Surprising 10 most important items you need for camping

In today’s post, we discuss your camping needs. At the end of this post, you will have clarity and a sense of direction in determining your needs regardless of your camping style, camping duration, and where and when you go camping. Here are the 10 most important items you need for camping.

1. Food – The most important items

Food is what gives us the energy to do what we do in life. It is one of the essentials of our survival in daily life and camping is no exception. Unless you are on a hunger strike you need to plan about what you are going to eat. Lucky for you, there are no best foods for campers because people have different eating habits and preferences.  Our suggestion, go for what you want. After all, camping is about you and not cutting corners and settling for less.

Concerning food, you can ask yourself the questions below to make the process smoother.

a. What are you planning to eat on your camping trip?

We strongly suggest healthy eating habits. Before you jump on whatever quick food is available on the shelf, pause and think for a moment. One of the reasons to go camping is to boost your health, so why would you want to harm yourself through food? Choose wisely.  If the meal you chose needs some preparation, then be ready. If some of those preparations can be done at home then please do them. It will save you a lot of time and energy at the campsite.

You can come out with several types of meals, or dishes that you would like to taste. You can go with whatever your heart desires. But make this decision early on. We will discuss this in detail later on in our post “Love Food: The Most Delicious Dishes To Taste During Camping?”. So please stay tuned and subscribe so that you do not miss it.

Items needed:

1. Food: You need sufficient food to sustain yourself during your camping trip. You can also add spices, drinks, fruits, snacks etc to the list. This should be one of the most important items on your list.
2. Food containers/bags for uncooked food: This is where you keep your food before it is cooked.
3. Containers for the leftovers: In case the food remains after your delicious meal, you need to preserve it.

Be aware of the Bears!

If you happen to camp in North America this is very critical because if you do not store your food wisely, you will put your life and other people’s life in danger. Bears and other wild animals have a strong sense of smell. They can smell food not just a few yards away but tens of miles away. So please, find a way to store your food securely. In addition to this, do not throw food into a trash can. No food should go to waste.

After deciding on what to eat, you have to figure out how you are going to prepare it and this will determine what you might need for it.

b. How do you plan to cook your food? The most important items

There are different ways of cooking your food. Each may require different utensils. Will you cook a full course, boil some items, barbecue or frying?

Items needed:

i. Utensils and silverware: Based on your cooking preference pick the necessary utensils. You will need them for preparing the food, cooking, serving and eating it.

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ii. A source of heat/fire: Whether you go for a gas cook, firewood or electric stoves. It is up to you. But make sure you can use your fire/heat at the campsite. We suggest to have multiple options. For instance, on our camping trips, we prefer firewood, charcoal and gas stove. Gas stoves come in handy on rainy days or at night when we want to cook something fast. If you plan to use firewood, check with the local authorities about permission to light a fire at the place you plan to camp. In some places, fire is not allowed especially during the summer due to wildfires.

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2. Water – The most important items

Have you ever heard the saying, “Water is a source of life”? Well, it is true. In most cases, when we hear this, we always think of water for drinking or cooking. But it came to our realization that water has many uses that sometimes we take it for granted and we do not even notice its existence until we run out of it. On your camping trip, you could use water for drinking, cooking, washing, bathing, for the toilet, taking ablution and cleaning. Whatever your uses are think of it up front. Hence, while preparing a list of the most important items you need for camping, make sure water is in the top three.

Now, where do you get water? The most important items

Unless you go camping at the campgrounds with running tap water, in most cases your source of water will be our beloved nature. Especially, if you prefer camping in the wilderness like we do, you will have to consider camping at a location with a water source such as a river, lake, pond, spring, or just an open space that receives rain.

The rain is a bit tricky because it depends on the season and the place you camp. However, it can be a very good source of water. Besides, rainwater tastes so good. For instance, in one of our camping trips we relied on rainwater for more than a week.

We have to warn you, however, that after you collect, boil and drink rainwater while camping and experience the pleasure of this natural and pure water, you may start questioning and even hate the water supplied by your municipality once you come back to your city.  

And, how do you collect and store water?

Items needed:

1. A bowl or anything wide enough to help you collect water from rivers, lakes, or rain.
2. Water containers or water bags for storing the water. You do not want to run back and forth multiple times in a day to collect water.
   

The quantity of these items depends on your water needs and the number of people camping together. Water bags can be very useful if you plan to save some space and weight. Because they can be carried in a backpack and are very light. However, if you need something strong, durable and multipurpose then a water container with a spigot and a carry handle is your way to go. A combination of both a water container and a water bag is not a bad idea.

3. Sleep – Where and how do you plan to sleep?

We know some folks who can comfortably sleep pretty anywhere and in any position, whether sitting, standing or even leaning against the wall. But for most of us, to have a good sleep we need to lie down. A good sleep is essential for your well-being. Hence, make sure sleeping items are on your list of the most important items you need for camping.

