Bought my very first tent!

[mummymacbeth]

Have ordered a vango icarus 500 from Go Outdoors. Haven't been camping since I was a teenager, and husband and kids have never camped.
Am excited! I will get the footprint, sleeping bags and airbeds (or mats, still to decide) after pay day. and if we like camping then I will splash out on a tent carpet and canopy
BUT how do you clean the tent carpet??
Hope we get some decent weather soon

[dippingmytoeinagain]

oooh I bought one of those today too from Go Outdoors. Finally, after about 6 weeks of dithering I bit the bullet. It is sitting in the hall now and if the weather is nice tomorrow I am going to have a go at pitching it by myself in the garden. I need to be able to do it without much help as I will be camping with just 2 young DCs. Am feeling nervous and excited. Good luck with yours!

[mummymacbeth]

Such a good price just now - I was all set to buy one from them at £189 so saved £40!
Hope you get yours pitched with no problems. hope mine gets delivered soon!

[gordyslovesheep]

I love mine - great tent - enjoy!

[dippingmytoeinagain]

Mine is still sitting unpitched although has moved from the hall to the utility room - might get its first pitch in Bakewell this weekend IF the weather improves....
Has yours arrived yet mummymac?

[mummymacbeth]

hi dipping just saw this. yes it has arrived and has been pitched. it's great, I am pleased with it. it did not take long to pitch (definitely less than half an hour) and we are total amateurs!
it has been pitched and left up in the rain and does not leak which is a relief

[mummymacbeth]

did you try yours out?

[iwantanafternoonnap]

You'll have a ball DS loves camping and despite me saying I wasn't going to book any trips this year unless I knew it was going to be sunny I have 3 booked. I would recommend self inflating mats of at least 5cm over airbeds every time. I ahve gone through many airbeds and the best thing i did was change to self inflating mats.

dipping I can pitch tunnels tents by myself (DS 3 not much help although he thinks he is!) and I am only 5' it's all the swing of the hips to get the poles up and I have impressed many other campers when I have got my tent up and pegged down by myself while couples/groups are still getting theirs up!

[mummymacbeth]

I am suitably impressed I want I could not have pitched mine by myself!

(I will be really impressed if my attempt at making your nickname go in bold works though!)

[iwantanafternoonnap]

Yes you can if it is a tunnel tent. You put all the poles in, peg out the back of the tent, grab the front poles and get a rocking/swinging motion going and they pop up and then you walk backwards, peg out the guy ropes at front. Then go to back and start pegging properly and reposition the front guy ropes easy as. In fact it is easier than if you have someone else helping as you do it your way and don't have interfering i.e. men thinking they can do it better

[iwantanafternoonnap]

well done for the bold that took me a while on here LOL

[dippingmytoeinagain]

hello mummy and iwant...

Yes, I did get to pitch it...Thursday afternoon in the back garden, not a complete pegged job but enough to get a good idea of how it all works - no help from the DCs and took about 20 mins in all,. Have just returned from 2 nights in Bakewell with DP and I insisted on pitching it by myself and did it from start to finish in 30 mins...and did the 'unpitching' (I guess there must be a proper word but it escapes me right now!) in about the same time. Felt very happy and more confident about going it alone with the DCs next time.

Give it a go Mummy....it was much easier than I thought

[Picturepuncture]

'Unpitching'= strike

[iwantanafternoonnap]

Well done. I know its daft but I get an immense sense of pride when I pitch my tent up by myself. We are camping at the weekend at Elderflower fields festival and can't wait there are 25 single parents from a facebook site I am part of going so should be fun. Hoping it doesn't rain but I have a funny feeling it might!! x

[mummymacbeth]

well done dipping I am impressed. thanks Picture I honestly thought striking a tent was another term for pitching it - that could have been confusing!
hope you enjoy the weekend iwant - sounds fab. fingers crossed the weather is kind. it was scorchio here today is summer here at last??

[dippingmytoeinagain]

Picture - thank you! Must remember that!
Mummy - thank you! Not exactly scorchio here but not raining so not all bad
iwant - it simply cannot rain this weekend - not only for you and your friends but I am taking the DCs for their first camping trip. Hope you have a great time - sounds like you will do, whatever the weather

[Picturepuncture]

that's ok, happy to help! I should contribute more on this section I love camping and you're all really nice