What do I need to get/pack for a camping holiday?

[CosyAcorn]

Help me, experienced campers of Mumsnet!

We've decided to have a camping holiday this summer, and it's our first one as a family. Another family is coming too and we've booked pitches side by side.

DH and I have both been camping as kids and DH does a one night wild camp with a walking buddy once a year but that's not quite the same as spending a week on a campsite with a five year old.

We've ordered a decent sized tent. With two bedroom compartments and a living space. We will have some gear in the loft and garage to dig out but please can you help me put a list together of what we need?

What are your essentials?
What's something that is easy to forget?
What are your camping hacks?

Look at 'Camping' in the Travel section of MN

Will you have EHU?

Take plenty of warm clothes you can layer up.
Warm bedding.
Alcohol....if you drink it, and a decent glass to drink it from.

Try to be organised, living in a tent gets messy.
Extra towels, nothing worse than getting dry with a wet towel.
Package your 5year olds outfits up in advance. So you can just pick a bag out each day.

Find out if the shower blocks are free or metered and take enough coins.

Torches

Airbeds, pump, sleeping bags, own pillows.
Airbed repair kit, duct tape.
Camping chairs and table.
Mallet for putting tent up.
Towels and your normal toiletries.
Layers and waterproofs.
Torches - lantern style for tent and head torch useful for going to the loo at night.
Bin bags.
Find out if there is a fridge on site for milk etc, showers, kitchen facilities.
Cooking equipment, cutlery, plates and bowls, cups/mugs, chopping board, fairy liquid, sponges and tea towels.
Food.
Tin foil.
Bottle opener.
Water bottles.
Insect repellent.
Tissues and loo roll.
Flip flops/crocs.
Games like Uno, Sussed.
Books.
Portable phone chargers.
Map of the area, details of any dinner reservations printed out.

I took a thick dressing gown last year. Never been so warm and cosy in the evening!

Croc style shoes for your 5yo. Easy to slip on and off.

Get him a hat with a torch in it.

If possible, all sleep in one compartment, or one of you with 5yo, it's warmer for them.

Think about bedding. Think what you will need and then add another load on top. I sleep in joggers rather than pjs. More socks than you think is necessary. A warm hat. Layers. Lots of. Can you tell I hate being cold?

A smile!

(I'm going for the least Mumsnetty post competition!)

Hats especially if it might be cold in bed

Wellies easy to put on and off

Insect repellent

Thank you everyone! This is exactly the advice I was looking for!

I'm not sure what an EHU is, sorry.

Love the pointers on keeping warm, I do get cold quite easily!

Gin.
Plastic bags.

If it's going to be cool/chilly at night - do not go to bed cold and hope to warm up! Go for a walk if necessary. The sleeping bags hold heat but you need to be warm getting in.
Also, if it is going to be chilly, and you have a means of heating water - bring hot water bottles.

EHU is electric hook up. Useful for chargers, lights, coolboxes etc.

EHU is electric hook up

We take 3 or 4 folding boxes, the fabric kind that go in an IKEA kallax. Take up next to no space in the car but really useful in the tent, one for kitchen stuff, one for games, one for shoes etc.

My additional list for making life easier

Wet wipes

Coloring books and crayons

Card games

Plastic wine class and a wine cooler

Good camping chairs

A battery powered pump with a range of adapters and plenty of spare batteries.

Proper pillows

If you’re not getting electric hookup then a battery pack for your phone to leave charging wherever you can find a socket - much better than leaving an expensive phone unattended.

If you are getting electric hookup you’ll need the actual hookup unless the site rents them out.

Can you do a dry run in the garden?
Pitch and equip your tent. Make a note of anything you need that you haven't got.
Then pack it all up and see if it fits in the car.

Camping gear can quickly escalate to fill trailers, roofboxes, extra cars. The effort of packing, pitching, striking and unpacking can be so much the fun of the holiday can be lost. We try to keep the basic setup simple and add a few treats. It is the sort of thing you refine over successive trips so don't worry too much about making do on the first outing.

Some useful multipurpose items:
Really Useful box- 35 litre is a good size for food and cooking bits, seal up well, sturdy enough for a child to sit on.
Adjustable height table - those armchairs are quite low
Warm woolly throw/blanket - can double up as picnic rug, lap rug, extra layer at night.
Wellies and a fleece onesie or pyjamas for your LO, who will want to jump out of bed and run excitedly around the wet grass in the morning.
I'm paranoid about forgetting the mallet, we usually end up with 2 or 3.

There are loads of packing lists on the Camping board.

Thank you for all these! Yes, there is an electrical hook up on the pitch.

Doing a dry run of putting the tent up with equipment is a great idea! Hadn't thought of that. Might also do a test packing run too, see if we need a roof box for the car. I'm hoping to avoid a trailer if we can help it. The car boot is big and with only one kid we can load up the back seats too.

Oh and I will be checking out the camping board too! Never knew it existed!

Washing up bowl, camp site will probably have sinks with hot water usually near the showers easy to carry dirt dishes over and clean ones back.

A bucket very useful .... even in the middle of the night if little one needs a wee saves traipsing over to the toilet block in the night with them.

Flip flops much easier to slip on and off then wellies when you go for a shower, to wash dishes or toilet. Even in the rain you can just dry your feet.

Ear plugs and an eye mask unless you've bought a tent with a black out inner!
Wellies because the grass can be wet in a morning even when it's not rained. Flipflops or crocs to wear in the shower because they aren't always the cleanest!
Always get fully changed before you go to bed, no matter how cold it is. If you don't sweat and moisture in your clothes can make you even colder overnight.
Cook dinner for the first night at home, something that can easily be heated up e.g. spag bol. Buy fresh rather than dried pasta as it cooks so much quicker. Have chippy or eat out at least one other night and BBQ the rest.

oh, and if you sleep with a partner take a single airbed or camping mattress each, there's nothing worse than spending a night rolling across a double airbed because the other person is heavier!!

Friends and/or family!
Camping in groups is so much more fun than camping on your own imo

I know you've got another family going with you but honestly, I think with camping, the more the merrier. The kids go round in packs with each other. Adults take turns washing up, cooking etc.

A phone number for a b and b ,sorry but I HATE camping.