The Holiday Thread

[DeskJockey]

yeah, me and the boy were jumping on them to try and freak out the mrs.

Top work. Our eldest doesn't like heights, so he was quite uncomfortable watching us walk over it.

To be fair, they’re not super confident about them - they have nets underneath….

Presumably a belts and braces approach.

[Gavin]

We went to Rhodes at the start of the school holidays, then my wife and daughter did a last minute short in Ibiza, the quiet side, then a week or so later my wife and i nipped to Crete for a last minute shorty holiday. I just booked a few nights in mid September in Spain, when my Mother lives with just my son, so way more than our usual, but fiting stuff in where we can.

TBH, we usually go abroad in the October break as the weather is usally high 20s, which is perfect for doing stuff, it waas high 30s in Rhodes and mid to high 20s in Crete so although lovely, was probably a bit hot for peely wally Scots.

[Gavster]

This thread has raised a question, can camping be a restful experience? I always come back from a camping trip feeling exhausted. Bad sleep, nowhere to sit. Plus a ton of kit to sort out too.

The experience of waking up in a quiet field is amazing, so is sitting around the BBQ in the evening. It’s just the sleep and relaxation which suffers.

Is there anything which you guys who have done a bit more camping recommend to get a great night sleep?

[dinny_g]

no need for bad sleep when you go camping - you just need the right sleeping aparatus.

Forget any sort of Airbed at all - no matter how "good", they will ALWAYS deflate and you'll be inflating them at 4 in the morning. And if your other half is a fraction lighter then you, you'll be on the floor and they'll be 2 foot off it by 2 am

But it also doesn't have to be expensive.

Get one of these:



£45 from Go Outdoors - https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15983967/h ... d-15983967

and on top, put one of these:



£54 from Go Outdoors - https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/16555328/h ... t-16555328

for just shy of £100, you're guaranteed good sleep. or to put it anther way, I'm 15 odd stone and I happily and comfortably sleep on my side on that set up all night...

[DeskJockey]

We've got a 10cm double SIM (Self Inflating Mattress) and it is fantastic. We've got an underlay and use a thin duvet to pad it it a bit. Decent camping chairs are not expensive and depending how much kit you think you need, it isn't really a big effort.

Edit: can't be bothered with sleeping bags. We just bring our winter duvet and pillows.

[Rich B]

i’m camping at the moment down in dorset. With camping you either go maximum and bring everything to make life comfortable or minimum to make it a challenge.

we’re doing the former, and making a list of all the extra bits that we’d bring next time.

[dinny_g]

Carpet for the interior space, closed cell foam / yoga mats to cover the floor of the sleep part.

Oh and an electric hook-up

[Rich B]

Carpet for the interior space, closed cell foam / yoga mats to cover the floor of the sleep part.

Oh and an electric hook-up

i don’t like the “set sized plots” aspect of having a power hook up. The place i’m at now has a big field overlooking the sea and you set up where ever you want.

we went right to the top of the hill and got the best view with lots of space around us.







it’s a lovely campsite, but there is a small water treatment area near the toilet/shower block at the bottom of the hill that does smell a bit. I’m amazed how many people are set up down there (presumably to save walking up the hill.)

[V8Granite]

We are the opposite, a big tent, definitely no electric hook up and self inflating mattresses.

The only issue we’ve found with sleep is if the pitch is on a side slope. Our tent is big enough so even a slight downward gradient and we put our feet first, then we always sleep well.

Electric hook-up means people around you bring everything with them and are noisy council types. We’ve had to tell people with a 32” telly to turn it off as it’s too loud. This is all on nice sites, the telly one was at Sandringham.

We have a fridge we need for butter, our food and the dogs food, powered with a battery box and solar. The rest is just clothing and a table and some chairs. It doesn’t need to be more than that.

2 small tables
4 chairs
Dog stake
Fridge
Solar
Big battery bank
Clothes
Dry food
Washing line for towels etc
Sleeping bags
Roll matts
Interior lights at night
Water container

The weirdest issue we’ve have is the kids wake up after us, when normally it’s before us, always happens when we camp.

The biggest difference a good campsite can make is large clean showers and toilets.

Dave!

[V8Granite]

Carpet for the interior space, closed cell foam / yoga mats to cover the floor of the sleep part.

Oh and an electric hook-up

i don’t like the “set sized plots” aspect of having a power hook up. The place i’m at now has a big field overlooking the sea and you set up where ever you want.

we went right to the top of the hill and got the best view with lots of space around us.







it’s a lovely campsite, but there is a small water treatment area near the toilet/shower block at the bottom of the hill that does smell a bit. I’m amazed how many people are set up down there (presumably to save walking up the hill.)

Looks to be a perfect place, if you don’t need an actual fridge, apart from phones and night lights, there isn’t anything to power ?

Dave!

[dinny_g]

Hook-up allows us to bring a kettle and toaster for convenience

Yes we have the gas stove but it’s just pure convenience.

And a small air heater’s a godsend in after october

[Mito Man]

I don’t go camping but surely an Ecoflow (other brands available…) is the best of both worlds?

[mik]

I always come back from a camping trip feeling exhausted. Bad sleep, nowhere to sit.

We tried camping a couple of times when the kids were young and realised that the best solution to those issues for us was this.

[John]

That looks very European

[jamcg]

@Gavster camping can be done well. First thing is know your tent. Put it up and down a couple of times before you go so you’re not stressing about it while you’re away.

Decide whether you want electric or not, if not plan your mobile charging system. I use my makita 18v batteries with a usb adapter

As suggested take a bed to get you off the floor. Fishing beds (sometimes called bed chairs) are the shit. They’re way bigger and more comfortable than anything you will see called a camp bed

This is my tent, it’s an air tent and I can both put it up and down by myself, I’ve never folded it the same way twice but it always goes back in the bag

8a50e6bb-79b8-4a84-be46-fed47e9c9d7f.jpeg (54.53 KiB) Viewed 728 times

One final note- when you pack the car make sure the tent is accessible in case you get to site and it’s pissing down

[jamcg]

Also just putting it out there that your local scout group will always be desperate for volunteers if you want to learn and support young people along the way

[DeskJockey]

We tend to book electric pitches as we like being able to charge/run the cooler box, and we go with the SiL who has a trailer tent thing that needs power to work.

What we really need is @Gavster to take the scientific approach he normally favours and do a year-long study covering as many aspects as possible: seasons, optimising camp site pitch selection, basic vs comfort camping, the art of maximising packing capacity, fastest way to set up/pack down, and so on. Mix in some outdoor cooking and you'll have a series with many episodes!

[Jimmy Choo]

Carolina Squat

Was she not married to @Jimmy Choo ?
[/quote]



Oh, that name is going to stick.

[Carlos]

I always come back from a camping trip feeling exhausted. Bad sleep, nowhere to sit.

We tried camping a couple of times when the kids were young and realised that the best solution to those issues for us was this.

That's the route we went down. Spent a year buying and trying more camping gear and my wife still couldn't sleep and could barely walk after a weekend away so bought a fixed bed caravan.

Favourite camping kit was the Weber Go Anywhere

[ZedLeg]

I’ve been looking at putting together a camping set up that’ll fit on my bike.

It’s an interesting challenge tbh, like, how little can you get away with.

Carrying enough food and water to keep you going for a few days cycling all day is a consideration. Once you’ve got that a bivvy bag and a light sleeping bag it doesn’t leave space for much else.