Budget Family Camping Tips: 18 Money-Saving Hacks in 2025

Last Updated on 20 July 2025

Disclosure: Some of the links on this site are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. This comes at no additional cost to you. Read my affiliate disclosure to find out more.

Camping doesn’t have to cost much to make it an enjoyable family experience. Given today’s economic climate, budget shopping is more important than ever.

After years of exploring everywhere from Devon and Somerset to the Scottish Highlands with my family, where we’ve created some memorable camping trips, we spend as little as possible while making the most of what we have.

Whether you’re a camping newbie worried about upfront costs or a seasoned family looking to stretch your money further, these budget family camping tips will help you create magical outdoor memories without the financial stress.

Let’s read on to find out more!

A family camping and sitting around a campfire roasting marshmallows next to a large lake. Budget family camping tips. Photo by Brooks Rice on Unsplash — Photo by Brooks Rice on Unsplash

Budget Family Camping Tips: Camping Gear We Use

Product	Price Range	Why It’s Recommended
Coleman 6-Man Octogon Tent	£180-£200	Plenty of space with enough room to store our bags
Skandika Daytona 6-Man Tent	£150-£190	Separate compartments provide plenty of space with room left over to store camping stuff
Mountain Warehouse Summit 250 Sleeping Bag	£30-£35	Great for low-cost family adventures
Silentnight Kids Sleeping Bag	£25-£30	They’re affordable and come in fun colours
HiiPeak Sleeping Pad	£25-£30	Ideal for that extra bit of comfort at night
Double Campingaz Stove	£30-£50	It does everything we need
VonHaus Garden Trolley	£80-£110	Perfect and sturdy to help transport our stuff

Total Budget Kit Cost: £340-£455 (perfect for spreading costs using these budget family camping tips!)

For families just starting with cheap family breaks, I’d recommend beginning with:

Coleman 6-Man Octogon Tent (£180-£200) – reliable and spacious
Mountain Warehouse Summit 250 Sleeping Bag (£30-£35) – great value for money
Double Campingaz Stove (£30-£50) – dependable cooking solution
VonHaus Garden Trolley (£80-£110) – our game-changer for transport

What’s great about this is that you can add other items gradually as your budget allows.

A group of tents in a field with wildflowers around them. Source: Canva — Source: Canva

Best Value Family Tents Around £150

One of the best budget family camping tips to take away is: one place you don’t want to go too cheaply is on your tent. The last thing anyone wants to find out, when it’s too late, is that your tent isn’t waterproof, the front zip doesn’t close right, or it falls apart when you look at it!

Another factor to consider is the size of your tent. For our family of four plus our dog, we tend to pick 6-man tents. You can always go smaller depending on your budget, but 6-man tents give us enough space plus our stuff that’ll need to go somewhere as well.

When I’m looking at new tents, I try to stick as close to the £150-£200 mark.

We’ve used the Coleman 6-man Octogon tent for years on our adventures, and it’s worked incredibly well: from camping at Glastonbury to downpours in the Scottish Highlands to coastal visits around the South West of England.

The Skandika Daytona 6-man tent is another winner for larger families. I like the fact that there are three separate areas, which can house two people each, plus the extra space for your camping stuff.

Budget-Friendly Sleeping Solutions

Sleeping bags for the whole family can be another expense if you don’t do your research beforehand.

Here’s what we use:

Mountain Warehouse Summit 250 (for us adults), which is rated as a three-to-four-season sleeping bag, but we only use it for spring and summer camping – £30-£35
Silentnight Kids Sleeping Bag. Our children love going to sleep in these when we’re camping because of the fun colours they come in. Again, they’re rated as three seasons, but we only use them for spring and summer camping – £25-£30
HiiPeak Sleeping Pad. You can get the double version of this, but we’ve all got a single one for our camping trips. We love the fact that we get a bit of extra comfort off the ground at night – £25-£30

Free and Low-Cost Campsites Across the UK

Lots of different tents in a field with people. Photo by Uzenk Doezenk on Unsplash — Photo by Uzenk Doezenk on Unsplash

Wild Camping Regulations and Free Spots

Wild camping is where budget family camping tips get a bit tricky, especially with little ones in tow. In Scotland, it’s brilliant as you’ve got the right to roam, which means free camping in most places as long as you follow the outdoor access code. In Loch Lomond, there are some restrictions on this. We’ve had some magical nights under Scottish stars that cost us nothing except fuel to get there.

