r/campinguk

Has anyone had a Berghaus tent with the "Nightfall" feature. I'm trying to see if I'll realistically get a good night's sleep, we currently have a Coleman Coastline 3 and by the time it's 5am I'm woken by the light. I've tried multiple eye masks but simply they come off or I can't get on with them, just wondering how dark they actually are etc.

I have 3 kids (13, 9, 7) and my wife and i want to start doing some 1-4 night camping trips to fill the summer out. On a whim i bought a Vango Illusion Air TC 800XL off FB marketplace for £400.

This weekend we did our first camp.

The effort required to pitch and pack down that tent for 1 night is more than im happy with, although the tent itself is great as all the kids have their own space and we could sit inside comfortably when it rained (which it did of course)

Additionally, the tent is 54kg and fills two thirds of my boot (19 3 series estate). I dont want a trailer

Another family had a smaller cheaper hi gear poled tent which had a much smaller living area. It packed down alot smaller and lighter, and meant they didnt need a roof box (corola estate).

It got me thinking, it would be great to have a much smaller setup for the "on a whim" camping trips or 1/2 night stays.

So im looking and the problem is, all these smaller tents are narrower, fitting 4 camp beds across is fine, but 5 can become a problem. As soon as you search for a wider tent, it also becomes 6-7m long, which i alrrady have in the vango.

My options seem to be, get a smaller 6 man tent (like the vango iris 500) with a sleeping area of 315. Thats 63cm per person. My cheap hi gear camp bed is 65 wide. Kids rough it on a floor mate for these short stays.

The other options is the tents where 2 bedrooms flank the living space, like the eurohike sendero. My wife doesnt like the idea of those , prefering the kids close. Im sure we could get over that.

Foes anyone know of a 5-6 man tent between 3.4 and 3.8m wide but also a smaller living space like 2m or less, so that the overall footprint is less than 5 metres?

Edit. Ive found a potential solution. Vango sierra 300 or 500. Both work with the vango universal inner bedroom using the skytrack. Pack away in the day them bed time put it up. Would also be flexible if we all arent going camping the tent eould still work for 3 or 4 for a longer trip

I’ll be camping for 2 weeks and I’ll be driving there.
It’s just me so I don’t need a massive tent but I’m wanting one where I have space to standup/get changed and stuff, I’m around 5ft 5 if that matters.
Has to have the floor part attached to it and as waterproof as possible.
I don’t really have a small budget but ideally less than £300.
I’ve also never been camping before so have no idea how to set up a tent so also ideally somewhat easy to set up on my own.
TIA!

I love the campsite Cornish Tipi Holidays layout, there they have different size private pitches separated by woodland and generally very cosy. Makes it feel more like wild camping, but with a loo!

I would love to find something similar particularly in Wales, but also elsewhere around the UK if you have any tips! 🕺

Going camping with my teen in June or Aug We normally only do 2/3 days but this time we’re doing 10nights what are some things you need that you would forget? & some things that you need that didn’t think of… looking for any advice on what I need to bring and what I think I need but I don’t actually need?

I really want to take my daughter for a weekend adventure when the weather is nice this summer. I know statistically it’s highly unlikely something will happen.

However I can’t get out of my head those horrid incidents of the little girl who was dragged from her tent by an evil man some years ago and the boy who was attacked in Scotland last Summer.

I’m not sure men will totally get this fear as it is completely irrational. However it is knowing that even though there are very few men like this, there are some men who see women and children as prey and are waiting for the opportunity. I know if we go, I’ll probably sit up all night.

Is there some kind of security device/ hack we could use that would at least block the entrance? We would camp at a site - so I’m less worried about someone slashing the side of the tent - as i am sure that would attract attention.

Looking for extra storage in my car but roof boxes will not work for me. Anyone have any advice on roof bags? Cheers

Any recommendations on the best Cadac to get ie packs small and good value as dont wanna waste money one top spec if it’s not worth it.

