stuff to go camping?

[snoopygirl]

I need help picking out a tent or sleeping bags. I have never been camping before and am going on a sorta camping trip in July. Its a music festival in Ireland if we can get tickets and I think it would be better to sleep outside. But where do the heck do I buy a tent and how do you pick one out? I have never been camping and the last sleeping bag I had was a present.

[Harriet Jones]

Do you know what the weather might be like at night?  Chilly, rainy?  Will you want to share your tent?

Sleeping bags usually have a temperature rating on them, to let you know to what temperature they'll be comfortable.   

Dome tents are very easy to set up, and I'm sure you can find a decent one- or two-person tent that's not too expensive. If you think it might rain, don't forget to put the rain fly on.

You'll also want a tarp/ground cloth to put underneath the tent.

And before you go, do a test run and set up the tent in your living room or back yard, to make sure you know how to put it up and that you have all the pieces !

Don't forget a flashlight!

[blue_bunny_paz]

Which festival are you going to? Is it Oxygen?

One thing to bare in mind when chosing a tent is that a "two man", for example, literally has room for two smallish men to lie down if they don't move. If you want to get luggage in then you have to go a fair bit bigger ie for one of you a 3 man is quite roomy.

If you're not going to use the tent again then it may be worth looking out for packages with the tent, sleeping bag and roll mat included. You'll find a lot of those around festival time! Woolies tend to be fairly cheap, or check out army surplus shops.

I'd go for a mummy style sleeping bag as even in the summer it can get pretty nippy.

If you're lucky enough to be on a camp site with proper toilet facilities, then you can get these handy cup drinks now of things like soups nad hot chocolates you make with warm tap water. Mega cheaper than festival tea prices and pleasing, too.

[Harriet Jones]

I wanted to add that I'm not familiar with the stores where you are, but usually any store here in the US that has a sporting goods department usually has a small camping section -- like a Wal-Mart or equivalent ...

[blue_bunny_paz]

Oh! and don't forget one of the fabricy type cool bags (some festivals won't let you take a cool box on site). Take some water in and have free drinks all day.
And consider taking something like bread and cheese slices which can fill you up for not much, and don't need cooking equipment (taking half an hour for super noodles is only for the very keen!)
And don't forget baby wipes! They're great for quick clean ups and you can feel more human if you've not got to the showers.
It can also be handy to have a spare battery for your phone. You can get them on ebay for not much. Charge both batteries before you leave and switch when the first one runs out. Otherwise finding friends in a big crowd is pretty tricky on the last day!
Oh and have some form of blanket to hand. Either a plastic backed one (great for sitting down on slightly damp ground) or a normal one (good when it gets cold later at night).

[ginlyn32]

First, I have a few questions:

1) How many people will be sleeping in the tent?

2) If this is the first time you've ever been camping, you might want to consider getting an air mattress. Trust me on this one! If you do, don't forget the air pump!

3) Before you go, make a complete list of everything you will need. Nothing sucks more than getting to your camp site and realizing you have forgotten something.

4) Take rain gear. Again trust me. as a seasoned camper, I go prepared for anything and everything. Boyscouts code is Be Prepared!

 General comments:

1) Check to make sure your sleeping bags are warm enough.

Are you in the US? You can buy camping gear at most Walmarts or if you really wanna spend some cash, go to a sporting goods store or Bass Pro Shops. THey have a very good selection.

DO you know if the place you are going is electric or not? This knowledge will help you decide what to pack.

2) Make sure you dispose of garbage in the correct areas. Nothing worse than a racoon or other animal getting into the trash.

3) NEVER store food in your tent! Put it in a cooler and put the cooler in your vehicle. Yeah, it sucks having to get it in and out everyday, but again, trust me! Animals can smell the food and will get into your tent!

4) Have enough wood.

5) Get easy to cook food. Hot dogs, hamburgers, potatoes, corn on the cob...these are all easy to cook over a campfire. Or you can lookup campfire recipes online. Don't forget the marshmellows, graham crackers and plain chocolate bars for S'mores!

6) when in doubt, over pack. I always pack for 5 days, even if it is a four day weekend. That way, if you get really dirty or muddy, you don't have to worry about not haveing a clean shirt.

7) Get some cheap flip-flops for the showers. Don't forget to pack toilet paper. Some places "forget" to stock extra in the stalls.

Get some sturdy shoes. This is for all that walking back and forth to the potty and trails and whatnot.

9) Camp chairs. Those are so comfy! They are not that expensive either...about $5-10 USD.

10) Most important...don't forget to pack a first aid kit! you can buy one already packaged together at most Walmarts and drug stores. Make sure you remember your prescription pills, pain reliever, allergy medicine, poison ivy medicine and bug spray!

Look up Camping Lists online and you should be able to get a list of things you will need!

Have fun!

Ginger

[Pixie]

Do NOT forget to bring extra socks. I am not kidding. Also hand sanitizer or baby wipes.  Bring an extra set of dry clothes or at least a pair of sweats in case it rains.   Also, and this may sound odd, but..... Do  you have a cotton or knit sun-dress that you could use as a nightgown?    Trust me, its easier to wear something like that, than it is to get up and get dressed in the middle of the night to go potty. 


I'm sure you'll get tons of great advice!  Have a great time, hope you're able to get those tickets!

