Your number one camping tip

[Chris]

If you had to give one piece of advice to everyone about camping, what would it be?

Mine is that if there is any alternative whatsoever, never put a tent up in the rain.

[kidpresentable]

Bring a torch - the tents can be quite close together, and if you get up in the night it's impossible not to step on someones tent ropes without one.

[peridot]

Be wary of the cheap 'festival tents'. Spending a bit more can get you one that's more likely so stay comfortable if the weather turns bad. Make sure you have a separate 'porch' area to discard muddy boots / wet clothing - you don't want these in your sleeping area.

[Chris]

Good call Dermot, a good tent is vital in a rain situation. You need an oasis of dryness.

[pedro]

Buy a campervan .

[palesaint]

my tip would be always test your tent wether new or old if it is the first time you will using it. We were camped with a couple at glasto this year, who went through two tents, the first tent was brand new, but there was a pole missing. The second tent they had borrowed and that had no instructions with it, so they eventually ended up going to the millets store at glasto and buying a brand new one......... which fortunately they left behind and I now own......

[davegintis]

I agree with the tent tip. A couple of years ago i bought myself a two man tent for 30 quid, bargain right? Apparently not as when i put it up it was barely big enough for me, let alone my girlfriend and our gear too

[davegintis]

Had to buy myself a new one from Leicester town centre for 50 quid, so 80 pounds altogether, not so much of a bargain now.

[Chris]

Good advice. The tent I'm taking hasn't been out of the bag for a while since we got a bigger one for family camping trips. I think I'll get it out and put it up to make sure it's all there and I still know what I'm doing with it.

[pedro]

On a less flippant note. If you are taking a large heavy tent and lots of stuff (we did last year), get a trolley/ sack barrow. If you aren't near the gate it can be a bit of a treck from the carpark.

[peridot]

Good tip pedro

The fold flat type take up very little space and save a lot of effort.

[kerry]

pedro said:

On a less flippant note. If you are taking a large heavy tent and lots of stuff (we did last year), get a trolley/ sack barrow. If you aren't near the gate it can be a bit of a treck from the carpark.

what's the ground like there? I took a trolley thing to reading once and by the time I got near the campsite the wheels had fallen off from going over all the rocks in the path. we ended up losing a lot of our beer, never good.

[humboldtsquid]

befuddled said:

pedro said:

On a less flippant note. If you are taking a large heavy tent and lots of stuff (we did last year), get a trolley/ sack barrow. If you aren't near the gate it can be a bit of a treck from the carpark.

what's the ground like there? I took a trolley thing to reading once and by the time I got near the campsite the wheels had fallen off from going over all the rocks in the path. we ended up losing a lot of our beer, never good.

My mate's just bought a 'fishing trolley' for transporting his tent, beer etc, at the Greenman.
Hopefully the big wheels will be able to cope with any terrain.
(I'm not sure how 'compact' it will be when folded down, though...)

[pedro]

humboldtsquid said:

befuddled said:

what's the ground like there? I took a trolley thing to reading once and by the time I got near the campsite the wheels had fallen off from going over all the rocks in the path. we ended up losing a lot of our beer, never good.

My mate's just bought a 'fishing trolley' for transporting his tent, beer etc, at the Greenman.
Hopefully the big wheels will be able to cope with any terrain.
(I'm not sure how 'compact' it will be when folded down, though...)

The ground is nice and grassy Which only got slightly muddy in well travelled areas last year.
That was the kind of trolley I was going to buy, but I got a campervan instead .

[lawm]

bring a mallet! some of the ground was a wee bit hard last year

[kidpresentable]

admin said:

Good advice. The tent I'm taking hasn't been out of the bag for a while since we got a bigger one for family camping trips. I think I'll get it out and put it up to make sure it's all there and I still know what I'm doing with it.

My tent from last years Green Man hasn't been out of the bag since I packed it up at the festival. Should I cut my losses and get a new one?

I did mean to clean it, but I live in a flat and didn't really have anywhere I could easily do it.

I haven't checked, but I reckon it might stink.

[surripere]

kidpresentable said:

admin said:

Good advice. The tent I'm taking hasn't been out of the bag for a while since we got a bigger one for family camping trips. I think I'll get it out and put it up to make sure it's all there and I still know what I'm doing with it.

My tent from last years Green Man hasn't been out of the bag since I packed it up at the festival. Should I cut my losses and get a new one?

I did mean to clean it, but I live in a flat and didn't really have anywhere I could easily do it.

I haven't checked, but I reckon it might stink.

Hi, if you put your tent away away wet then I wouldn't be hopeful. If it's gone mildew then the smell is horrible, a friend put hers up in Cornwall after not drying and I don't know how she managed to stay in it.

This is my first post so hi everyone.

Jon

[Chris]

That fishing trolley looks just the thing to me, and only £20 to boot. I might get one.

[peridot]

surripere said:

Hi, if you put your tent away away wet then I wouldn't be hopeful.

I's agree with surripere. If it was dry, you'll be okay, but even slightly damp and it's probably a lost cause. Open it out at home - you'll soon know if it's still usable

[Warthog]

I'm the mate with the aforementioned trolley! It's great, very robust with large pneumatic tyres. Just £14.99 plus P & P (£21.00) www.tackleoutlet.co.uk. They delivered within 2 days & take Paypal.
I did a trial load up: 15kg tent, folding table, large folding chair, sleeping bag, etc. No problems.