Why did you decide to try camping?

[Madhouse]

I started camping back in the early 80's I used to go with a group of mates on our motorbikes and just go off somewhere , I lived in Bristol back then and one of our favourite places was Weston -super -mare and Brean beach , I still bike camp these days with the MC club I am with which I still really enjoy .
Like some of you solo(or just me and the missus) camping has now extended to family camping and we set out last year to buy everything that goes with that , we ended up buying so much gear last year that in the end we couldn't afford to go away ,but to be honest I'm glad we have done it that way I don't mind missing one years worth of holidays to have a set up thats now going to last us years.
Like Dave we have bought a Norfolk Lake with all the trimmings, side extension , carpet , kids room and all the other luxuries to make a comfortable camping holiday for us.

[Old Grumpy]

We spend part of the year living in the UK and Kenya where we love to go on safari out into the bush and camp. We usually drive through the mara from Nairobi to Sand River and camp out close to a border crossing with Tanzania which has been closed for years but is guarded by park rangers. We take two tents. One to sleep in and one to store our supplies. During the day, we pay a park ranger to guard our little camp to ward off baboons and the like, whilst we drive off to see the game and take photos. At night we light a camp fire for cooking. We cannot go far because of the wild animals. In Feb this year I treated myself to a 4X4 and right up until mid-April we were doing back to back safari's until we arrived in the UK about then. One of our tents let us down badly from heavy rain, so whilst I am here I am on the lookout for a reliable tent which can withstand hot weather, is water proof, bug and snake resistant to take back to Kenya. Most of the ones for sale in Nairobi are imported Coleman's and expensive for what they are. Am happy to put up a few photos, but not sure how to do it?
Old Grumpy !

[Boris]

Welcome to the forum. Kenya sounds brilliant and I would love to have the chance to go bush camping

We don't get many snakes here but we do get midges and if a tent can keep those blighters out then it should keep all but the cleverest snakes out. What size of tent are you looking for?

[Old Grumpy]

Hi Boris and many thanks for asking and for the welcome
The tent we have is a 3-man dome tent and once the beds are in it is very tight and we have to be careful not to touch the sides during a downpour when we are inside, so a 4 - 5 man tent with a windowed vestibule would be a bonus. We both liked the look of the coleman mackenzie for this purpose but felt it was too expensive as we are here on a budget, like most of us! Sometimes the weather can get very hot and I have recorded temps as high as 54C in the day and 37C at night which happens fortunately not that often. We use our common sense when not to camp out. These past couple of weeks I have heard from Kenya that most of the parks are closed due to heavy rains, what with flooding and roads being washed away. We do have people and friends visit and of course when they do, we usually organise a safari. At night once we are in our tent, we listen out for the creatures of the night ! Hyena make a hooping sound which echoes through everywhere and then there are the lions..when they growl, the growl carry for miles..in contrast there is the sound of the night jar. One thing I have just bought is a portable unisex urinal, so that we don't have to go 'out' during the night, which is quite an experience when the torch light illuminates two large brown eyes all a glowing! sorry to ramble on...

[Beth]

What is there not to love about camping? In my childhood, the family often toured France; picture if you will, a Landrover Defender 101 towing a 6 berth caravan round narrow mountain roads.. Fantastic, as well as staying in Foresty Commission campsites 3-4 times a year (the Springer Spaniel's fav. holiday site!). As my sister and I grew older, we begrudged sharing the caravan, and so impulse bought two small dome tents, which we erected inside the awning. And so it began! From then on, every other year we bought each other a slightly larger tent, until we were trusted to "move out" of the awning. The two of us have carried on camping long after the tours of France are gone. Just looking to get the OH into camping now, he's not a fan of the outdoors..YET!

[DaveS]

What is there not to love about camping? In my childhood, the family often toured France; picture if you will, a Landrover Defender 101 towing a 6 berth caravan round narrow mountain roads.. Fantastic, as well as staying in Foresty Commission campsites 3-4 times a year (the Springer Spaniel's fav. holiday site!). As my sister and I grew older, we begrudged sharing the caravan, and so impulse bought two small dome tents, which we erected inside the awning. And so it began! From then on, every other year we bought each other a slightly larger tent, until we were trusted to "move out" of the awning. The two of us have carried on camping long after the tours of France are gone. Just looking to get the OH into camping now, he's not a fan of the outdoors..YET!

That sounds fab. What a great idea to get kids in to camping, giving them freedom but in a safe controlled way. And welcome to the site. :-)

[Old Grumpy]

Just thought and thought and we can't find anything we don't like about camping. The sales are on, so we are on the look out still for a tent for the tropics.

Happy holidays everyone

[trevor]

to spend some quality time with my 14 year old son just to get away and chill out to see diffrent places and to enjoy the outdoors

[AndrewK]

Just getting back into it after a long break. The freedom to just go do it without having to book & organise appeals. I like hill & moorland walking & the cheapness of camping means I can go away more often plus you stay right where you want to be as opposed to driving out from a B&B every morning. Oh & being able to have a decent supper as opposed to overpriced nondescript nosh from a restaurant the locals know to stay clear of.
Being outside in the fresh air & cooking beakfast in the morning....nothing like it. Just wish I'd got back into it earlier.

[ngovgroup]

Reasons why my family and I loves camping:

1. Best way to get rid of your stress
2. You can spend quality time with your family
3. You'll meet new friends
4. Get fresh air