Updated: 2015-8-5
Oleg Lazhechnikov
41In winter, I always remember summer, because I can’t get myself addicted to winter sports and pastime. And life for me freezes in anticipation of warmth. Continuing to indulge in memories (last time I wrote about mine), I want to tell you how I once managed to live in a tent for 3 months.
Back in 2005, I left for the Caucasus in, so much so that I could spend as much time there as I wanted. Is it bad, warm, fruits, the sea is not far ... Therefore, I took a vacation at my own expense at work (I wanted to quit, but they gave me a long vacation) and we drove off there together with a friend.
Why did we go? Probably everyone had a period of youthful maximalism. Personally, for me it consisted in the denial of all the benefits of civilization. And the fixed idea was that a person is self-sufficient and he does not need anything. That's how it is, I still think so, but how much it suits me specifically at this stage of life, you can find out only by checking. No sooner said than done. However, I'm not a fool to go to the taiga, so I chose the Caucasus, summer, sea, mountains. Nevertheless, this experience proved to be indicative.
We arrived, pitched a tent among the same informals, like us. Subsequently, we also built a film canopy for ourselves so that in the rain we would not sit in a tent. In summer, a whole tent city is formed there. And the real hippie life began. In the morning you get up, go to the river, plunge into its invigorating bowels, cook food on a fire, go to visit and chat, sit and meditate by the dolmens, in the evening songs by the fire and tea in a circle. Then the Renaissance had some amazing atmosphere of kindness and positive. We lived on a hill, and from it all the glades in the neighborhood were visible, which, at nightfall, were lit up by the flames of a fire and enlivened by the sounds of guitars, violins and flutes. Guests were welcome everywhere. If you've seen the Robin Hood movie, Sherwood Forest is very reminiscent of what we saw that year.
When we got tired of thinking, we tried carving spoons, knitting, learning notes on the flute or new chords on the guitar. Or just went to the sea to swim, since it was only an hour to get there. Once we even had to put out a fire in Dzhanhot - in swimming trunks and barefoot we ran along the slopes and dug ditches, cleared the sites from pine needles and started fire towards each other (I subtracted this in the book Prairie by Fenimore Cooper in childhood and remembered). As a result, our parking lot did not burn down and we did not have to evacuate. I remember for the rest of my life how terrible this element is - a wall of fire coming at you ...
Over the summer, we climbed the entire Gelendzhik region, went by chance, visited a campsite in Asha and the Sochi arboretum, met a bunch of people, hardened so that the sea became unpleasantly warm, dropped all the fat, even the one that was not there, and realized it's time to go home.
Return to Moscow
After 3 months, it became clear that the money was running out, the summer too, and it was probably time to go home towards our goals. As practice has shown, life in the forest did not suit me, I already wanted the benefits of civilization in the form of a shower, toilet, bed, as well as a computer and the Internet (hikers will understand me). Although the bed was not perceived for two weeks and I slept in a sleeping bag and without a pillow. It was no less difficult to get used to the constant noise on the street and the bustle, like a wild man shied away from everything :)
And then there was work as an engineer of various specialties, searching for myself, getting married, traveling, and finally it all came down to this blog, making money on the Internet and the decision to leave Moscow for a quieter place. The next one will probably be even more interesting.
Home to Moscow
Moral of this fable
Those feelings, that freedom and joy that I get from the little things - daily swimming in an icy river, good conversations by the fire, amazing sunsets, the sea to the horizon - it is impossible to forget, they changed my system of values and philosophy of life. Once having felt the taste of real life, then it is very difficult to perceive surrogate pleasures. Who wants to eat a "plastic" tomato from the supermarket after a tomato from the garden? Only those who have not tried it, or those who have not seen the difference ... It is clear that this is an allegory, and situations are different, but I still tend to believe that real joys are intangible.
