There can be nothing worse than traveling for miles on a camping trip only to find that when you reach your destination you’ve forgotten a vital piece of kit. Planning is the key to any successful camping expedition and it’s important that you draw up a checklist of things that you’ll need (or want) to take with you.
Of course, there are many variables that will make one person’s checklist different from somebody else’s and even your own checklist will have to be altered from time to time based upon a number of factors which 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, whether you’re carrying everything on your back or in a car etc.
Therefore, there is no definitive checklist that will cover all eventualities. However, here is an example of a camping checklist which 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 and this can be modified to suit your own individual needs.
Sleeping Quarters Tent including pegs/stakes, guy ropes Mallet Sleeping bags/blankets Air bed/lilo Pillows
Cooking Equipment Cooker, stove, barbecue kit Bottled gas or other form of fire igniting material – wood or charcoal, for example Matches/lighter Cooling box 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 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 Wet wipes
Clothes Warm clothes Cool clothes Waterproofs Boots/walking shoes Flip flops or similar shoes for the shower block 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
