EHU - The mysteries of Electric Hook Up

I'm not sure how long I'd been camping before I realised what EHU stood for. I'd been mostly camping at festivals to start with so it wasn't an issue and what ever the mysterious EHU I saw when booking campsites was, it cost more, so I didn't want it.

So while I don't remember when, there was obviously a day when something clicked (switch? Light bulb? haha) and I realised that some people have electricity when they camp!

If I wanted electricity I'd book a cottage or a camper van I think. If I'm in a tent then solar power is the best option, a natural way to charge my mobile and provide evening light for reading (and finding the corkscrew)

But I thought I'd blog my reasons and my pros and cons of electricity in you tent.

Plus points

• You can charge phones and have light regardless of the state of the sun
• You can have a fridge
• You can use a George Foreman Grill (other electric cooking appliances are available)
• You can have a TV
• You can have an electric heater
• You can bring an XBox, a Wii, etc (yes people do - you know who you are!) so kids can play on wet days
• Pretty much your tent becomes a home from home and anything you care to bring can be used.

Negatives 

• You have to get a special cable for safety in the wet etc even in the summer the mornings can be damp. You MUST have the correct cable.
• You have to pack all the electrical things you need eg fridge, microwave, TV, DVD player etc etc and they take a lot of space in the car, can be heavy and might be fragile
• You will either have to denude your house and all the hassle that entails or have a second 'camping' set of all the electrical things you want to take.
• You have to pay extra for EHU
• You miss the opportunity to switch off. Why 'get away from it all' but take it with you?

So as you know I go camping with no EHU. I take a cool box and either refreeze the ice blocks in the campsite freezer (loads have them) or buy a bag or two of ice from the supermarket during my stay. I use solar lights for the evening and also settle down as it gets dark. I read rather than watch TV or simply sip wine and listen to the rustling of the field mice in the hedges. I cook on a portable gas cooker, over an open fire or on my Kelly Kettle depending which the campsite allows. I don't heat my tent. I have camped in October when the evening temperature dropped below freezing, it was chilly fun. I carry less stuff (yes really - despite my over packing for festivals LOL) and set up is quick, I save money on the pitch and can often find a space with a late booking at less people are brave enough to camp with out EHU.

What about you? Electric hookup? Or back to nature? Am I right to camp without EHU or missing a trick?