I sometimes remember my childhood. How little was needed for happiness: stomp your feet in a puddle, get a radio under the tree, ride a bicycle around the country all day, build a hut in the forest. Have I forgotten how to be happy? Or are there objective reasons why an adult needs to perform a series of actions to get the same sensations - ride a yacht, buy a car, rent a luxury cottage for New Year. A little weird :)
No, no, don't think that I'm campaigning for life in a tent. I also need things, a house and so on, otherwise I would not have returned to Moscow then and now I would probably write these lines from some dugout, and the photographs to this day would be from some soap box (although I do not exclude that there are people who can live like this). It's just that after that tent life, my priorities shifted, it became easier to separate the wheat from the chaff - to understand what is really needed and what is not. It became obvious that the cage, no matter how golden it was, could never replace the blue sky and forest for me. No matter how utopian it may sound, but earning money has faded into the background in the name of occupations that bring satisfaction and in the hope that sooner or later, earnings and self-realization will coincide like a puzzle.
P.S. The memories are over, so in the following articles about and
This article is about how to live in a tent and make your camping house comfortable. Many people who have never gone camping are afraid of living in a tent. Is it that scary? Of course, the tent cannot be compared with your favorite sofa, but small inconveniences for the sake of viewing the most beautiful views nature can be tolerated. But about how to minimize these very inconveniences, we will tell in this article.
Setting up a tent
Much of the inconvenience stems from improperly pitching the tent. Carefully inspect the place on which the bottom will lie. There should not be stumps, bushes and stones. Make sure you don't choose a slope or hole for the night. Carelessness when setting up a tent will come back to haunt you with excruciating inconvenience at night.
How to arrange things in a tent?
It is best to put the backpack on the side of the place where you will put your head, or sleep with your head right on the backpack, laying a jacket on it. Worst of all, if only you and your neighbors fit in your tent, and there is nowhere to put things. In this case, it is worth taking a larger tent or putting things in a vestibule. At night, you may need a flashlight and a water bottle, so try to put them where you can easily find them.
Sleeping on hard ground is uncomfortable
Alas, the mat and sleeping bag help little to improve the situation. No matter how much you want to sleep, but if you know that you still won’t fall asleep on a hard one, you need to take an inflatable tourist rug with you. True, you can only sleep on such a rug, in no case laying it out by the fire.
Toilet
It is not customary to talk about this, but if you spend the night alone or in a tent all of your own, you can go to the toilet in a bottle or mug - a kind of night pot. Tourists often have tea before midnight, so this problem is relevant. If you are in a tent with unfamiliar people, you need to take a flashlight and go to the nearest trees. Remember: as long as you want to use the toilet, you will not get warm. So lying down and thinking that everything will somehow work out is not an option.
Lighting
If it's raining outside, or for some reason you have to camp in a tent at night, you need to think about how to light your camping house. To prevent the light of a flashlight from hurting your eyes, you can put it on a bottle of water - so that the beam of light passes through the water. In this case, the light will be dim and pleasing to the eye.
If you are cold
If you are cold, and the tent and sleeping bag are chosen correctly (according to the temperature environment), try wearing dry and clean clothes and warming up a bit with some exercise. Well, you should not eat sugar-containing foods at night: they disrupt heat transfer.
In July 2010, our family, consisting of two parents and two sons aged 6 and 9, made a trip from Tyumen to the south of Russia in a Citroen Berlingo car. This is already the 2nd trip to the seas with a length of 3000 km: a three-day trip to the sea and accommodation on the shore of the latter in a tent. Two years ago we settled on the shore Sea of Azov in the village of Golubitskaya, this year about 70 km further on the Black Sea coast near the village of Veselovka not far from Taman. Since I did not write about the first trip, in this story I will sometimes compare these two places.
PATH
On a trip, we usually leave the dacha in order not to leave the loaded car on the street (in order to avoid minor troubles and delay the vacation) at about 5 in the morning, and throughout the entire journey we keep a kind of log of the distance traveled. The "Journal" looks like this: sheets lined with graphs: time, mileage, notes. We make marks every hour, in the notes we write down the points that we pass, gas stations, stops, meals. We do this, most likely, in order not to get bored on a long journey, and in order to account for the money spent.
The first day we get the longest on the road, we stop after 16 hours in a hotel outside Samara in the area of Chapaevsk.
