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Camping

Our UK Camping forum has all the information you need on finding the right equipment for your tent or caravan.

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

107 replies

PiningForTheMoon · 18/08/2024 12:10

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

OP posts:
PiningForTheMoon · 18/08/2024 17:00

Sodthebloodypicnic · 18/08/2024 15:34

Don't bother with a pillow just take a pillowcase and stuff it with packing clothes.

Tick remover -very small and useful.

If taking a gas stove check the cannister fits before you leave.

I used to have a usb chargeable water filter you could use on fast flowing stream water - don't taste as bad as purification tablets!

Couple of karibenas on bag loops. Useful for hanging stuff, drying lines etc.

Love the sound of that water filter, maybe next time.

three carabiners in total, one in use and two spare.

OP posts:
PiningForTheMoon · 18/08/2024 17:02

WhatMe123 · 18/08/2024 16:02

A carrier bag to bring all rubbish home, wild campers live by the saying of "leave no trace" please respect the countryside

They are all pretty responsible and earnest so I’m as confident as I can be that they won’t do this. We’ve packed a couple of carriers to back up the intent.

OP posts:
GoldenPineapple15 · 18/08/2024 17:13

Paracetamol
bite cream
eye mask / ear plugs
microfibre towel

DownThePubWithStevieNicks · 18/08/2024 17:18

Encourage a practise run getting the tents up before they go! And double check that poles and pegs are packed! Also some practice carrying 15kg+ on their backs for more than ten mins. Even for experienced hikers this can be a shock to the system.

All in one stoves for boiling water and eating from are brilliant and lightweight. Jetboil, MSR and Alpkit all do them. Maybe something for a present if he enjoys this trip!

Georgewilldo911 · 18/08/2024 17:19

Decathlon inflatable pillow 9/10
Tesco same 6/10

PiningForTheMoon · 18/08/2024 17:26

GoldenPineapple15 · 18/08/2024 17:13

Paracetamol
bite cream
eye mask / ear plugs
microfibre towel

Got paracetamol and a hammam towel, bite cream is an excellent idea!

OP posts:
PiningForTheMoon · 18/08/2024 17:31

DownThePubWithStevieNicks · 18/08/2024 17:18

Encourage a practise run getting the tents up before they go! And double check that poles and pegs are packed! Also some practice carrying 15kg+ on their backs for more than ten mins. Even for experienced hikers this can be a shock to the system.

All in one stoves for boiling water and eating from are brilliant and lightweight. Jetboil, MSR and Alpkit all do them. Maybe something for a present if he enjoys this trip!

If I had my way, we’d be doing a practice run. For reasons too complicated to explain here, that hasn’t been possible unfortunately.

They will no doubt learn lessons from this trip and hopefully not encounter too many difficulties.

im thinking if buying myself a jet boil and escaping to the wild from the dc. Maybe one day…

OP posts:
reallyworriedjobhunter · 18/08/2024 17:33

If you watch wild camping videos on YouTube, they often have their gear list in the video description.

WildBeare is a good one.

PiningForTheMoon · 18/08/2024 17:38

reallyworriedjobhunter · 18/08/2024 17:33

If you watch wild camping videos on YouTube, they often have their gear list in the video description.

WildBeare is a good one.

Love that name, going to look It up now

OP posts:
PiningForTheMoon · 18/08/2024 17:38

Georgewilldo911 · 18/08/2024 17:19

Decathlon inflatable pillow 9/10
Tesco same 6/10

Excellent tip!

OP posts:
ErrolTheDragon · 18/08/2024 17:41

DDs gold DofE was wild camping in Scotland, they definitely couldn't carry enough water for the whole trip! She had a water filter bottle (no power required), iirc used sterilising tablets as well.

Someone mentioned crocs, she took some - I think for fording streams as well as for in camp.

And at least one walking pole between the group - she does long walks with a pal nowadays, on her last one the friend needed it towards the end.

RandomMess · 18/08/2024 17:48

Jet boil, that's what I couldn't think of earlier. One stove one jet boil.

