being a bit older I now enjoy having a fan heater when its cold and a hot drink using electric kettle that does'nt take an age to boil water as on a gas stove.
If I don't have these things I would be unable to tent camp for health reasons.

As I get older I might need something like a blast furnace to heat me up, I am busy googling to see if Ebay do one that runs on 16amps

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Mucker1884

09/2/2016 at 4:08pm
Location: Derby.
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If I didn't have a heater... and certainly if I had to go outside to put the kettle on, I seriously don't think we'd camp all year round!

It takes what it takes!

floppy-poppy

09/2/2016 at 11:23pm
Location: notts
Outfit: Outwell Oakland xl & Bear Lake6

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Yup, we all do have our own take on camping. Unless you can choose to be a fine weather camper e.g. go when the weather and temperatures suit then you have to be prepared for well, anything, as we cannot pick and choose when we go away. Once booked at work, that's it
Last year we had two holidays that included high winds and rainy, dark nights. EHU just made those experiences more comfortable and easier to deal with (when the lamps didn't blow off the table!) So it's not all about going back to basics it is about feeling relaxed with what you have.
My eldest says we "glamp" because of certain things e.g.
We have a carpet - makes the tent warmer
We have tent slippers - can't walk around in boots all day
We have a bed - makes for easy storage and at our age, allows us to sleep well and keeps us camping
We have EHU - makes our evenings reading etc., more comfortable and relaxing as we can see and stay warm - we also don't tread on the dog! (he's black)
So, in our opinion we don't glamp.
For us EHU vs non EHU is a no brainer, although as Bob said 30 years ago it would have never been considered!

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Glamper Wendy

09/2/2016 at 11:36pm
Location: Kent
Outfit: Karma 5M belltent Static caravan

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Quote: Originally posted by Thorgrim on 08/2/2016
No reason to have a EHU. The idea of camping is to get away from all the usual crap and relax.

If you really want electric get a caravan or stay at home.

How can you relax when your freezing your butt off..trecking to the loos in the middle of the night..having to make a fire even in the rain for any heat..camping is camping..if your in a tent your camping..Nothing in the rule books about having to suffer to be a proper camper..I like my crap..it helps me relax..

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Campernic

10/2/2016 at 4:02pm
Location: Northern Ireland
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I think Thorgrim has a rather narrow minded view of what people can and cannot do on their holidays.

Most people have a tipping point between what constitutes are real camper and what does not. For me it is TV's. I hate to see my neighbour rock up with a TV as I know I'll have to put up with the noise pollution especially if their little darling watches the same disney movie every night before going to sleep (been there, done that).

But despite that, it's actually none of my business what other people do and I would hope that I have the freedom to spend my hard earned holiday in whatever fashion I see fit as long as I am not annoying anyone.

floppy-poppy

10/2/2016 at 11:17pm
Location: notts
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Well said Campernic!!

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Bernie47

10/2/2016 at 11:41pm
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Quote: Originally posted by Thorgrim on 08/2/2016
No reason to have a EHU. The idea of camping is to get away from all the usual crap and relax.

I suppose the same applies to modern synthetic tents, gas stoves, motor cars etc.

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hankakampa

11/2/2016 at 3:09am
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Quote: Originally posted by Thorgrim on 08/2/2016
No reason to have a EHU. The idea of camping is to get away from all the usual crap and relax.

If you really want electric get a caravan or stay at home.

and just where would my outwell electric heated carpet plug in without ehu?

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