camping newbie

PROJECT K

hi all, complete newbie when it comes to camping but always liked the idea and have always enjoyed hill walking/mountain climbing etc. Now having a small family of my own, I want to pursue this initially with my 6 year old son but hopefully the other two younger kids will join us when they are old enough - my wife absolutely hates the idea and is the reason I never got to do this until now! So, I need to gather the necessary equipment and the more I research the more confused I am with all the tent options out there - ideally I am looking for something relatively cheap but that will be  big enough to accommodate the whole family (hoping that my wife will join us too now and again!) with a modest living space. Also, while I am generally technically capable, I have nightmares of spending hours erecting the thing in the pouring rain so something that's easy to put up would be a big bonus!
I plan to build up the necessary equipment over time as we get into it more but are there any other items that I should be looking at as a priority at this stage?

CardinalJ

Do you want to wild camp or in campsites?
I presume with your kid you'll be starting on campsites?

Vango tents are a god place to start. They're good quality and not too pricey.

If you're going for a camp site then weight isn't an issue as you'll get a good size tent for €150-200. If it's something for you all to just sleep in and base an adventure from you won't need something too technical so don't get bogged down in it. Most of it is nonsense anyway.

Something like this would be perfect. Only has 3 poles.

€167 with cotswold outdoors at the moment. They'll do another 15% if you know someone in a hiking.climbing club.

rolion

@Project

Welcome and I feel your pain.
Been there myself.

The biggest issue here is not the hours or the poles,is your lovely wife ...
If you cannot corrupt her,the game is lose .Wnt with the kids alright but didnt feel happy.
My wife is not "bad" or lasy just liking too much her comfort zone,hating the unknown.
We went out few times but not more than a full weekend,as she loses the patience of staying there. Mainly hygiene reasons...

What i had to do myself is to try replicating the home comfort while being away.
Got the biggest tent, with lots of space for slepping and for central sitting/chatting/playing area,while outside pooring rain
warmer double airbeds,so no hard feeligs from cold and or grass
best sleeping bags,so she canot complain is too cold
a nice gas cylinder cook wih two fires and toasting and whole kitchen accessories.

My tent looks like this one HERE,pefect for individual space/comfort "home while away" to hide and lots of doing while listening to rain pouring on the canopy ! Manage to put it in around half hour with my wife and kids and off in less time.

Either choice you will pick,your battle is with you and not with the nature...
Enjoy it !!!

Orion

Definitely a tunnel tent (parallel poles) - easiest to put up - can even do it solo regardless of the size of it.

http://www.vango.co.uk/gb/tents/1073-avington-600xl.html - this is an excellent tent. Gooutdoors.co.uk do it for £400 but they call it the Anteus 600.

I know it's probably more expensive that you were thinking but if you think it's something you'll keep up it will be a great investment. It would also help get the wife onboard too. Large living area to chill in - can easily fit the whole family around a table in it with room to spare.

As for other equipment - start basic. A one or two ring gas stove, cheap pots and pans. Whistle kettle. Cooler box. Bits and bobs that you will need like cutlery, utensils, plastic bowls/plates etc. Go cheap on these to start with but spend money on the tent. You'll see things on campsites that will give you ideas what to get next. I built up my family camping kit over years and now go with a full kitchen essentially. But you don't need it to start off.

Next is the campsite - you want somewhere good for your first time so your wife can see what it can be like and your kids don't get bored. Hidden Valley in Rathdrum is excellent. Lots for the kids to do and you can have a campfire on the beach at night. Another great one is MorrisCastle - kids activities all summer and right beside the beach. There are plenty around tbh.

PROJECT K

great advice guys, thanks very much! yes will be campsites initially (and probably for quite a while!) as this offers more for the family. Will probably get the Vango Beta 450xl to start with and see how we get on, seems really good value for such a large tent.
Do I need a separate ground sheet for this tent or would you recommend an air mattress?

