Please can someone help with a list of essentials for wild camping?

[PiningForTheMoon]

My teen is going wild camping with a few friends. They’re good kids and have thought things through as much as they can but none of us have ever wild camped before so we don’t have the benefit of experience.

please could anyone who has wild camped before help me check the list they’ve made and help them consider additional items?

list so far:
torch
water bottle
bowl, plate, cup, cutlery
charge pack and cable
blister plasters
sun cream
insect repellant
toothbrush and toothpaste
sleep mat
sleeping bag
pillow
socks, pants, trousers, T-shirt’s, hoody, rain coat
carrier bags
wooly hat
Swiss Army knife
first aid kit (tubigrip, bandage, antiseptic wipes, ?
sugary snacks
tissues/toilet roll
trowel
hand sanitiser

Tent/shelter?

Are they carrying stuff or driving there?

Ditch the pillow takes up too much room.

They will need water for cooking, washing, hot drinks etc, not just a water bottle!

Baby wipes. Bin bag.

If they are wild camping properly they should be bringing all their waste home including toilet roll - so a supply of dog poo bags is useful & wet wipes.

They should not be burying loo roll/tissue in the ground.

Also a paper map as well as a phone with a mapping app (not just Google maps). Assuming they are not super close to civilisation and in case anything goes wrong.

How are they going to wash a bowl/plate/cutlery in the middle of nowhere?

They should take food they don't need to cook/prepare tbh. No need to make it complicated. Just eat out of packets and bring rubbish home.

Technically there’s no such thing as wild camping unless you are in Scotland and even then you often need to get permission. Just make sure they clean up after themselves, so some bin bags to take away any rubbish. Ideally they should plan their route to have access to proper toilets along the way.
Also a small gas stove to heat up basic meals or meal , boil water for hot drinks.

Ditch the plate, bowl is fine. They’ll need a camping stove to cook and boil water for drinking. They only need a cup if they’re making tea or coffee, otherwise just use the flask. Take a fleece instead of a hoody, it’s lighter and will dry quicker. Baseball cat would be more useful than a woolly hat, unless they’re going somewhere very cold. Are they sharing tents?

Collapsible large bottle for collecting water.

we rinse bowls etc in the stream, it’s never been an issue. You don’t want to eat out of a packet. A nice hot meal and drink is amazing when wild camping. We take things like chorizo to add to pasta, eggs for breakfast (you can get plastic egg boxes which protect them from breaking).

Sorry that was an obvious omission on my behalf. They are taking 2 x 2 man tents between 4 of them.

Carrying stuff (none of them drive). I think sleeping without a pillow will be pretty uncomfortable but my memories of inflatable ones are that they’re not worth it. Was going to suggest he roll up his hoody as a makeshift pillow but he might need to wear it if the temp drops.

I don't if your teen follows graces_adventures on Instagram but she's great and she's currently on a wild camp - she lists all the items she takes with her! She's also on YouTube too! Well worth a follow!

This is her on Instagram!

When they arrive, they’re going to do a bit of shopping for supplies. I’ll make a list including water.

i thought tissues/toilet paper might be environmentally better than wipes.

he’s got a couple of carrier bags for rubbish. Do you think they need a black bag too?

My ds is an experienced wild camp enthusiast and he always takes a lightweight hammock - I think he finds it more comfortable to sleep in than on the ground, but it baffles me.

The advice on the Dartmoor camping site advises burying toilet paper with poo.

Does he need some water purification tablets or is he carrying enough water for all his needs?

Definitely agree on the paper map.

Matches and a trangia if they are doing any cooking or even if they want to be able to have a cup of tea.

Pack of cards for playing with his friends?

Sounds perfect. thanks!

Can you recommend a mapping app @SuncreamAndIceCream?

and what sort of food from packets? I was thinking of some lentils - any good?

Your DS sounds awesome @thisoldcity!

Not sure about water, I’ll ask them to think that through.

I’ll ll add matches and google trangia.

I was thinking flask but it’ll be too heavy.

playing cards is an absolute gem 💎

I would do the same but I’m not sure how near to a water sources they’ll be. Having just read The Hunger Games, I know it’s a must!

Fiona in the wild on tiktok does wild camping and has a lot of suggestions

They need to make sure they camp upstream close to a water source as they won’t be able to carry enough water for their trip unless they are only going for a night, in which case I would drastically reduce what they are taking!

A trangia for cooking and heating water. Matches and meths. A pillow case to add the clothes for a pillow.

We had quite a chat about why one would need both plate and bowl - fewer things are better so bowl it is.

I don’t think he can do fleece (sensory reasons). Baseball cap,is a good shout for sun protection. I thought a woolly heat might be good for evening and sleeping if they get cold (going to Dartmoor). Two to a tent but I can’t imagine much cuddling will occur!

Investigating collapsible water bottles now…