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In general, from trips over long distances, we realized that always, not far from major cities, you can find housing that is suitable for the price and quality. But it's better to do it early, before sunset, to have more choice. Prices for a 4-bed room from 1600 rubles (shower and toilet in the corridor).
We finished the second day of our last trip in Volgograd, as our relatives live there. A good reason to see each other, and you need to relax. But this year they went to rest in the village of Veselovka for the Black Time and invited us to their place. We didn't care and we agreed.
Regarding the road, I want to say that in central Russia, which we pass on the 2nd day from Samara to Volgograd, the road is simply disgusting: either pits or crazy ruts from trucks left on hot asphalt. There is simply no way to go fast. Of course, there are small sections of a decent road, but they, as expected in Russia, quickly end. Of course, I understand that in our country, asphalt is subject to a wide range of temperatures throughout the year: frost, snow and heat over 40 degrees. But in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, the temperature range is also quite large, and the roads are good. And yet, in Kyrgyzstan in the summer, heavy vehicles are prohibited from moving on the roads in the daytime, only after sunset, so as not to spoil the roads. They sleep during the day and travel at night. And at first I was surprised why the Kyrgyz had few cars on the road. And here no one thought about it: the road is good, and the drivers do not drive to the maximum and the accident rate is lower.
And many more are afraid to drive a car because of the large extortions on the roads from the traffic police. Do not be afraid. Whether anti-corruption measures have helped, or something else, but the traffic police just do not stop, only for violations, but there are no fewer of them on the roads. For 6000 km there and back we were stopped 3 times and only for violations. I want to say that three years ago we were stopped 15 times on the road only at the sea and just found fault, like “Didn’t you see the speed limit sign at the cafe?” or brazenly “Your children are not fastened. Shall we argue?" It is clear that it was extortion, in hotels I heard that drivers gave 5-7 thousand each, just to leave. But again, in 2010 there was nothing like that.
P. Veselovka
The village is located near Taman, on the one hand the Black Sea, on the other - the estuary, where windsurfers and other water sports enthusiasts train.
BEACH
Wide, fine sand underfoot, but large stones come across. I asked the children within reach to collect stones and they spread them around the tent like a fence. At the entrance to the sea there is a narrow strip of stones. This circumstance upset me at first, but then I found a place where the pebbles lay in a 30-centimeter strip, the rest was sand, there are no stones in the sea either. I liked this place because the tourists did not cluster a meter apart, but were dispersed 20-50 meters apart. On the Sea of Azov, people are more crowded, on weekends there are generally a lot of people and noisy, as locals from nearby cities and towns come just to relax and “break away”. They don't care that people live in tents, everyone has their own goals. Therefore, from the point of view of the population of tourists, I liked the Black Sea coast more.
I like car trips because, firstly, we are very mobile, we can always go out and buy food, go on excursions. Secondly, we can take everything we need on the trip, because the car is big and we are not particularly limited. In addition, on the way back we buy local wines and fruits and even deliver some of them to our homes. Thirdly, for a family of 4, it is quite economical compared to other modes of transport.
EQUIPMENT
On a long trip, it is better to have a cooler bag with you so that the products are fresh at least the first day. We take on the road a lot of mineral water, juices in small bags or bottles, as they say "on time", drinking yoghurts, bakery products, "hunter's" sausages, vacuum-packed "sliced" cheese. Of course, children need sweets in the form of chewing sweets, toffee, and we chew them too. Vegetables and fruits on the road in our family somehow go badly. Of course, on the second or third day we spend time at a large supermarket, where we replenish our supplies. Sometimes we have dinner at those campsites where we stay overnight and always have breakfast there, it's convenient and you don't spend extra time on it. In cafes, we try to take something less prone to spoilage: freshly cooked sausages, scrambled eggs. So far no one has been poisoned.
This year we were well equipped:
- A large new two-room tent, each room has a large air mattress, a pillow, bed linen with elastic bands, padding blankets. We took a cheap brazier from METRO with us, found a permanent place for it, collected it and left it for the next tourists, because it is made of thin metal, charred, rusted in places, it makes no sense to bring it home, but vacationers can still come in handy.
