I've done the lot,started by borrowing a friends tent,then went with Eurocamp for a couple of years. Next we bought a trailer tent,then went onto a folding camper.Now we have a caravan and do all our own overseas camping arrangements.

Never camped abroad but camp at least once a year in the UK. Always in a tent using all our own gear.

.....started with a small tent, flimsy Vango with fibreglass poles - light but very brittle - not recommended. then graduated to backpacking, u.k then abroad - rural france - magic ! italy too, "camping Zeus" in pompei - that was magic too !
A better tent then, - Vaude mk 3 - highly recommended. Still using it 13 years later.
And then a giant leap - a motorcaravan - vw Villa, elevating roof. had it 3 years, still miss it five years later....took us everywhere....
Now we are back to using the tent. At 55 we're still enjoying the camping, except for the ever-increacing site fees - only want a bit of grass, not all these mod cons.....
Never ever fancied towing a caravan..I'm a slow enough driver as it is...

Sunowner

what do you mean slow driver??

in the UK I can understand it as the speed limits for towing any trailer are low

but in France the speed limits are non existant if the trailer weighs less than the car towing it

Regards
From
Gray

Went camping in a ridge tent with my parents when I was very young.

Did Duke of Ed, so carried everything in our backpacks
Had little silver dome tents up in 2 mins and a trangia

Went in a pre erected tent in the Soutn of France.

Did a bit of camping in a weird shaped tent but had dinner in friend pop up caravan.

Got married and Mother in law had/has a caravan near Tenby, so borrowed that a few times.

Got ourselves a little 2 man thing-It got used once

Then came along children so got a bigger dome tent with bedroom at either end.
Went a couple of time, then last year got electrics, heater, cooker and cooker stand, gazebo, table and chairs, airbeds.........
Last year we went to Unity Farm - The showers were fantastic and free so no we didn't smell.

madcaravanner - no offence meant to tuggers - my slow driving refered to
a) the fact that I like to see some of the scenery instead of the "head down, a to b in the shortest time possible" attitude.
b) since I'm retired the cost of fuel is very significant; I'm old fashioned enough to work in gallons not litres so am well aware of the true cost
c) our old v.w camper, magnificent as it was, had a 1.6 diesel engine and was somewhat underpowered - 0 to 60 in an hourglass. Economical, yes, but it did tend to get in everyone's way - was very often pulling over to aid overtakers....including tuggers.......

Madcaravanner - no offence meant to tuggers - my slow driving referred to
a) the fact that I like to see some of the scenery instead of the "head down, a to b in the shortest time possible" attitude.
b) since I'm retired the cost of fuel is very significant; I'm old fashioned enough to work in gallons not litres so am well aware of the true cost
c) our old v.w camper, magnificent as it was, had a 1.6 diesel engine and was somewhat underpowered - 0 to 60 in an hourglass. Economical, yes, but it did tend to get in everyone's way - was very often pulling over to aid overtakers....including tuggers.......

No offence taken LOL
our niece wants one of those VW Campers when she's old enough to drive
We tend to be head downers when getting to campsites but once there we chance to mountain bike and the car gets a long rest

Hi...for years we went Spain in static vans on site in Sept/Oct, and went tent camping with own gear during the school hols as often as we could...I work week end nights so all week off ...meant cheaper camping. This year bought tin tent (caravan) meaning to camp on tent only sites we know and also go father afield with caravan getting the best of both.
Complete wash out this year as when weather good couldnt go and when could go weather bad...better luck next year(fingers crossed)
Family hoping I will book late deal abroad

TWEETIE PIE wrote:

Hi...for years we went Spain in static vans on site in Sept/Oct, and went tent camping with own gear during the school hols as often as we could...I work week end nights so all week off ...meant cheaper camping. This year bought tin tent (caravan) meaning to camp on tent only sites we know and also go father afield with caravan getting the best of both.
Complete wash out this year as when weather good couldnt go and when could go weather bad...better luck next year(fingers crossed)
Family hoping I will book late deal abroad

We had 3 weeks in France with our van and got very wet somedays but we had a good break which is whats good
got a cheap one week in Majorca very soon too
and we always go away for new year in the caravan

We'd love to get a trailer tent for our trips to France but hubby works weekends and the kids are at school so we wouldn't get the use out of it that we would want the rest of the year. For now we'll just have to put up with going with one of the big companies.

