Guide to Family Camping Holidays for First-Timers

Are you going on an exciting camping trip with your family for the 1^st time?

Which canvas tents are most suitable for families with children?

What advice can you get, to help you enjoy your 1^st family camping trip?

For families with younger children, Canvas Tent Shop provides a range of camping tents, in different shapes and sizes, that are suitable for both budget and luxury buyers.

Canvas Tents for Family Camping – Budget Buyers

If you’re planning on camping on a budget, we suggest our Bell Tent Lite range, available in 4m and 5m heights, is easy to set-up and is ideal for family getaways and can be used as a safe-play enclosure or play area for children, when camping in the garden or at a campsite.

Please note: they’re not designed to be used with stoves, due to the plastic content in the tent material. This cuts down on costs associated with purchasing chimneys and accessories, making them our most affordable canvas tents.

The Oxford canvas Bell Tent Lite includes:

• A light-weight, modern-design, weighing only 14.2kg
• A 150D zipped-in Oxford groundsheet – ideal for camping in damp or wet weather conditions
• Is fully waterproof, rot-proof and mildew / mould-proof
• An electrical cable access point
• A carry holdall, for easy transport and simple car-boot storage

Canvas Tents for Family Camping – Luxury Buyers

Our Kokoon Deluxe tent range, available in 3m, 4m, 5m and 6m sizes, are ideal for family camping getaways, week-end breaks and glamping (camping in style) and includes four mesh windows and mosquito net doors, a safety feature that will help protect children from insect bites.

The Kokoon Deluxe Tent includes:

• Breathable, waterproof and rot-proof design
• Strong 350gsm cotton canvas
• Added security with PVC zipped-in groundsheets and zip-up front doors

With chimney fittings available for the 4m and 6m tents, you can purchase a WinnerWell stove with all the necessary components and safety items you’ll need; vitally important when camping with children and cooking inside a Kokoon Deluxe tent.

These include:

• A suitable chimney for your tent
• A heat mat to place the stove on
• A flashing kit, to attach to your tent, to stop rainwater from entering
• Heat gloves, for handling hot stoves

In addition, purchase bell tent matting in coir, polypropylene and Jute material to create a natural look and feel to your luxury tent.

Awnings and inners – for added space and privacy and suitable for 4M and 5M sizes – can also be purchased.

Additional Catering and Dining Accessories

• If you don’t already have some, firewood will be needed for your stove
• When serving food to your family, an easy-to-set-up-and-collapse table or bench is highly recommended
• Need hot water on-tap for tea or washing? Purchase a water-tank, suitable for use with your stove

10 Tips for Camping with a Family

For 1^st time family campers, here’s a handy list of 10x suggestions, based on 3 generations of camping expertise and experience – to make your family camping trip as organised and as fun as possible:

• If your garden is big enough, practice assembling your tent, to save yourself hassle when you get to your camping destination
• Make sure you have all the camping items you need for your trip, before you leave. Tired children moaning about the tent not being set-up yet because you’re missing a part doesn’t help when you’re in the midst of setting one up!
• Don’t forget a mallet – without one, you’ll need to push pegs in with your hands
• Always have a spare pack of tent pegs, just in case you lose any and can’t set-up your tent
• Choose a family campsite that includes the facilities and amenities you and your children need
• Give yourself enough time to reach your camping destination, so you can pitch your tent when there is still daylight – setting up in daylight can also be a fun activity to include your children in

• Think about where you’ll pitch your tent – some campsites have set pitches so you may not get much choice in the matter. However, the best kind of campsites allow you to choose where you want to camp – and flat-ground is best.
• Be mindful of your tents’ proximity to toilets, roads and play areas – you’ll find these areas are busier, noisier and less private but obviously essential for family usage

• If the campsite is large, make a note of where your tent is positioned including trees, walls and fences – that way, if you go outside of the campsite and return in the dark, you’ll know where it’s located
• At the end of your campsite stay, always make sure to clean and properly air your tent before packing it away, in order to avoid mildew and an unpleasant smell on your tent

Good luck with your 1^st family camping adventure – if you need any advice regarding family tents or accessories that isn’t covered in the suggestions above, please contact us – we’re here to help!