What would people recommend for a jackery or similar system. We have electric hook up but dont want to limit ourselves so will need enough power to charge phones, maybe electric hot plate etc for a few days. Don’t wanna spend £800 on an expensive power bank but also little £40 ones dont hold enough.

Any tips will also be appreciated folks!

I am not a camper but I though that people here would know something about cool boxes!

My beloved AEG under the counter frost free freezer died recently so after 15 years I am having to go back to an ordinary freezer and the grind of defrosting the frreezer every six months or so. Rather than relying on friends to store my frozen food I was thinking whether a cool box could store the food for the day it will take to defrost the freezer (Bosch under the counter). Obviously the food has to stay frozen otherwise it is a waste of time!

I'd appreciate it if anyone could share their experiences with cool boxes and whether they think any cool boxes on the market would be up to the job. My physics tells me I need to close pack it with food and overlay the food with ice or frozen freezer blocks to have any chance of success.

I am not looking for expensive powered devices. Just wanted to know whether the run of the mill insulated box would do the job.

Many thanks for any suggestions/comments

I'd like to take my 2 young sons (5 & 3) and maybe the wife camping. But don't want to get all the gear if no on enjoys it. I've got mate that will borrow me a tent to try it a few times see if it's for us. But what are the minimum essentials I need to buy alongside borrowing a tent.

2 kids sleeping bags? Or do most folk take an air bed with a light duvet for 2 kids? Same for myself I'll probably be happy with a sleeping bag but if the Mrs comes would we get a bigger airbed/duvet/cover

Small Gas Stove for coffee/bacon

Cool box

A camping electrical hook up

Some rechargeable lanterns/head torch

A small fold out table

I already have plenty of camp chairs

Also any recommendations for decent camp sites in Cumbria

Hi all,

I have somehow found myself attending Feis Ìle in Scotland for the first time next week after receiving some very last-minute time off from work.

At the moment I’m exploring camping options (since the accommodation dept has no vacancies) and would love to know where you guys think is the best store in Glasgow to acquire some camping gear?

Ill be flying in from Australia to Glasgow, since most of the CalMac ferry spots have already been booked out, so cant be purchasing anything too heavy or bulky.

Im a newbie so id love to also head somewhere that can give me some decent advice on what to get for Islay weather conditions, which I hear, is quite the polar opposite to Australia 👀

Would love any suggestions in general about camping in the UK, esp this time of the year, in exchange for some Australian drams if you guys happen to be around Glasgow from the 19th-20th, or attending the festival from the 22nd-31st😄

Cheers,

hey, me and my partner went camping together for the first time a few weeks ago. we used her tent (kelty far out 2) which they have used before, but this time 3 of the pole segments cracked and as we are in the UK kelty (an american company) doesn't help with replacements or fixes. just wondering if anyone has any advice about what to do here as my partner is extremely upset and really likes their tent but doesn't have the money to buy a new one. any advice is welcome 😊

Hi all, I've seen some fantastic advice given in here and learned about tent brands and shops i didn't know about before! Would anyone mind having a look at our requirements and making a recommendation?

2 adults 1 kid (sometimes 1 dog too) we currently have the Hi gear hampton 6 which we love but its coming to the end of its life sadly.

We are looking at air/inflatable to make setup and takedown faster and easier to keep an eye on kiddo during. We love the size of the current tent and want to stick to one that has the ground sheet attached. An enclosed porch would be a huge upgrade imo.

We have been looking at the Kampa Croyde but budget is up to £800 ish. We mostly car camp and have a trolley for other sites. Thanks in advance

I’ve checked where the holes are, and there are multiple along the foot end. Rather than having to find each one individually, is there a way just to patch the whole edge?

Going to go camping with a bunch of uni friends end of next week. Need some ideas of stupid things that people do (like group activities) to keep the camp interesting.

Really want to hear people’s stories and opinions and might be stealing some of your ideas.

Cheers