- A set of folding furniture: a table and around 4 stools. It is made of plastic and metal fasteners. It folds very conveniently into one suitcase, but is not strong enough, especially on the sand, because the legs of the stools sink in the sand and diverge in different directions. And, apparently, they are designed for weight up to 60-70 kg, they broke under my husband. It’s good for children, but for adults, we’ll probably buy a folding chair in the future.
- A folding plastic table for the kitchen, on which we clean and cut fish, put meat or chicken on a grill for frying, etc. It washes well and we do not spoil the main table with “dirty” preparations.
- A stove powered by small gas cartridges, we use it in the morning and at lunchtime, we kindle a fire only in the evening. On the Azov coast it is problematic with firewood, so many people carry it with them or take coal. There are a lot of cut bushes and various pieces of wood on the Black Sea.
- Good flashlight.
- A plastic basin in which I wash dishes. And you can not take “chemistry” for washing, everything is perfectly washed with sand or ash, and there are plenty of both by the sea.
Rest on the seashore in tents has many advantages, although the presence of disadvantages cannot be denied. But as you could understand from my stories, our family is positive, so we try to ignore the cons.
Pros:
- the sea is always nearby, woke up - dived or another option, swim before going to bed, dark and scary. We, in childhood, youth, also went "savages", rented housing and walked several kilometers in the heat to the sea. There was still a way back. It was also necessary to go to the market in the heat for food or to the canteen, to stand in line.
- there are no problems with food. We take tea, coffee, condensed milk, instant cereals with us, we buy eggs, sausages in stores, there is always fruit. In the morning we fry scrambled eggs, alternating with cereals, you can always buy warm delicious pies from women right on the beach. For lunch we cook soups, sausages, eat fruits. And from 6 o'clock, because it gets dark early, we start preparing for dinner. Every day, the whole family or one by one went to the store or market, bought groceries for only one day. Fruits were bought at the bazaars near the road, straight from the garden, you can always try and compare. We only tried 4 types of peaches, 3 types of melons, 2 types of watermelons and 3 types of grapes. Some varieties are more juicy, others are sweeter. The choice is huge and what is most pleasing is that they were not transported green through the floor of Russia, everything was freshly picked. We always had dinner with food cooked “on the fire”, we really liked the “mullet”, a juicy fish with a small amount of bones. As a side dish, boil or bake new potatoes, fresh vegetables or grilled vegetables.
- in the evenings we burned a fire, looked at the stars, sang songs, talked. Modern children like such evenings. I think that in our fast-paced time, we talk little to each other, everyone is on the run, but here nothing interferes. And these are two pluses.
- the children had a rest from the TV and the computer, and for us, adults, this is not harmful either.
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- the sea is beautiful: warm, but in this place it is rarely calm. But both children and we love to jump "on the waves." It was this excitement that prevented us from making full use of the “watercraft” we had, they either flew away or sailed away. By the way, for them we set up a small children's tent from Ikea and put mattresses, armlets, circles, etc. there, so as not to catch them all over the beach later.
- in the morning we watched several times how dolphins fish, and they do it in groups of 2-3 dolphins and very close to the shore, about ten meters. It's so interesting to watch how they drive fish back and forth. Remembering the dirty, I'm not afraid to say "stinky" coast near Anapa, which is located tens of kilometers from Taman, it is surprising and pleasant that dolphins are still found.
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Minuses:
- oddly enough, mosquitoes are found on the Black Sea coast near Taman and there are quite a lot of them. We had to buy a "sprinkler" from them on the second day. There are mosquitoes there, since the estuary with fresh water is very close. There were no mosquitoes on the Sea of Azov.
- the water in Cherny is very salty, so you need to constantly wash yourself after swimming, and fresh water is supplied to certain time and many stock up with large canisters, you have to stand in line. If you do not wash, then the skin burns badly, to blisters. On the Sea of Azov, the water does not have such a large amount of salt and it is not necessary to wash so often.
