SUMMER has well and truly arrived which means millions of families will be making wonderful memories whilst camping.
But as glorious as it may sound, camping is all fun and games until you realise it’s too cold to fall asleep and there’s nothing for lunch.
To help fellow parents ensure their next camping trip is a breeze, one savvy mum-of-two has come to rescue with five hacks.
Spot your tent right away
Mum and TikToker, only known as @adventuresofthewests, revealed practically everything you need to know – including how to prevent your little ones from escaping the tent during nighttime.
If you’ve been out and about exploring the local area all day long and return to the tent late at night, you’ll know it’ll be pretty challenging to spot it.
But there’s an easy solution – according to the savvy mum, from Brighton, this is where a bit of fluorescent tape comes to rescue.
You can find glow-in-the-dark tape for as little as 81p on Temu, £2 on Amazon and elsewhere – and it’s bound to make your next trip much easier.
Simply stick around the tent rope and you’re ready to go – it’s really that straightforward.
The tape will absorb all the light during daytime – and it’ll also mean you won’t trip all over the place.
The camping lover said in her video: ”This is especially helpful at festivals with lots of tents close together and looking the same.”
Keyring hack
As well as making your tent easier to find, adding larger keyrings to the zips will also ensure your kids are safe at night – and won’t open the tent for a little wander.
The mother-of-two explained: ”You can link it through two zips to stop them from getting out.”
Keep cosy at night
While today and tonight is still set to be rather toasty, there’s no denying that British weather is unpredictable – and we’re bound to have nights cooler than others.
As fun as camping may be, trying to fall asleep when you’re shivering is never pleasant – which is why it’s essential to pack items to stay warm in a tent.
Three camping tips from an expert
David Scotland owns camping equipment retailer Outdoor World Direct and knows all about how to make a camping trip run smoothly.
When visiting any campsite this summer it’s important to make sure you’re not making simple mistakes that could ruin your holiday.
Check your tent
David recommends putting your tent up a couple of weeks before you’re due to travel to give you enough time to repair or replace any damaged parts.
He told Sun Online Travel: “You’d be surprised how many people turn up with broken tents.”
Test the ground
Picking a good spot to pitch your tent is difficult, with lots of things to consider.
One of those should be the condition of the ground you’re putting your tent on top of, according to David.
He said: “Once you’ve found the perfect spot, test the ground with your pegs before you commit to camping there to make sure the ground is soft enough.”
Don’t nap in your tent
It may seem the perfect place for it, but a nap in a tent could end badly, if it’s done at the wrong time of the day.
David explained: “If the sun’s shining and it’s hot inside your tent – don’t do it!
“One of our friends nodded off in his tent during a heatwave at Glastonbury and ended up at the medical tent with heatstroke.”
Instead, he recommends finding some shade outside or somewhere well ventilated.
Although many of us may assume this means bringing loads of blankets to chuck on top of you, the Brighton-based mother advised to ”add more layers underneath” for the ultimate sleep.
”We used a blanket, a foil blanket and slot together foam mats underneath our boys’ inflatable mattress – and it works a treat.”
Prep your food ahead of time
There’s nothing quite as frustrating as realising there’s nothing to eat for lunch or dinner – only to then have to drive for miles on end to the nearest shop for pricey meals.
To avoid forking out a fortune and having to cook whilst camping, prepping meals ahead of time is essential, the mum said.
”One pot camping dinners are ideal, as well as pre-cooking pasta, so you can then just add a sauce.
”And pre-making pancake mix is another great one.”
This, she added, will also save you heaps of time not having to wash up as many dishes – which is never a fun part of camping.
Freeze meals and blocks of ice
As well as pre-cooking your meals, such as a scrumptious spag bol, the mum recommended freezing them, on top of freezing blocks of ice.
”This will keep your cool box way cooler for longer and when the water does melt, it’ll be trapped in the lunch box rather than making everything wet.”
