How do.

I'm wanting to take up camping. I'm new to it all and obviously I know I need a tent. I was wondering if any of you lovely people could advise on what else I may need. Is there anywhere that does starter kits for instance. It will just be for me and I'm wanting to just try it out in the Peaks somewhere.

One other thing is the legal side of camping. Am I right in thinking I can't just plonk myself in a field out in the Peaks somewhere? Are there special sites put aside? Can you recommend a good site?

Many thanks in anticipation of all your answers.

Hi Halfords do starter kits,not the best kit but ok for your 1st time camping.

Tent 2x sleeping bags,mats and lamps about £99 (not sure of the exact price )

Answer to your question regarding plonking yourself in a field,is no you have to get the land owners permission,but there are lots of nice camp sites out in the Peak District.

Happy Camping..

I'd recommend getting a slightly bigger berth tent as it gives you more storage room etc. We started with a 5 berth for 4 of us and now have a 10 berth. :-)

You might also want to check out the Sheffield Interest Section of this forum where a dedicated camping forum can be found:

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=135

Get a caravan, much easier, pull up and start enjoying, no faffing putting tents up, and you can cook meals loads easier.

Costs a little more cash to start up but well worth it.

IMO of course.

You probably won't want to spend to much money when starting out, just in case you don't like it.
Decathlon have a good range of cheap tents and camping gear. (http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/). Gooutdoors also stock a range of tents and camping equip.

For the bare basics you will need:

Tent: Either a pop up tent (http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/2-seconds-i-dark-green-67842624/) or a back packing (http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/t2-22083845/) tent may fit the bill, depending on how much walking your going to do.
Sleeping bag: Make sure it will keep you warm on cold nights
Sleeping mat/air bed: essential as they insulate you from the floor
Pillow/inflatable pillow
Camping towel
Basic toiletries
Toilet paper
Torch

For cooking:
Camping stove: http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/camp-bistro-stable-camp-stove-173384764/ or http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/camping-chef-stove-76228774/
Pan/kettle:http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/4-person-non-stick-cookset-67881050/ http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/1-75l-aluminium-kettle-118878998/
Plastic plates
Beverage holder
camping cutlery: http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/stainless-steel-3-piece-set-3241651/
Food
Booze

If you travel to campsites by car then you can add:

Collapsible table
Camping chairs
Portable BBQ
Fire pit/bowl
Kitchen sink

There are plenty of campsites around , http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/ list most of them.

jb

I'd probably suggest doing a local Ebay search (ie within 10 miles) for some good quality second hand camping gear. The amount of stuff that people have used only once (tried it and didn't like it) is staggering.

Regarding the campsite, people will always suggest a campsite as someone seems to own everything. Though these places are great for having a shower and supplying clean water the actually camping out part of your adventure will be marred by noise and kill the true outdoor experience. I don't know the peaks well, but I often used to get myself up to the lakes and my strategy always involved getting as far away from roads and civilisation as possible and setting myself up in the last half hour of daylight in order to enjoy the profound silence of the wilderness, its really something and if your far enough away from anywhere your not likely to be bothered by anyone.

If you take my advice please remember to leave the site as you found it, take your rubbish with you or I will personally come round to your house and crap in your living room:hihi:

I've moved your post to the Camping Group - I'm sure you'll get lots of helpful advice in here.

ukcamping website is fantastic, very useful.

If you can borrow a tent for the first time to see if you like it, it might save you a few quid if you decide its not for you.

Make sure you have a camping mat or inflatable bed, no need for sleeping bags if you haven't any, duvuts will be ok.

Oh, and you can't just camp anywhere even in the middle of nowhere but it does happen.

A group of us used to wild camp in The Lakes a few times a year. It was miles from anywhere and we always cleared up and camped responsible. However in the Peaks there are plenty of sites which don't cost the earth.

Thanks guys some really helpful stuff.

Bonjon; I don't have a car so pulling the caravan would likely knacker me.

Barleycorn; Thanks for such a great post. Lots of information there.

NorthernStar; Thanks for the tip. I promise any area I visit I will leave exactly as I found it.

I think I will enjoy it as it's something I've wanted to do for years but just not got round to it. I hope to be a sensible, well behaved, happy camper.

Don't forget matches to light your camping stove if its not got electronic ignition. We learned this the hard way!!

GL note:

For legal reasons, this is just a friendly reminder that any talk of wild camping is prohibited within the group.

Thanks

Stagey
Group Leader

GL note:

For legal reasons, this is just a friendly reminder that any talk of wild camping is prohibited within the group.

Thanks

Stagey
Group Leader

Please say you're kidding? We allow discussions about murder and drug use but not wild camping even though those who referred to it are clearly responsible?
Freakish.

Please say you're kidding? We allow discussions about murder and drug use but not wild camping even though those who referred to it are clearly responsible?
Freakish.

