A tent?Many, many years ago I swore I would never sleep in a tent again. Far too many wet festivals in a crappy 2 man £20 special from Argos. I still have nightmares about sleeping in puddles. One too many freezing nights in a stinky sleeping bag. Never again will I wake up with my face stuck to nylon.
NO NO NO!
For those that follow the blog you may remember our big adventure round Spain this summer in our trusty van, (or not so trusty on this occasion). Rob and I left the world of tents behind us in our early 20’s and have never looked back. The luxury of camping with a real duvet and space to make a cuppa have now become the norm. So when friends asked us to go camping a few weeks ago and the van was still waiting to be fixed after the Spanish breakdown (hint to husband), initially I said no.
‘But that’s not fair!’ shouted the kids. ‘Why can’t we just sleep in a tent? It will be fun!’
A TENT? Memories of teenage years crammed under smelly canvas sent a shudder down my spin.
But then I realised. My eldest daughter is now 10 and she’s never actually slept under the stars. Yes, we camp all the time in the van, but it’s not quite the same as actually sleeping outside. I felt a bit bad. (Just a little bit mind).
I was never taken camping as a child, (I know, poor me). Probably explains why I couldn’t get enough of it as soon as I was old enough to convince my mum I was at a friends overnight. We’d pack a bag of goodies and off we’d go to sleep in the local park with nothing more than a couple of old fur coats. Class.
‘OK, let’s do it’.
Surely a bottle of rum and plenty of chocolate would mean I could sleep anywhere still?
Off we went. Four adults and five kids. Across the downs for a bit of great British family camping. Basic style. (eeek!!)
We had a bargain family tent from Amazon for £175. The Skandika Silverstone XXL which was sold as a 6 man family tent. It was just 1 nights camping so what could go wrong?
The tent was remarkably light and packed in a bag that I could easily carry. We all took a duvet and plenty of treats. I was slightly worried that we were all going to fit in this rather small package but I needed have been. We had a few drinks before we got started with the erection. Probably a few too many to be honest. We hadn’t noticed the instructions in the bag and it’s some years since I’ve put a tent up but we found it pretty easy.
I’m sure if you actually followed the instructions you could put this up within 5 minutes. It took us a little longer and a few more drinks but we got there. (and then found the instructions).
The wind picked up a while later and we discovered no one had put the guy ropes out. So where did we put those tent pegs? After a long search one of the kids found them under the tent (note to self for next time).
We had such a great time all getting involved. There were three sleeping pods that we managed to comfortable fit 2 adults and 1 little one in each. The bigger kids all shared the third pod and there was still plenty of communal space in the centre. We liked the good head height, especially as the other family are both very tall.
I’m no tent expert but our friends really liked the sewn in ground sheet and thought it was the easiest family sized tent they had ever put up. The poles looked pretty sturdy and the little porch section provided a little shade or shelter. Although we didn’t get rain in the night it was pretty cold and damp in the morning but we were nice and dry.
Our only downside? Getting it back in the bag!!
We had a great night out on the Downs and will certainly do it again. Admittedly I think the rum and hot chocolate kept me warm in the night but the kids seemed toasty too. They loved the back to basics camping.
Torches, cards and midnight feasts.
The thing memories are made of.
We were asked to review Skandika XXL tent Silverstone by Skandika and thought is was brilliant.
a field somewhere 
I must admit I’m not much of a tent fan myself, it’s great that you braved the cold for the kids though. It looks like you all had a great time exploring the great outdoors with the kids, it looks like you picked the perfect spot to spend the night. It’s great you all fitted in the tent easily and managed to have a great nights sleep. Thanks for linking up with me on Country Kids.
Thanks. It was great fun for a night but I think we are getting too old for sleeping on the floor for too long. Neither of us have been able to walk properly all week so it’s given him the incentive to get on and fix the van! Kids had a blast though. Nothing like sleeping under the stars.
My Dad had much the same opinion about camping (still does) so we never did, and my husband hyperventilates if we go too far out of any given city, so we don’t, but the kids are now old enough that it will be fun for them and not too horrendous for me, so we will. I like the idea of just making a one nighter though. Good plan. Very good plan.
Hello! I’m considering buying the same tent for our family trip to Legoland, Denmark. Could you please tell me what size airbeds fit to sleeping pods? Thank you in advance. 🙂
Hello! I’m considering buying the same tent for our family trip to Legoland, Denmark. Could you please tell me what size airbeds fit to sleeping pods? Thank you in advance. 🙂
Hi, we don’t have airbeds I’m afraid so not sure. 2 roll matts fitted easily in each pod. I think the actual dimensions are on the Skandika site if you need them. Happy camping
This should help with the dimensions for you air beds.
I am glad that you braved camping again as kids do love it. When I was younger I went camping in Devon in a small thin 2 man tent sleeping on the floor which was possibly the most uncomfortable night of my life! Since then my wife persuaded me to give it another go with our children and blowup mattresses and we all love it.