Car packed, you head out to tackle the roads less travelled. You are going real camping; no shower, no toilet, no running water, no electricity and no phone reception (gasp!). Free from the strangleholds of demanding work emails, soul sucking social media and obligatory family commitments, you are on your way to filling your lungs with clean air and getting in touch with the earth. Guaranteed, you will always forget one item. Make sure it is your corkscrew and not one of these items that slip your mind.
turn into a holiday disaster.
Hygiene Kit
Camping is dirty business. You will share many things with your fellow travellers, food, beds and happy memories. One thing you want to minimise sharing is your stench. Shower access is limited at best and there is only so much your $10 bottle of supermarket deodorant can do after a full day (or week) of gallivanting around the wilderness. Make sure to pack a hand sanitiser, baby wipes and travel size soap (dry shampoo could be handy for those with oily hair). Bathe in running water where possible; stagnant bodies of water are a breeding ground for bacteria. A small shovel will also make things in the bathroom department much more civilised.
Miscellaneous Pack
Take a leaf out of Mary Poppins’ book and pack those just-in-case items. Duct tape, extra rope, a water bucket, spare batteries, cable ties and a spare drink bottle are all potential lifesaving items you will be thankful for. There is nothing worse than going to sleep on a soft bed of air and waking up with a tree root in your back. Make sure to include a mattress repair kit to repair those pesky punctures. Don’t let itching and scratching prevent you from sleeping; pack insect repellent and citronella coils to keep mosquitos and other nasties away. Add first aid kit to your checklist. Camping adventures come with an exciting element of risk, but it won’t seem so exciting if a tree branch flicks up, scrapes a chunk out of your shin and you have no equipment to sterilise and bandage it up.
Fuel Bladder
Luck favours the prepared. Hollywood has engrained this life lesson into your brain for years; the moment the damsel is home alone, the torch battery stops working, fuel runs out, these are the moments when poor protagonists are subject to unfortunate dangers. Not to mention, running out of fuel on a deserted road is going to kill the fun road trip mood. Make sure your pre-trip preparation includes acquiring a vessel for storing extra liquid supplies, whether it’s drinking water or car fuel. The size of the vessel will depend on how long you are planning on being away from civilisation. Tanks or cans can take up valuable space in your vehicle. Fuel bladders, such as those at Fabric Solutions Australia, are a more flexible alternative. You can have them made to suit the size of your storage space or fill them only as much as you need (no wasted air space).
Don’t let your camping adventure turn into a holiday disaster. A little bit of preparation goes a long way. Add these items to your checklist and the tales of your holiday will be told around the campfire for years to come!
Image Credit:
Simon Howden – FreeDigitalPhotos.Net
6 replies on “For The City Kids: 5 Pieces of Equipment You May Forget to Take Camping With You”
My family isn’t into camping, or nature trips. They hate bugs, dirt, etc.. weird eh?! they are just that kind of people. We opt for amusement parks, and malls instead. LOL
Oh yes! Those fuel bladders work really great in storing water with you when camping to some remote areas as they can be stacked together and won’t take up as much space than bottles or cans would. We love camping and we have been to quite a few camping trips already out in the middle of nowhere. We like to camp near a creek or water though if we ever get lucky to find such a spot. It is fun eventhough it feels like you are living like the primal living sort of thing.
See if it wasn’t for this article, it never occurred to me to add fuel bladder on the list.
A hygiene kit is one of the priority in the checklist. I can’t imagine camping without this. 🙂
These are totally good and handy reminder – thank you.
i haven’t experienced camping, this is really great info to me! Thanks for sharing =)