The Ultimate Camping List

The best stress free & easy camping trick is to get yourself the most comprehensive camping list & gear check-list to use when packing for your road trip. But no one knows you, your family or your style of camping better than you do so we’ve pulled our knowledge together, & that of our readers, to come up with the following ultimate camping list that’s gonna blow your socks off. All you have to do is cross off those things that don’t apply to you & you’ll never forget another camping essential again.

This check-list has been made to cover everything you might need to camp in a tent, campervan or caravan. It even has a section specifically about glamping accessories, gear and tips. So if you’re not interested in taking just the basics or packing light, & you want to discover camping in a more luxurious & deluxe way then this is the list for you.

We’ve tried to include everything for every campsite situation, but if you feel we’ve missed something or have totally ignored what you find important on your own list then please get in touch either via the comments section at the end or simply say hello. We’d love to hear from you & share your knowledge & experience with our readers.

Tent, Campervan & Caravan

• Folding pick/shovel
• Set of jumper cables
• Tent pegs
• Heavy canvass or plastic ground tarpaulin
• 3 Lb short hammer
• Full can of fuel & funnel
• Tow chain or rope
• Road Hazard sign & high visibility jacket
• Tool box
• Spray oil such as WD40
• Spirit level or spirit level app on your iPhone & levelling chocks
• Gaffer tape & super-glue
• Copies of important documents including insurance, breakdown recovery, driving license, MOT, vehicle manual
• Maps & Sat Nav
• Toilet & environmentally gentle chemicals
• Give your vehicle the once over: check cables, tyre pressure, cooking gas levels, oil levels, water levels, brake fluid, washer levels, battery levels, etc.
• If you have a tent or awning make sure you check it before you leave to make sure the pegs, ropes, groundsheet, etc, are still packed and the damp, rust, or moths haven’t attacked it since you last used it.

For The Kitchen

• Large flexible plastic tubs with handles make great storage & carrying containers when travelling and setting up camp
• Picnic hamper & blanket with waterproof backing
• Cooking stove, barbecue or way of cooking on an open fire
• Washing up liquid, bowl, cloths & small scrubbing brush
• Dustpan & brush
• Bin bags
• Tea towels & hand towels
• Drinking water container
• Coffee pot
• Dutch Oven, tripod and chain
• Large pan with lid
• Kettle with a whistle
• Cups, cutlery & plates
• Vegetable peeler, tin opener, sharp knife, wooden spoon & bottle opener (cork & lid)
• Chopping board
• Tin foil
• Cool Box & Ice Packs
• Favourite drinks (including tea, coffee, dried milk or long-life milk & sugar)
• Chocolate & other energy food
• Basil & coriander plants in pots to nurture & eat while on your trip
• Store cupboard contents to include: Bottle of wine, cooking oil, cereal of choice (muesli & porridge are great energy foods), eggs, tomato puree, chorizo, already mixed herbs & spices of choice, bay leaves, salt & pepper, sugar, golden & maple syrup, sauces of choice, vinegar, garlic, onions, stock cubes, parmesan (stores well when on the road) red & green pesto, pickle, sweetcorn, baked beans, tinned tuna, snacks, sweet biscuits, crackers, peanut butter & jam, nuts & dried fruit, pasta & rice
• Tortilla wraps, flatbread pittas & fajitas are a great substitute for bread which last longer if they’re kept in a container
• Enough ingredients for your first meal when you’ve set up camp if they’re not already included above
• Folding table & chairs

Sleeping

• Roll Mat, roll mattress, self-inflating mattress or airbed & pump
• Pillow
• Hot water bottles
• Duvet or sleeping bag
• Silk sleeping bag liner
• Blankets
• CO2 & Fire Alarm Monitor

Male & Female Clothing

• Pyjamas or nightdress
• Long trousers
• Shorts
• Skirts
• Dresses
• T-shirts
• Shirts
• Long sleeve T-shirts
• Undies & socks
• Swimming Costume & sarong
• Waterproof and windproof jacket & trousers
• Long sleeved fleece