Orion

With any tent you will need groundmats. Either roll mats (foam) or inflating ones. Every now and again Lidl do some which are reasonable enough. Airbeds are available in Tesco. Never used them so can't really comment. I use a Thermarest self-inflating mat - expensive but worth every penny.

Personally I wouldn't recommend the 450 for family camping. It's a single bedroom for starters. And it's low down. Have a look at pics or go to the likes of Charles Camping to see one in all its glory. You need to crawl into it and can't really sit inside the porch. Don't get me wrong - they're great tents. Had a 250 for years - but more aimed at lads weekends away or scouts than family camping. I'd go for a head height one that you can walk into and has a decent living area you can sit in if it's raining. You won't win over the wife with the 450 on a wet weekend. At the very least I'd go for something like this. Very entry level but certainly good enough for family camping. Also includes a carpet and footprint for added warmth/comfort inside.

PROJECT K

thanks Orion, I appreciate what your saying but I don't think ill ever convince the wife no matter what tent I buy - she might consider a camper van maybe at a push but a tent would be a step too far unfortunately - and budget wont stretch to a camper!!! So initially and for at least the next 2 or three years it will be me and my 6 year old and hopefully my now 3yr old daughter when she reaches similar age, so I'm thinking this will be sufficient for our needs as a starting point but that's a good point re head height and separate sleeping areas especially for the younger kids...will have a look at other options in or around that price range
cheers
PK

Orion

You might be surprised. My wife was the of the same persuasion - no way was she ever going camping. But got a good tent, sewn in groundsheets, plenty of space and a warm sleeping bag with a comfortable mat and she's converted. Nothing quite like sitting in the open air with a glass of wine or a beer around a bbq while the kids are off playing in a field without any need for their phones. You provide the comfort and she might come around.

Which reminds me - one of these is a great purchase. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/4124V755cNL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
Folds up to nothing and great for a bbq. Once you've eaten you can stick a firelog in it and have a little campfire. Don't use wood close to the tent or sparks could hit it - but firelogs don't spark at all. Either Lidl or Aldi do them when they do camping gear for about 20 quid.

Orion

One other suggestion I'll make is to go to a good camping shop. If you're around Dublin/Kildare/Wicklow go to Charles Camping in Blessington. They have a big showroom with lots of tents pitched. That way you can see the tent in real life rather than from a picture and get a better idea of what would suit.

BeardySi

If you can make it up to Belfast, you can get some great deals on tents in Go Outdoors. http://m.gooutdoors.co.uk/camping/tents

Definitely get one with a big porch you can stand up in. If you're camping regularly you will have to deal with wet days and it's a lot easier with kids to have a usable space in the tent.
Two sleeping pods would be handier with kids, but not a deal breaker. Plus with separate pods the kids get to feel like they're camping by themselves while you're next door - can add to the sense of adventure.

For gear, a decent cooler, stove and a folding table of some sort are pretty much essential. Plates, cups etc are better in plastic than from the kitchen at home. A light source for the tent and a couple of of head torches are a must.

I'd go for self inflating mats or airbeds if you want comfort. As you're planning on staying on sites, transporting heavy beds isn't really an issue unless you run our of space in the car.

Get some decent sleeping bags, don't be tempted by the cheapie ones you get in tesco unless you're planning on only camping at the height of summer. A good 3 season bag will do you nearly all year round in Ireland.

JohnnyB23

Hi All. I'm in the same situation myself except I 've convinced the wife to do a couple of days camping, in a campsite and this is just the thread I was looking for. I'm also a newbie when it comes to camping so I was also looking for advise about how to make this trip as enjoyable as possible for my wife and 6 year old boy. We're hoping to build a home this year so a sun holiday is not on the cards. So... a couple of days in a campsite in Northern Ireland and on to the sister in law's place in Omagh is as good as its gonna get this year. Any tips or tricks for a newbie would be really appricated. Any recommendations on campsite or points of interest would be great.