England and Wales are more restrictive unless you have the landowner’s permission. Dartmoor is your best bet for legal wild camping with families, as it has huge open spaces and it’s free.

If you’ve never done wild camping before, a great way of building your confidence and your children’s outdoor skills is by starting with car accessible spots first. Once you’ve mastered that, you can head into more remote areas for cheap family breaks.

Exmoor, Snowdonia, and the Peak District are great spots to consider wild camping in England and Wales. You just need to get the landowner’s permission and leave no trace of your stay when you leave.

A group of sheep in a field with one looking closely into a camera. Photo by Sam Carter on Unsplash — Photo by Sam Carter on Unsplash

Farm Stays and Budget Camping Options

Farm camping has become my favourite way of mastering cheap camping gear adventures.

The Hip Camp website is brilliant for finding these hidden gems. We discovered a farm in the Cotswolds last summer where our kids could help feed the animals every morning. It cost us £12 a night, and the children still talk about it months later!

The key with farm stays is being flexible about facilities. Basic loos and the possibility of cold water taps are standard, but the experiences more than make up for it. Plus, farmers usually know the best local walks and free activities to do in the area.

Off-Season Camping Discounts and Deals

We’ve had some amazing cheap family breaks in October and March when sites are low on bookings.

Cornwall is one of my favourite places to visit, and October is a great time to visit as it’s generally a lot cheaper than summer months. The weather can still be okay, the beaches are empty, and my kids love having places to themselves.

Just make sure your sleeping bags are up to the job. On one of our first autumn camping trips, I learned that lesson during a chilly Cornish night! When the time comes, it’s a good idea to invest in a four-season sleeping bag.

Money-Saving Food and Meal Planning Strategies

Sausages being cooked on a pan over a fire. Photo by Rachel Clark on Unsplash — Photo by Rachel Clark on Unsplash

One-Pot Camping Meals

One-pot meals are great for affordable family camping, and should definitely be one of your budget family camping tips you remember. My favourite is rice and baked beans! Before our kids arrived, whenever we went camping, we would always eat rice mixed with baked beans with a splash of mayo and some avocado. Delicious and doesn’t cost a lot either! Even now, we’ll still revert to this dish when we’re camping with our children.

Other options we include:

Spaghetti bolognese
S’mores (for a little after-dinner treat)
Macaroni cheese (a firm favourite with our children)
Instant pot chilli
Blueberry pancakes
Porridge with cut strawberries or blueberries

Bulk Buying and Meal Prep Before Your Trip

Buying in bulk from places like Costco or even Aldi’s special buys makes budget family camping so much more affordable. I pick up massive bags of pasta, rice, and tinned goods that last for multiple trips. The initial expense feels expensive, but it works out at about half the cost of buying trip by trip. It also means you don’t need to spend so much at the camp shop, which can be quite pricey.

My camping meal prep routine involves making big batches of bolognese and macaroni cheese at home, then freezing them in family-sized portions. Pop them in the cool box frozen, and they’ll keep everything else cold while slowly defrosting for easy reheating.

Budget-Friendly Camping Cooking Equipment

You don’t need fancy gear for camping food. My entire cooking setup costs less than £50 and has served us for years. All we have is a basic camping stove (get one that has two burners), one decent pot, one frying pan, and a set of camping plates and cutlery.

The camping stove I use is a double stove Campingaz one that costs between £30-£50. It’s not the lightest or fanciest, but it’s reliable, and gas canisters are available everywhere. Why would you want to spend more if you don’t plan on camping very often?

Invest in one really good pot rather than a set of mediocre ones. A decent-sized pot with a tight-fitting lid can cook pasta, make stews, and boil water for tea.

