Last summer we embarked on our first family camping trip. We had no experience of pitching a tent, what we needed (over and above the obvious!) or what we might have to purchase. Thankfully we did a alot of research beforehand and much of what we took, other than food, borrowed or purchased on the cheap! Aside from our Vango tent (which we reviewed), we didn’t want to purchase much given we’d not camped as a family before.
Our campsite of choice was in Switzerland, we opted not to go local, so we took the Euroshuttle from Folkestone to Calais and drove through France to the Swiss Alps. While it was great having our own car and cramming it with our belongings (and enough food to feed a small army), we learnt the hard way that we didn’t actually need as much as we took. Here’s a list of our essentials which you can cherry-pick from to suit your needs. We’ll be packing lighter for our next camping trip that’s for sure!
For shelter
We pre-booked the most fantastic campsite in Switzerland, situated in the idyllic Valais region. We were surrounded by the most stunning views, was spotless and the facilities including a swimming pool which eight-year-old POD loved. Our pitch had ample space for our tent, car and an outdoor area which we used for cooking, eating and admiring the scenery.
We organised the inside of our tent so it was like a home from home with a rug in the living area. The sides were reserved for food supplies, cooking equipment, a foldable table and three chairs plus essentials like clothes, toiletries and games. Below is a list of our essentials along with some nice to haves.
- A good quality tent like the Vango Winslow 600 which is super easy to put up, take down and pack away
- Mallet and spare tent pegs
- Rug/blanket for living space (nice underfoot!)
- Dustpan and brush/collapsible broom
- Nice to haves – portable toilet, lantern, doormat for entrance, awning to extend living space outdoors, sun canopy
For sleeping
We turned our bedroom area into a cosy den with the three of us occupying one large room rather than splitting ourselves across the two bedrooms. Our tent has a divider between the two rooms which is great for flexibility. Having a spacious tent made all the difference as it meant we could spread out, have more bedding than we needed with additional space for POD’s books, tablet and activities.
- Air beds, electric pump and repair kit or sleeping mats
- Sleeping bags
- Pillows
- Pyjamas
- Torch
- Blankets
- Nice to haves – new airbeds/sleeping mats and sleeping bags (we borrowed ours)
For mealtimes
For some reason, we woke up before all our fellow campers. The upside being we got to watch the mist rise from the mountains every morning while we cooked breakfast. Feeling the warmth of the sun as it hit the valley was bliss. On a typical day, we’d have breakfast and dinner at the campsite – with lunch normally taken on the go while we were exploring the region.
- Folding table and chairs
- Foldable kitchen unit to house pans, crockery and kitchen utensils
- Stove – ours was £8 from Halfords
- Gas
- Matches/lighter
- Pots (2-3 varying sizes)
- Frying pan
- Kettle
- Sieve
- Nice to haves – a foldable kitchen unit, pans and kettle (again borrowed!)
We did well on the utensils front and pretty much had everything we needed – aside from a sieve which is handy if you have rice, pasta or potatoes to drain. The foldable washing up bowl was inspired although anything which collapses is a win as it takes up less space in the car.
- Knives
- Chopping board
- Spoons and spatula for cooking
- Scissors
- Tin opener
- Bottle opener with corkscrew
- Peeler
- Plates, bowls, cups
- Mugs for coffee and tea
- Knives, forks, spoons for eating
- Drinking water (2L bottles or water container if drinkable water on site)
- Cool box and ice packs
- Cling film/foil
- Containers or ziplock bags for food storage (and sandwiches during the day)
- Kitchen roll
- Tea towel
- Rubbish bags
- Collapsible washing up rack
- Washing up liquid
- Dishcloth
- Nice to haves – an electrical cool box and any other clever/time-saving gadgets!
Our key learnings, from the mountain of food we took, was to take more tins and a variety of foods – perhaps less baked beans! We topped up essentials like bread, sausages/frankfurters and eggs locally. As we were driving from the UK through France to the Swiss Alps, we had water and snacks in the car (fruit, crackers and crisps) for the journey there and back.
- Cooking spray (or oil if screwable top)
- Salt, pepper, seasoning, Lazy Garlic, ketchup etc
- Pasta
- Rice
- Noodles
- Cous cous
- Bread
- Butter and spreads
- Eggs (or purchase locally)
- Variety of tinned food – Tulip bacon, tomatoes, potatoes, soup
- Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, squash
- UHT milk
- Sugar
- Biscuits, nuts, snacks
- Long lasting fruit (apples)
Clothes & toiletries
Having flips flops were ideal for around the campsite and for ensuring the inside of the tent stayed clean. We were continually in and out especially at mealtimes or when we paid the pool, toilet, shower block or washing up area a visit. We realised fairly early on we’d taken way too many clothes so that’s a learning for next time! Some of what you might need includes:
- Footwear – flip flops, trainers, walking boots
- Bras, pants, socks
- Trousers, shorts, skirts, dresses (not too long)
- Sweatshirt – handy if you get cold at night
- Long and short-sleeved t-shirts
- Hat
- Waterproof jacket
- Swimming costume, goggles, towel, pool toys
- Dirty laundry bag
- Shower gel
- Shampoo
- Razors
- Towels – for the shower and for the pool if you have access to one
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Moisturising cream
- Deodorant
- Hairbrush and hairbands
- Toilet roll (just in case!)
- Medication, painkillers, eye make up remover wipes
Other essentials
The likes of passports, driving licence, travel documents, insurance and currency are a given but there are a number of other essential items to take – the most important of which (if you have gadgets) is an electricity hook up. We booked a pitch with electricity so we just hooked ours up and had access to 4 UK plug sockets in our tent.
- Electricity hook up
- Camera, phone, tablet, Kindle chargers
- Battery back
- Adaptors
- Books, magazines
- Games – Swingball, badminton and balls (our campsite neighbours made a zip wire and took a hammock!)
- Arts/crafts – colouring, stickers, craft sets
- Washing line and pegs
- Suncream and aftersun
- Sunglasses
- Insect repellent and sting cream
- Road map
- Day pack and water bottle
- First aid kit
- Wipes – for hands and if needed in tent
- Hand cream or washing up gloves
- Umbrella
We think that’s everything you’ll need for a family camping trip. The tent is obviously the most important as it can make or break your trip. As for everything else, we’re now on the lookout to see what we can find for our next trip including those essentials, space saving products and clever gadgets – do let us know if you have any recommendations.
