Hi, i’m new here!
So I joined cadets in November and I have an oppurtunity to go to a couple of camps but i’m pretty self conscious and have a few questions about them
-Is it a dorm setting? Ie no privacy and pretty open? Is there any small amount og privacy while sleeping?
-What is the shower situation? I hope and assume they’re private
What usually happens at camps? I understand it varies by station but any general ideas of number of cadets, drill, fun stuff (greens ;-))polishing shoes etc
as a cadet i only ever had a room to myself on one camp out of perhaps 20 (all types…). the least private would have had 20+ beds in it, the average would have been 6 - 8.
showers were a magic mix of individual cubicles and the open showers you’d find at a swimming pool - what never happened was a private bathroom with a shower.
camp is comprised of a couple of set activities - a drill comp and shooting. the rest of the week is filled with whatever the station and the camp staff can find for you to do: section visits will be to the different bits of the station - police section, engineering, ATC etc… there’ll be activities like leadership exercises and AT, and outside visits to things like museums, a local town/city or an attraction, and social stuff like films, BBQ, or a disco in the evenings.
it really is great fun, and the way that camps now operate means that you’ll get to meet a much wider variety of people from other Sqn’s that you would have a generation ago.
All depends on where you go; not really set in stone.
Some RAF stations (blue camps) are single rooms, block showers with individul cubicles. Others in dorms.
Green camps normally dorms, could be 4 to 12 man rooms, block showers as mentioned above.
I’m afraid you may not find out the situation until you arrive, and dependant on your situation, it could be too late by then.
As for activities, that also depends on where you are going. Blues camp are normally fairly small and compact, activities are station orientated. Our greens camp is 300 cdt strong and very green/AT orientated.
One of the points about camps is the ‘shared experience’ / teamwork which being in multi-occupancy rooms heightens. Being in your own room doesn’t allow this. Only on two camps did I get a room to myself but I was the senior cadet NCO and I suppose it was a perk.
Most toilet block showers and baths have doors, so not the old style school communal showers. All there might be are times for one group age/gender, which means you need to be switched on in the morning.
Overall don’t worry about as you won’t be the only one with concerns over one thing or another.
Most baths I’ve seen are in separate bath rooms but the type of showers is more variable and depends on the age of the facility, the service who owns it and whether it is a permanent arrangement. If showers are in gyms (common on tented camps) or on old army estate you are more likely to have a wet room with communal showers, whereas facilities in an RAF accommodation blocks is more likely to be in cubicles.
There seems to be a prevalence for youth these days to shower in underwear when using communal facilities - not something my school would have tolerated in the gym showers but it is an option.
This sort of detail is generally known months in advance of a camp and if it is something that is a genuine concern (ie,not something you could just grin and bear) then raise the question, get an answer and make your decision.
You will not be getting a personal en-suite bathroom unless you are staff and in a decent, modern mess.
Spot on replies from most here. Although amongst the replies not a single one about the ensuite urinals with hot and cold running water. What is the world coming to?
For any RAF camp the Accomodation would be known in advance. Tell your Sqn staff about your reservations and they’ll be able to find out.
Thanks for the replies! The main issue I have is communal showers… Doesn’t really appeal to me.
Is it more common to have cubical showers or big open ones?
Edit: Ie if I go to say, Valley or whatever, what do you think the chances will be of getting open communal showers
I’ve been on an annual RAF camp every year I’ve been a cadet (coming up on 7 years now) and have never had communal showers on any of them, I’ve never been to Valley though so can’t comment on that particular station.
I’m not a vegetarian but from what I’ve seen most messes are more than capable of catering for any dietary requirements provided they know about it.
Had to create a new account for some reason. RAF Valley is fantastic accommodation - single rooms for all and to a very high standard. Single cubicle showers too.
On a separate point, I would say most strongly don’t let privacy bother you too much (easier said than done I know). No one likes communal showers be they staff or cadets (maybe rugby players!). Everyone finds them uncomfortable and will be more worried about having a shower and getting out than about looking at other people.
Camp is one of, if not THE best thing about being a cadet don’t miss out on it. Even if it’s 100 people to a room and communal showers the great things will outweigh the minor things. (At the end of the day where you wash and sleep doesn’t really matter, it’s what you do when you are awake and active that’s important).
It’s just weird and after a week you will well and truly stink.
If it’s a half decent camp, you’ll be too knackered to care about the ablotuion facilities and will just be glad of having more than 5 minutes to actually have a shower!
Please also note that due to the downsizing of the Military Estate a lot of RAF camps now do not have copius amounts of Transit accommodation available for Cadets as it can often be full of Service Personnel to this end there are now quite a few camps who can only offer Tented accommodation or possibly other alternatives.
Waddington last year where using one of the Lincoln University Student Halls and bussing cadets backwards and forwards with lots of changing between uniform and Civillian clothing.
I was at Valley last summer with cadets from my sqn and I can tell you that the accomodation is in a dedicated block and you have your own room.Showers are in cubicles and bathrooms are separate.The rooms are in good condition and well kept.
Every station has facilities with private cubicals, but not every building has them. Accommodation changes so much with cadet camps and it’s not always possible to say from one week to the next if Station A, which had them last month, will have them on the following month.
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