tents for camping big w image
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We have three small children and want to camp in comfort - we have seen a trailor tent for a very good proce on eBay - what are your views?
I want to go away for 3-4 weeks and cannot bear the thought of staying in a normal tent for that time, and cannot afford a hotel...
Answer
Pop-up campers are ideal for families with small children. Most are light enough to be easily towed behind a 6-cylinder vehicle without a huge sacrifice in fuel economy. Unlike motorized RV's, a pop-up does not need separate liability insurance or expensive maintenance (though inexpensive RV insurance is advisable on newer units that still have good value).
One big advantage of a pop-up versus tent camping is your camper can be cleaned and re-stocked after each trip so you just need to add perishable foods and clothing to head out on your next adventure. There is enough storage space to keep all of your gear permanently inside the camper, either in the cabinets or in storage bins on the floor. So you don't need to shoe-horn your tent, sleeping bags, cooking gear, food and clothing in the car with the family, making the driving portion of your trip more comfortable and enjoyable.
The other big advantage is the additional comfort and protection. Thick foam mattresses and heavy canvas tent material, combined with the solid roof, floor and partial walls of the main body, offer additional insulation, weather protection and security versus a tent. You can choose a model that has a propane furnace to safely heat your camper in cold weather, and fans or even air conditioning to keep cool in the summer.
Most pop-ups have a galley with a sink, fresh water supply, and a propane stove that can be used inside or outside. They carry one or two 20Lb propane tanks externally so you don't have to deal with disposable propane canisters (you might need adapters and extra hose if you want to use a gas BBQ grill). There is a 12V battery to run lights and small appliances when no AC electrical hook-ups are available, but you also have the option to hook-up to "shore power" to run your air conditioner (if equipped or added), microwave oven (again, if equipped or added) or other higher-power devices. Small 3-way refrigerators are common in larger pop-ups.
Some things to consider when choosing a pop-up:
1. Where will everyone sleep?
_ a.) Small kids can share a bed, 3 small kids fit on a king-size mattress.
_ b.) The dinette folds into a bed, but only 48" wide, so sharing is "intimate."
_ c.) The dinette might be too short for a single teen/adult. Check before you buy.
_ d.) Older boys don't like sharing beds. Make sure you have sleeping options.
_ e.) Kids like to invite relatives and friends. Complicates all the above.
_ f.) An add-a-room and some cots can provide additional sleeping options.
2. Bathroom or not?
We never had a bathroom in our pop-ups and didn't miss it. Worst case is you setup a chemical toilet and shower bag in a privacy shelter outside, but mostly we relied on the campground facilities for toilet and shower needs. Our hybrid camper (a full-box travel trailer with fold-out bed ends) has a small bathroom, which we use when dry camping, but we prefer to use the campground facilities when available to avoid adding humidity or smell to the camper. No built-in bathroom also eliminates the most hated of RV chores: dealing with the sewer line and holding tanks.
3. Water heater or not?
Even without an inside bathroom or nearby facilities, a quick hot shower is a welcome luxury. When dry camping it is much preferred to bag showers, and at a full-service campground it makes quick clean-ups after swimming more convenient. The only disadvantage is a shower will use up water quickly when dry camping, and takes-up storage space.
4. Air conditioner or not?
They often ice-up and stop working when you want them the most, particularly in a pop-up camper that's not as well insulated as a full-box travel trailer or motorized RV. The A/C requires an electrical hook-up or a minimum 3500-watt generator. A/C is noisy and a generator makes things worse. We found that even in the desert during summer, once we acclimated to the temperatures, nights were comfortable with only fans. But in hot and humid, A/C might be desirable.
5. Awnings
One awning is highly recommended. Two is even better. We rarely ate or just hung-out inside our campers, even with the large hybrid, even in the rain and cold weather. With our last pop-up we had one awning on each side. The "front" awning was used as our hang-out area, sometimes with an add-a-room to keep out the bugs. The "back" awning was where we setup our kitchen and dining area.
6. Storage
An outside storage trunk is a great feature. Just remember to unload it before extending the front bed slide. Some pop-ups have a slide-out drawer that can be accessed when the bed is extended, but this cuts down on storage capacity and doesn't allow large items. Use stacking storage bins to storage space; small in cabinets, large to stack on the floor during transit.
Always buy used. Most people use their camper 2 or 3 times a year, so even a 10 year old camper - if well maintained - can be in great condition at huge savings.
