Camping looks complicated

[sologuitarist61]

No idea if there's something equally useful near you RIchard, but I believe you said you were off up to the Lakes at some point soon? If so, you'll be passing this place:

http://www.tauntonleisure.com/rte_page.php?id=107

which might be worth a visit.

James

Thanks James for the link. Yes going up in a month and am stopping off at the NLO on the way back so a little trip to Taunton en route sounds good, Thanks again. :smiley:

[JamesF]

Be aware that the place they have all the tents set up is in Brent Knoll, closer to Bristol. You'll still be going past it, but if you get off the motorway at Taunton you'll be in completely the wrong place

James

[sologuitarist61]

Thanks James - I didn't pick that up from the web site :smiley:

[Astro_Baby]

If transport space is a problem why not hire a van. Thats what we do each time as we only have a tiny city car ( Toyota Aygo ) ....we knew when we bought it that it was too teensy for some uses but we saved so much cash on petrol and tax that we can afford to hire a van for those relatively rare occasions when we need massive load capacity.

The van in my pic was borrowed for the weekend but we usually hire a small transit. The space in the transit actas extra storage on the campsite as well.

If we cut down the load a bit we could maybe get it all in the Aygo assuming we took a smaller scope but past experience of driving an overloaded Aygo was not much fun and poor little car really struggled to get u some of the hills........on the other hand it REALly annoyed petrol heads on small country roads by us chugging along at about 20 mph on hills.

[Adrian Condon]

Hi,

I read with interest the comments on tents, somebody new to camping needs to consider a number of options before deciding on how to splash the cash.

Before recommending a tent, it is essential to know the requirements of the camper.... There is a very good guide to camping by the Camping and Caravan Club.

They have articles on tents and camping safety issues.

How to choose a tent...

http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/helpandadvice/gettingstarted/newtotents/

Safety.....

http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/helpandadvice/camping-safety/

I think it is a good idea to see the tents that interest you erected. For camping in a campsite at a Star Party it is essential to be able to stand up in the choosen tent.

Also is there sufficient space to have new friends with their folding chairs to come for Coffee and Java Cakes....

I have an Outwell Trout Farm 4 polycotton tent which has a porch and a zipped in ground sheet. I have never suffered water entering the tent in heavy rain and we had very high winds and heavy rain on the Monday night at the end of SGL 6, the only water in the tent that night was the beer and ouzo.

I just close the door on the porch side if the rain is coming from that direction and open the door on the other side of the tent.

A number of people attending Star Parties hire a van to carry all their gear.

I use a roof rack, it definitely effects the mpg by about 10 - 15%. (from 50 mpg to 43 mpg)

I use a Quasar Mountain tent for wild camping on the Scottish mountains, it is portable and can withstand extreme conditions. You cannot stand up in it, it is definitely not suitable for star parties!!!

So to finish, there are all sorts of tents, none are perfect for all situations, it is a compromise in end.

Cheers

Adrian

[haitch]

I can just about squeeze the scope, tent and camping gear and a mate in my SAAB 9-5 Estate. For family camping I use a roofbox and a trailer. That said my tent is a bulky steel poled heavy canvas Trigano job but I would say for family camping the most essential thing is a trailer (perhaps even a trailer tent? - my next acquisition once I've talked the wife round)

[sologuitarist61]

If transport space is a problem why not hire a van. Thats what we do each time as we only have a tiny city car ( Toyota Aygo ) ....we knew when we bought it that it was too teensy for some uses but we saved so much cash on petrol and tax that we can afford to hire a van for those relatively rare occasions when we need massive load capacity.

You make a good point about hiring a van, and, if push come to shove, a couple of sleeping bags in the back would be OK.

[Astro_Baby]

I would seriously advise against sleeping in the back of a van. Folk at SSP a few years ago saw me kipping in the back of a huge transit van. It seemed like a good idea and we kitted it up like a gysy caravan with carpets, airbeds, wall hangings etc.

Absolutely cold like sleeping in a fridge. My days doing festivals deluded me. At a festival your round and about, near a campfire or boozing. Your dong none of that with astro, just standing still getting very cold. A van at the end of the evening is even colder as the metal acts like a heatsink extracting warmth from inside and pouring it out toa cold sky.

Deeply unpleasnat plus a van , even a huge walking height tramsit, seems massive empty.....put a few beds in there and watch the space vanish. Trying to get yourself organised in really cramped conditions is a really pain.

Also you need to remember this is the uk....you cant rely on good weather, whatcha gonna do if it rains all day....you need some kind of living space. If all you have is a bivvy or a van to sit in you will get a mite tired of it all whereas a decent sized tent means you can si and read, make coffee, chat and watch the world go by outside and at least have some soace for each of you rather than two of you moving about like brownian motion endlessly because you need the loo, they need a cuppa, you need a book, they need to find the phone.........close proximity even to your nearest and dearest under cramped, cold conditions can be the perfect receipe for a row.

[sologuitarist61]

The same thing happens in a car if you have to sleep in one (done that few times). I still wonder if it isn't better than sleeping in a tent though and having to put up with wind, rain and wildlife bothering you all night. :smiley:

[TheNorthernMonkey]

You can get a caravan from a couple of grand off ebay if you dont mind one thats a little old. It will have 240v systems, that you can plug in, meaning a kettle and a heater & a proper full size bed. If you can find somewhere to store one, and have a car that will pull one, a much better bet.

[Uplooker]

I see loads of peoples comments about not using a roof box. I bought one of the following:

http://www.carnopy.co.uk/RoofSack.htm

reason being that if i got a roof box, when I wasn't using it I would have to store a big empty space. This roof sack cost me £100, it packs down into a bag smaller than a small and I mean small tent.

