It’s camping season! Our family goes on a yearly camping trip to a little local lake. It’s a few days of unplugging, enjoying nature, being by the water, and relaxing. However, it’s a lot of prep to make sure we bring all the right things. Over the years, we’ve learned what’s essential to bring with us to give us the best camping experience possible. Today, we’re sharing the tent camping essentials that we take on our trips and a printable packing checklist you can use year after year.
Tent Camping Essentials
As I go through this list with you, I’m going to go over essentials in different categories. These items will include important things to consider, but you’ll also find a full packing list at the end of the post. So let’s get into it!
Tent / Sleeping Essentials
The Perfect Tent
People have different preferences when it comes to tents. We have an 11-person tent for the two of us, our queen-sized air mattress, our dog with his bed, and our personal stuff. It sounds like overkill, but I promise it’s not. It gives us plenty of room to not only sleep comfortably, but also sit and hang out without feeling cramped. A 5-person tent was not big enough for us (it was a tight squeeze!). The perfect tent for you will depend on multiple factors, but ultimately, it’s all about your own level of comfort.
A large, roomy tent perfect for a family or those that just want some extra space! Standing at 18' x 9' with a 74" center height, you can spread out in comfort or fit three queen size air mattresses for your friends and family.
Bed
There are multiple ways to set up bedding. Some may like a basic sleeping bag and pillow setup while others opt to have an air mattress, sheets, blankets, and pillows. Choose whatever makes sense in the space you have and also whatever makes you the most comfortable. As you can tell, comfort is a common theme here.
Outdoor Rug
A thin, outdoor rug is easy to pack and a nice luxury to have. You can place it outside the front of your tent for a nice outdoor living space, without the dirt. It’s helpful to have it on top of a tarp too so the rug itself doesn’t get too dirty. We set up chairs on our rug so we can get out of bed and sit down with some coffee while we enjoy the fresh morning air.
Outdoor rug made of recycled plastic. Waterproof, fade resistant, and crease free. 4 ft x 6 ft. 17 colors and multiple sizes available.
Collapsible Bedside Tables
While not necessary, little tables are very convenient to have in the tent. I keep stuff like my lantern, phone, portable charger, and a bottle of water on mine. They fold up and become super compact too so they don’t take too much room amongst all of your gear.
A lightweight, foldable table that's easy to set up and break down. It takes up very little space when packed away and so convenient to have while camping, backpacking, picnicking, and more.
Lighting Essentials
Battery Light / Fan
This is so useful to hang up in the middle of the tent. It’s both a light and fan in one. The light gives decent overhead light when it gets dark and the fan provides some air movement during hot nights.
Portable battery-powered hanging fan and light with multiple settings.
Lanterns
Lanterns are always a must-have. You can bring one big one or small personal ones that are easy to carry around. The small ones are great for using when you have to walk to the bathroom.
Head Lamps
A head lamp is a great alternative to a lantern and even better if you need to be hands-free. It makes it so easy when walking the dog at night or grabbing something from the car.
Solar Lights
Personally, I like to have nice lighting around our campsite. Solar lights are perfect because they charge during the day and then light up at night. I opted for fairy lights to drape over our tent, but there are all kinds you can either hang up, set out, or stake in the ground.
Solar-powered string lights with 8 modes. 2-pack, 66ft long each. Charges in the sun, lights up all night.
Campsite Essentials
Tablecloth with Clips
Most campsites have a picnic table included. You may be eating and hanging out at the table quite a bit, so it’s a must to have a tablecloth. Additionally, you’ll want these clips to hold your tablecloth in place so it doesn’t blow away or move around.
Cooler
A good cooler makes all the difference and should be able to keep your stuff cold for a few days. Yeti coolers are some of the best, however, not everyone can afford them. If you’re having trouble keeping your stuff cold in your cooler, try putting in a big block of ice in addition to frozen water bottles and regular ice cubes. The big block will last longer and help everything else stay cold.
Water Jugs
Get the ones at the grocery store that lay on their side and have a pour spout. They can be set up on the table for everyone to access and can be used for drinking, brushing teeth, cleaning things, bathing, etc.
Utensils
You’ll need cooking and eating utensils while camping and this set is ideal. It has everything you could possibly need and comes in a convenient carrying case. You can keep it with your camping stuff so that you don’t have to pack and unpack your home kitchen utensils every time you camp.
A 27-piece travel cookware set ideal for camping, BBQs, road trips, tailgating, and more.
Trash Bag Holder
If there isn’t a trash can right in your site, it’s ideal to have a trash setup that you can use all day and dispose of at night. These trash bag holders are perfect to have in your campsite and they collapse down when you’re done with them.
Collapsible trash bag holder with lid. Holds 13-gallon trash bags.
Screened Canopy
This canopy provides shade but can also be zipped up to be fully enclosed, protecting you from bugs and critters while eating and hanging out.
A screened canopy tent with 2 doors and quick setup.
Personal Essentials
Dry Shampoo
There are no showers where we camp, so we have to get creative if we want to clean up. I tend to wash my hair using the water jugs mentioned earlier, but dry shampoo is a great alternative if you don’t want to go through the whole wash process.
Body Wipes
Camping leaves everyone pretty dirty if you don’t have the chance to shower. And while that’s just to be expected, there’s no reason you can’t try to feel fresh and clean if you want to. These body wipes are good to use before starting your day and also before getting into bed.
All-in-one single use shower wipes, no rinsing required.
Sunscreen
An absolute must!! Sunscreen is so important for protecting your skin from the sun, especially when spending so much time outdoors. You really don’t want to be dealing with a sunburn while camping, do you?
Bug Spray
Mosquitoes are the worst. Wearing mosquito repellent provides some much needed relief. They still hover around a little, but you won’t be getting bit constantly.
Packing Checklist
There are so many more important things to bring while camping. I made a checklist for us that we use year after year and it helps me remember every little thing I could possibly need. I’ve included the list in a bundle for you along with blank lists you can use to write in your own items to pack. You may have different needs based on where you’re going, what time of year it is, and what amenities are offered. My pre-filled list gives you a good starting point!
That wraps up our list of tent camping essentials. Grab the printable packing list bundle if you’d like to keep track of your own camping essentials.
We want to hear from you! What are some tent camping essentials that we didn’t mention? Comment below to tell us!
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