- for those who do not like to cook, it must be tiring to wash dishes and waste time cooking. But I assure you, in the city I spend much more time on this, on vacation everything is simple, without frills. We also take dishes that are well washed, without unnecessary recesses and patterns, partially disposable and better heavier so that they do not fly.
- this year it was generally hot in the south of Russia and on the coast too. In the period from 14:00 to 17:00, it was impossible to step on the sand with a bare foot, we pulled awnings and rested at that time under the "shelter": who was sleeping, who was reading. On our last trip we were at the end of August and we can say with confidence that at the end of summer it is more comfortable to rest.
- one day there was such a crazy wind that we lay dressed in a tent and were afraid that we would be carried away with it into the sky. Feelings are not pleasant, even sleeping with such noise from the sea and the "raging" tent is impossible.
MILITARY SLIDE
Before you go hiking, check that all the pegs and ropes are in place. Set up your tent at home and make sure you have all the parts you need to set it up. Usually a tent consists of a waterproof tent and an inner lightweight tent with a mosquito net and a waterproof bottom. It comes with pegs, frame arches and ropes that hold the rag house in strong winds.
Do not be lazy and check if the zippers on your tent work. With the advent of darkness, not only the cold can creep in to you, but also all sorts of small creatures.
2. Learn to put up a tent
It is very important! A crookedly pitched tent will not only confuse perfectionists with its appearance, but it can also leak in the rain or fly away in the wind. First, read the instructions - it hasn't hurt anyone yet.
Remember that the tent should stand on a flat surface without any holes and bumps. Assemble the tent (tie all the ropes, stick in the pegs, stretch the awning and close all the doors). In this position, the tent should not gather. If it looks like a real flat house, then you can safely spend the night in it.
3. Stock up on a rug or mattress
Despite the fact that the tent is equipped with a waterproof bottom, it perfectly passes the cold. And if you do not want to freeze something for yourself, then get some foam or an inflatable rug. Dense high-quality foam will save you from cold and moisture, but sleeping on it is quite hard. Although after one or two nights you will get used to it, and your back will stop hurting. Lay two narrow foams overlapping so that the cold does not get into the gap between them.
An inflatable mat or mattress is softer than foam. Sleeping on such a bed is comfortable, but it costs five times more. You choose.
4. Prepare your sleeping bag and blanket
If you think that a simple blanket will save you from the night cold in a tent in the summer, you are greatly mistaken. In nature, especially in the morning, it can be very cold. Therefore, a sheet and a blanket will only work if you have a heated tent.
The best solution is a sleeping bag. Choose it carefully and pay special attention to the comfort temperature indicated on it. This is the air temperature at which you will not freeze in a sleeping bag.
5. Bring a heating pad
It will not take up much space, but on a cold night you will be very happy with it. A good option- salt heating pad: it lasts for a long time, it is safe to use. If the cold took you by surprise, and you don’t have a special heating pad on hand, then you can take an ordinary plastic bottle, fill it with hot water and place it in a sleeping bag.
6. Don't forget the pillow
Another important item that will help brighten up nights in a tent is a pillow. You should not take a large homemade down pillow or a thought from the sofa with you. All this variety will perfectly replace the inflatable counterpart. Inflatable pillows are sold not only in tourist shops, but also in hypermarkets.
Another good pillow substitute is a cover for your sleeping bag, which you can put warm things like a jacket in. The tent will be in order, and you will not lose the cover.
7. Prepare insect protection
Mosquitoes, beetles, wood lice, spiders are not the most pleasant neighbors in a tent. To prevent insects from entering the rag house, close the doors tightly. If they have already crawled there, then you can use a folk remedy - hang bunches of tansy in a tent. But it is not certain that you will find it.
You can smoke with special spirals, but they do not smell very pleasant and smoke the inside of the tent a lot. Not only insects, but also you yourself will not want to spend the night in such a room.
There is a modern way - a portable battery-powered device. It works all night, does not smell and does not make noise, but it costs more than spirals.