Seasonal Budget Camping Strategies

A tent and a hammock set up in a wooded area. Photo by Laura Pluth on Unsplash — Photo by Laura Pluth on Unsplash

Off-Peak Camping Advantages and Considerations

Off-peak camping is where you can get some cheap family breaks, but you still need to do your research. October half-term might still be expensive, but the weeks either side are usually cheaper. I’ve booked Cornwall sites for £12 a night in early October that would cost more than £40 in August.

Make sure to check what facilities are open off-season. Outdoor swimming pools might be closed and the on-site shop might have limited hours. While this shouldn’t stop you staying somewhere, it’s good to know these things beforehand.

Spring and Autumn Camping

Spring and autumn are perfect for low-cost family adventures! The weather can still be decent, but prices drop dramatically once school holidays end. Easter holidays are still expensive, but you can find weeks either side that offer good value.

Autumn camping is one of my favourite times for affordable outdoor activities. The leaves are changing, it’s not too hot for hiking, and you get that lovely crisp air that makes everything feel more adventurous. Plus, autumn sales mean you can pick up next year’s gear at reduced prices.

An orange tent on a grassy hill, overlooking mountains in the background. Photo by Jesse Gardner on Unsplash — Photo by Jesse Gardner on Unsplash

Summer Budget Camping

Summer is the most expensive time, but there are still ways to make budget family camping work, thanks to budget family camping tips. Midweek stays can often be 30-40% cheaper than weekends, even in peak season. We try and go midweek, from Tuesday to Thursday, and have found some good deals that way.

Book sites slightly inland rather than right on the coast. You might be 20 minutes from the beach instead of two minutes, but you can sometimes save quite a bit.

Weather-Appropriate Gear on a Budget

Buy winter gear in spring sales and summer gear in autumn clearances. I picked up waterproof jackets for the whole family in April for £15 each, which they would’ve been over £50 in October.

Layering is your friend for budget camping equipment. Instead of expensive all-weather gear, buy basic items you can layer up or down. Cheap fleeces, waterproofs, and simple base layers are what we do, especially with our kids who get too hot when they’re running around.

My camping trolley always includes what I call my “weather emergency kit”: extra blankets, spare socks, emergency ponchos, and basic shelter materials. Most of this stuff comes from pound shops or end-of-line sales, but it’s saved us from expensive gear purchases during trips.

Budget Family Camping Tips for Regular Campers

A close up of looking into a money jar showing British money. Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

Building Your Camping Kit Gradually

It’s so easy to get carried away and buy everything at once for your first camping trip, but what if you don’t like it? You’re then stuck with all this gear and wasted expense.

My approach now is different for affordable family camping. I keep a wishlist of gear we need and buy one or two items each month during sales. Last year, I picked up our family sleeping bags in January sales, a new tent during a spring clearance, and camping chairs in autumn. Spread the cost over the year, and it’s much more manageable.

Budget family camping tips: Start with the essentials and borrow or improvise everything else. Your first few cheap family breaks might involve borrowing sleeping bags or using household items as camping furniture. That’s fine; you’re learning what you need versus what shops tell you you need.

Final Thoughts on Budget Family Camping Tips

Here’s what I’ve learned after years of affordable family adventures: the best camping memories often come from the simplest, cheapest trips.

The key to successful budget family camping tips isn’t about cutting corners on safety or comfort, it’s about being smart with your money and creative with your solutions. Start small, build your kit gradually, and don’t be afraid to improvise. Some of our most treasured family moments have happened on trips that cost less than a night out.

Remember, camping isn’t about having the most expensive gear or staying at the fanciest sites. It’s about spending quality time together as a family, exploring the brilliant outdoors we have right here in the UK and abroad, and creating memories that will last a lifetime. And the best part? You can do all of this without spending a lot of money.

So grab your camping trolley, pack those budget sleeping bags, and get out there! The great outdoors is waiting for you, and it doesn’t care how much you spent on your tent; it just wants you to enjoy it.

For more outdoor inspiration, check out our related guides:

Happy camping!

Have you found this budget family camping tips guide useful? How has budget camping helped your family? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Post on X

Save

Budget Family Camping Tips: 18 Money-Saving Hacks in 2025