Camping is a great outdoor venture. You can benefit from the relaxation that comes with a weekend getaway but without the usual high hotel accommodation costs. Moreover, you get to immerse yourself in the naturally cool refreshing air and get to appreciate how beautiful nature is.
During a camping trip, you get to learn and put into practice basic survival tips like lighting a fire and keeping warm against the elements without the comforts of your cozy bedroom. You’ll get the best camping experience during the dry weather season, but you should make preparations for any kind of weather since you can’t control nature.
There are some essential and simple items to pack that can make your camping experience feel more like the majestic indulgence with Mother Nature that you are probably envisioning that your camping experience will be.
Don’t forget these essential items!
1. The Right Clothing
Pack enough clothes to keep you warm while you are camping outdoors. You should have a mixture of light clothes for the hot days and heavy ones for the cold nights. You must also have the comfortable work boots to help you move around easily and at the same time protecting your feet from bushy thorns. Also, if it rains and it gets muddy, your boots will come in handy.
2. Headlamp
Unless you have been blessed with super-human night vision, a headlamp will be your greatest ally against the dark campground nights; and we promise you, even with campfires and lanterns, they are dark. A regular flashlight (or torch) will work, but the trendy, hands-free headlamp is really the most useful and appropriate for outdoor living. For a cheap price, a headlamp will save you from embarrassing falls over tree roots and may even help you to spot skunks and other “exotic” wildlife!
3. Water Bottle/Camelbak
Depending on where you are going camping, well especially in North America during summer, few locations escape days of soaring temperatures and baking sun. It’s important to always keep hydrated and have water with you; which, we understand may seem difficult when touring a nation that sells the “Big Gulp” of soda for 99 cents. But, water is always FREE when you have your own water bottle/Camelbak (backpack with water pouch inside) to fill up. Most tap water in the US is drinkable and it’s easy to find water fountains and other filling stations. Restaurants and gas stations will usually fill you up too, especially if you smile and ask nicely in your charming accent.
4. Hiking Boots or Comfortable Trainers
We don’t know how you can go out in the wilderness without them. Yet some people are not avid hikers, or just plain don’t like them, in which case any kind of durable shoe will do. Your feet will appreciate you if you protect them from the elements and treat them to some sturdy footware.
5. Earplugs
Your tent mate might sound like a hibernating bear at night; crickets and frogs may not be your favorite relaxation sounds (or with thunder for that matter); you might want to go to sleep at 10PM and others might want to drink beer until 12AM; you might hate all the music playing in the van. Earplugs could truly be your saving grace for getting sleep on noisy nights, especially if there is an early start the next morning. We recommend to keep at least one package it you on the road and pass them out like bubblegum. No cranky campers in my van please!
6. Versatile Sleeping Bag
You might think sleeping on the ground with the tent cover for warmth is sufficient but nights tend to get colder. Carry with you a good sleeping bag or if you can afford it, bring an air mattress since you still need quality sleep to be functional the following day. Sleeping comfortably will make the camping experience memorable even for people who think they hate camping.
Uncomfortable sleeping arrangements will mess up with your sleep, and as a result of sleep deprivation, you’ll turn in a grouchy camper, which beats the whole purpose of coming for a trip.
Depending on the locations you’ll visit, your sleeping bag should be able to withstand near ten-degree Celsius weather and be comfortable at thirty. (Yes, it can be that cold and that hot at night on the same trek.)
So if you want to sleep like a baby even in the wild outdoors, do some research before you leave home and get the appropriate sleeping bag. And please… Listen.. places like The Grand Canyon are cold at night, ice cold some nights; you have been warned.
7. Inflatable Sleeping Mat
Foam sleeping mats are provided on your trek, but if you require extra TLC and back support, purchasing your own mat will increase your comfort and overall hours of sleep logged each night. Note: there is a difference between inflatable bed and inflatable mat.
8. Waterproof Jacket
Rain happens pretty spontaneously, kids. Get yourself a jacket… or else!
9. Quick-Dry Towel
A quick-dry towel is super beneficial for swimming, showering and also for those unexpected rainstorms because as the name says, it dries quick and you’ll be able to pack it away without getting your clothes wet or use it again half an hour later when it has returned to it’s dry form. Convenient and soft, what’s not to love?
10. Your Party Pants
Going to Vegas? Not going to Vegas? It doesn’t matter! Among the shorts and tanks, you should have packed one “I look great and I know it” outfit for any going-out nights. It always feels so good to look so good.
11. Minimalist Thinking
The last recommendation is a theory, not a physical item. As much as it hurts us to say it, ladies this one is for you: how much clothing, hairspray, lotion and how many pairs of shoes, shorts, dresses and curling irons will you really need? The bigger your backpack or suitcase is, the more work it will be for you, so think critically when packing and take the items you’ll use most. (And if you really need something, it will give you an excuse to go shopping while abroad.)
12. Plastic Bags
Plastic bags protect your belonging from getting wet in case it rains. Packing sufficient types of plastic bags will determine the quality of camping experience you have. You need zip lock bags to keep your matchboxes from getting soggy and larger trash bags for your dirty laundry. You can even use plastic bags to cover your traveling bags in order to keep the dry during rain. Traveling bags soak in water which makes them heavier and difficult to carry around.
Important Things to Know Before You Go
Find the appropriate spot to pitch your tent
You need to be careful in choosing the right spot to pitch your tent. The ground should be flat. Dipping landscapes collect water and turn into puddles during rainfall which will soak your belongings and have a bad impact on your camping experience. Take further precautions by having a ground cover just in case surface water seeps into your tent.
Learn how to start a fire
Your survival could one day depend on knowing this skill. You may need fire to keep warm on the cold nights and keep the wild animals away and also to cook and warm your food. Knowing how to start a fire is one of the most important camping tips you must know. If you are planning on going on a camping trip, have some practice in your backyard, or at least, have someone in your team who know how to start a fire.
Get Excited For Your Breakaway
This packing list could also include so many other items, but we don’t want to spoil you. It’s time to spread your wings and investigate your particular destination and duration to find what else might be useful on your trip.
And, don’t worry about packing things like your Mardi Gras beads, cowboy hat, denim tank-top, flannel shirts, superhero costumes, spandex, American flag apparel, feather boa etc.; you can pick that stuff up over here.
If you are keen to go on an adventure, search our featured gap year tours, most operators offer camping experiences.