What can be better than you and the outdoors? Camping is a beautiful escape from the humdrum of daily life and the chaos of the city. The woods can be a wonderful place if you have all the necessary equipment to keep you safe. Without this, unfortunately, the outdoors can become very dangerous, very quickly. 

Camping grounds are usually far removed from urban populations. This means you won’t have access to stores and emergency services if you need them. If you forget something, you can’t simply pop over to the shops to buy it! Iso before you check the weather and pack your bags, use our handy dandy camping checklist to ensure a safe, comfortable trip! 

Campsite Essentials 

This is everything you need to set up a basic campsite. At the very least, you need the following:

• Tent: You will need a sturdy tent. Avoid cheap tents. Instead, invest in a high-quality piece of equipment that will serve you for decades of camping trips. 
• Sleeping bags: Sleeping bags protect you from insects and the outside elements. Sleeping on the ground can be dangerous as you never know what’s lurking there. 
• Sleeping pads: Sleeping bags are not enough! You need sleeping pads to put inside or under your sleeping bags to protect you from the ground cooling off overnight. 
• Lights: There are no street lights in the woods. To navigate your way when the sun goes down, make sure to pack high-powered flashlights and headlamps to light your way. 
• Batteries: Your lights need to be powered by something! Even if you have solar-powered lights, most have a battery option as a backup. Stock batteries so you’re never caught unprepared. 
• Towels: You will need to bathe and dry utensils at some point during your trip. Instead of trying to air-dry, carry quick-drying towels to make the process easier. 

Tools

Even if you go camping for a day, you might run into the need to repair something or the other in and around your campsite. Keep the following handy:

• Duct tape: Nearly everything can be fixed with duct tape. It is an essential tool you should keep with you to fix all sorts of things. 
• Ax: Most campers build fires in their campsites as the sun goes down for both warmth and cooking. You’ll need firewood to fuel the fire, so keep an ax handy to chop some. You can also use it as a defensive weapon in case large predators like bears or cougars wander into your campsite. 
• Hammer: You’ll need a hammer to push your tent stakes into the ground. 
• Multi-tool: Camping can land you in multiple situations where you need a variety of tools. Since you can’t carry everything with you, take a multi-tool instead. 
• Repair kits: You will, at the bare minimum, need a tent-pole repair kit and a mattress repair kit. Along with that, it isn’t a bad idea to carry a tire repair kit too. 

Kitchen Setup

When you’re camping, there isn’t any McDonalds nearby for you to pick up food. You need to carry your own cooking supplies to ensure you are well-fed throughout your trip. You need the following:

• Ingredients: One of the best things to carry on camping trips is canned food. These last very long and are well-protected from the outside elements. You can carry other well-packed food items as well. 
• Utensils: Most campers carry at least one pot and a frying pan with them. You will need them to heat up your canned food or cook with ingredients you forage from the forest. 
• Cutting board: While we’re sure you won’t do very extensive cooking, a cutting board is a safe place to keep your food items as you wait for pots to heat up. 
• Eating utensils: You need a plate, a fork, and a spoon. There are camping-specific utensil sets that are lightweight, durable, and portable that you can choose to buy. 
• Cleaning supplies: After you eat, you have to clean everything. You can get water from a nearby stream, but you need to carry biodegradable soap and a pot scrubber to keep your kitchen in order. 
• Firestarters: Cooking can’t happen without fire. While there are ways to light fires without a fire starter, it certainly makes the job much easier. Firestarters are cheap, so invest in some you can carry with you. 
• Cups or glasses: You need your coffee every morning! Carry cups to drink it from unless you want to use the cooking pots.

Last Updated on January 1, 2024