Catopia · 18/08/2024 17:59

Another vote for a trangia. Need to practice using it but they are amazing!

Tea/coffee/hot choc sachets and porridge sachets - a hot drink and hot breakfast make a massive difference when been sleeping out and it's been cold/wet.

Forget the pillow - put spare clothes inside the sleeping bag drawstring bag and use that.

Definitely a warm jumper, woolly hat, spare woolly socks and gloves in case gets cold at night, so can put another layer on inside sleeping bag.

Large sandwich bags. Useful for waste, spare uneaten food, separating clean/ dirty/wet washing. In a terrible weather wild camping trip as a teenager, we resorted to sandwich bags between our hiking socks and boots. I did it to start with and friends thought I was mad and then realised I was the only one with dry feet and no blisters...

Rucksack liner. Give everything a chance of staying somewhat dry inside bag. Can also put everything inside it inside the tent if it's raining outside the tent to prevent damp seeping in. If it is wet, don't get sleeping stuff out until bedtime. If it's really, really wet or cold, it's good to have a binbag to put sleeping bag and yourself inside as once your bedding gets wet you're in for a miserable time.

Flip flops/sliders to wear in camp - lightweight to carry but it feels SO GOOD to get boots off and air feet when get into camp!

Wet wipes. They need to take all the rubbish with them but they do help quell the stench situation and freshen up a bit.

I disagree with the above re vessels - a large cup is far more useful than a bowl. You can eat pasta/noodles/porridge out of a cup, albeit over several cups. You cannot drink hot chocolate out of a bowl. You can get collapsible cups/bowls now.

Safety items - first aid kit, tweezers, whistle, compass and paper map in waterproof case - and know how to use these things - know how to take a bearing, triangulate location etc.

Thinks like elastic bands/hair bobbles are quite useful for all manner of things.

Calorie-dense snacks if hiking that do not need refrigeration.

ErrolTheDragon · 18/08/2024 18:05

I disagree with the above re vessels - a large cup is far more useful than a bowl. You can eat pasta/noodles/porridge out of a cup, albeit over several cups. You cannot drink hot chocolate out of a bowl. You can get collapsible cups/bowls now.

Dd didn't take a bowl or plate - instead, an appropriately sized clip top storage box. This was used as a bowl/plate and then to make up a portion of couscous or similar in the morning to carry for lunch.

Menstum · 18/08/2024 18:06

Mallet tent pegs

No Swiss Army knife needed. Classed as a dangerous weapon!!!!

Catopia · 18/08/2024 18:29

I forgot to say - insect repellant!!

Ineffable23 · 18/08/2024 18:30

Menstum · 18/08/2024 18:06

Mallet tent pegs

No Swiss Army knife needed. Classed as a dangerous weapon!!!!

Firstly, most Swiss army knives are legal carry (i.e. < 3 inches non locking blade), secondly going wild camping would be a perfectly legitimate reason to carry a knife that was either fixed blade or locking or longer than 3 inches and would therefore be an adequate defense if they were pulled up for carrying it with them.

The idea that you'd go camping without a knife is genuinely baffling to me, but I grew up in the countryside and have only stopped routinely carrying a knife daily within the last couple of years.

Menstum · 18/08/2024 19:36

If the kid is under 18?

Ineffable23 · 18/08/2024 19:41

Menstum · 18/08/2024 19:36

If the kid is under 18?

I think so. I was given my first knife when I was 10 and my dad was a policeman so they were pretty hot on not doing illegal stuff. You're not allowed to BUY a knife when you're under 18, but you also aren't allowed to buy scissors, even safety scissors and no one is saying children shouldn't use those.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 18/08/2024 19:44

PiningForTheMoon · 18/08/2024 12:37

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

Do they know how cold it gets on the moor at night? I'm talking about 6 celsius in the tent in August come 5am when it's in the high 20s in Yelverton.

cavepainter · 18/08/2024 19:52

Foil blankets are great to put on the ground under the SIM.
Make sure that they practice packing and unpacking the rucksacks. Don't cram them full of stuff.
Split the tents into poles and pegs and fabric, store the fabric in a plastic bag or separate compartment in the rucksack.
Mini mats bars, milky ways and twixes or similar sweet stuff. Split the packs between two people and put them in random parts of the pack.
Take trowels etc for toileting but don't set up an expectation that they will be used. Most hikers "go" in public toilets at the start and end of trips, keep trowels etc for emergency.