I'd never been a camper! I always preferred nice hotels, e.t.c. I now love camping though When hubby and I got together, we bought all the gear, now try and go as often as possible. One disaster sticks to mind. We bought one of those throw away bbq, but it poured with rain, so decided to cook the burgers inside the tent . The end of the story is, we were smoked out of the tent, so we were in the rain, and the bbq was in the tent We haven't camped abroad as yet though! At the beginning of the month, we walked the Gower penninsula (West Wales)! for 3 days, we got rained off on the last night. We'd bought one of those pop-up tents (2man) especially for the trip. We got so drenched on the last day, we caught a bus in to the nearest town, and stayed in a nice hotel

Marlou wrote:

I'd never been a camper! I always preferred nice hotels, e.t.c. I now love camping though When hubby and I got together, we bought all the gear, now try and go as often as possible. One disaster sticks to mind.

We actually used to be campers proof here until we stayed in Newquay and there was a storm in Looe WE ended up with a tent full of water inside the inner tent that's when we changed over to tin tents on our thrid caravan now

Good one madcaravanner!!

Did my first camp in 1991 using Sunsites pre-erected tents, 2 weeks in France across 3 sites, North, South and West.
Next one was in 1998, France again and pre-erected again, Eurocamp, then again in 2002. We then bought our own tent and camped in Cornwall, and did a couple of one-nighters about 4 miles from home.
Then started the real thing; in 2004 we drove to Tunisia, in our Discovery, with a roof top tent, (for those that don't know, yes it is a tent that you erect on the roof of the car, takes about 5 mins, and mine has a 3" mattress). Since then we have been twice more, and camped for about 17 nights each time, 5 or 6 of these in the remoteness of the Tunisia Sahara.


This pic is in the UK, it shows all the kit, RTT, Kyham (quick erect) 3 man, etc.


....and this one is in the Desert.


.... and this is really wild camping 50km from anywhere.

For anyone interested there are more pics at 4x4 Travel in larger format.

Kevin
ps, I spend most of my time on the Tunisian Forum, just visiting here from time to time.

Nice post, eh?

kevinrbeech wrote:

Then started the real thing; in 2004 we drove to Tunisia, in our Discovery, with a roof top tent, (for those that don't know, yes it is a tent that you erect on the roof of the car, takes about 5 mins, and mine has a 3" mattress). Since then we have been twice more, and camped for about 17 nights each time, 5 or 6 of these in the remoteness of the Tunisia Sahara.
For anyone interested there are more pics at 4x4 Travel in larger format.

Kevin
ps, I spend most of my time on the Tunisian Forum, just visiting here from time to time.

Nice post, eh?

Kevin
totally blown away
I know about these tents but have never meet anyone with one pity my roof bars only take 100kg or could use one for short hops around France with only the car

Hi Gray,
The tent on the roof of my car weighs 35kg, however, the Maggiolina which looks like a roof box, is I believe a little heavier and you do see them on ordinary saloon cars, in fact I'm pretty sure that their advertising shows them on such.
Maggiolina site
Kevin

kevinrbeech wrote:

Hi Gray,
The tent on the roof of my car weighs 35kg, however, the Maggiolina which looks like a roof box, is I believe a little heavier and you do see them on ordinary saloon cars, in fact I'm pretty sure that their advertising shows them on such.
Maggiolina site
Kevin

Yes but then add my 85kg weight and the roof bars are stressed and that's just on my own without the missuse

we've been camping a fair few times this year, we use our own stuff and usually camp in North Wales somewhere. We love camping and cant wait for the nice weather to come back !! I mush prefer Tunisia though

shellbarlow wrote:

we've been camping a fair few times this year, we use our own stuff and usually camp in North Wales somewhere. We love camping and cant wait for the nice weather to come back !! I mush prefer Tunisia though :rofl

Have you camped there yet ???

There are a few sites coming on stream in Morrocco too very tempting for when I do retire taking the caravan down there