Clothing For Cold Climates

• Thermal leggings & long sleeved shirt
• Down jacket
• Fleece hat
• Pair of gloves

Foot Wear

• Light weight walking boots
• Wellington boots
• Walking sandals
• Lightweight trainers
• Flip flops

Bathroom

• Toilet roll
• Wash bag with pockets and hanger
• Glasses & contact lenses
• Quick drying towel
• Small mirror
• Hand sanitiser
• Wet wipes or flannels
• Contraceptives
• Nail clippers & Scissors
• Tweezers
• Razor
• Toothbrush, paste, floss & mouthwash
• Comb & travel hair brush
• Sun cream
• Lip balm with SPF
• Creams, shampoo, conditioner & body soap

Gadgets

• Torch
• Charging wires & adapters
• Solar Power charger
• Mobile phone
• laptop computer
• Digital camera
• Portable DVD player & DVDs
• Digital Camcorder
• iPod & head phones
• Small travel speakers to plug into your iPod
• Small external hard drive
• Additional SD cards for cameras
• iPad, iPhone & camping Apps (see our 20+ recommendations)

First Aid

• It’s useful to make a large and small kit for both your everyday bag and your base camp
• Assorted sized waterproof plasters
• Re-hydration sachets: helping you recover from food poisoning or hangover
• Paracetamol tablets
• Imodium tablets
• Hand sanitising gel
• Alcohol wipes
• Surgical tape
• Bandage
• Mosquito repellent
• After bite cream for mosquito bites
• Antihistamine cream and tablets for bad reactions to bites
• Antiseptic cream
• Arnica cream
• Burn spray
• Tiger balm or muscle rub
• Personal vitamins & medicine

Useful Bits & Pieces

• Firewood or small axe
• Multi-tool, Swiss Army Knife or Leatherman
• Lighter, matches and firelighters
• String
• Sun Cap
• Bandanna
• Ear plugs
• Sunglasses
• Suncream
• Sun shade tent or umbrella
• Rain shelter or umbrella
• Wind break
• Small waterproof bag for swimming
• Day bag backpack
• Head lamps & torches for everyone to have as their own. This helps reassure kids at night.
• Lightweight thermos & water bottle
• Washing line in a rewind case, pegs & clothes wash
• Pen, journal or notebook
• Guide books & maps
• Novel, reading material, iPad or Kindle

Games & Activities

• Bikes
• Fishing gear
• Surfing kit
• Wet suits & snorkel gear
• Kite
• Musical instruments such as guitar & ukuleles
• Outdoor games like Frisbee, cricket, rounders, football, swingball, Boules, etc.
• Pack of cards
• Travel games such as scrabble, chess, checkers, dominoes, snakes & ladders, & backgammon
• Colouring books & pens
• Puzzle books
• Scrapbook & glue for collecting flowers, grass, feathers, sketches of what you find on your trip
• Small treasure hunt prizes & paper & pens to draw the map
• Buckets & spades

Extras:

• Binoculars
• Batteries
• GPS (geocaching materials)
• Baseball hats
• Lanterns
• Glow sticks
• Walking Sticks
• Bear mace
• Bells
• Sketch pad
• Trolley
• Bike trailer/wagon
• Fishing licence
• Darts
• Water toys
• Raft/life jackets
• Badminton
• Shoe rack
• Chainsaw
• Wood carrier
• Tent
• Canopy
• Extra tent poles
• Folding Table
• Folding chairs
• Side tables
• Water proof suitcase bags
• Bungees
• Interpretive field guides (flowers/insects)
• Star chart/night sky identifier
• Bed frame
• Eye shade
• Air pump
• Beach towel and blanket
• Snow pants
• Water sandals
• Slippers/booties
• Camp fire blanket
• Large full mirror
• Cosmetics
• Nail polish
• Shower water bag
• Shower curtain
• Travel alarm clock
• Radio
• Walky talkies

Source: Inspired Camping