Our First Camping Trip Together

Taking my son camping for the first time felt like one of those small milestones that I will remember for a long time.

The plan was deliberately simple. We did not need a packed weekend or a long journey. We just wanted to put up the tent, spend some proper time outside, and see how he took to sleeping under canvas. We chose Stocks Farm Camping in Rayne, Essex, and took our new Arpenaz 4.1 along for its first trip too.

It turned out to be a lovely introduction to camping for both of us.

Our first night under canvas

There is something special about watching a child experience camping for the first time. The tent is not just somewhere to sleep. It becomes a little home, and all the ordinary parts of the day suddenly feel different because they are happening outside.

That was the best part of the trip. There was no pressure to be anywhere and no complicated plan to follow. Once the tent was up, we could slow down and enjoy being there. It was simple, happy time together, and exactly what I had hoped our first trip would be.

The Arpenaz 4.1

The Arpenaz 4.1 was a very good choice for a first family tent. It has one bedroom and a separate living area with enough height to stand up in. That extra space makes a real difference. Bags, shoes, and the usual camping clutter can stay out of the sleeping area, and there is somewhere sheltered to sit if the weather changes.

Pitching it is straightforward once the different poles are laid out. The colour coding helps, although it is still a traditional pole tent rather than something that goes up instantly. For occasional weekends and trips by car, that feels like a fair trade-off for the amount of space it provides.

It is sold as a four-person tent. Four people would make the bedroom fairly cosy, but for a parent-and-child trip it felt roomy and comfortable. At around 10kg it is not a tent for carrying any distance, but it packs down neatly enough for the car and does not take over the whole boot.

My early verdict is very positive. It is practical, spacious, and uncomplicated, which is exactly what I wanted. We will learn more about how it handles different weather over future trips, but as a first camping tent it did everything we needed.

Stocks Farm Camping

Stocks Farm was a great place to begin. It is a relaxed, back-to-basics campsite on a large, level field surrounded by mature trees. There was plenty of room, and the setting felt peaceful without being cut off from everything.

The facilities are simple, so this is not a holiday park with a large shower block or a full programme of activities. That is part of its charm. It gives you the useful basics while leaving camping itself as the main event. Firepits are allowed, wood and farm produce are available to buy, and the Flitch Way and village pubs are within walking distance if you want to explore beyond the field.

There is a pond at the edge of the camping field, so children need supervising around it, but the open space made the site feel very family friendly. The easy-going atmosphere made it an ideal place for a first trip: enough comfort to keep things straightforward, but still a proper night outdoors.

The start of something

The biggest success was not the tent or the campsite. It was seeing my son enjoy the experience and realising that this is something we can keep doing together.

Future trips will probably be a little more ambitious. We will refine what we pack, get quicker at setting up, and find more places to explore. For now, though, I am just happy that the first trip went so well.

The Arpenaz 4.1 has earned its place in the car, Stocks Farm gave us a warm introduction to camping, and we are already looking forward to getting away again.