Do not wear woolen clothes when outdoors, as the scent of wool attracts ticks.
8. Grab a change of socks
In conditions campground you may need to change a pair of socks a day. They won't take up much space, so don't be shy and take at least three pairs for two days.
9. Get a folding chair or foam seat
In order not to look for a decent log and not to sit on blankets, grab folding chairs or a foam seat with an elastic band, with which it is attached directly to the tourist. Sitting on a chair or armchair is very comfortable, but you can not remove the foam during the day. The seating area will be with you wherever you go and your hands will be free.
10. Prepare Lighting for the Tent and Grounds
In order not to stumble over pegs at night and not to look for things by touch, stock up on economical, but powerful enough lighting. Cover a clear plastic jar with glow-in-the-dark paint. Better from the inside, so as not to get your hands dirty later.
Or tie a flashlight to a water bottle, or you can even just put it on your smartphone with the flashlight turned on.
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And save 1000€ on hotels
Most of the money spent on vacation goes to hotels.
Last summer, my husband and I wanted to save money: we were going to travel around Europe by car and live in campsites. As a result, we saved almost 1000 euros. I’ll tell you how to do the same, what to expect from campsites and what to take on the road.
Tatyana Abzimeleva
spent the night in campsites
What is camping
Camping is a camp for car travelers. Some come in motorhomes, others bring the necessary equipment in cars and set up tents. The campsite itself usually provides toilets, water, showers and electricity, sometimes some minimal infrastructure such as shops. Some campsites have separate cabins. They are designed for companies from 4 to 6 people, but during the season they are usually busy.
To freely plan a route and not depend on anyone, it is convenient to travel by car with a tent. You just choose a campsite along the way, arrive, spend the night and drive on.
Sometimes campsites have a pool. Even in Europe, there are many campsites specifically for nudists.
Camping L'Anse du Brick in France on the English Channel. You can stay there for one night with your own tent for 25 € for two. Photo: coolcamping.com Terms of use
Usually campsites have a shower, toilet, electricity. You arrive, register, receive a code from the barrier, pay either immediately or at the end of the holiday. Look for a free place and put up a tent.
In the high season, large campsites can host guests for at least a week, they just won’t be able to spend the night. Look for smaller and simpler campsites, there are usually no such rules, but this point is still better to find out in advance.
Campsites usually have a daily routine. It is often forbidden to enter the territory by car after 22:00. You can leave or enter the campsite on foot so as not to disturb your neighbors. Making noise at night is also strictly prohibited: everyone is asleep.
Price
The price per night depends on the location of the campsite, the season, the availability of the pool, WiFi, the number of guests, and so on.
The price varies depending on your needs: when registering, you fill out a card in which you write how many you are, how many nights you want to stay, what you came with, whether you have children and animals with you, whether you need electricity and other services. Based on this information, you will be billed for the cost of your stay.
Prices start from 10 € (730 R) for two for a night, but this is if you are very lucky. The average price per night is 15-30 € (1095 -2190 R). For additional services like electricity, you will most often have to pay extra about 3 € (219 R) per day. Sometimes campsites have paid showers.
10 €
the minimum cost of spending the night at the campsite, if you are very lucky. Average prices: 15-30 € for two per night
There are large campsites with a pool, playground, own beach and other pleasures - they are more expensive. In such campsites group tours, rent balls and rackets, entertain guests. A night in them can cost up to 50-60 € ( 3649 -4378.8 R ), which is still cheaper than a three-star hotel in Europe. This is especially advantageous if you come with your family or a large company.
How to make a route
It is best to make a route before the trip and write out campsites along the way in advance. It is useful to fill in their coordinates in the navigator, and not just the address, namely geographical coordinates A: In the wild countryside, it is more useful.
I advise you to choose several alternate campsites: there are many travelers in cars in Europe and there may not be places in the chosen campsite.
If you just want to look for campsites along the way, try not to do it too late in the evening: many close the entrance after 22:00.
If you are 100% sure of your itinerary, campsites can be booked in advance. Sometimes campsites do not charge money in advance and cannot reserve a place for a tent. This is important if you need to apply for a visa to travel.
