During the summer, there’s nothing better than being able to load up your car and head off to a scenic place to enjoy a spot of camping.
Camping trips are a budget-friendly way to enjoy time with your partner, family, or friends, tying in with spending time outdoors.
No matter how much you’re looking forward to an upcoming camping trip, the worst thing you can do is being unprepared. Otherwise, you could find yourself many miles from home missing some essentials that are vital for your vacation.
To ensure you’re more than ready for your next camping trip, here are 10 things you must pack to have a successful trip!
1. Food and Water
Some campsites are close to shops and restaurants, but others can be too far out. If you’re camping for a few nights, plan to have a BBQ on your first night. You can keep meats and fresh food in a cool bag as you travel and use a disposable BBQ for cooking the food on the first evening.
You’ll also need as much tinned and dry food as possible. It’s better to have emergency rations than to run out. A few gallons of water are essential too. In some campsites, you may need this for things like brushing your teeth and washing up as well as for drinking.
2. Camp Kitchen Equipment
You’ll need several items to cook for yourself during your camping experience successfully. There is nothing worse than realizing you can’t eat something you have brought due to missing cooking equipment! Consider the following:
- Camp stove
- Fuel
- Plates, cups and eating utensils (consider recyclable paper)
- Washing up tub and supplies
- Matches
- Cooler bag
- Disposable BBQ or grill
- Kitchen tools (tin opener, an all-purpose knife, mess tins, tongs, and tin foil)
3. Sleeping bags and pillows:
Make sure you have good quality sleeping bags which pack in the heat, especially if camping in colder climates. Don’t forget to bring pillows to go with these. You would be surprised at how many people pick up their neatly rolled up sleeping bag and forget to bring their own pillows.
4. Sleeping Pads:
These are especially valuable for when camping for longer than a weekend, as we all know how uncomfortable the ground can be. Look to bring either a thick blow-up mattress or the self-inflating air beds which are low but provide comfort when layering your sleeping bag on top.
5. Vitamins, medication and pain relief
There is no worse feeling than realizing you left your medications or vitamins at home. Of course, some more important than others, such as paracetamol for any headaches or pain.
Your own health and well-being while camping is vital for enjoying yourself without worrying. For example, some people can suffer more severe hangovers than others, which can ruin the next day after some beers around the campfire. Make sure you come equipped with hangover supplements as well as pain relief so that you can enjoy your time as much as possible.
6. Towels and personal hygiene items:
Try to limit this to avoid over-packing, but at the same time, don’t forget the necessities. Pack one towel per person, along with shareable shampoos, body washes, and hand sanitizers. It might be useful to throw in a couple of packets of baby wipes, which we can guarantee you’ll get lots of use from.
7. Flashlights, headlamps, and lanterns:
These are essential for those poorly lit campsites or if you are camping in remote places. Try to make sure there is one flashlight per family member. Then, pack a couple of lanterns that can be used for both the inside of your tent and outside to ensure everyone has enough visibility.
8. Camp chairs:
You’ll find a few campsites have benches set up, but the smaller and more secluded sites don’t offer any seating. Don’t miss out on being comfortable while eating and chatting around the campfire! Bring a handful of foldable camping chairs – ideally lightweight ones.
9. Sunscreen:
Even if you are not forecast pure sunshine, it’s surprising how easily you can catch the rays, especially when on higher land. Pack a sunscreen which has an SPF all the family can use, which tends to be the higher the SPF number, the better.
10. Toilet paper and shovel:
Not all camping sites come with luxuries! Some campsites have well looked after toilet facilities, but even these can run out of toilet paper. And then there are some campsites which don’t come with any facilities at all. Make sure to pack a few rolls!
Once you’re set up at your camping spot, make sure you always keep your car locked, as this becomes one of the places you will store certain items that don’t belong in the tent. Look for a space which looks safe and is away from as much noise as possible. Then the rest is up to you. The beauty of camping is that you can make it what you like, so embrace the outdoors and focus on having fun!
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