It is an odd one since Trail magazine could be seen to be actively promoting it with some of their content

I suppose if advice was given about "if you happened to be outdoors and needing a toilet, stay away from water sources, carry out used loo roll etc" that wouldn't be specifically about "wild camping" though would it?

Whereas giving advice about WHERE to wild camp is another matter (a bit like advice on how to start taking drugs)

Unless of course one was discussing Wild Camping in Scotland or Dartmoor National Park- would that be tolerated since it is not breaking any laws?

Please say you're kidding? We allow discussions about murder and drug use but not wild camping even though those who referred to it are clearly responsible?
Freakish.

That is the main forum - for which I no longer have any jurisdiction. If you take issue with anything on that side of the forum then report it through the usual channels.

The groups are run and managed differently.

Whether you agree or not, with respect, it's not up for discussion. Let's move on and get back to the point of the OP.

Regards

Stagey.

can I ask what sort of camping you have in mind ? Baden Powell always said to camp with purpose and I wonder what that is for you

we do two types, for a really basic camping I take my ridge tent and maybe one of my children, a stove/kettle and some basic stuff like SIM/Bag/torch

North Lees is a great site for that, sit out with the stars in total peace (usually) and feel refreshed and restored

for family long weekend trips we have a Dutch Pyramid and Canvas Tarp, we probably only add coolbox with some grub in it. But we like minimal camping and focus on having quality family time. Go to Slenningford and Sherwood Forest Park for those trips

If you want to camp in comfort then thats opening up a whole world of options you wouldnt believe

If you are on a budget I would suggest borrowing a tent or getting something sound/local of Ebay (the Joyof Canvas Website has tips on where to buy cheap gear). If you hate it then financially you have lost anything

good luck, let us know how you get on

Take matches or a lighter with you... handy for anything.. bbqs... making tea... absolute essential the other guys forgot theirs thankfully i had a lighter.. could have been disastrous.

Also for morning tea and stuff I would say you need some sort of stove
depending of whether u intend on camping a lot or not then that determines the price, we paid 30quid for a 2man tent which was regatta, still excellent condition and kept us warm enough, that was from argos as well as my 15quid sleeping bag which kept me warm in July although I would recommended you spend a little more on a better quality one because I doubt it would keep you warm any other time of year! Oh and you might want to get a pillow and some sort of sleeping map because my back killed after 2 nights!

Erm... Plenty of food like crackers an stuff... avoid taking butter ours melted -_- And keep your rubbish in the tent we got robbed by a fox!

Hi, myself and my partner are thinking of going camping in August. Neither of us have been before so don't know where to start. Obviously we are aware we will need a tent but whats a good tent? Have been told a 3-4 berth one would be best so we have more room but what else should we consider?
Also, other than a tent and sleeping bags what else should we be looking at?
We are both really keen but have no clue where to start, any help much appreciated.

Thanks

whats your camping plans.
is the tent just somewhere to sleep after you have had a day out or an eve in the pub or do you want something you can cook in/live in?

do you plan on transporting it in the boot of your car or in a rucksac?


sleeping bag questions,
car or rucksac?
August will be warm, do you want a sleeping bag that can cope with winter temps as well?

what are your daytime plans is it walking around shops? walking over mountains? walking to nearest village and a day in the pub.


a lot of questions but will help with the accuracy of answers

What sort of camping experience are you after.

Do you want to be 'at one with nature' camping out in the wood or secluded meadow, or do you want to stroll from your tent to the toilet block with a newspaper under your arm and the smell of cooking bacon permeating the campsite?

I like to go with the minimum. I have a small pop up tent (Quechua from decathalon). It was the smallest one, and in spite of it being cheap as chips, kept me dry in torrential rain. A great fair weather fun tent - the only problem is they pack down into a handy 2' disc.

I think I'm going to downsize it to a Hennessy Hammock which weighs in at under a kilo, which gives you more room to carry all the water you'll need for your trip!

Trangia stoves are, I think, the best. No moving parts, no pressurised gas or liquid and you get a kettle, two pots and a frying pan. It runs on meths which is pretty cheap.

Practice putting your tent up a few times before you go ,nothing worse than being a novice trying to put up yout tent in the wind and rain.
Believe me ive been there.
Make lots of lists of things you need.
Enjoy, nothing beats camping.

GL Note:

Similar threads merged. Please do a search before starting new threads.

:)

Thanks

that merge just confused the hell out of me mod.

that merge just confused the hell out of me mod.

Hi Oldskater,

They were two very similar threads with virtually identical thread titles and have just been merged to prevent a build up of threads all asking the same question. As a former Moderator on the main forum I'm all too aware of how these things can end up if they're not kept tidy.

Anyway, let's not deviate off topic - otherwise I'll have to tell myself off. :)