To find campsites, use aggregator sites. Recommend for Europe:
- camping.info (in Russian)
wild sleepover
If it’s already late, and there are no places in the nearest campsites, there is another option for a “wild overnight stay”. You yourself are looking for a comfortable and safe place to spend the night. You can drive off a busy road and put up a tent somewhere in the field. It is possible to sleep in a car at a gas station on a toll highway if there is parking there. You see truckers parked for the night - feel free to join.
The rules for such overnight stays in different countries may vary. For example, somewhere it is forbidden to sleep in a car, somewhere to put up a tent in an open field. Check the rules in advance according to your itinerary.
For example, in France, according to the official website of the French administration, wild camping is prohibited:
- on motorways and public roads;
- on the territory of environmental protection facilities;
- less than 500 m from historical monuments included in the list of protected;
- on the territory of natural reserves;
- on the seashore;
- less than 200 m from water sources (wells, fountains with drinking water).
The mayor's office of each city can set its own rules: for example, to ban wild nights in the entire public area. And in order to put up a tent on private property, you need to get the consent of the owner.
Our experience. We spent three nights as savages. All three times because they started thinking too late where to stay.
The first time we had a wild overnight stay on the Lyon-Madrid motorway: we just set up a tent on the lawn of a recreation area at a gas station.
One more time we spent the night as savages in national park in the Sierra Nevada mountains - according to the rules, you can only stay one night in the same place in this park. We pitched the tent late at night, and in the morning we woke up from the continuous hum of bees and saw that we were sleeping in the center of someone's apiary.
The third time, in Aquitaine, we set up a tent at night in the bushes, and in the morning found that we were sleeping in front of a private house. This is prohibited under French law. We left quickly.
Nothing happened to us during these wild nights. But this does not mean that I recommend repeating our experience.
Advice. Look for a place to spend the night before dark. Place the tent away from roads, buildings and private houses. Try to hide it behind a car or trees so as not to attract too much attention. Leave a clean place behind. Biological waste is recommended to be buried.
What you need for camping
The list of necessary things depends on how you will get to the place. If you are flying and renting a car, you will have to comply with weight limits. Other necessary equipment depends on the services provided by the campsites on your route.
If you are going on such a trip for the first time, I recommend that you borrow equipment (sleeping bag, burner, tent) to the maximum from friends or rent, for example, at Avito. We took almost all the inventory from our parents and bought the missing little things.
So here is a basic list of things you will need.
Accommodation
Need a tent and tools to set up. They usually come with it. Look at the capacity of the tent, water resistance, number of layers. Other important factors: the quality of the material, the method of gluing the seams, the stability of the tent, weight, the complexity of self-assembly.
Before the trip, unfold and fold the tent a couple of times at home, on the floor. So you check if the tent is assembled, if you or the previous owners have lost anything important
Here is a normal waterproof tent for two from Sportmaster for 2000 R:
It may be cramped, but it weighs only 2.3 kg.
Here is an option that is more expensive and more comfortable - a waterproof tent "Indiana Trump" for three:
There is a vestibule, there is more space, but it weighs 4.5 kg and costs 6900 R.
We lived together in a three-seater tent with a vestibule, which we took from our parents. The tent was about 15 years old, but it performed all the necessary functions.
Dream
You will need a sleeping bag and a foam or mattress to put under the bag. Pillows on request.
The bag must be chosen according to the weather. If you travel in the summer in central Europe, take a bag with a temperature comfort index of 10-25 ° C. The lower this figure, the warmer the bag. If you are traveling to a cold country, take a bag for a temperature of -5 ... 0 ° C.
Here is a compact and not very hot sleeping bag from Decathlon for 600 R:
Weighs 720 g, suitable for temperatures from 20 ° C. There is a pillow pocket where you can put your things and sleep on them.
Here is a more expensive option - for 1500 R, also available in Decathlon:
Designed for temperatures from 10 °C. It has a drawstring hood for comfort and warmth. Can be combined with another similar sleeping bag to sleep together.
