I had bad experiences camping in my late teens/early 20s, shitty tents, bad weather, generally miserable times and it put me off for years.
But, since I got deep into cycling about 5 years ago, it made me realise that if I was to get into camping now I would do it in my way, and probably geek out on the gear.
So, I’m thinking I’m going to get a good 2-man tent and head out to the Lake District and Wales in the next couple of months.
If you want to cycle and camp, go for the lightest and smallest.
Get tires that can’t get flat.
It’s a nice way to discover new places, but it’s hard when it’s very hot and awful when raining continuously, IMO. Equipment makes the difference then, I guess.
One day in a comfortable guest house once in a while is appreciated.
I also think it’s good to have days off and take the time to wander and appreciate the places.
I’m not starting off by bike packing… the cycling reference was as a comparison to something recreational that I got into that I never expected I’d like as much as I did.
I’m going to load up my car and go camping.
If I take to it, maybe next summer I’ll venture into bike packing.
I’d love to get back into camping. And need to get back into cycling…
One bit of advice, make sure you get a sleeping bag that’s wide enough for your shoulders - you’ll be in fucking agony in a few days otherwise. Not that I just bought a pricey one and did no research last time or anything. Used to do a lot of motorbike rally’s and it took me ages to work out why I was always so bloody uncomfortable
And try Scotland for some wild camping - so much fun and a great feeling to be properly out in the wild.
I had similar experiences when young, but I’ve been thinking along the same lines lately. And I live in southern Arizona, opportunities abound. You’ve convinced me, Im buying a tent!
Whats your budget? And are you going to be 2 people? I feel that a 3 person tent is good for two people, but most of the 2 person tents wont fit 2 people comfortably.
I love camping, but usually when i go flyfishing. So i set up a “basecamp” somewhere, and dont pack down and set everything up at a new place every day.
Used to hate sleeping in tents because i only had experience with crappy stuff. But after i got those new inflatable sleepingmats, i started to like it. Get something like the exped or similar. Insulated and thick. Makes a world of difference. Even my girlfriend started enjoying it after i got her one.
There is alot of different tents out there. I started with a decent dome tent. It was comfortable if the weather was nice. But had small vestibules. Last year i got a tunnel tent. Those are very popular in Norway and Scandinavia. Not so much in the states for some reason. It was a higher end one and did withstand winds of over 25 meters pr second last year. And we managed to sleep good too. It is on the heavier side compared to some of those ultralight tents, but if you are expecting some weather it is a nice reasurance. Here is a link to the one i have. Fjellheimen Pro 3 Camp | Helsport
Ohh, and one other thing that made camping really fun and comfortable are a good chair. I got this one, but there are several cheaper ones on the market now. Chair One
I do quite a bit of camping (with and without kids, less so without these days!)
This is a great site in the Lakes we use quite a lot: Low Wray Campsite, Lake Windermere | National Trust
You can ask for a woodland pitch and tents are fairly separated from each other (= quiet), they do canoe/bike hire and you can get the boat over to the busy side of the lake avoiding all the traffic if you want.
This is a good one in Wales too: Bert's in Caernarfon, Gwynedd
I’m an oldish man now so if you are taking a car my advice is to get one of these sleeping mattresses to enable actually sleeping properly - expensive and bulky but worth it many times over: Vango Shangri-La II 10 Grande | Sleeping
I’ve gone from a bit of bike packing/wild camping, to using a campervan, to full on gigantatent camping with my family.
There’s nothing better than waking up with the sunrise in the outdoors.
This guy is good for gear reviews, but he does mostly do wild/solo camping stuff.
Back in the old bike packing days I used a lot of Alpkit stuff (mostly because I lived pretty close to their warehouse at the time) and would recommend most of their gear.
I’ve never tried camping. I’ve been hiking in lots of beautiful places around the world but sleeping outside at night is not something I’ve ever tried. Now that I have young children I suspect that will change. I’ll be honest, it’s not something I’m looking forward to. My back isn’t what it used to be and sleeping on some uncomfortable mattress does not sound appealing. Maybe I should go with a camper van to start with…
I’m riddled with arthritis and have had mixed results with mattresses. There’s most likely a matresss out there that works for you, it’s just a bit of trial and error finding the right one, as there’s a surprising amount of different ones out there.
Went to a festival in the summer and slept on a very slim sleeping mat in a bivvi bag and was more comfortable than the air mattress in our family tent. Comfort is as much about picking the right spot as it is about mattresses. There will probably be a couple of sleepless nights while you figure out what works for you though.
I spent the entire of my twenties and half my thirties cycle touring, hiking and hitch-hiking around the world, wild camping the vast majority of the time. I’m not sure what you have in mind with car camping, but I can’t stress enough the difference between finding a wild spot (and waking up to the smell of the forest & the sound of the birds), vs going to an organised campground (and being kept awake half the night by kids screaming / groups with speakers and too much beer).
Gas never really entered the picture for me - Possibly because I never had any money. But also there are only so many choices, and obsessions tend to be towards having the lightest gear possible. Which does make some sense if it’ll be on your back all day, but there’s a happy medium that needn’t cost too much at all, and I’d recommend to anyone getting into it. So these are tips if you want to buy gear you might also want to walk / bike and camp with, rather than literally just take out of the car:
-A perfectly decent waterproof small 2-person ~2kg tent can easily be had for €/150-200. Get something you can sit up in, in case you’re stuck in it a while. A few hundred quid more will shave a few hundred grams off the weight, but that’s totally unnecessary unless you’re an ultra-marathoner or have a bad back or something.
-Get a sleeping bag rated for well below the temperature you expect to experience (manufacturers exaggerate). Synthetic is perfectly fine, cheaper than Down, and doesn’t become useless when wet.
-Air mats aren’t a bad idea for older bodies - I use one now when I do camp. Previously I swore by good foam mats, as they’re not going to puncture on you (bring a repair kit for an air mat).
-Something to cook on if you’re out for a while. In the UK I’d use a gas stove… For £/€20 you can get tiny ones that screw in and sit on top of the gas cannister. Cheap, simple, light, reliable. A little folding windbreaker for it is a good idea.
That kind of set up has kept me warm, dry and comfortable for many years without issues for less than 400 quid.
We went with camping experienced friends on a tour and they were perfectly equipped. This way they showed us many things and could help out. And we saw what works for us and not and what is missing. So no frustration because it doesn’t work out. Super fun times !
I did camping on festivals several times. Ofcourse there are other reasons why this was a bit uncomftable … like trying to sleep in the tent while music is playing near you (feel the bass in the ground) and / or its 30degress outside and you had some (name your drinks). But still fun as always.
Bring a little hammer to get the “Heringe” into the ground! Not so much fun drying this with a shoe.
Camping chair with drink holder is key I have mine for 20 years now. A good Iso mat or camping matraze is well appriciated. I think for going camping in the wild its wort to spend some more money on the gear because you can get more light weighted stuff.
When I was a kid, we went camping with the family evey summer. Great memories!
- so much fun and a great feeling to be properly out in the wild.
I have mine for 20 years now. A good Iso mat or camping matraze is well appriciated. I think for going camping in the wild its wort to spend some more money on the gear because you can get more light weighted stuff.