Ok so lets take a LIGHT harted look at camping for beginers!
The 1st thing that I learned from at the Lakeland 09 meeting.
Take your new tent home and put it up so you have some idea how it go,s together!(I got that right )and how big\small it is!
When they say it is a 2 man tent that are using Snow Whites mates as a size guide
Next blow up your air bed and see if it fits!
This is where it all started to go wrong,
yes it did fit but it was so high that my head and feet were wedged into the ends of the roof of the tent (it was a wedge shaped tent)
so what I did was let some of the air out to lower my hight, but all that happens is your\my fat hits the ground and your\my head and feet go higher and it makes turning over to get "comfy" almost imposible!!!
Next NEVER EVER trust the free sleeping bag that comes with the tent!!!! not only did I not even take it out over the bag it came in but I did not look at how warm it was suposed to be!!!!! IF I was a POLAR BEAR then may be I would have been ok! Oh no wait you remember what I said about the size guide for the tent? well im Mr average under 6ft tall a bit over waight 14st but let me tell you, that f*cking sleeping bag was all most the death of me, lets just say that DOPEY got into it and GRUMPY got out! I froze my t*ts off it was so bad that I all most gave up and went home at 4am on the 1st morning!
When and if you go camping pack a wooly hat to keep your head warm, make it the 1st thing you put in your kit! In the end the only thig I took off to go to bed on the 2nd night was my lid and boots!!
Next if you are getting on a bit and are not as bendy as you used to be, get a taller tent that you can kneel in of stand in cos I swear when you are sat on the ground trying to put you socks on your legs are a foot longer than when you do it at home sat on the bed.
If you go camping with a large group of mates and there is a lot of booze being drunk then I would sergest that you try to remember to pack ear plugs or camp away from the group as drunk people snoore so bad!!!
Having said all of the above I have to say that all involved in the Lakeland do all pulled together and made it a great weekend and im glad that I stayed so peps just beware the pitfulls that can be found the hard way
Happy camping BEAR.

All the above is why i've not camped since i was 10.

I would have been in a B&B and met up with them the morning after

Bear,

If they decribed your tent as 'two man' then you should take them to the Trading Standards for miss selling a product !!

It was debatable that you could call it a 1 man tent!!

I had a reasonable 1st camping experiance......that is apart from being pitched inbetween Kiethblade and Tenere Doug who were having a Snoring Battle...... Doug you could snore for England matey !!

Nick.

hhaha yea that sounds like a bad first experience.

But at least you didnt have your tent leek in a massive down pour and also have your so called mate try and take up your side of the tent/bed.

Ive done all 3 of my duke of edinburghs and each time the guy i was doing it with made sure he was lying at the top end of the hill/slope.

But onto some better info, yes already try out everything you buy first, never trust what the manufacture says. Im 6ft4 and just about fit in a tent thats suppose to be 2.5m (yea its maybe 2.5m on the out side but the innner tents more like 2m)

Always bring a good sleeping bad as you do become very cold at night even if you sleeping bag says its a -ve what ever figure you cant beat a set of thin trousers and tee shirt to keep you toasty and warm.

If your going boozing and you dont wanna leave the tent for a weee, make sure youve got a weee bottle and its got danger tap on it so no one mistakens it for coloured water!!!!

Oh and also make a list of the things your bringing and then look through it a couple of times and think have you forgotten something, or do you really need that extra thing etc

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Plough on

Hey at least my tent had a liner in it lol now who was it that forgot theirs???

guilty as charged!!! talk about pre planning!

i turned up somewhat over packed as it was compared with everyone else!
had a lovely big tent for myslef.

i then realised id left the dam inner tent liner at home!!!

i ended up sleeping with all my gear around my head trying to keep the wind that was whipping up under the canvas out of my face!

Must admit i was cheered up in the morning waking up to bear and johnnos convo!! lol

Oh and who was it that hogged the Pu**y all night?????

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live Free, Ride Free!
No maps no plans, just get on your bike and go!



XT660z......What a machine!!

Current mods:- Yamaha top box, Yamaha hanguards, Heated grips, High front fender, Aux lighting front/rear.

Nick, would you believe that I've had two (painfull!) ops to stop me snoring? My missus says I'm cured, so maybe it was just the beer? I did have one or two...!
As for Bear's small tent, at least it stayed up, which is more than can be said for my Big Top. I've been trying to use it as an excuse to get a fancy "Kyham" like Peatbog's, but I've been instructed to just buy a new pole. Ar$e!!

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-- Triumph Explorer 1200 --

Snoring was probably me Nick, on the other side of Doug. I snore especially loudly when i sleep on my back,which i was. i'm loud enough that i quite often wake myself up..... sorry!

WOW ! You were a good 15 yards away from my tent and it sounded like you were right outside!!

No worries mate, I managed a few hours kip !!


Nick.

me too, an absolutely great bit of kit, recommended to anyone

Khyam Biker if anyones looking for one, here - http://shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_t...All-Categories