First trip - what will I have forgotten?

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We are having our first camping trip at the weekend (kids 7 and 4). I think we've sorted all the initial basics, plan is to build up our stock over winter with more luxury stuff if the first trip is successful! So hit me with the things I haven't thought about that I will need? What things didn't you take on the first trip and wished that too had?

I definitely wouldn't have considered extra blankets etc for night time. we take slippers as well usually

The details of the nearest Premier Inn

Not a fan of camping then @CloudPop?

Ear plugs. Inflatable airbeds. Wind up lights. Torches.

Good thick duvets and comfie pillows.

Big bags to take everything to the shower in. Then to put stuff in when you’re showering - there’s never enough hooks and any flat surfaces can be wet.

Sorry - not in the spirit I know. Just still reeling from our first ever camping attempt ( which was also our last). Hope you have a great trip OP! Lots of excellent advice in the thread (mine excluded)

I have been camping pretty much every year for the past 30 years. I am getting quite good at it now.

My biggest tip, and I only discovered it a few years ago, was to take hot water bottles. So easy to heat up some hot water before bed and it makes such a massive difference in the sleeping bag. But I agree with pp, extra blankets or fleece liners are well worth it. And hats make a massive difference. Nice pillows are worth taking. Until recently, dh and I took sheets and our duvet but I have woken up too many times where he has pulled it off me in his sleep so have reverted to a decent down sleeping bag. The mattress you use makes a difference too. Air obviously insulates well from the cold ground. The cheap inflatable ones are fine for the kids but not very comfy for an adults weight. We invested in some self inflating foam and air ones but sadly they are not cheap. I have spotted decathlon have a version which is cheaper than the vango/outwell ones though but I consider my outwell dreamboat bought about 7 years ago worth every penny I spent on it.

Also agree with slip on shoes for night time/early morning troping across fields to the loo. Even in good weather the grass gets damp from dew and so crocs/sliders can be good but I'm also a fan of a low, easily slipped on welly boot.

I also like to take something to use as a washing up bowl. I now have a collapsible one to take up less space in the car but I have used storage boxes in the past- it's handy to throw all the dirty stuff in and use it to transport the dishes/cutlery/etc to and from the washing up stations too.

I don't waste money on those water carriers but just always buy a big water bottle each trip and refill it from the taps once empty.

Head torches are brilliant (again v cheap at decathlon) but a lantern for inside the tent is v useful too- doesn't need to be massive but it's really helpful. Or sticking a small torch into a an empty milk bottle makes an instant lantern!

Take a roll of duct tape with you as its uses are endless! And a few carabiners and some spare twine/cord come in handy too

Loo roll

Polythene dust sheet and gaffa tape! Great for emergency repairs.

Fleece blankets to use inside sleeping bags…so much warmer than piling them on top.

Woolly hats for evening/bed.

Battery charging pack for phones etc. Windbreaker for outside camping area. Thermos flask. Long lighter for camping stove. Small fire extinguisher. Tick remover for first aid kit. Imodium 😂

I always put my PJs on under tracky bottoms and a jumper before the heat goes from the day. Nothing worse than having to strip in the cold and then putting cold PJs on!

We took an airer this year to hang the towels out to dry.

Things I have forgotten - ketchup, plates, cutlery and kitchen knife.

Sheet sleeping bags often seem to be missed by first time campers, it's to go inside your sleeping bag to keep it clean and it helps with warmth (extra layer) and you get less sweaty.

Hot water bottles, chairs - sitting on the ground is no fun. A hat with built in earphones and torch ,

Tea towels
Clothes pegs (to peg damp tea towels to guy ropes)
Cooking oil, salt and pepper
Sharp knives, chopping board, cooking utensils
Corkscrew/bottle opener
Tin opener
Chairs

If you're using an air bed and duvet (i.e. not a sleeping bag), try putting a blanket underneath the fitted sheet, it's great for insulating against the cold.
Remember your air bed pump (if applicable)!

Clothing: you'll want layers and spares of everything. There's nothing worse than being cold or wet. (No such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing choices! 🤣).
You'll want layers at night, too. I tend to pack long pyjama bottoms or leggings, a vest top and a light long sleeved top, then layer as appropriate (sometimes adding a cardi or sweatshirt if it's cold).

WATERPROOF COAT. Don't ever forget your waterproof coat. See above reasoning.

Water bottles (both for excursions and for drinking water at night)

Matches/lighter for gas stove

For the doormat, use 50 cm or a metre of artificial grass cut off a roll. Rinses off and rolls up at the end. Should be the width of your tent doorway or near enough. Can be used at home as the entry to the cubby house, Barbie’s back yard, a fort etc. A seat of some sort inside the tent door means somewhere to sit inside while shoes are taken off and stored with the feet sticking out.

Get a www.ikea.com/au/en/search/products/?q=foldable%20tray. This lives at the foot of the kid’s bed. Find a box/basket that fits underneath and they put colouring, books, Barbies, Tonka trucks. It fits below their feet and if it doesn’t fit in the box, it doesn’t go. That’s their space. And then add a teddy bear.

Lots of good advice already posted so I'll only add a couple of comments.

Crocs are much better than sliders or flip flops to keep feet dry on wet grass (including from dew in the morning).

We always being a microfibre towel or two in case of rain so we can wipe down and dry the tent - as soon as it stops raining - before we pack it down. Otherwise, we have to put it up again at home and dry it out before packing it away again. A real PITA as we have a large tent.

That's actually a good point.
We take one of these squeegee with a handle type things for that job.

mosquito repellent