Last Updated on August 1, 2021 by Nikole

We all have those moments when we travel down the road for a few hours only to realize you forgot a very important item for your camping trip.

After free camping, campervan camping, hammock camping, and camping at campgrounds Clark and I have compiled a list of things we usually forget or things that would be horrible to forget. We have divided the items into sections of Living Quarters, Dinning, Comfort, Luxury, Emergency, toiletry, Food, and Other.

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Living Quarters

Tent

Probably one of the most important items you will need while camping, is a tent. This will be your home away from home during your vacation. With a tent, you need to make sure you bring a tarp for the bottom, a rain fly, and some tent stakes. If you don’t have a tent and are unsure of which one to chose, check out my Guide to Purchasing Your First Camping Tent.

Camping Pad

Unless you are crazy and love sleeping on the ground with pebbles poking at your back while you sleep, you may want to consider a sleeping pad. You can use a yoga mat, a sleeping pad, or if you really want to be comfortable an air mattress. When backpacking we use the Sleepingo Camping Sleeping Pad on top of a yoga-like mat.

Pillow

Let’s have some pillow talk. I absolutely hate your typical small camping pillow (unless it’s used in a hammock), so I will bring the pillows from my bed on any camping trip we go on. I tried sleeping with these travel-sized pillows, and every part of my neck and my back were aching by morning. Unless you want to go pack packing, just pack whatever is most comfortable for you.

Sleeping Bag

Sleeping bags are absolute saviors, especially in cold weather. If you are cold-weather camping don’t skimp out on your sleeping bag! Make sure you get the appropriate degree sleeping bag according to the weather you will be going out in. As for hot weather camping, We usually use a thin sheet or bring the comforter off the bed. Check out sleeping bags here.

Dinning

Dinning accessories are super important if you plan on having supreme meal options. It’s a lifesaver having kitchen supplies especially when there are no restaurants around to quickly grab a bite.

We ran into this problem at Lake Jocassee in South Carolina. We had to purchase some of our food at the local Dollar General because there were no restaurants or grocery stores close by. I was glad we brought all of our cooking supplies.

Cooking Stove

The above stove is my favorite and is the Coleman Portable Butane Stove with Carrying Case, found on Amazon. This takes an 8.8 oz. butane gas cylinder and should last up to 1.5 hours. We brought ours on a four-day camping trip to South Carolina and one cylinder lasted about 3 days before we had to replace it. We used the stove on and off for every meal of those 3 days.

The other more compact version for a stove is the Coleman Single Burner Backpacking Stove. If you are backpacking or trying to save on space this stove would be great for you. The only downside to this is the smaller canister doesn’t last very long. Also, make sure you put the stove on a level surface otherwise it will easily tip over (so don’t set it up how I did in the picture above.)

Water Jugs

I can’t explain to you how much having water jugs have saved us. And to be honest you can’t always trust the campsites you go to.

On one of our camping trips, Clark swears he got Giardia from the water supply at the campground (we don’t know this for sure, just a guess). Long story short he was on the toilet for a good two weeks. Bring your own water or filtration system for washing dishes and drinking.

Water Purifier

Like I said above water is so important when camping. You will use it for washing dishes, showering, drinking, rinsing off. We have a LifeStraw Go Water Filter Bottle, and we also have Sawyer Products SP128 Mini Water Filtration System for drinking the water.

Kitchenware

We camped a few times and brought our own glassware, not a good idea, but it’s all we had at the time. Let’s just say the clanking around in the back of the vehicle was pretty annoying, and well, they are very breakable. So try out this Coleman 24-Piece Enamel Dinnerware Set.

Trash Bags

This may seem pretty obvious, but on our first few camping trips, we forgot trash bags. We had to put our trash in a bin with some of our kitchen supplies. Thankfully it was only a two-day trip, otherwise, things would’ve gotten nasty. Plus you don’t want to be disrespectful and leave your trash.

Comfort

Hammock

The best sleep I have ever gotten while camping is in a hammock. I have had several hammocks and not all of them work so great. I vouch for either ENO, Eagles Nest Outfitters DoubleNest Lightweight Camping Hammock if you are looking for higher-end, or Wise Owl Outfitters Camping Hammock on the lower end( still sturdy). If you would like to know more about hammock camping check out my posts about Hammock Camping and Hammock Camping Accessories.

Icy Breeze

I love this portable air conditioner for camping. The IcyBreeze doubles as a portable ac unit and a cooler. We personally use this as a cheap alternative to cooling our camper van and it works okay. It’s meant more for tent camping than anything. It’s quite refreshing on those hot hot summer nights having a cool breeze on you. You can learn more here about the IcyBreeze and how we personally put it to the test.

