Is camping really for me?

So you've reached the point where you want to try camping and see whether it's definitely the sort of thing you want to do again and again. But how can you be sure that you're making the right decision? What happens if you spend hundreds of hard earned pounds on new camping gear only to realise that you're not a camper afterall (or the wife/husband/kids aren't)?

Do your research - you have to be under no illusion as to what you're letting yourself in for. The Tips for Newbies thread http://www.chatcamping.net/camping-f...s-newbies.html will help you to figure out the hints and tricks to easier camping. But you need to know the real picture about camping also.

A lot of the guys and gals who are members of this forum go camping for a variety of reasons - cheap holidays, enjoy the great outdoors, a chance to try new things and see new places, relaxation, getting closer to nature....the list is endless.

No matter how long you've been camping, each trip will teach you something new or a shortcut to save time or a different way of doing something. The very same happened to me last month. I would class myself as a seasoned camper, having camped in a variety of places, experienced a variety of weather.

I think all novice campers need to have a fundamental understanding of what they're letting themselves in for.
So here's some questions and answers to get you started:

~ Will it be as warm inside my tent as it gets inside my house? No. Quite frankly, camping can be cold, it can be hot, it can go from one extreme to the other in the same day.
~ Will the campsite facilities be clean? Not always. Yes they'll be cleaned by the campsite owners daily and possibly even inspected every few hours, but there is no guarantee that by the time you want to use them they'll still be clean and fresh. You have to imagine it would be the same as having a hundred people all using your bathroom at home in one day.
~ How noisy will it be? Campsites can be very noisy dependent on their size. Most campsites will have rules about noise/music/anti social behaviour, but if you don't want to be surrounded by hundreds of people, look for smaller campsites.
~ Is it possible to cook more than beans on toast while away camping? Yes of course. My husband cooked a chicken curry, rice and naan breads on our campstove and fire last month.

The biggest question to ask yourself is - can you cope being in a soaking, muddy field, pitching or dropping a tent in high winds, coping with the cold and being couped up inside the tent because the weather is preventing you getting outside? If you can answer Yes to all of that, then you'll enjoy camping. If No is the answer, you will find camping a struggle.

So all new/novice campers who stumble across this forum, please ask as many questions as you can. The experienced campers will try their best to help you figure it all out.