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?

Wine and gin or whatever you prefer to drink, you don’t notice the cold after a few drinks
Pack everyone’s clothes in a separate bag, I packed all ours in one bag the first time we went and it was a nightmare finding everyone cleans pants etc in the morning.
If your child is like mine and can’t resist water and is constantly getting wet we buy several cheap like £1.50 a pair swim shorts from primark. When things get wet through they never seem to dry unless you have very hot weather, swim shorts are much quicker drying.
Plenty of baby wipes and dettol wipes for cleaning you or tables etc
Onesies for your child at night
Decent pegs that are more like a screw, the ones with the tent are crap and come out ever 10 minutes
I make our first nights dinner in advance and put it in the freezer then it defrost on the way there and also helps keep the cool box cool, something easy like spag bol, I also grate some cheese in a pot just the amount we will need for the spag bol so again it’s easy and no having to keep a huge block of cheese cold for the whole time.
Marshmallows for the camp fire
Dry shampoo is very handy
At least 2 tables we take 3. We have one to put the gas stoves on to cook on as easier on your back when cooking and I think safer with kids around, another for eating at and another small one to put all our essentials on in the tent that you want to find quickly like wipes, sun cream hairbrush, keys etc.
a massive plastic box to keeps all your cooking stuff in.
Don’t take chocolate it will melt
Think about any foods that don’t need refrigeration whether it for meals or just back up. Tins or things like a jar of nice pate and crackers, jar of olives etc is a rather nice snack while sipping on your gin in the early evening.
We only have one child and have a large 4x4 and

A trailer and it’s always full to bursting so worth having a practice packing.

My new favorite bits of camping stuff are the tarp tent from decathlon makes a sheltered area outside for cooking if it starts to rain or shade. Also solar powered string lights for inside the tent to make it less pitch black once the sun sets. Oh and if you plan on cooking a good gas stove is need and spare gas. Oh and microfiber towels dry much much easier than normal ones (I am a little excited by camping)

An umbrella

@Petalbird

My new favorite bits of camping stuff are the tarp tent from decathlon makes a sheltered area outside for cooking if it starts to rain or shade. Also solar powered string lights for inside the tent to make it less pitch black once the sun sets. Oh and if you plan on cooking a good gas stove is need and spare gas. Oh and microfiber towels dry much much easier than normal ones (I am a little excited by camping)

Absolutely, we have this white tarp plus a couple of extra poles - it's useful for everything but takes up hardly any space.

Very seasoned camper here, generally do at least ten weekends a year. The bat thing I ever bought was a Teppenyaki, you can cook almost anything on it and it’s mega easy to clean as well. Self Inflaing mattresses (SIMs) are better than airbeds, we have 10cm for adults and 5cm for kids and they are so comfy. Prices range a lot though, we paid over £150 for our double one but use it a lot.

If you have rooms then duvets are better than sleeping bags or if it is just me and the kids we often have the double sleeping bag with duvet inside. Pillows from home (no movement on this at all).

More socks than you can ever imagine you’ll need for the kids. Have fun, the kids absolutely love it which is why I am so invested!

Pegs. When it's sunny you can peg your or your kids wet things to the guy ropes. Even if it's just your towels.

I have a carrier back of hoodies, a carrier of tops, a carrier of leggings and a carrier with undies per person. Each lives under their camp bed. (I cannot bear air beds so we're all off the floor.)

Enough roll mats to cover the sleeping compartments. They're great insulation.
And blankets or a tent carpet for the living area.

Collapsible crate for drinks, one for snacks and one for shoes.

All in one waterproofs. Camp chairs and proper pillows. Slip on shoes. Torches.

I presume you've thought about crockery and cutlery? We had a set of melamine crockery just for camping. A groundsheet for the living area is useful-stops the ground getting soggy if it rains. If you need to transport water, a rolling water barrel is better than buckets.www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwjV1Pakh8fwAhUO0-0KHcgCB_cYABACGgJkZw&ae=2&sig=AOD64_18E6eTbZWRJJZtx0tVRjLml_wKCw&q&adurl&ved=2ahUKEwi4zfCkh8fwAhXRPsAKHc_QDUwQ0Qx6BAgEEAE

Brilliant! I'm adding to my list! Thank you for all your advice. Pegs and an umbrella would definitely have been forgotten otherwise!

If there are 4 adults and 2 5 year olds, do childcare shifts. Then one/two of you can relax and drink wine while the others are in charge of making sure they don't drown/go into some random persons tent/fall over in the stinging nettles.

