Help choosing tent and sleeping bag

[PiKe]

Absolute camping beginner here.

I want to try camping and don't want to break the bank, what kind of tent should I get? As for sleeping, should I get a sleeping bag and blow up mattress or is one or othe other enough?

Do I need a ground sheet? Do tents come with the pegs that anchor the tent to the ground?

Probably really basic questions so hopefully someone can help!

 

[Feek]

I hate camping but have had to go a handful of times and I've never, ever been able to get comfortable in a sleeping bag. If I'm ever forced to go camping again, I'll take a blow up bed, a sheet to put over it and a duvet with a proper pillow. I'm not doing a sleeping bag again, they suck.

 

[Haggisman]

Are you car camping or carrying everything on your back?

 

[ianh]

This is all just a personal opinion so guaranteed people will think differently but, for a beginner who doesn't want to spend a lot in case they don't enjoy it and would be carrying everything in a rucksack (car-camping isn't camping ) -

Tent - A basic 2 man dome tent that is waterproof, has a liner (so the condensation doesn't drip on you as you sleep) and has a ground sheet built in is around £50 and should come with everything you need to pitch it except a hammer/mallet depending on the ground but it's always a good idea to get more pegs just incase.

Sleeping bag - A 2-3 season bag (ideal for everything except frozen winters) is about £50 too. There's two main designs - "mummy" has a narrow foot end so there's less air around your legs to get cold whilst "square" is wider at the feet and can be opened to become a duvet. I prefer square, most bags are however Mummy shape - try one of each before buying.

Mattress - My choice is yes but at the very least get a thermally shielded rollmat (£10) for comfort to start with. I use a self-inflating mat which is an air mattress but only 1-3in thick rather than a big chunky one as it means I can roll it up smaller and it's very light so it's easy to carry around and an OK one is about £30-40 (also get an inflatable/fleece pillow).

Again, opinions will vary a lot, as will the costs. Have a look in your nearest Go-Outdoors as I don't think there's many camping shops around any more like Millets/Blacks etc to see what they have for starters.

My personal setup is about £500 and isn't even that expensive compared to some stuff. I use a lot of Snugpak stuff, their tents, sleeping bags etc and an Exped Downmat 7 Mat.

 

[englishpremier]

Tents come with pegs, but depending on where you are going you might to get some titanium pegs for rocky or hard ground. Can be bought from aliexperess cheaply.

The choice of tent and sleeping bag depends where you are going, the season and the method travel. For example for Wales trip by motorcycle in the late Spring, a cheap Argos semi geodesic tent was enough along with some sleeping bags with a comfort level of 0-5c. A self inflating matt and pillow. (mostly because my gf burned all our proper gear on the exhaust of the bike)

For 4000m up on the altiplano in Bolivia I used a 3 season tent, and mountain equipment 750 fill power down bag good for -15c, with Klymit Static V insulated mat, silk sleeping bag liner and a foot print for the tent. I slept in merino wool long johns and top, and used a sea to summit inflatable pillow. I often had to shed layers for being too hot.

My last setup was a MSR Hubba Hubba, same Klymit Static V matt, and a lighter Mountain Hardware down bag about 650 fill power I can't remember the model.

For warm days/nights, I also had a down quilt by Cumulus.

 

[NoobCannon]

I “camp” whilst fishing (overnight) buy a 4 season bag, ive only made that mistake once and never again. Had a cold snap overnight and i didnt sleep a wink as i was shivering in a 3 season.

now i always take a 4 season and a thermal blanket that rolls up small.

space isnt really an issue whilst fishing tho. Depends what kind of camping your doing.

 

[PapaLazaru]

I hate camping but have had to go a handful of times and I've never, ever been able to get comfortable in a sleeping bag. If I'm ever forced to go camping again, I'll take a blow up bed, a sheet to put over it and a duvet with a proper pillow. I'm not doing a sleeping bag again, they suck.

Sleeping bags do suck if you move around or like to stretch in your sleep like I do.

Behold the Pod - https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/camping/sleeping-bags/sleeping-pods/

Works for me.

@op. Darkness is your friend whilst sleeping, this is easy to build and totally blocks the light -https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15986779/eurohike-cairns-2-dlx-nightfall-tent-15986779

Inflatable mats are not comfortable for me, I like it quite firm (oooer). Any cheapy self inflating jobby is good, like this one - https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15979193/berghaus-bgh-peak-sim-15979193

 

[englishpremier]

@op. Darkness is your friend whilst sleeping, this is easy to build and totally blocks the light -https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15986779/eurohike-cairns-2-dlx-nightfall-tent-15986779

It's 3.7kg and has no porch for storing gear and keeping it dry.