Help with backpacking in the UK?
Meghan M
A close friend of mine and I are planning to go backpacking in England, Ireland, and Scotland. We don't care much for seeing popular sites, but are looking more for the nature aspect of these places. We want to go hiking and camping. I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice or suggestions about how much money it'll cost or where to go :) Thanks!
I'll be spending six months over seas.
Answer
hi~here is a *huge* variety of countryside here, so its really ideal. just bring some waterproofs! are you aussie or kiwi?
try the visit britian site, to get an idea of the countryside in different places. to reccomend... well... i come from devon, in the south west, popular for brits to holiday in, as well as foreign tourists. its great; very varied, beautiful county. i go back all the time to camp; its never boring. it has a coastline north & south. the south is gentle, sandy, warm & sunny, & called the english riviera; it has palm trees growing in peoples' gardens. in the middle of the county is a huge wild, ancient, stunning moor; dartmoor. its where the hound of the baskervilles is set, & utterly beautiful. the north has the atlantic coast, good for surfing. its wilder, rockier. there are big sites, as well as the smaller, quieter ones, in the uk. i camped a couple of weeks ago- just me and one other tent in a £3 a night site! utterly silent at night, it was ace : )
devon's next to cornwall, the most westward county, also popular place w campers. both have vivid histories, & loads of books set in them (eg, lorna doone, & all the daphne du maurier books, set in cornwall).
cheapest campsites are £3, average is about a fiver upward. dont pay more than £8 each a night. i assume you dont want the massive, hideous ones with bars, pools & shrill chlidren running everywhere?! this is an invaluable site- you can search by town or county, bt also by things like 'allows fires' etc http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/articles/view.asp?id=4
also handy for finding tiny sites- what they call 'certified sites' http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/siteseekersearch/aspx/search.aspx which are the small, tap & loo in a field type sites ; )
make sure your tent is waterproof. ive bought ones from northface etc which are 'showerporrof', & leaked & soaked me. the uk rains A LOT. i bought a macpac £500 tent, used for a week, on ebay for £200. it was almost mint. plus, it also weighs under 2k, so's easy to carry. down sleeping bags are lighter then manmade; whatever you get get zero rated or below, as you can cool down easily, but you cant warm up in the middle of the night, miles from nowhere! plan for the worst, too, & get dome or tunnel shaped tents, which withstand wind the best. fingers crossed for sun, tho!
about 99% of the uk's coast is open to the public, & has dedicated coastal paths, which are very popular to walk along. devon, cornwall & south wales are perfect to visit; loads of campsites, varied scenery, & beautifuls coasts & beaches, nice weather. cornish coastal path~ http://www.geniusloci.co.uk/images/cornish_mining5.jpg a
it might sound weird, but i love filling my ipod with a load of book and play podcasts, & going for an epic walk. the bbc radio station radio 4, which you can hear for free, has loads of weird and wonderful programmes as podcasts~ check it out: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/programmes/
you could also consider wild camping, ie not at a campsite, which will be free, of course http://www.thehappycampers.co.uk/campsites/wildcamping/ http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2007/mar/31/saturday.camping.green
camping of all kinds has increased a lot, so there are loads of guides ~ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/campingholidays/7811088/Britains-best-small-campsites.html
if you go to the desktop version of google co.uk (not com) & do a search, there's then an option down the left side to see only options from the uk, so easier to search for 'best small campsites' etc, as obviosuly, a lot of articles dont have 'uk' in the title!
do also please consider wales. its a separate country in the uk (no need for extra visas), but its stunning and unique
for food, i go to a supermarket every 3 days, & get hummous, yoghurt etc, which last a day or two, depending on the weather. avocadoes, tomatoes, feta bottled in oil etc are easy, long lasting fillings for sandwiches. i get flat breads (soft tortia wraps), as they go stale slower. bags of nuts are good snacks. mid price supermarket, so you can see prices http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/sol/food_and_drink/food_and_drink_home.jsp?GLOBAL_DATA._searchType=0&pageRef=food_and_drink_landing_page.page
it will rain at times, so if youre stuck in a tent, books, or a kindle, are essential. bring a tupperware box to keep electricals in, as condensation builds up in tenst and just killed my last ipod -_-
oh, & all towns have charity shops (thrift stores), which are handy as you can pick up cheap clothes etc when yours wear through.
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