Last Updated on 23 April 2025 by Colette
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
When it comes to deciding what to take camping with you, you really do have to consider the needs of your own family and what sort of camping you’re doing – for example, if you’re camping at a festival I tend to recommend camping as light as possible to save you having to drag all your stuff across fields, family camping trips with the car parked right next to your tent are a different ball game and you can basically take whatever you can fit in your car (though you might regret that when it comes to packing it all up again to take it home!) Ben currently fancies giving wild camping a go but that’s a whole different set of kit completely.
Dave and I keep a shared family camping checklist on Google Keep – it has all the things we take as standard, and then I add extra notes to it for things that might need replacing or fixing etc as it’s all too easy to pack everything away at the end of the season and then completely forget until your first camping trip of the summer that the washing up bowl was broken (she says having just panic ordered a new one on Amazon ahead of this weekend’s trip!)
Our camping packing list does depend a little on the weather forecast – if it’s going to be cold then I’ll be sure to throw some extra blankets in both for around the campfire and for insulation under SIMs to keep them warmer.
Our camping gear mostly lives in the loft when it’s not being used – and is kept all together in boxes – but it’s worth having a clear checklist to make sure nothing gets left behind especially the things that we use all year round in the house.
Our current family camping packing list looks like this:
- Tent – obviously! (We have the Berghaus Air 6 and LOVE it)
- Porch (We have the Berghaus Air Porch which attaches to our tent giving us extra space which we use for the kitchen units and cool boxes, keeping shoes outside etc etc.)
- Shelter (a recent addition to our camping set up but something we’re especially glad of if the weather is rubbish!)
- Chairs (We invested in more expensive camping chairs as we found it was much better for our backs! The kids have more standard camp chairs)
- Sleeping bags x5 (You can read more about choosing a sleeping bag here)
- Camp beds x 5 (Unless we’re going to a festival and then the kids do without)
- SIMs (Self inflating mattresses can be used on the floor or as extra cushioning on the camp beds)
- Pillows (We used to use inflatable camping pillows but I’ve come to realise we are much more comfortable with our own pillows)
- Picnic Table (We don’t really use this for eating at now the kids are bigger, more just for serving food etc)
- Kitchen Units (we have two – one for storing food and one we use for cooking on that we move in and out of the porch area)
- Cool box (one electric and one standard)
- Torches – a mix of hand held torches, head torches (not a fan myself but the kids find them handy) and bigger lights for inside the tent at night.
- Electrical Hook Up (some would say this was cheating, but I don’t care. We did without for years but now we have it I wouldn’t go back!)
- Ground sheet
- Carpet (a properly fitting tent carpet makes a big difference to your living space in your tent, it’s nicer for the kids to sit on and more comfortable on your feet!)
- Blankets (for both around the camp fire and under air beds / SIMs)
- Camping Stoves (We use small gas rings as they fold up neatly and are really effective)
- BBQ (plus charcoal and lighters etc) – we have a small fold up BBQ but it’s in need of replacing really.
- Utensils (for the BBQ)
- Knives (we have specific cooking knives for camping which are stored with covers on)
- Cutlery (I have a plastic tub of cutlery specifically for camping)
- Plates, bowls and mugs – typically five of each!
- Collapsible washing up bowl, dish soap and tea towels (I keep old tea towels for camping)
- Tea and coffee
- Kitchen roll
- Poppy’s coat (she has an Equafleece to keep her cosy if the temperature drops) and a thermal mat to lie on
- Big pans (these are our normal cooking pans that we need for reheating things like a chilli)
- Salt and pepper
- Hot chocolate pan (we keep a small pan in our kit for making hot chocolate on the stove)
- Big serving spoon (for the chilli etc)
- Ketchup (we have a small bottle for camping but need to remember to put it back in the box at the start of the season!)
- Hot chocolate
- Ear plugs (you’d be surprised how noisy a campsite can be, even if it’s just nearby animals in the morning!)
- Eye mask
- Ben’s tent (Although we have a six man tent, Ben does have his own small tent which basically means he can have his own “room” separate from the girls)
- First aid kit – basically just pain killers and plasters
- Insect repellent – bug spray is a must for me!
- Water bottles and collapsible water storage (saves you going to the tap constantly)
- Fans – we have a couple of rechargeable fans which are great for getting the air moving in the tent when it’s really hot. We forgot them on our recent camping trip and missed them!
- Axe (for chopping up firewood – when you buy firewood on site, it’s usually in big chunks so Dave likes to cut some of it up to get the fire started)
- Clothes airer – this might seem like a bit of an odd one but honestly it’s the easiest way to dry towels etc)
- Pop up laundry basket (keeping all the dirty washing in one place keeps the tent much tidier and is easier for sorting washing when we get home!)
- Towels (at least one each!)
- Clothes for the whole family – plus spares and layers! (I make the kids pack their own bags)
- Flip flops – you’ll want them in the bathroom I promise.
- Mallet – we managed without one for years – mainly due to Dave’s stubbornness but it’s definitely easier to hit those pegs in using a fit for purpose rubber mallet than a rock you’ve found on site!
- Things to do – at the very least our kindles and a pack of cards or uno, maybe some colouring books when the kids were younger and typically a ball. (There’s a great camping themed wordsearch here!)
I usually do a food shop specifically for the camping trip so the food items on the list are things that we forget or don’t buy especially – like salt or coffee.
What’s top of your camping packing list? What have I missed?
Check out these post next for more camping content:
Our ultimate guide to family camping
Camping kit we recommend investing in
If you have enjoyed this post and found it helpful, here are a few ways you can say thanks and support We’re going on an adventure:
Click here to buy me a virtual coffee – it’s like a little tip jar but with caffeine!
I’d love for you to tag me in any photos of your adventures on Social Media if one of my posts has inspired you to visit
Click here to leave We’re going on an adventure a Google Review
Share this post with your friends – you’ll be helping me and them!
Follow We’re going on an adventure on Facebook or Instagram