If you have ehu, get a fan heater and blast your sleeping compartments before you get in.

Hot water bottles and hats are good

A hotel booking.

Flat airbeds. Don't get the kind with a built in pillow, they're uncomfortable & I buggered my back sleeping on one many years ago. Use a separate pillow.
Wind up torch. Just in case, for the loo.
Melamine crockery definitely.
Plastic box for shoes. Otherwise everything is instantly covered in mud & grass.
Socks, for sleeping, in case it's cold.
Water bottles that don't spill if they fall over.
Cheap (pound shop!) Sandals, for the shower.

Put a blanket under your sleeping mat (as well as on top of your sleeping bag if needed). A lot of cold comes up through the ground.

Definitely a toilet bucket thing for night time wees - this was a gamechanger for us!

Wet wipes, nappy sacks, bin bags.

Definitely a self inflating sleeping mat rather than an air bed, which are awful to sleep on!

Lots of clothes for layering, leggings etc. Ugg boots. A blanket for when you are sitting around in the evening.

Fairy lights - the best ones are definitely the ones that are on that thin copper wire as you can put them anywhere.

Pegs for sure.

Folding picnic table to sit and eat at.

As many pillows as you can fit in!

Your own plastic washing up bowl. It's much more convenient for carrying the dishes etc to the sinks & back. Plus you never know how clean the facilities are likely to be.
Cool box. If there's facilities for freezer block hire, great. If not, you can still keep foor reasonably cool by packing it full of refrigerated cold stuff like cans of pop, bottled water, milk, cheese etc. Just buy fresh every day & use it up.

We take a small heater every time we go camping. Even in a heatwave!😂 It's been over 30° during the day but if in a very rural or open area can be pretty chilly at night.
Check what cooking facilities are allowed at the site. We normally take a fold up bbq and 2 ring camping stove but not all campsites allow BBQs.
Also (probably cheating!) We take a travel kettle, then you dont have to go outside to make a cup of tea in the morning!
And be relaxed about routine/bedtime - it probably wont happen!

Oh and take a lighter! We're quite experienced campers and I still forgot that one weekend.

A length of climbing rope/shoelaces tied together and some pegs - fantastic for pegging out socks, wet cloths, maybe a towel etc.

Thank you! Fairy lights is another one that I wouldn't have thought of!

A small flexi trig is a great washing up bowl, useful handles and being flexible it’s easier to pack.

Having been through the rigmarole of camping trips for the last 10 years I feel I am well qualified to answer here 😁 you will find you need more than you think you do!
I sleep terribly on air beds so we bought a double camp bed with a self inflating mattress on the top - game changer, much better as air beds get cold because they are on the ground, also they don't deflate like airbeds often do!
To go with this, ear plugs and an eye mask are ESSENTIAL because the sun will come out and wake you up at 4am when you only went to bed at midnight pissed, your children will not appreciate that you are hungover and will wake you up at 6am otherwise!
Take some warm bedding and an extra blanket.
Take binbags for wet clothes.
Take booze.
If you take a camping fridge fill it before you go and get it cold at home.
Take a washing up bowl etc.
A carpet for your tent is nice.
A windbreak is nice and gives you some privacy.
Make sure you have plenty of pegs.
Get a good lamp that runs on gas, they're very bright and also give off a bit of heat.
Only pack your tent away when it's dry, or be prepared to air it out and repack when you get home.
Take pot noodles.

We've recently bought a trailer tent as I can't be faffed with the set up and pack up time for short trips, this is also something I'd recommend.

Good luck and enjoy!

Trig? Trug.

Ear plugs and a large lidded container to wee in at night so you don’t have to walk across the camp site at night and really hurt yourself on a bin (bitter experience, plus I hate camping)

Deffo take duvets and pillows - my kids used to cuddle up under them in the car on the way to save space! If you have electric then a small fan heater is useful to warm the tent up when it gets chilly. Kettle for a brew inside the tent in the morning too.

We had solar lamps/fairy lights to mark the entrance to the tent at night - helps to navigate back from the loo! And yes to the rugs, blankets, carpet offcuts... anything you can put on the floor to insulate it will help the tent retain the heat from the day.

More old towels than you realised you'd ever need... we once set up in the middle of a massive thunderstorm and used all ours mopping up and out (very old two layer tent - the storm hit once the inner part was up and we were fighting against the wind to get the waterproof layer over it!)

Tinned food and lots of wine keeps everyone happy in case of emergencies too!