You need to put something under the sleeping bag for warmth. Ordinary travel foam will do. For 1700 R in the same Decathlon you can buy a self-inflating mattress - it weighs 950 g, it takes up less space than foam, plus with it you will save the space that would be required for the pump.
If there is space, it is best to take a full-fledged mattress for two, for example, such a classic Intex air mattress from Sportmaster. Worth 1800 R, weighs 3.8 kg:
I advise you to choose a mattress, focusing on the area of \u200b\u200bthe tent. If the mattress is smaller, it will dangle inside the tent - this is not very convenient.
Is it comfortable to sleep in a sleeping bag?
I want to warn you right away that sleeping in a sleeping bag is uncomfortable. It can be either cold or hot. You may be disturbed by the sounds of nature or conversations in a nearby tent. And if you want to go to the toilet at night, you will have to get dressed and, carefully stepping over the stretch marks of the tents, go in the dark with a flashlight to the sanitary unit, hoping that this will not happen again until morning.
Cooking
You will need a gas burner and utensils to cook. Many campsites have barbecues for common use. Large campsites often have a shared kitchen. If you have only such campsites on your way, you can not take a burner.
If you are traveling by plane, check with the airline to see if you can bring a burner. A burner burner without a gas cylinder can most often be carried in luggage. In any case, you will have to buy a gas cylinder when you arrive: no airline will allow you to carry a cylinder with explosive compressed gas in your luggage.
Plates, glasses and cutlery can be replaced with plastic ones. Buy groceries and detergents locally.
Gas burner "Mega-gaz-stov", 1500 R, available in Decathlon 
Utensils for cooking on a hike: a bowl and a pot for 1000 R, available in Sportmaster Lighting
We took a street lamp and a lantern. Don't forget to take a few extra sets of batteries. You can find a dynamo flashlight that is charged by turning the handle.
Street lamp, 500 R , Decathlon Fridge
If you are traveling by car, I advise you to take a full-fledged mini-fridge instead of a thermal bag. It will come in handy if you plan to stay at the same campsite for several days. This refrigerator requires a network connection.
If you will be on the road for a long time, a thermoelectric auto-refrigerator is more convenient. It costs the same as the regular one. Cools not too powerful, but it can work on the road from a car cigarette lighter.
Miscellaneous
Extension, to connect to the electrical panel in the campsite. It is best to take a large extension cord on a reel with you. Without an extension cord, you can charge your phone and gadgets in the sanitary block (but you will have to stand next to them all this time) or ask to charge at the reception.
Pilot and adapters under the types of sockets of the country you are going to.
Insect repellents useful for sure: both sprays and spirals.
How much does it cost to camp for two
| List of required | By plane | By car |
|---|---|---|
| Tent | 2000 R | 6900 R |
| 2 sleeping bags | 1200 R | 3000 R |
| Mattress | 3400 R | 1800 R |
| Pump | - | 500 R |
| Cooking utensils | 1000 R | 1000 R |
| plastic utensils for food | 500 R | 500 R |
| street lamp | 500 R | 500 R |
| Flashlight | 400 R | 400 R |
| Table | - | 1300 R |
| 2 chairs | - | 800 R |
| Gas-burner | 1500 R | 1500 R |
| Extension | 1050 R | 1050 R |
| Insect repellents | 500 R | 500 R |
| Refrigerator or thermo bag | 1000 R | 5500 R |
| 2 cold accumulators | 400 R | - | Total | 13 450 R | 25 250 R |
List of required
By plane
2000 R
By car
6900 R
List of required
2 sleeping bags
By plane
1200 R
By car
3000 R
List of required
By plane
3400 R
By car
1800 R
List of required
By plane
By car
500 R
List of required
Cooking utensils
By plane
1000 R
By car
1000 R
List of required
plastic utensils for food
By plane
500 R
By car
500 R
List of required
street lamp
By plane
500 R
By car
500 R
List of required
Flashlight
By plane
400 R
By car
400 R
List of required
By plane
By car
1300 R
List of required
By plane
