What do you actually need for a first camping holiday?

A tent with enough pegs, a sleeping bag, a sleeping mat, a head torch, weatherproof clothing in layers, and a simple way to cook. With those six things the first trip works. Everything else can be improvised on the road or bought on site.

Should a beginner buy or borrow camping equipment?

Borrow, for a first trip. Tents, chairs and cool boxes differ enormously, and only after two trips do you know which style suits you. The exception is the sleeping bag on cold nights: that one has to fit, or the night gets long.

How do you find the right campsite for a first trip?

Not too far away, with a clean shower block, firm pitches and reception on site. A site an hour from home is worth more on a first trip than the perfect destination five hundred kilometres away.

What is the most common beginner’s mistake when camping?

Arriving too late. Pitching in the dark, with tired passengers and no practice, is the most common cause of a ruined first evening. The second most common mistake is too much luggage, and the third a sleeping mat that is too thin.

How cold does it get in a tent at night?

Considerably colder than during the day, and the ground draws heat away on top of that. Even at the height of summer, nights in the hills drop below ten degrees. A well-insulating mat helps more here than a thicker sleeping bag.

Do you have to book a campsite in advance?

In high season and at weekends, yes. Out of season it is usually enough to arrive in the afternoon. More important than the booking is checking the arrival times beforehand: many receptions close in the early evening, and then the barrier stays shut.

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Camping Packing List for Beginners

Your first camping trip? This beginner’s packing list concentrates on what you actually need — no expensive specialist kit. The basics first, and the equipment grows with the experience.

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90 items · 9 categories

The essential basics

With only these twelve items on board, the first trip works. Everything beyond them is comfort, not a requirement.

Tent with poles and pegsPut it up in the garden once before you leave. Missing parts otherwise turn up on arrival evening.
Extra sturdy pegsThe supplied ones are almost always too soft and bend in the first hard ground.
Mallet or rubber malletA shoe works once. After that it does not.
Sleeping bag rated for the seasonGo by the comfort rating, not the extreme figure: that one describes survival, not sleep.
Sleeping matMore important than any pillow. The ground draws heat away, and without insulation you get cold even in summer.
Head torchIt leaves both hands free — precisely what matters when pitching in the dark.
Weatherproof clothing in layersThree thin layers keep you warmer and can be adjusted; one thick jumper cannot.
Sturdy shoesWorn in, not newly bought. New shoes are the most common reason a day out is cut short.
Waterproof jacketThe one item whose absence genuinely shortens a holiday.
Drinking bottleThe tap is further away than the site plan suggests.
Power bankOn a tent pitch, power is rarely at your own spot and often charged for.
Bin bagsAlmost every site separates waste, and reception is shut in the evening.

Sleeping

The part beginners economise on most often, and regret on the first night.

Sleeping mat or air bedIf only one of the two: the mat, because it insulates. An air bed on its own is cold.
Pump, if you take an air bedBlowing it up by mouth stops being an option after the first evening.
Pillow, or a pillowcase to stuffA case filled with clothes weighs nothing and saves space.
Sleeping bag liner or sheetKeeps the bag clean and saves cleaning it after the trip.
Warm socks kept for sleeping onlyCold feet are the most common reason for a bad first night.
Hat for cold nightsYou lose most heat through your head at night.
An extra blanketThe simplest insurance against a night colder than expected.
EarplugsCampsites are noisier at night than home, and you do not get to choose your neighbours.
Eye maskIn summer it is light by half past four, and tent walls are not curtains.
Hot water bottleFilled in the evening it keeps the foot of the bag warm half the night.

Clothing

Pack by layers, not by occasions. Fewer garments that go together beat a full suitcase.

Underwear and socksDays away divided by two, plus two. Washing is possible on almost every site.
T-shirts and one long-sleeved topThe base layer everything else builds on.
Fleece or jumperThe mid layer that makes the evening outside possible at all.
Warm jacket for eveningsIt cools sharply after sunset, even at the height of summer.
Waterproof trousersAlmost always forgotten by beginners, and they rescue the whole wet day.
Long trousers and shortsLong trousers also keep the mosquitoes off in the evening.
Light shoes for the pitchTo change into when the sturdy shoes are wet.
Water shoes or flip-flopsFor shared showers, the only genuinely sensible footwear.
Swimwear and a towelMany sites have a pool, a lake or a river, even far from the sea.
Hat and sunglassesOn water the sun is stronger than in daily life.

Cooking and eating

Simple kit is enough at the start. It matters more that nothing essential is missing than that the equipment is good.

A small cook set or gas stoveA single-burner stove is entirely enough for the first few trips.
Gas canister and a spareThe canister always runs out mid-meal, never while packing.
A pan and a frying panTwo pieces are enough. Anything more makes the washing-up harder, not the food better.
Plates and mugsMelamine or enamel rather than ceramic: it survives the first fall from the camping table.
Cutlery and one sharp knifeOne good knife replaces three bad ones.
Chopping boardWithout a board there is no worktop on a camping table.
Tin opener and corkscrewThe two small things that reliably go missing on the road.
Lighter and matchesBoth: lighters fail in the wet, matches in the wind.
Washing-up liquid, sponge and tea towelOn many sites washing up is allowed only in a bowl, not under running water.
Washing-up bowlIt saves water and is explicitly required on many sites.
Cool box or cool bag with ice packsFor a first weekend, a good bag with frozen packs is enough.
Snacks and simple meals for day oneOn arrival evening nobody wants to shop, cook and pitch at the same time.
Kitchen rollNapkin, cloth and coaster in one.

