A Challenging Checklist, Camping With Kids.

So the weather has started improving, the sun is coming out, the kids are on their school holidays and they have more energy than you could hope for! You decide that this is the perfect time to take your family on the first camping trip of the year. 

You start reminiscing over the past memories of all the previous camping trips that you have taken. The serenity of sleeping under the stars, the smell of the food on the BBQ, the warmth of the open fire, the sounds of the birds singing in the morning as you wake up to the fresh air of mother nature. Camping is such a great experience, especially for kids and is perfect for filling up the school holidays.

You pull out your dusty tent from the depths of the closet, buried beneath a pile of junk that never gets used, but can't be thrown away for unknown reasons. You start feeling the surge of excitement as you prepare for your trip, but now comes the most important bit, preparation. 

We have all been on a camping trip and forgot the most important items. You never realise that you have forgot your torch, until you are completely covered in darkness and can't find anything!


I got told this phrase in the military (the 7 P's) and it's stuck by me for years:

Perfect, Precision, Planning, Prevents a Piss Poor Performance.

So here is a camping checklist for all of the mummies and daddies out there: 

Basics

• Tent
• Mallet (for tent pegs, don't push them in with your feet, they'll bend!)
• Sleeping bags
• Roll mats
• Spare sheet/blanket
• Pillows
• First aid kit
• Spare cash (not just a credit or bank card)
• Torches (kids love to have their own!)
• Rope & bungees
• Knife
• Spare car key - VERY IMPORTANT
• Spare house key - VERY IMPORTANT
• Mobile phone

Personal

• Spare clothes for everyone
• Spare pair of footwear for everyone
• Lots of spare socks (very important)
• Swimming kit
• Wash kit - i.e. flannel, sponge, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, etc)
• Warm kit - hats, scarves, gloves (temp can drop massively at night)
• Towels
• Sunglasses
• Hair brush
• Toilet paper
• Water proofs - rain jackets, ponchos, etc

Food/Drink/Cooking

• Matches/Lighter (in a small plastic box)
• Gas cooker or stove
• BBQ 
• Coals
• Fire-lighters
• Cutlery
• Plastic plates
• Plastic cups
• Water (large bottle)
• Pot and Pan
• Can/tin opener
• Cooking utensils - spatula, wooden spoon, etc
• Cleaning sponge
• Washing up liquid
• Tin foil
• Cling film
• Plastic bags
• Food - Cans, tins, dried food, fruit, bread, meat, potatoes, etc
• Tea bags/coffee
• Sugar
• Milk
• Herbs and spices
• Marshmallows (most important!)
• Fold up table
• Fold up chairs

Kids/Babies/Toddlers

• Nappies
• Baby wipes
• Bottles
• Sterilising tablets or steriliser
• Talcum powder
• Baby food
• Buggy/pushchair/pram
• Baby bag with your usual bits :)

Fun for the kids

• Football
• Books
• Binoculars
• Card games
• Board games
• Frisbee
• Bat games
• Beach ball
• Paper and pens
• Musical instruments

Extra Bits

• Hammock
• Walkie-talkies
• Bikes and helmets
• Map of the area
• Wildlife guide
• Map of the stars
• Blow up beds
• Wind breakers
• Large tarpaulin sheet (tie up above your campsite somewhere, to create a shaded area)
• Citronella outdoor candles (protection against bugs/mosquitoes)
• Camping lamp
• Wine/beer
• Portable radio
• Camera
• Video recorder
• GPS
• Survival Kit

Well that sums up my 'challenging checklist  when camping with kids! Obviously there will be some things that are not on the list and some things that are on here that you do not need. This is intended to help you when packing and preparing your camping trip, so feel free to print this off and tick off the bullet points to help.

I would like to add, is that I always prepare a very important section that is not actually on this list and that is my survival kit. It compromises of basic survival tools and equipment that could make the difference in a survival situation! I haven't included it on here in full detail as I will write a separate post regarding my survival kit. Whenever me or my family travel, this is the one piece of kit that I will always take no matter what! The likelihood of being in a survival situation is always remote (especially if you are camping at a local campsite, lol) but if the situation does arise, then you are on the winning side of the situation.

Also I always pack all scarves, hats, gloves, etc, in a specific and easy to reach part of my bergan/hiking bag, so that when or if the temperature does drop (usually in the middle of the night, when you wake up and realise that it's freezing!) I can easily access the 'warm kit' section.

Finally always let a couple of different people know where you are going, when you are going, when you will be back and what to do in an emergency or if you don't actually make it back. Make sure that you know where your 'essentials' are packed (torch, lighters, matches, water, etc). Make sure that all your bits actually work before you go!!

Well that is definitely enough words from me, so have a great camping trip, your kids will love it, you will benefit from being in mother nature and if there is anything that you would like added to this list please let me know and leave a comment. Comments are extremely liked and very much appreciated!! Have fun and enjoy the weather.....even if it's raining!!!!

Please leave a comment, love to get feedback! Thanks!