We recently experienced our first camping trip as a family. Here’s a list of what we took, what we learned and what we will be doing differently next time!
Having been a Brownie and a Girl Guide as a child, I’ve had some experience of the great outdoors, and I still cherish fond memories of quiet nights under simple canvas with my childhood friends. Joe, however, has distant memories of a disastrous family camping holiday cut short by torrential rain and an uncomfortable nights rest. Despite that, as Teddy has been asking to go camping for a while, we thought we’d give it a whirl and see what happens! What could possibly go wrong?
Choosing The Tent
Arguably the most important investment we would make for our camping escapade would be the tent. We wanted something inexpensive, yet practical for a small family. Being total novices, we thought it best to go and see a few tents to help up make the right choice, so off we went to our nearest ‘Go Outdoors’. We pondered the options, checked the online reviews, stepped inside a few, pondered a bit more, then took the plunge for the one we liked the most. The tent we bought was a Eurohike Rydall 500 5 Person Tent, and at £120, we felt it was good value for the size of it. We could stand up in it, it had a black-out bedroom area with optional partition and a covered porch with inbuilt ground sheet. Also, as it was under £150, it wasn’t a huge investment if it didn’t work out well. When we got it home, we thought we would try and erect it to check for any damage or missing parts, but it turns out the tent looked smaller in the shop and it wouldn’t fit in our living room or our garden! #RookieMistake! Thankfully we could get it back in the bag without filing for divorce!
Where To Sleep
A good night’s sleep can make or break the whole experience, but without making a huge financial contribution to equipment, its hard to know what to choose. We decided to go for basic sleeping bags (2 x Eurohike Snooze 200 at £10 each, 1 x Kids’ Sleeping Pod™ at £19) and inflatable single beds for all (3 x Bestway Single Flocked Airbed Inflatable Mattress – we paid £5 each in store at our local Morrisons). We also invested in an AA-battery powered air pump for £10 to save our patience and lungs. Finally, we took our own spare pillows from home, bringing the total family sleeping arrangement expenditure to £64 total.
Let There Be Light!
We took a few battery powered LED press-on lights for late-night loo visits, but as we camped in July, we didn’t really use them much. We already had some of these in the house so didn’t need to purchase any, however I would advise having some sort of light source that isn’t your phone or a flame, just incase.
Everything Else
As our tent had an enclosed living area, we invested in camping chairs, and I am so glad we did. We actually spent a lot of time using them, and even though they were cheap and cheerful, they seem like they will last a fair few trips. We bought a pair of camping chairs from Argos which were 2 for £15, plus a kids’ chair from Millets for £8.
We took a huge Thermos flask of hot water and a smaller one of cold milk for making tea. These were great, but obviously we ran out of hot water very quickly. It was ideal for a first trip and just for one night, but I think we will invest in a camping kettle for the next trip as I do enjoy a fresh, hot cup of English Breakfast morning, noon and night!
Also on our packing list:
- Tea Bags, Mugs & Tea Spoons
- Fruit Squash / Cordial
- Zip-loc bags
- Flapjacks (early breakfast treat for early risers)
- Toilet Roll/Kitchen Roll
- Wet Wipes
- Extra blankets
- Pyjamas & thick socks
- Wellies & raincoats
- An old towel (for drying the tent off before packing it up)
- Power bank (for charging phones)
Next Time
Before our next camping trip, there are a few small investments we are going to make. Firstly, I need a camping kettle. It turns out I have a ‘tea’ problem! So far as addictions go, it’s not an expensive or harmful one, but apparently I need it to function, so there it is. Secondly, we need something to heat up the kettle in the absence of electricity, so we will either invest in a camping stove or a raised grill for use over a camp fire.
What We’ve Learned
Camping can still be enjoyed in the rain, you just have to be prepared.
You don’t need expensive gear to have a good time.
Always have loo roll handy, particularly when camping with kids!
Zip-loc bags are life! Keeping open food and storing rubbish in a sealed bag keeps unwanted visitors away, and if you use them right, you can rinse and repeat too!
If you like this article, check out some of our other camping posts here.
What are your camping must-haves? Where are your favourite campsites? Let us know – sharing is caring!
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Our Whimsical World 
The problem I have with camping, is that it’s always raining when we need to depart and aside from trying to stuff wet children, dogs and camping gear into a car that always appears to have shrunk from when you arrived, at some point fairly soon you’ll have to air the tent at home to avoid mildew. 🙈 😂
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Oh yes, we had to put the kid in the car with his tablet (so much for no screen time) whilst we shook off & towel dried the tent before stuffing it in the bag only to hang it over the bannister when we got home, but it was worth it for the memories!
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absolutely worth it! 🤩
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