Camping -Do's and Dont's

[Newbie!]

Due to low finances this summer, we've decided to take a few weekend breaks whenever there is good weather....all of which we'll be staying in a tent. Neither of us have ever camped before so Im just wondering what are the do's and don'ts of camping life? ie. things to bring, not to bring, to do etc...

 

[Jim2007]

Have you already dismissed An Oige as an option? In our student days we used to use it all the time for cheap weekend and holiday breaks. They used to also organise some great activities as well - rambling trips to the west and cycling in Donegal come to mind.

 

[Slim]

Due to low finances this summer, we've decided to take a few weekend breaks whenever there is good weather....all of which we'll be staying in a tent. Neither of us have ever camped before so Im just wondering what are the do's and don'ts of camping life? ie. things to bring, not to bring, to do etc...

Aldi or Lidl (I can never remember whose leaflet I was reading) are doing a load of camping gear this week. Tent, sleeping bags, gas cooker, flashlight, picnic table, self inflating mattress, tent pegs, 12/240v cool box. Also, bring a water container, at least 5 gals. If you have all that, you are pretty much sorted. In fact, you don't need all that. Go for it and don't worry about gear. If you are in Ireland, you're never far from a store to get what you need. Your biggest problem will be finding decent campsites!

 

[Thirsty]

Top tip - borrow kit from friends and see how you get on for a weekend first! You might hate it!

 

[flattea2]

Ha! From someone who took the plunge over the last few years here we go….!

Do not buy a 2 man tent for 2 people….. buy a 4/5 man tent…. I would recommend 5 man tent if staying for longer than 2 nights. Why? Because 2 man tents are literally just for sleeping in….. 4 man slightly more room but a 5 man tent you can bring fold up chairs and sit inside in comfort.

A four man tent would do 2 persons for a couple nights, honestly though if you were staying a week please get a 5 man tent!

When you buy your tent make sure you put it up in your garden beforehand as a practice run. Both to get familiar with it and to check for any missing poles (disaster if only noticed on site!)

Essentials –
disposable bar-b-que
torch
an air bed may be more preferable to mats. If you get an air bed its an absolute must to bring an electronic pump (can be plugged into car lighter outlet). Don’t rely on the blanket with the air bed – get sleeping bags as well
waterproof rating of your tent should be at least 2000mm especially considering the weather we are having. 1500mm will let in water after a few hours (I know from experience!). 3000mm is best but not essential as long as there isn’t constant rain.
A gas stove with a few small pots to cook in for example heat water, cook a few sausages or egg in the morning.
Flip flops for the showers!
Fold up chairs (can be bought in argos). Perfect for sitting out in! We didn’t buy these the first time and then only realised it was a mistake
Always bring plenty of food – nothing worse than late at night being hungry.
Beer J

Site wise – plenty of nice sites, if the toilet/shower facilities are good then its the sign of a good site.

If I think of anything else I’ll edit but feel free to ask me.

 

[Sandals]

We'v all the gear for three years but have only used it once. As Thirsty said borrow some gear from anyway as it can be expensive and also very troublesome to store. We bought ours in a closing down shop on an impulse as in-laws grew up on camping, Mosney etc.

Iv yet to see a good value price for one/two nights in a camp site, by the time you add in everything. There are fab deals on Groupon etc for family hotel deals.

The time we did go camping was at a "child friendly" music concert in Sligo but we left after one night. FREEZING. DIRTY. DAMP. However apparently a real camp site is 100% better as its built for camping and has facilities.