Washing

On a site the bathroom is a hundred metres away. Whatever does not fit in one bag stays behind.

Hanging wash bagShared showers rarely have a shelf, but almost always have a hook.
Quick-drying towelA cotton towel no longer dries inside a tent; a microfibre one does.
Toothbrush and toothpasteSmall tube: the large one weighs more than it needs to.
Biodegradable shower gel and shampooOn many sites it goes straight into the ground.
Wet wipesThey replace the shower when the queue is too long or the block is closed.
Sun creamOn water, your usual factor is not enough.
Spare toilet paperOn basic sites, not something to take for granted.
Coins for the showersThe classic: the meter takes one-euro coins only.
Laundry bag for worn clothesKeeps clean apart from dirty, which blurs in a bag otherwise.

Safety and first aid

With luck you need none of it. If you do, none of these items has a substitute.

First-aid kitOpen it once and check the expiry dates before it goes in the boot.
Plasters and blister plastersThe two most-used items in the whole kit.
PainkillersAbroad these are pharmacy-only, and only during opening hours.
Insect repellentEssential by lakes and rivers in the evening.
Tick removerIn woods and meadows this is standard, not a precaution.
Pocket knife or multi-toolStore it in your luggage rather than carrying it on you.
Duct tapeIt repairs tent, sleeping mat and shoe until you are home.
Valuables stowed in the carTents cannot be locked.
Emergency numbers on paperA note works even when the phone is flat.
Lighter and stove kept outside the tentA gas stove never belongs in the inner tent, not even in the rain.

Borrow rather than buy

A first trip is the wrong moment for expensive kit. Borrow these things first and decide afterwards.

Tent from a hire shop or from friendsOnly after two trips do you know which size and which pitching system suits you.
Camping chairs borrowedThey take up a lot of room and are quickly bought later if the trip goes well.
Cool box borrowedSeveral hundred pounds and a lot of experience separate a cool bag from a compressor box.
Stove from someone you knowAlmost every household has one in a cupboard somewhere.
Sleeping bag borrowed, but not in the coldFor trips in the colder months, your own properly rated bag is the exception to this rule.
Walking kit only after the first tripPoles, rucksack and waterproof trousers are better bought once you know how often they will be used.
A site chosen for its hire equipmentMany campsites hire out tents, barbecues and chairs on the spot.
A short trip first, the big purchase laterTwo nights close to home tell you more about your kit than any guide.

The first evening on site

The order that makes the first evening work. Work through it as listed and nothing gets missed.

Arrive in daylightThe most important point on the whole list. Pitching in the dark on your first try goes wrong.
Check the pitch before you put anything upLevel ground, no hollow, and not under a dead branch.
Pitch with the door away from the windWind into an open doorway is the most common reason for a wet inner tent.
Guy the tent out fullyA guyed tent survives wind that a slack one does not.
Find the shower block and the tapBefore it gets dark, not after.
Read the site rules at receptionQuiet hours, the barrier and barbecue rules differ from site to site.
Write down the barrier codeReception closes earlier than you think.
Cook something simple on the first eveningPasta and sauce is enough. Ambition belongs on day two.
Say hello to the neighboursCampers like to help, and they know where the best baker is.

To do before you leave

Ten minutes at home that save hours on the site.

Campsite bookedIn high season the good sites are full weeks ahead.
Forecast checkedIt decides whether the waterproof trousers go on top in the boot or at the bottom.
Tent pitched at homeThe only way to notice missing parts in time.
Gas canister checked for fitNot every stove fits every canister, and you otherwise find out on the pitch.
Ice packs frozenThey need overnight, not an hour.
Phone and power bank chargedOn arrival day the phone is map, camera and torch at once.
Car packed with the heavy things lowWhatever is needed first goes in last: tent, mallet and lamp on top.
Offline map of the destination downloadedThe last few miles often run through dead spots.
Cash withdrawnShowers, barriers and kiosks frequently take coins only.

Common questions

What do you actually need for a first camping holiday?: A tent with enough pegs, a sleeping bag, a sleeping mat, a head torch, weatherproof clothing in layers, and a simple way to cook. With those six things the first trip works. Everything else can be improvised on the road or bought on site.
Should a beginner buy or borrow camping equipment?: Borrow, for a first trip. Tents, chairs and cool boxes differ enormously, and only after two trips do you know which style suits you. The exception is the sleeping bag on cold nights: that one has to fit, or the night gets long.
How do you find the right campsite for a first trip?: Not too far away, with a clean shower block, firm pitches and reception on site. A site an hour from home is worth more on a first trip than the perfect destination five hundred kilometres away.
What is the most common beginner’s mistake when camping?: Arriving too late. Pitching in the dark, with tired passengers and no practice, is the most common cause of a ruined first evening. The second most common mistake is too much luggage, and the third a sleeping mat that is too thin.
How cold does it get in a tent at night?: Considerably colder than during the day, and the ground draws heat away on top of that. Even at the height of summer, nights in the hills drop below ten degrees. A well-insulating mat helps more here than a thicker sleeping bag.
Do you have to book a campsite in advance?: In high season and at weekends, yes. Out of season it is usually enough to arrive in the afternoon. More important than the booking is checking the arrival times beforehand: many receptions close in the early evening, and then the barrier stays shut.

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