PiningForTheMoon · 18/08/2024 21:43

Catopia · 18/08/2024 17:59

Another vote for a trangia. Need to practice using it but they are amazing!

Tea/coffee/hot choc sachets and porridge sachets - a hot drink and hot breakfast make a massive difference when been sleeping out and it's been cold/wet.

Forget the pillow - put spare clothes inside the sleeping bag drawstring bag and use that.

Definitely a warm jumper, woolly hat, spare woolly socks and gloves in case gets cold at night, so can put another layer on inside sleeping bag.

Large sandwich bags. Useful for waste, spare uneaten food, separating clean/ dirty/wet washing. In a terrible weather wild camping trip as a teenager, we resorted to sandwich bags between our hiking socks and boots. I did it to start with and friends thought I was mad and then realised I was the only one with dry feet and no blisters...

Rucksack liner. Give everything a chance of staying somewhat dry inside bag. Can also put everything inside it inside the tent if it's raining outside the tent to prevent damp seeping in. If it is wet, don't get sleeping stuff out until bedtime. If it's really, really wet or cold, it's good to have a binbag to put sleeping bag and yourself inside as once your bedding gets wet you're in for a miserable time.

Flip flops/sliders to wear in camp - lightweight to carry but it feels SO GOOD to get boots off and air feet when get into camp!

Wet wipes. They need to take all the rubbish with them but they do help quell the stench situation and freshen up a bit.

I disagree with the above re vessels - a large cup is far more useful than a bowl. You can eat pasta/noodles/porridge out of a cup, albeit over several cups. You cannot drink hot chocolate out of a bowl. You can get collapsible cups/bowls now.

Safety items - first aid kit, tweezers, whistle, compass and paper map in waterproof case - and know how to use these things - know how to take a bearing, triangulate location etc.

Thinks like elastic bands/hair bobbles are quite useful for all manner of things.

Calorie-dense snacks if hiking that do not need refrigeration.

Thank you for such a detailed post, @Catopia.

I would be all over some of the items on your list but ds isn't interested. While he is away, I suspect there are things that he wishes he he that he doesn't. Chances are one of his friends will have said item or, he will just have to do without.

He's past the stage of being able to take any info in from me so I've saved a couple of last minute items for the morning and then I'll take a huge breath and tell myself they will be fine.

OP posts:
PiningForTheMoon · 18/08/2024 21:45

NeverDropYourMooncup · 18/08/2024 19:44

Do they know how cold it gets on the moor at night? I'm talking about 6 celsius in the tent in August come 5am when it's in the high 20s in Yelverton.

I think not, otherwise he would pay more attention to what I am saying.

A phrase springs to mind " you can explain but you cannot make people understand".

I don't want him to struggle but I also did t liste to my parents when I was the same age.

OP posts:
PiningForTheMoon · 18/08/2024 21:48

I'm incredibly grateful to you all for being so generous with your advice. An enormous thank you from me.

And if DS knew how lucky he was, he would also express his thanks 🙏

OP posts:
squashedalmondcroissant · 19/08/2024 01:01

Probably too late for this trip but for future reference I 10000% would recommend even a cheap inflatable pillow - I had one from Poundland (for £1 😂) for years and it was brilliant, made such a difference to my quality of sleep. For the size and weight they are, they're invaluable.

I promise, a lumpy bag full of random clothes (which I could never guarantee I wouldn't need to wear in the night as I'm a very cold sleeper) is just not the same!

I also have a very cheap (£15) folding stove from Amazon, the kind where the legs fold out and you attach the gas canister via a short pipe. Came with a built in lighter and an adapter so you can use those short, stubby gas canisters or the long thin (butane?) ones. Cheap, sturdy, very quick to boil water. Never failed me yet and I've used it on dozens of trips.