Every year it is the same argument, the kids want to go camping and the wife refuses, every year she books a holiday in Spain, this year was no different so I told the kids that I would take them camping for a weekend whilst they were on holiday. I have never been camping in my life and know nothing so I went on ebay and found a tent that looked OK. I think, now that I have read a bit about camping that I was lucky, this 2nd hand tent turned out to be a Sunncamp 4 berth frame tent with 2 inner bedrooms , I paid my £43 (bargain) and took the tent home I then got the kids out in the garden and a couple of hours later there was the tent on our lawn, it looked fine (even the wife was impressed!).
So back to ebay, what else do I need? 2 burner stove with a grille £15, by the way would you like to buy our gas bottle whilst you are here it is nearly full £10? By the way would you like to buy our camping kitchen whilst you are here £20? (I actually bartered and got this for £17.50. Next was airbeds, back to ebay 2 x double and 2 x single plus pumps - £15.03. Next a groundsheet £2.20 in bag the real mccoy £2.20 (bargain) plus a 28L coolbox fridge which runs off the car battery £21.38. I have a fully charged car battery at home so I put some beer in the coolbox to test it and 4 hours later the beer was cold and the battery was just about flat! So back to ebay and a mains coolbox followed at £25 so at least now I have one for food and one for beer (good thinking!) So all the while I am reading about camping and learning and I soon realized that the cheap mains hook up on ebay at £10 could result in a disaster so next was a hookup with protection and fuses etc etc (I think it is a Sunncamp one) with orange cable, ebay - £40.
I am now thinking that if my wife is not coming with me and my 9 year old daughter wants the loo in the middle of the night there is a potential problem, she cannot go wandering on her own so back to ebay and a quick bit of bidding gets a Porta Potti - £24 and a toilet tent - £13.48. Next is the table and chairs, I manage to get a folding table (picnic bench style) with 4 seats for £8 (this deserves some kind of design award, it is amazing) only £8, followed by 4 dazzler sleeping bags brand new in bags £21.
So my spending now for the weekend camping is up to £255.59!
By now I am now getting loads of aggro from my wife, our dining room looks like a camping shop and she is having trouble hoovering, there is no room in the shed (kids bikes, skateboards, gardening tools etc etc), I am not lugging all this up to the attic so a new shed is the only answer (we needed one anyway) again I am lucky a friend is moving and a shed is going free so I borrow a van and spend the weekend dismantling, building a base, re assembling, felting the roof and repainting (the wife says it must be the same colour as our other shed) so cost of felt, concrete and paint a modest £32.
Now the wife who was impressed with the tent is even more impressed with the mains hook up “You mean I can take my hairdryer and use it in the tent?” “Yes dear” It turns out that she did not want to be wandering around a campsite with her hair in a mess every morning and I must agree with her, it’s bad enough our kids seeing her first thing in the morning without frightening a campsite full of other peoples kids!
So now the wife wants to join us.
Next came a visit to town. In the local Poundshop I found, 4 x plastic plates (2 for £1), 8 x various lights (2 for £1), 2 x hanging laundry baskets (£1 each), 1 pop up linen basket (I do not know why I want this it just impresses me! £1) 1 rectangular bowl (£1) 1 pair of gardening gloves (£1).
Wilkinsons - 10 spare tent pegs (just in case) £1.50
Argos – Electric kettle (full size) on offer £4.60 and having looked at camping pots and pans for £20 & £30 and having seen a camping frying pan which would not even fit a fried egg on it I bought the cheapest panset in Argos - £7.99
So I have now spent £25.09 in town.
We think that we can utilize various bits from home ( we have some old cutlery and plastic beakers and can openers, mallet etc so we are now sorted.
But I spot a last minute bargain on ebay, someone local sells cheap things brand new and I always keep my eye on them and I spotted a rechargeable camping light, radio, alarm clock which looks superb, it is brand new and costs me £3.53
Grand total £316.21.
So I warned the boss last week that I would not be in at work on Monday and started looking for a campsite for the weekend, the BBC website said it would be showery and drizzling but they are usually wrong, we read lots of campsite reviews and argued a lot, I fancied a small site near Robin Hoods Bay and the wife wanted to go to a Haven site (if it is raining at least the kids can go swimming, which really means we can eat out and I do not have to cook!) So Friday night on Havens websites last minute deals there was a 2 night break on an electric pitch at Thorpe park Cleethorpes for £64.80 including funworks pass, I was outvoted and the wife booked it.
I have the best car in the world, it is my best friend, it is a 14 year old turbo diesel VW Passatt estate car called DUG (reg no), it has done 207,000 miles and passes its MOT every year for under £100, It never ever breaks down or plays up, it does between 56 and 60 mpg. I fill the tank up (£100 nowadays) and after 850 miles I fill it up again, it has electric windows, mirrors, sunroof etc. The only thing I have done is put an MP3 CD player in it. It takes us around Europe every year doing 3000 miles in about 2 and a half weeks and it loves going up the Pyrenees to Andorra and down to Spain It flys through France at 85 mph and always does 58mpg on holiday. I wash it every July and check the oil, the oil never needs topping up and the car always looks clean, even in June! I go to Belgium on tobacco runs in it and use it often for work, travelling anywhere from Aberdeen or Inverness to Cornwall.
So we loaded DUG up with all our gear, put the tent on the floor behind the front seats, 2 cooler boxes between the kids, forced the doors shut and went to Cleethorpes.
Everything was excellent, the sun was out, the facilities were clean, the kids went swimming we walked into Cleethorpes had fish and chips and ice cream, slept well and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Then it started, Sunday night sat outside the tent having a beer and chilling out the wife says “isn’t everybody friendly?” “I have really enjoyed this” “isn’t it clean” “its been fun” “I wish we had brought the kids bikes" "we will have to bring them next time” “what kind of tent is that one?" "Ours is not really big enough, you will have to buy another” “well if it wont all fit in the car you will have to buy a bigger one or a camper or a van”
The kids agree with her.
So just to summarise,
my weekend camping has cost me £381.01 + spending money.
I now have to buy a 6 berth Sunncamp Grange tent (the wife has decided) currently retailing at £599.00.
I have to get rid of DUG (my car) and buy a camper or a van.
Next year we are going to Cornwall camping for our main holidays!.
Before anyone suggest it I do not have room for a trailer, I have no drive and no access to the back garden (which is full of sheds anyway), If I leave it at work it will get stolen.
All this raises a couple of questions
1) Who said camping was cheap and relaxing?
2) Should I trade in my car or should I trade in my wife?
3) If it wasn’t for ebay, would there only be millionaires on campsites?
Any advice would be thankfully received
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