[ginlyn32]

I always take sweatpants and some old shorts if it is really hot. That and an old t-shirt. Most people don't really care if you walk to the potty in your jammies...as long as you are covered!

Take extra batteries for your flashlights.

Ginger

[Evil Duckie]

Another handy thing to have are large trash bags. These are great for: putting wet clothes in, putting dirty clothes in, Emergency rain gear (tear a hole in the bottom for you head and a hole in each side for your arms), Packing up in a hurry, Keeping things dry, Keeping dirty things from getting the inside of the car dirty, Under the sleeping bags to keep them from getting dirty and keep you warmer, Seat covers if you are dirty, etc.

Oh yeah you can even use them for trash.

[Lunadiana75]

I'd go for a hotel 

[freakyfemme]

Waterproof EVERYTHING.  I didn't do this before I went on the L.I.T. hiking trip at camp when I was fifteen, because rain wasn't forecast (okay, I did it sort of half-donkeyed, I covered my stuff with garbage bags after it had been packed), and sure enough, it DID rain, all my things got soaked, and I got hypothermia.  So, to be safe, pack your clothes in garbage bags before putting them into your backpack.

[snoopygirl]

Which festival are you going to? Is it Oxygen?

One thing to bare in mind when chosing a tent is that a "two man", for example, literally has room for two smallish men to lie down if they don't move. If you want to get luggage in then you have to go a fair bit bigger ie for one of you a 3 man is quite roomy.

If you're not going to use the tent again then it may be worth looking out for packages with the tent, sleeping bag and roll mat included. You'll find a lot of those around festival time! Woolies tend to be fairly cheap, or check out army surplus shops.

I'd go for a mummy style sleeping bag as even in the summer it can get pretty nippy.

If you're lucky enough to be on a camp site with proper toilet facilities, then you can get these handy cup drinks now of things like soups nad hot chocolates you make with warm tap water. Mega cheaper than festival tea prices and pleasing, too.

Yes I am going to Oxygen. This is why I am getting ready now. I am acutally counting down because of the bands going. Snow Patrol is headlining and Tori Amos will be there. Tori Amos is my fav singer in the whole world. Also a lot of other groups I like are going. I will check out Woolies for a tent. I also saw Argos has some camping stuff when I was looking at my home stuff. But they can be costly and you can never tell what you are getting to you pick it up.

[supernova]

Zip-top bags are your friends.  (U.S. brands are Ziploc, etc.; not sure what Euro brands are.)  Get some quart-size and some gallon-size.

In one gallon-size bag, pack an extra set of clean dry underwear, socks and a big comfy T-shirt.  This is for emergency only; don't even open it unless you need it.  Put a clean dry towel and a couple of washcloths (face flannels?  is that right?) in another.

Pack your tooth-cleaning supplies in one quart bag.  Pack your shampoo, soap and conditioner (look for sample sizes) in another one.  Pack any medications you might need in another one.  The bags will keep rain from getting into your stuff and keep leaky bottles from getting out into your clothes!

Plan to sleep fully clothed, in sweats and a big sweatshirt or hoodie or something.  You never know; and it'll help keep you warm.

I disagree on the air mattress; they almost never last and you always wake up sleeping on the ground anyway.  A cheap piece of foam rubber (is that the same thing over there as it is here?) will cost about the same and won't go flat on you in the middle of the night. 

I absolutely agree on getting a dome tent; they're not that expensive and they have really easy-to-assemble ones now.  A two-man tent will (cozily) fit you and your stuff; if you have anyone coming along you'll need a bigger one.  If you're tall you'll need the bigger one anyway, unless you sleep all curled up. 

Pack some non-perishable snacks:  nuts, beef jerky, biccies, things you can munch on in your tent if you're hungry.  Pack these in the zip-top bags too, to keep them fresher.

Bring more water than you think you'll need (the rule for camping:  one gallon per person per day, because you end up washing with it, brushing your teeth with it, and all sorts of things you don't realize you need.)

You may not end up needing even half the stuff we're all recommending; but better to have it and not need it, than the other way round. 

     - saphie

[Bijou]

Do you know what the weather might be like at night?  Chilly, rainy?  Will you want to share your tent?

Sleeping bags usually have a temperature rating on them, to let you know to what temperature they'll be comfortable.   

Dome tents are very easy to set up, and I'm sure you can find a decent one- or two-person tent that's not too expensive. If you think it might rain, don't forget to put the rain fly on.

You'll also want a tarp/ground cloth to put underneath the tent.

And before you go, do a test run and set up the tent in your living room or back yard, to make sure you know how to put it up and that you have all the pieces !

Don't forget a flashlight!

And a lantern!  My dh and I and the six kids went camping one time and totally forgot to bring a lantern.  We were with his family, but were located a ways away and was it ever DARK!  The kids, now all grown, vividly remember his brother-in-law telling them a wonderful suspense-filled kind of off beat mystery story.  I guess the darkness didn't matter, after all.

[Reika]

I actually got a decent air mattress from Wally World several years ago and it saw a lot of frequent and heavy abuse before it died a couple of weeks ago. The foam mats don't really do much except keep you off the ground and even then leave a lot to be desired, at least in my experience, but then again I like my creature comforts.

Most of the Walmarts I've been to do have a really good selection of camping gear for reasonable prices and with spring coming up they're likely to have plenty on hand.