As the weather hints at warmer days to come we see an increase in camping enthusiasts collecting their gear from storage.

It’s time to prepare for the season by checking through equipment, replacing anything that’s damaged and trying out the latest outdoor gadgets. As experienced campers will tell you, once you fall in love with holidaying under canvas, you’ll be adding to your camping must-haves every year.

However, if you’re new to camping it doesn’t have to cost a fortune in gear to get started. We’ve put together a few of the essentials for a weekend trip to get you snoozing under the stars in comfort.

The perfect tent

There are so many options on the market that choosing the perfect tent can feel overwhelming. You do need to research tent reviews online, speak to dealers and visit local camping shops to see some on display.

However, you don’t have to pick one straight away. If you can, borrow a tent first to get a feel for the features you like. Plus it’s a good way to be sure camping is right for you anyway. You’ll find that most regular campers have been through a number of tents before settling on a manufacturer and layout they prefer.

A good nights sleep

If you don’t get a good night’s sleep you will never enjoy camping to its fullest. You need to be comfortable and warm – there’s nothing worse than waking up cold or damp.

Remember that throughout the night temperatures fall and the ground gets cold. Insulating your bed from the floor helps keep you cosy. Place a picnic blanket under your bed, or use foam mats. Then, choose between an inflatable airbed, a camping bed or a SIM (self-inflating mattress).

Each type of bed has pros and cons. Airbeds can be very comfortable, but are prone to deflate. They can also be cold as the air inside cools, so you’ll need a blanket between your sleeping bag and the bed. Camping beds can be quick and easy to erect, but quite restrictive on space and quite firm, while a SIM can be comfortable, if you’re prepared to pay more for one thick enough to keep you from feeling the hard ground. Laying your SIM on top of a camping bed is a great alternative, but costs more in equipment.

The final ingredient to a good nights sleep is a thick sleeping bag, wide enough to allow movement, or if you prefer, a large, warm duvet. Take a couple of extra blankets in case you need them.

Something tasty to eat

All that fresh air helps you build up a healthy appetite so remember to take your cooker. A simple portable gas cooker is fine, and most come in their own carry case. Don’t forget the gas.

Then you’ll need cookware – a saucepan and frying pan, a kettle, plates, cutlery and a large mug for your morning cuppa. Unfortunately camping holidays do mean you have to do your own washing up, so a bowl, tea towel and washing up liquid.

As well as food – most camping trips involve a proper English breakfast – you need a cool box to keep your milk and bacon in.

Evening entertainment

One of the best things about camping is settling down by the campfire (if you are allowed one on site). A portable firepit is a lovely luxury – don’t forget the wood. Lightweight folding chairs and a table are perfect for an evening playing cards, and you’ll need a some powerful camping lanterns for light to play by.

Finally, make sure you pack some warm clothing, a change of shoes in case you get wet – well, we are talking camping in Britain – and your bathroom essentials.

And one more thing – don’t forget the bottle opener for the wine, to toast the success of your first trip.

As the children head off back to school, it does start to feel like summer is over. The official end of summer isn’t actually until 22 September – which means there’s still time to enjoy the last bit of sunshine, and start getting your garden ready for autumn.

 

Enjoy the summer harvest

All of your hard work through the spring and summer is now showing the benefits. If you had fruit and vegetable beds growing, you’ll be enjoying the harvest. If it’s not quite ready, check your netting is secure. The birds will be getting hungrier about now.

It’s time to get jamming and pickling – storing your harvest for the future. You can also freeze fruit, so make sure there is space in your freezer.

Make sure you dig up any potatoes, the slugs are out about in force. You can leave them out in the last of the summer sunshine to dry for a few hours, before storing in a dry, dark place to keep you going through the next few months. Remember that they need air or they’ll go mouldy.

Hanging baskets and container plants are still flowering and looking beautiful. Keep up the feeding and they will last until the frosts begin.

Autumn garden tips 

The first thing that happens in autumn is, of course, leaves start to fall from the trees. Make sure you put netting over ponds, ready to catch them all. It saves a lot of time and cleaning later. You’ll also need somewhere to put all those leaves, so make a space for new compost piles if you can.