Yes having something stuck on your roof reduces your fuel economy, but if it is the difference between taking something or not taking it I would rather pay the extra fuel.

Ian

[Stu]

Looks like a really good idea, says he looking at his roof box which is 'stored' in the garden when not in use . Not a bad price either.

Having said that, I'm tempted by the roof box that turns into a boat!

http://boatbox.co.uk/

Stu

[scarp15]

Crucially the most important camping factor is comfortable sleeping, and placing insulation between you and the ground. So a thermarest (insulated & self inflating) type mat or equivalent is the way to go, and if your sleeping bag is not too good then consider upgrading it by installing a sleeping bag liner.

[sologuitarist61]

You can get a caravan from a couple of grand off ebay if you dont mind one thats a little old. It will have 240v systems, that you can plug in, meaning a kettle and a heater & a proper full size bed. If you can find somewhere to store one, and have a car that will pull one, a much better bet.

The in-laws have one of these, but I cannot use it as our car isn't big/powerful enough it tow it, bit of a bind really.

[Groucho Ben]

I don't drive, so my camping and astro kit, in total, has to be moveable by train or bus. I have an ed80, porta II mount, and a terraquatro 3 man tent. It weighs in at 3kg, and is totally bombproof, I love the thing. My first love is camping, actually, and it partly dictated my choice of astrokit.

All in, with therma roll and lightweight bag, with tripod and mount in the rucksack too, I'm carrying around 10kg in my backpack, and then my scope case as well. Quite a bit of weight, but doable, and it allows you to march about 1 hour out, say along a coastal path, so you can wild camp with your scope, and, of course, a medicinal bottle of single malt!

Interestingly, you can get yourself a big old tent, and still keep your weight down, if you go for a golite:

http://www.golite.co...ent-P46714.aspx

In fact, maybe i'll end up mimicking aperture fever, and I'll have two tents and two scopes! A man can dream, right? Enjoy your camping, it's the best way of holidaying in my opinion...

[tich]

I've got a 32 year old Rapido folding caravan which I brought for 300 quid a few years ago. Its very basic but it does me as it has a floor heater, sink & cooker. It's about the size of a trailer when folded & it had some folk at SGL7 scratching their heads trying to figure out how it worked. The only downside is it need 2 people to unfold it although there are smaller models which can be done solo.

Mine's the one on the right & my mates is on the left.

Both set up at Trig Point near Whitby.

All set up at SGL (Thanks Mat & Carl for helping me fold & unfold it.)

Some folk on eBay do try to charge silly high prices for them but if you've room to store these & they will fit in a garage with ease then I think they're excellent if you can live with the floral pattern inside some of the early models,

[nickdud]

ok people, its time for my tupence!

big tent... go outdoors.... cheap in sales.... they do em like dfs sell sofa's

comfy bed? futoncompany.co.uk sell zip up sleepover matress' that zip together and that will cater for as many in your tent....

warm? buy 3 x 10tog supermarket duvets and 2 covers(£50ish), put 2 duvets in 1 cover and 1 in the other, if its cold, sleep on tthe single under the double and if its warm just reverse them......... and if you want a "quick" night out buy a us army "sleep system. mmmmm toasty:)

i dont like cold nights and i love camping

[Groucho Ben]

With clear skies like the one in that picture, I'd put up with all the floral pattern in the world. Great setup tich!

[tich]

With clear skies like the one in that picture, I'd put up with all the floral pattern in the world. Great setup tich!

Thanks, it does everything I want of it & with my oil radiator keeps me nice & cosy at night too. I forgot to add it's very lightweight at only being 650KG so a smaller car can tow it with relative ease.

[stuffedhaggis]

The best thing to do is get out and enjoy it. Grab a poncho and some cord . Camp anywhere .. Can you tell am ex forces lol

[dharma66]

Thanks for the replies, all. Work life got a bit out of hand for a while, but things are calming down now.

Well, it turns out the missus is well up for camping...or at least 'glamping'. So this weekend, after I mentioned it only a couple of times over the last couple of months, she says 'GoOutdoors have a sale on. Are we going to get a tent, then?'

Now, I did fancy an Outwell, but when we sat down and thought about it, we decided to spend a little less. We'll be doing most of our camping at star parties, and maybe an odd weekend as a base for walking, and I'm afraid we will definitely be fair weather campers. I don't see the point in trying to stargaze whilst it's tipping down with rain. So we went for something a bit cheaper.

We just need a few bits and pieces for cooking and sleeping, and we'll be setup.

[Adrian Condon]

Hi,

Star Parties are mainly run in the camping off-season, i.e. September through May.

These are not usually fair weather camping months, but have the best night skies.

There is plenty of advise on this site about sleeping bags and how to stay warm on cold nights.

I have found that cheap cooking pots are a waste of money. You would be better off using some from your kitchen...

If the camp site has electricity, using an electric kettle speeds up the morning cuppa!!

I have an Outwell polycotton tent, they are very good, warmer in winter and cooler in summer. (I get plenty of visitors!!!)

I have been to star parties that have had great weather, some average and one the less said about the rain the better!!!

I am going to the Galloway Star Party at Kirkinner in November (best dark skies.....).

I may go to the next Cumbria one, no date available at present.

Hope the weather stays kind.

Cheers

Adrian

[cotterless45]

Nicest value is the Vango Icarus 500. You can get an extension canopy. I got a free Vango carpet with mine. It's nice to be able to have headroom.

The scopes go in the spacious front section.

It's very well made, easy to put up and will last you years.

Although a 5 man tent, it is my solo, as Aunt Sally hates camping.

Nick.

[Moonshane]

+1. I have this tent and the canopy too. very good value.

[lulu57]

I like to glamp, but my must-have accessory is very simple...a bucket with a lid.