Propane Heater

Propane heaters are great for camping in the cold. My husband went camping in Virginia and brought this with him. He was camping in 20-degree weather with a zero-degree sleeping bag. Well, the bag just wasn’t cutting it, so he used the propane heater, and was much warmer. You can use this inside of the tent, and indoors. We plan on using this during the winter months in our van.

Luxury

Camping Chair

This is somewhat a luxury item, but to be honest, a lot of campgrounds we visit don’t have even picnic tables to sit at. It’s always nice to have one packed just in case there is absolutely nowhere to sit.

Waterproof Speaker

Who doesn’t love jamming out to some music while cooking? Especially when you need to tune out your neighbor’s strange Latin music.

Emergency

headlamp/lighting

A Coast FL72 405 Lumen Focusing LED Headlamp for camping really comes in handy if you are like me and need to get up and wiz in the middle of the night.

First Aid Kit

Having an Emergency First Aid Kit is a must even if you are going on a short two-day trip. You never know what will happen. You can make your own, or you can purchase an already made one.

I come to find that the premade ones are pretty good, but I always need to stock them with more things like bandaids, Neosporin, or ibuprofen.

Waterproof Lighter

Imagine getting all of your cooking supplies out and ready to be cooked over the fire. You spend several minutes getting everything ready to cook but wait you don’t have a way to light the fire. and let’s be who is really good at lighting a fire without a lighter. Yes, this was us at least 3 times now. My suggestion, keep a designated Water Proof Lighter specifically for camping.

Fire Starter

Sometimes it’s just too hard to start a fire with just a lighter. You can purchase things that will make it easier to start a fire. We use the Durah Flame Fire Starters Squares and it stays lit for about 10 min.

Food

Spice Shaker

This will honestly save you from the blandest meals.

Cooler

We have a Lifetime High-Performance Cooler (28-Quart) and a Lit Cooler and the ice lasts forever in both of these cooler. Forget the expensive Yeti coolers, both of these will keep your food cold for just as long.

. Make sure you have a great cooler so you won’t need to waste your money on ice every day.

MRE Meals

No, I’m not talking about the nasty MRE meals you find at army surplus stores. There are some pretty tasty meals you can purchase that are freeze-dried. Just add the ingredients to a pot with boiling water and you got the easiest, tastiest meal you will ever have. We find ours at Costco, and sometimes on Facebook Market Place. We got the Ready Wise Emergency Food Supply – 124 Servings from Costco for about $60 and the Wise Company from Facebook for $45.

Toiletries

Shower System

Especially if you are Free Camping a portable shower will come in handy. Just make sure you have a water source like a stream that you can get water from.

go-girl cup

Ladies! This is so essential when camping anywhere. I use the Rquite Female Urination Device when camping in our camper van, free camping, and even on campsites when the bathrooms are super nasty.

Toilet Paper

I’ve been to my share of campsites that don’t restock their toilet paper, and yes I have taken a crap just to realize there is no toilet paper in my stall. Then we have the awkward situation of trying to not pull my pants up while proceeding to the next stall in hopes that no one walks in on me.

Quick Dry Towel

These Youphoria Outdoors Microfiber Camping Towel Fast Drying Lightweight are different than normal ones because they are more compact and they dry faster. You can easily fit several of them in the same space you would fit a normal bath towel.

Other

Mosquito Repellant

If you’re like me your local bug clientele knows you’re in town, and they just can’t wait to attack the moment you step out of your tent. I have to wear a repellant or have a citronella candle lit at all times, otherwise, my whole body turns into a welt.

Waterproof Bag

Make sure you purchase a good quality waterproof bag or phone case for your phone. Several hours down the river I had wasted a few hundred dollars because I didn’t have a good quality waterproof bag to put my phone in while tubing. Better yet just forget the phone and leave it in the car.

Shovels

Shovels are great for emptying the fire pit of ashes from the previous day. Or if you are free camping it can be good for covering waste.

Rain Jacket

It took me about 5 years and many drenching occasions to finally purchase a rain jacket.

Hiking Boots

If you don’t want to roll your ankles and miss out on the fun the rest of your trip has to offer, then get some good hiking boots. Look for ones like my husband’s Lone Peak Hiking Shoes…. these have a wonderful grip on the bottom and offer great support.

Canopy

I can’t tell you how wonderful canopies are when it starts raining. We went to a campground near Lake Lure, and it rained the whole trip. We couldn’t find a decent spot to cook or even hang out. Needless to say, the trip was a flop and we instantly purchased a canopy for the next trip. We got the Ozark Trail 12X12 Brand from Walmart.

Fire Colors

These packets are so much fun, especially if you have company or kids. You will be the talk of the party.