I think the OP needs to state what his activity is. If he's hiking for example it would be a monster. If he's driving to a campsite and expects dry weather, then it's fine.

 

[Haggisman]

My last setup was a MSR Hubba Hubba, same Klymit Static V matt, and a lighter Mountain Hardware down bag about 650 fill power I can't remember the model.

I love my MSR elixir 3, probably a bit on the pricey side for just starting out though.

How many people does it need to sleep? Unless weight is an issue, then it's probably worth going 1 size bigger (mine is supposed to be a 3 man, but was only just big enough for me, my GF and our 8 year old)

Sleeping bags do suck if you move around or like to stretch in your sleep like I do.

Behold the Pod - https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/camping/sleeping-bags/sleeping-pods/

I'm the same, find normal mummy bags too restrictive, I had a pod but i found it too cold, and I generally get too hot when I sleep, upgraded to a vango cocoon (basically an oversized mummy bag) and it's much warmer with almost as much space

 

[Surveyor]

It's 3.7kg and has no porch for storing gear and keeping it dry.

I think the OP needs to state what his activity is. If he's hiking for example it would be a monster. If he's driving to a campsite and expects dry weather, then it's fine.

The weight may be an issue but it does have a porch.

The porch area has a bathtub groundsheet, so no need to worry about leaks and moisture whilst you store your belongings.

1 x porch/storage area with windows and built in groundsheet

Porch dimensions: 70(l) x 225(w) x 95(h)cm

 

[PiKe]

Would be car camping.

Does this look reasonable for the money?

https://www.halfords.com/camping/tents/urban-escape-3-person-tent-449558.html?

 

[ianh]

Would be car camping.

(car-camping isn't camping )

As you wont actually be carrying anything around with you, you can ignore the weight/size of the stuff so most of the recommendations for specific items so far are rendered a little moot as they'll be based around having to carry everything on your back for days. From my previous post I'd change just about everything -

Tent - Yeap that Halfords one looks OK, I'd always aim to get one at least 1 "person" bigger than than the actual number of people who'll be sleeping in it, so for example minimum of a 3 man tent for 2 people or 4 man for 3 people etc just for the added comfort of being less cramped.

Sleeping Bag - Get a synthetic filled 4 season bag with a 400GSM of filling at minimum. They're big and bulky but will keep you warm down to -10c which should be fine for most of the UK most of the time, unless you want to camp up a mountain, in winter, in Scotland. The ones in Halford are only 300GSM which is OK for 0'c at best. Regarding the temps, whilst -10c may sound excessive, trust me it's better to be warm and open the bag up to cool down than to be cold and you can't warm up ands even in summer temps can drop to <5'c at night, so having that extra 15'c of comfort range makes a difference.

Air Mattress - Hell Yeah if your car is carrying the weight! Again £50 will get you a decent double bed sized blow-up mattress and an electric pump (car powered or battery) is about £10-20.

 

[PiKe]

Thanks all, I got a Cairns 3 DLX and a silent night blow up mattress, the sleeping bad is a double and only 2 seasons but we have a dog to keep us warm too

 

[bainbridge]

If you're car camping, shove the duvet in the boot too, just in case.

 

[Feek]

Would be car camping.

I refer you to my previous reply. Duvet and pillow.

 

[Uther]

When I go camping at events I've gone totally over the top now with a large tent I can stand up in and a fold up fishing bed to sleep on. Proper pillow is very important, I take the one I sleep on at home. Takes up a ridiculous amount of room but comfort is everything!
Blow up mattresses always loose air overnight for me and are very cold to sleep on.

 

[Diagro]

I refer you to my previous reply. Duvet and pillow.

Exactly what we do.

We use two camp beds side by side, cover in a memory foam mattress and standard bedding.

Yes... not really camping style, but very nice.

 

[Uther]

Exactly what we do.

We use two camp beds side by side, cover in a memory foam mattress and standard bedding.

Yes... not really camping style, but very nice.

I've come to realise over the years that you don't actually have to suffer when you go camping. Some people seem to enjoy that though.

 

[ci_newman]

A couple of years ago we bit the bullet and bought a folding camper / trailer tent, no more sleeping on the ground for us Buying second hand was cheaper than some of the 6-man tents too (we paid £450 for our folding camper). Proper sink, proper mattresses - arguably not camping though!

 

[Dave85]

I made the mistake of thinking we are car camping plenty space and treated myself to a Berghaus Air4XL. Sure it folds down but as my mrs is disabled I lug it myself and the thing weighs 28.4kg lifting it into the boot is fun