Summer’s plants are beginning to die back, so you can start clearing them out, particularly if you have a greenhouse. This means you’ll have the space to get some new plants in over the autumn.

Remove weeds and the dead crops – a little time tidying up your beds and vegetable patch now will save you time nest year, when the ground may still be firmer.

Thinking ahead to spring

The ground is still soft and warm enough to start thinking about next spring. Now is the time to be planting your spring bulbs – daffodils, crocus, hyacinths and so on.

It’s also the best time to be planting new trees and shrubs. The increased rainfall will help them settle in, ready to burst into new growth next year.

New lawns will grow well right now, so putting down seed, aerating your lawn and giving it some food will help improve any poor patches.

Storing your garden furniture

As well as preparing the garden, it’s time to care for your tables and chairs. By the end of September the weather will be poorer, and the temperatures much lower. One of the last jobs of the month is to give everything a good clean, and put it away for the winter.

Give your shed or garage a good clear out, and make a space between the bikes and wheelbarrow. If you don’t have the room, consider putting your furniture in self-storage for the 6 months until you need it again. It’s dry and out of the way, leaving you more room at home for your spring potting.

If you need a little more space in your garden, talk to us about self storage. With daily access if you need it, a storage unit is the perfect second shed, a place to keep all your seasonal gear until next year. Call now on 0121 285 5197. 

Lifestyle Storage

If you are one of the millions in the UK living in apartments or city centres, you’ll be fully aware of how important your space is. With little or no garden and likely no garage, how can you manage all of your belongings? And let’s face it, as a population we are gathering more and more belongings in every generation. Lifestyle Storage can make your life easier.

If you are a family that loves the outdoors, just where do you keep all of your extra equipment? A 2-parent, 2-child family means 4 bikes. Keen campers require tents, sleeping bags, gas cookers and canisters, cooking utensils, chairs, camping beds . . . the list goes on.

Then there’s the sports gear – hockey sticks, tennis rackets, footballs – or for the more serious outdoor enthusiasts – canoes, surfboards, climbing gear and so on.

That’s where offsite lifestyle storage options really do make all the difference. With your own personal storage unit you effectively have your very own garden shed – but with many added benefits.

Damp and rodent free storage

There’s nothing worse than arriving on your campsite after a fraught 4 hours in the car with shrieking children, traffic jams, diversions and torrential rain, than putting up your family tent and discovering it’s covered in mildew. Or worse – full of tiny but well-chewed holes from the resident family of mice.

With an indoor self-storage space like Cookes Storage in the West Midlands, you know that your precious canvas is protected from rain and wildlife – at least until your next camping trip.

Mess free solutions

If you do live in an apartment, then the last thing you want is to be bringing the great outdoors back into your home. So, if you are a keen mountain biker, after a full day shooting through muddy ravines and down dirt tracks, it’s far better to take that bike back to your lifestyle storage unit than to trek it into your hallway.

Especially if, as any biking enthusiast knows, your collection of bikes expands to provide options for every terrain.

Wet canoes, wetsuits, muddy waders or fishy jackets – keep the mess and smells of your outdoor hobbies away from the inside of your home.

Out of sight – until you need it

Many of our extra curricula activities are seasonal, and that means that the gear we need spends a good portion of the year taking up precious space. The great thing about your storage unit is the flexibility it gives you to prioritise your belongings, so you don’t have to choose between sports.

Take out your skis for the winter, bring home the sled, and get all the tobogganing in you can for the few days a year that we have snow. And don’t forget your hockey sticks and rugby balls.

Once the seasons change, you can deposit all your winter gear back into your lifestyle storage room – and get out the tennis racket and surfboard, ready for the summer sports season.

Live without limits

Your home space may be limited, but your lifestyle doesn’t have to be. The great thing about storage is that it gives you space to expand your horizons and enjoy all of the sports you love, without compromising on your equipment.

For more information on the self storage services offered by Cookes Storage please call 0121 250 5055 or Get a Quote.