Six categories — check off or print

Camping packing list: what to bring

Camping is the holiday where forgetting hurts most: no shop around the corner, and what you miss you borrow from neighbours or do without all week. This list is built around what actually goes wrong — not enough light, too cold at night, no dry shoes.

Tent and sleeping

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Pitch the tent once in the garden before you go. Then you find the missing poles at home, not on the campsite in the dark.

Kitchen and food

Clothes and shoes

The campsite rule: it gets colder than you think and wetter than the forecast said.

Washing and hygiene

Light and power

The category first-time campers underestimate most. Without light the evening ends at nine.

Handy on site

Three things campers forget most

Enough extension lead. The power post is rarely next to your pitch. Twenty metres is the practical minimum; with ten you end up on the wrong half of the field.

Something warm for the night. Even in July it cools down sharply after midnight, especially near water or in the mountains. An extra blanket weighs nothing and saves the night.

Food for the first evening. You arrive, pitch the tent, and the site shop is closed. Bring one meal you can make without shopping.

One list for the whole tent

A camping list is long, which is exactly why it pays to build it well once. In PAKT you add these six categories to your trip and tick them off together.

Going with several families? Assign each item, so you do not end up with three stoves and no pegs.

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The whole campsite sorted

Put this camping list into PAKT, invite your group and split who brings what. Next summer the list is still there.

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Frequently asked questions

What do you need for camping?

Beyond tent, bedding and cooking gear, these categories make the difference: light (a head torch per person), power (an extension lead of at least 20 metres), warm clothing for the night, shoes for the shower block and a first-aid kit. Bring food for the first evening too — you often arrive after the site shop closes.

What do campers forget most often?

Three things: enough extension lead (the power post is rarely next to your pitch, 20 metres is the minimum), something warm for the night (even in summer it cools sharply after midnight) and food for the first evening. Also spare pegs, because a few always break.

How long should a campsite extension lead be?

At least 20 metres, and 25 is more comfortable. The power post is shared between pitches and often sits at the edge of the field. Bring a CEE adapter too, so you can connect to both a campsite post and a standard socket.

What do you need for the campsite shower?

Flip-flops or water shoes, a fast-drying microfibre towel, a toiletry bag you can hang up, and shower tokens or a card — check in advance how the site handles payment. Your own toilet paper is worth packing too.

Should I pitch the tent at home first?

Yes, especially with a new or borrowed tent. You find missing poles or pegs at home rather than on the campsite in the dark, and you will be faster on arrival because you know how it goes together.