You need to let your body recover from the tiredness and provide you with fresh and full energy the next day. You do not want to wake up the next morning deprived of sleep. It will affect your mood, you will not be able to focus, and you will be dreading through the day. Tasks that take minutes to complete can take hours. We have been there and it is not worth it.

Here are the four things to consider for a good sleep.

i. Where to sleep? (Most important item)

Do you plan to sleep in a tent, a car or an RV?

We have already covered this while discussing the types of camping. Please refer to our post “How to go camping? The 3 Types of camping and why it matters”

Items needed:

A tent, a car or an RV.

ii. What to sleep on? (Most important item)

It is very important to avoid contact with the ground especially if you are going tent camping. Sleeping on the ground directly can cause you to lose heat fast which leads to hypothermia and even death.

Items needed:

A sleeping pad, or air/foam mattress or cot or bed/sofa. You can decide based on your camping style. Per our experience with most of these items, a cot and sleeping pad stood out. They occupy less space, they are durable and multipurpose.

iii. What to cover yourself with? (Most important item)

You can carry your bedsheets from home you do not need special gear for this, but it will be an added advantage if you get a sleeping bag. Because they are made to keep you warm, they occupy less space and can be squeezed while packing them.

Items needed:

Bedsheet or sleeping bag

iv. Where to put your head?

Unless you sleep on your hand a real pillow or a bag/t-shirt stuffed with clothes, a pillow always comes in handy.
There are air mattresses nowadays with built-in pillows. Again, it is up to you. But per our experience, a separate pillow is always advantageous. We use it while sleeping, in a car while on the road while lying on the ground outside, you name it. 

Items needed:

Pillow or bag/t-shirt stuffed with clothes

4. Electricity – Where do you get electricity and how do you store it?

Electricity is another essential part of our life whether you are at your home or camping. It is quite understandable to disregard it if you want to go dark and completely disconnected from your folks. But it is a good idea to have fully charged phones and/or walkie-talkies for emergencies.

Depending on your camping style, you may need electricity for charging your phones, walkie-talkies, rechargeable lights, computer, gadgets, to power your fridge etc. Shortly,

So, where do you get the electricity?

– In the Campgrounds

If you are camping at the established campgrounds, there might be an option of electricity supplied for free or at an extra cost. If this is your option, then do your research and know beforehand the type and power rating of the plugs available. This will help you to determine the right power adapter and extension cord.

Per our experience, the power sources at the campgrounds are not always near your camping spot. You can find sources anywhere between 20ft (6m) to 100ft (30m). It is always a good idea to know this before arriving at your campsite. It can be very stressful realizing that you have carried a wrong power adapter or a short extension cord especially if the nearest store is miles away from your campsite.

– In the wilderness

On the other hand, if you are camping in the wilderness or at locations that do not have an established power source, then solar can be a good source of energy. You will need a solar panel to produce electricity from the sun. This might be a good option to have especially if you go wild camping frequently.

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I can use my car battery! You say. Well! Be careful with that. You do not want to wake up to a drained car battery and you do not have a jump starter. It happened to us once, but we used solar panels to jump-start our car. More on this later.

Ok, you have the power source. That’s great!

But, can your source supply power continuously, 24/7?

In most cases, you will need to store the electricity you get. Hence, a rechargeable power station (battery) will be necessary. You can make your customized power station or you can buy a portable power station. This depends on your camping style and your preference. The power station comes in handy also during power outages and even at night when the sun goes down.

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Items needed:

1. A Power converter and/or an extension cable
2. Solar panel (to produce electricity from the sun)
3. A portable power station (battery) to store the electricity

5. Clothing – The most important items

Unless you are on a mission to surprise the wild animals, you will need to put something on. Always wear clothes according to weather conditions at the place you plan to go camping, not your home town. Yes, you might be living in a warm place but if you are going camping in another city, please check the weather and prepare yourself accordingly. You do not want to get caught off-guard.

Furthermore, even if you are going camping during the summer time it gets cold at night, especially in open spaces and forests. It may not necessarily be freezing cold but the temperature can be low enough to make you fall sick. Don’t take chances on your health.

We always carry our winter coats and sweatpants even in the middle of summer. They are also useful if you do not want to sleep inside a sleeping bag.

In addition to clothing, you will need footwear to protect your feet. You might be surprised how fast your body loses heat when you are on bare feet. So, pairs of socks and a pair of boots/shoes will prove useful.

Items needed:
1. Clothes – (t-shirts, pants, and sweaters) and/or coats, sweatpants, raincoats depending on your situation.

2. Footwear – socks, shoes, boots, sandals depending on your activities and preferences.

That’s it for today. Don’t miss Part 2 of this post where we discuss the remaining 5 items. You can reach the post from the link below.

Stay safe.

To be continued…

Surprising 10 most important items you need for camping – Part-2