The not so obvious items your first camping trip needs
, by Laurence, 2 min reading time
Suppose you’re going camping for the first time. In that case, it’s easy to focus on the obvious essentials such as a high-quality tent, a stove for outdoor cooking and even a DD hammock for a cosy sleep, but there are lots of other little hacks that will help you enjoy your trip away in the great outdoors even more.
Shower essentials
If you have booked a campsite with a shower, don’t forget this will still be different from popping into your shower at home or a hotel! Take a bag to carry and hang your shower essentials in and include a pair of flip flops to wear in the shower block, and to make walking back from the shower blocks easy (rather than fighting to get socks and shoes on damp feet!)
Micro-fibre towels (or a thin beach towel!) are most suitable as they will dry quickly throughout the day. If you can, try to manage without washing your hair, but you can always call ahead to see if your campsite has hair drying facilities. Some sites offer hairdryers that take coins to operate or a plug socket you can plug a travel hairdryer in to.
Layers, layers, layers
Even on a hot day, the evening temperature can quickly drop when you are outside, especially on a clear night. If you are camping in summer, still pop in a thermal top and leggings, a woolly hat and a windproof jacket to make sure you are extra cosy when spending the evening outside around the campfire.
Valuables
Leave them at home. Remember, your tent is only secured by zips and adding a padlock may only highlight that valuables are in your tent. Plus, it can be easy to lose things when camping, so avoid upset and only bring what you truly need and leave the laptop and sentimental jewellery in a safe place at home.
Cleaning essentials
Chances are, you’ll be doing some cooking on your camping trip, and you don’t want to come home with dirty plates and cutlery. A collapsible washing up bowl makes washing up a breeze and won’t take up lots of space when it’s not in use. Don’t forget to pop in a sponge, washing up liquid and a tea towel too. Lastly, a dustpan and brush is a really useful item to include. When packing up your tent at the end of your trip, you can sweep out any grass and mud to make sure your tent is squeaky clean for your next trip!
