Honda EU2000i genny. Why rough it?
Does it count if we ran out of money with 3 weeks to go and had to borrow off our parents … ? Damn, i’m digging a bigger hole here!
TBF it was <£300 that got us through the last few weeks in SE Asia.
We got impatient with saving on our cruddy post Uni salaries. To this day i have no idea how we saved anything on what we were earning - sneakily sharing a room in a house share for the last couple of months helped, as we’d already got bored and booked the trip! We did it on half the money most of our friends did though to be fair.
We got our own tent this year, second hand jobby off Facebook and it’s great. Had it up in the garden and went away with kids. Next step as some mentioned is a porch or event shelter.
Try to not buy all the stuff in one go, build up slowly. You only need a coolbox if going for weekends, get a fridge if planning longer trips.
Beds and being comfortable overnight is pretty much number one for me. Camp beds/SIMs/airbeds go and try stuff out to see what you want. There’s no point in a holiday where you can’t sleep well.
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If going for longer trips in Europe you can often hire fridges at campsites. Far simpler.
Yeah, a fridge will take up half you boot, in an estate!
Electric coolbox or small camping fridge. I don’t have one but would strongly consider it if going for longer than 3 days
So much support for camping with loads of stuff, I fully get the idea of camping with what you carry on your back to get to places away from people. I can even more see the attraction of doing the same with a canoe as you can carry more stuff to make the camp a bit nicer.
I really don’t get the attraction of next to your car on a campsite with so much stuff? Can people explain what makes it better than staying inside a building?
A chest type fridge which opens from the top. Yes it takes up space, but you can fill it with lots of stuff
many sites have shared fridges and freezers - just label your stuff
The feeling of being outside. Kids enjoy it as it’s novel, lots of open space to run about. Cheaper than hotels. Can be sat next to a fire with a beer whilst the kids are sleeping - in a hotel you’d be stuck in a room with them. It’s a safe version of an adventure as a family. Loads of stuff.
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I’d rather know who it was me who had been sleeping in my bed previously 
& as GB says the kids love the freedom.
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They’re really good, you’re right. Big communal kitchens, BBQs and some had a big sitting room as well. All very simple but good.
Jim, I’d try Glamping for a couple of nights first, hope for dry weather and then see how you feel about ‘outdoor’ living.
I agree that Hotels are the absolute ‘worst’ when you have young kids; certainly in this country. It’s a bit different abroad in a posh complex with guarantee’d weather…but even then, despite the huge buffet for every meal, the kids club, play areas, pools & entertainment, they still moaned.
ETA - if you say Otter never moans. I will shoot you in the face
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That’s kind of my point, if you’re in those few years where your kids go to bed early enough that you want to sit around a fire while they’re in bed - go glamping, or get a cottage, or a hostel, or hell go to centre parcs or caravan park if you want the load of strangers right next to you too.
I fully get the fun of sitting outside with a beer and dinner - I’ve done that loads in various hostels and cottages all over the place at different times, I just don’t see the need for the tent for it - nor particularly how it creates more freedom for anyone. Of course Otter moans, but if we want to sit around a fire drinking beer she’d do it with us, or sit somewhere in the hostel with her laptop say… I’m not convinced the tent is much of an attraction - maybe if she had her own tent, with a load of peers and complete freedom, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here, and even then I imagine a bunk house would be better, but sadly covid stopped us finding out that one.
For us, a lot of our holiday time is also VFR of course, with the family all away, so maybe if you’ve got 6 weeks of the year to be off in your tent the money makes more sense.
Exactly why we moved out of town to the 'burbs. We have a triple driveway. (was double but I ripped out the useless bushes that were in the way) and a garage!
When we were in town, I used to get severe driveway envy!
I’ve got a few small power banks, but was thinking a compact Solar Powerbank might be a good call. Any recommendations. This one from Rleron comes recommended on some review sites…
triple driveway you say?? I have no idea how big ours is but I reckon I could get another 4 cars on it and still let next door get to theirs (they have access rights over ours).
@gingerbongo is that posh enough for ya?? 
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I wouldn’t brag too hard; travellers sites have equal hard-standing available 
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It’s not triple wide, sort of hatchet shaped and the third car would nearly be in the kitchen sink. 
Had a look at the Outwell range. FMD, they ain’t cheap but look amazing!