Prepare
As every good scout can tell you, a little research can reap big rewards. So find out things like what’s on in the surrounding area and what sort of facilities the campsite has before you book.
Leave in good time
Some campsites can be situated at the back of beyond, so make sure you’re armed with a reliable map and set off with an hour or two to spare so that even if you get hopelessly lost, you’ll have enough daylight left to find a great spot, get your bearings and pitch your tent.
Pitching the tent
Avoid hollows and slopes to enjoy a puddle- and gravity-free camping experience. It’s good to aim for a bit of shade, but not directly underneath a tree full of birds, unless you fancy giving your tent a Jackson Pollock-style makeover!
The right equipment
You don’t need heaps of gadgets and clothes to go camping. You can always try borrowing kit from a friend if it’s your first trip to get a feel for what you need and what you can do without.
Definite must-packs – aside from your tent and sleeping equipment – are wellies, mac, woollies (hat, gloves and socks – even if it’s been a lovely sunny day, nights are pretty chilly) wet wipes, and loo-roll. Oh, and headtorches are pretty essential for night time toilet trips and guy rope avoidance.
Be a radiator
If you want dry, warm clothes to put on in the morning then fold them up and keep them in the bottom of your sleeping bag overnight. This way they won’t get damp crumpled in one of the tent’s corners, because you’ll be keeping them toasty and protected.
Have a care
Be considerate campers and clean up (bin bags can be used as handy, waterproof seats on your trip before fuflilling their usual rubbish-disposal role when you leave the site). And if you’re going to have a loud night around the campfire, try to find a spot that’s far enough away from fellow canvas dwellers. Especially families. The last thing you want on a hungover morning is to be fixed with the icy glares of mums brandishing sleep-deprived, wailing infants at you.
Food
If you’re taking food along to cook up a few sizzling, al fresco dinners it’s a good idea to pack foods (that aren’t leaky) in re-sealable bags as they take up less room than tupperware. Choose easily transportable foods such as pitta bread and soup sachets. Food that doesn’t need a lot of fuss makes great camping fare, like eggs – they take no time at all to cook and you can have them any which way… fried, boiled, scrambled.
Housekeeping
It may sound a bit housewifey but it’s best to impose a ‘no shoes’ rule in the tent to avoid sand/mud/doodoo infiltration (not only is it pretty unpleasant to sleep among, but a bugger to clean). Along the same vein, it’s often wise to take a couple of extra carrier bags to stash things away in if they get a bit grubby.
Go mini
Invest in some small plastic bottles that you can fill with shampoo/showergel and re-use again and again on trips. Or grab some takeaway, travel-sized goodies that will also lighten your load.
Aufwiedersen tent
Make sure you haven’t left any sharp/knobbly things in tent pockets and creases before packing away. If you have to pack up a wet tent, make sure you dry it out later. Otherwise it’ll grow things.