Lovers of the great outdoors reject villas, hotels, cottages and even caravans to get close to nature with a camping trip. Camping is a great option for a low cost getaway or back to basics relaxing retreat.

Packing the right gear is key when it comes to enjoying camping trips. Along with tent pegs, blankets and that trusty English holiday staple: a pack of baby wipes, here are our suggestions of what to bring to make your stay under canvas more comfortable.

Pegless washing line

Need a place to hang up your towels after showering or your damp swimming costumes? You don’t want them dripping inside your tent so a portable washing line is just the job. It doesn’t take up much space and it’s lightweight. Even better you don’t even need to bring pegs, just secure clothes in between the gaps in the line.

Camping Lantern

One potential problem with camping is a nature imposed curfew when the sun goes down. A good strong lantern is what you need to continue enjoying yourself after dark. Make sure not to keep the lantern on inside the tent when the door is open though – otherwise you’ll be inundated with bugs!

Mallet

Packing a mallet saves you from searching around for a rock (or even considering one of your possessions) to help you hammer in your tent pegs. A mallet is not just useful for camping either; it’s a handy summer addition to your toolkit, helping you to put up washing lines, bird feeders, badminton nets, swingball or anything else you want to erect on your lawn.

Car charger

Unless you’re staying on a campsite with an electricity supply your car will be only source of power during your trip away. If you can’t survive without your phone or other tech an in car charger is a must. Check your charger works in advance of your trip so you can avoid being completely cut off from the outside world (unless that’s the intention of your getaway).

Book lamp

Camping is a great chance to leave fast paced modern life behind and catch up with some reading. Once again if you want to enjoy some literature after sunset you’ll need the help of a lamp. A book light will let you enjoy reading long into the night if you can’t tear yourself away from the pages.

Multitool

A multi tool is all you need to be prepared for any number of eventualities, that’s why they’re a scout favourite! Need to open a bottle? Use your multitool! Need to cut open a packet? Your multitool will get the job done. You can even use the tool to remove tent pegs from the ground or descale fish!

Lighter

Al fresco cooking and dining is one of iconic camping experiences. Whether you’re cooking with a BBQ or a gas stove, when it comes to lighting it unless you’re trying the old fashioned route and rubbing two sticks together or making sparks with pieces of flint you won’t be able to enjoy hot food without a reliable lighter.

Once you’ve stocked up on the essentials (which you can find over on our site) why not have a read of our top camping tips to be sure you’re making the most of your camping experience.

Tags: camping accessories, Camping Tips