Camping Tips – Don’t Forget the Essentials

When the warmer weather returns, many people start up their summer activities again. For some, this means gathering up their gear and going camping. Whether you are new to camping or a seasoned outdoors person, there are camping essentials – items you don’t want to forget to bring with you on each camping trip. Figuring out everything you need beforehand will keep your trip enjoyable and help you to be prepared for varying weather conditions or anything else that can come up during your trip.

Some Camping Essentials

The first on anyone’s list would be a tent. There are various types and sizes, depending on what your needs are and what you prefer. You can get as small as a one-man tent, or as large as a group tent that holds up to twelve people. If camping with your family, Wenzel has a large, two room nine person tent that would be very suitable. Coleman also has larger, 8 person tents that you could use to camp with a large group or family. Along with your tent, make sure you have enough tent poles and pegs plus a mallet to drive the pegs in and a quality groundsheet or tarp.

Next on the list of camping essentials checklist are sleeping bags or bivy bags. If you like something a bit more plush, you can look into purchasing an airbed, some of which even come with built-in pillows. If you choose to use airbeds, make sure you bring along a pump for them or a battery operated pump and batteries.

For your cooking needs don’t forget the cooking gear, dishes and utensils. There are several cookers and grills to choose from the Coleman company and come in a variety of configuration from ones you’d carry in a backpack to much larger grills. If you’d like, there are even outdoor camping wok sets that can change things up. A barbeque designed for your campsite is always a good choice. Depending on your preferences, you can bring tables and chairs with you that fold up, or just plan on sitting on the ground or home made seats such as a log.

Other camping essentials include smaller items such as lanterns or torches, heaters if needed, maps, first aid kits and insect repellants. Depending on what you will be doing, binoculars are great for bird watching, and pedometers are handy if you plan on hiking and would like to measure how much you walked.

If you are with your family, keep your kids entertained by bringing outdoor toys and games such as squirt guns or inflatable toys for the water if you will be near a lake. Also a good deck of cards comes in handy and doesn’t take up much space.

Before you start out on your camping adventure, make sure to have a thorough list of all the essential supplies you will need and go through it a couple of times to double-check that it is all packed up and ready to go. Doing this will ensure you have an enjoyable trip with everything you need on hand.