We’ve all been there, travelled for miles on a camping trip only to find that when you reach the campsite and are about to set up, that you’ve forgotten an essential piece of kit. The answer to avoiding this and to any successful camping expedition is to ensure that you draw up a checklist of things that you’ll need to take with you.
No single checklist will be suitable for all of your camping trips and will have to be altered from time to time based upon a number of factors. These factors could include things like the length of time you’re going to be away, the climate, the terrain, the number of people in your party, and how your travelling i.e whether you’re carrying everything on your back or in a car etc.
Here is a rough guide of what to include on your camping checklist. This covers most of the basic essentials and it will enable you to get a feel for the kinds of things you need to bear in mind whenever you decide to go camping. Obviously this list will need to be modified to suit your own individual needs.
Sleeping Area
- Tent including pegs/stakes, guy ropes
- Groundsheet
- Flysheet
- Mallet
- Sleeping bags/blankets
- Pillows
- Air bed/lilo
- Pump for airbed
- Roll mats/pads to lie on
- Hot water bottle
Cooking Equipment
- Cooker, stove, barbecue kit
- Bottled gas or other form of fire igniting material – wood or charcoal, for example
- Matches/lighter
- Cool box & cool blocks
- Pans, pots, plates, cutlery, cups, glasses
- Cooking utensils, e.g. large spoon, fork, ladle, tongs
- Tin opener, bottle opener, corkscrew
- Sharp knife for food preparation
- Food storage containers
- Thermos flask
- Bin bags
- Kitchen foil, kitchen tissue, napkins
- Washing up bowl and liquid
- Dishcloths and tea towels
- Food and drink supplies
Personal Hygiene
- Soap and shampoo
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Deodorant
- Towels
- Toilet paper
- Sanitary towels
- Wet wipes
- Razor/clippers
Clothes
- Warm clothes
- Cool clothes
- Waterproofs
- Boots/walking shoes and any other appropriate footwear
- Beachwear
- Sun hat
- Woollen hat
- Gloves/mittens
First Aid
- First aid kit
- Insect repellent
- Sun cream
- Antihistamines
- Antiseptic
- Plasters/bandages
- Paracetamol or some other kind of pain relief
Miscellaneous Items
- Torch
- Mobile phone
- Camera, binoculars
- Toys, books, games, cds/dvds and cd/dvd players, radio
- Spare batteries
- Backpack
- Outdoor ‘furniture’ e.g. foldaway chairs/tables
- Miscellaneous tools, e.g. screwdriver, scissors, tweezers
- Pen and paper
- Safety pins, sewing kit
- Duct tape
- Trowel
- Spare rope, spare tarp
- Map and compass
