Whether you are a camping novice or a seasoned camper you can never be too prepared. Here are our top tips to help make your first camping experience go without a hitch.
Clever Packing
- When loading up the car make sure you pack the tent last so it’s the first thing out when you arrive. This is especially important if it’s raining as nothing else will get wet! You may also want to pack the stove, kettle and teabags last so you can have a cuppa before unpacking.
- Store everything in plastic boxes with lids- if it rains cardboard will be useless. Large plastic boxes can easily double up as a table too.
- Always take spare tent pegs, guy ropes and duct tape. Just make sure you remember where you’ve packed these!
- A portable gazebo can be really useful for creating an area to sit in especially if you have a few small tents rather than one larger one. The shade from the gazebo is useful for rain or shine!
- Check the gas for your stove is full!
Pitching Up
- Practice pitching your tent in the garden before you go; this applies if it’s a brand new or old tent. There will be nothing worse than discovering a problem with your tent at the campsite!
- Choose your pitch wisely. Check for levelness (a slight incline is ok), stones and sticks as these can make for an uncomfortable night and even damage your tent. Never ever pitch you tent at the bottom of a hill, under a tree or next to hedges.
- If you will be pitching your tent at night, take a headtorch so you can see what you are doing.
- Condensation commonly forms inside tents. To reduce this make sure all available vents are open and avoid bringing wet clothing into the tent. Try not to touch the inside walls of your tent either as this could cause rain water/dew to come through.
Home Comforts
- Electric hook ups are useful if you have a trailer or camper van but can also be handy if you have a tent. Great for phone chargers, electric kettles and even hair driers. If you can’t do without make sure your campsite has electric hook ups before you go.
Be Prepared
- Always do your research on the campsite/area before you go. There is only so long you can play board games in your tent in the rain, so make sure there are activities at the campsite for wet weather or the area has places of interest.
Alfresco Dining
- If you won’t have the facilities to keep food cold don’t take too much fresh food, instead opt for tinned, powdered and packet foods that won’t need to be chilled.
Night Time
- In the UK it will always be cold at night, regardless of how hot it has been in the day. If you aren’t warm enough to sleep you will have a miserable night so pack a warm sleeping bag, blankets and even a woolly hat! If you will be sleeping on an air bed make sure you have something underneath (roll mates or even cardboard) as the cold ground will cause cold air to circulate in the mattress.
- If you are a light sleeper get earplugs!
