Camping doesn’t have to be expensive and you don’t really need a lot of equipment to start off with. You can buy a good quality tent for under £100, one which will stand up well to wind and rain and will keep you comfortable and dry. Most people who have had bad experiences with camping remember being cold and wet in a leaky tent, but it doesn’t have to be this way and if you are careful enough when choosing your tent you will not have to spend a fortune to stay dry.
Probably the next most important thing after the tent is the sleeping bag. Very cheap sleeping bags tend to be quite thin and will not insulate you very well, meaning that unless it is very warm weather you are likely to be very cold at night. You can either pay a little more for a better and thicker sleeping bag, or you can use one of the cheap and thin sleeping bags and combine it with fleece blankets or a duvet.
Next on the list of important things to have for comfort is the inflatable mattress or sleeping mat. Probably the most comfortable choice is to have an inflatable mattress with a sleeping mat on top. The air mattress on its own will not provide any insulation and can get quite cold, the sleeping mat on its own will insulate well but tends not to be very comfortable. Self inflating mattresses can be useful and are quite a good combination of comfort and insulation.
Once you have a tent, sleeping bag and something warm and comfortable to go under the sleeping bag, you then basically have all you need for comfortable camping. Some useful extra things are a torch, small camping stove, a pan or two to cook in, knives forks and spoons, plastic cups, plastic plates and a water carrier.
As you can see, cheap camping does not mean that you have to be wet, cold and uncomfortable. Choose your equipment carefully and you will have a lot of enjoyment from it.