Ahh yes… the days of tent camping. I can recall many a night where I would lay awake in my tent and watch the lightning through the moonroof on my Woods two-room tent. I loved the sound of the thunder and heavy rain hammering the nylon. I think that was my favorite part of tent camping.
It’s been a few years since we’ve been camping in a tent, but I still have my old checklist of things we needed to have on each camping trip.
The list includes the must-have items that I never landed at a campsite without. In fact, I used to keep most of this stuff stored in totes and all kept together in my garage. Whenever we wanted to camp, we would pretty much be ready to go after a quick review of the list and replenishment of any missing items.
I hope this list is as useful a tool for you as it was for me.
- Tent (May seem obvious, but I’ve seen people get to the site without it!)
- Sleeping bags
- Cots or air mattress
- Folding chairs
- Small folding shovel
- An axe or a hatchet
- Firestarters or old newspaper
- Small broom
- Repair kit for your tent (Things like Duct tape, patches, glue, needle, thread…)
- Nylon rope – at least 100 feet
- Tarp
- Battery operated lamp for inside use (LED is the best choice.)
- Lantern for outdoor use
- Flashlight, with batteries and spare bulbs (Again, LED is preferred.)
- Swiss army knifes and/or multi-tool
- Charcoal/propane BBQ or cooking stove
- Extra propane tanks
- Cooking pots and utensils
- Plates and utensils (We prefer paper and plastic for ease of use, but that’s not the most environmentally sound approach.)
- Cooler/ice box
- Matches and/or a lighter
- Water container/carrier
- Warm blanket
- Warm clothes, swim-wear, rain gear, comfortable shoes
- Personal items (Such as shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, razor, medications, etc…)
- First aid kit (band-aids, antiseptic, alcohol, aspirin, gauze…)
- Water purification tablets if there is a need (I keep some in my first aid kit.)
- Insect repellent
- Sun screen
- Toilet paper (NEVER forget this!)
- A laundry bag
- Garbage bags
- Aluminum foil
- Plastic bags
- Maps and/or GPS
- FRS radios (They are great for keeping in touch with family and friends at the site.)
This list is pretty general, so I would recommend customizing your own list with whatever extra items you need. If you think there is something missing from this list that everyone should have, let us know in the comments.
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