Got everything? Check on the Camping Checklist!I love camping, it's one of my favourite holidays, and this camping checklist is written to ensure that you too have a fantastic time; whatever the weather!Ah! yes, being a resident in the UK, and having many a 'Summer Holiday' made challenging due to the British weather, can be enough to put the most seasoned campers off! If you're embarking on a camping adventure for the first time, you may not have considered that the weather can be bad. A bit different from a virtually guaranteed hot destination! This can present a challenge, as there is nothing worse than getting soaked and not being able to get dry and warm. For those that embark on caravanning, RV or, Motor Home holidays, the kit and requirements are perhaps not as extensive as the Camping Checklist will be, therefore I have put these into a separate checklists. 
PreparationBefore you embark on your camping trip, you have some preparation to do, and the camping checklist should make this easier. Now, for my family, I have a set kit that we take on holiday; everything is there, so all I need to do is remember to take the box! Nowadays, for us to go camping our camping checklist, consist of box names or colours!
So my routine preparation would also include:
As a lot of thought is sometimes needed for the location, you may wish to review the checklist for choosing a location. I have also put together a travel packing list to help you to capture all essentials that you will need for your trip. Require a guide to camping, looking at the different types of camping? You can find informative links for the tent and RV campers here.
Basic Equipment or is this being extravagant?Camping can be catered for as simply or as extravagantly as you need - depending on your requirements. Many a time, I have been invited to friends or family to celebrate a special occasion (everything from weddings, christenings to birthday's) and due to lack of room in the house, I have suggested that I bring my own accommodation! All I need is a small area to pitch my tent, preferably on grass, as gravel is a little more uncomfortable to sleep on; take it from one who knows! For this type of time away from home my camping checklist is as concise as this:
Now arguably the stove, kettle and requirement for refreshment are not essentials on your camping checklist for this type of stay, after all you are in a friend or relative's garden! However the perks or priviledges of camping, again dependant on the time of year, might mean you are up with the lark and don't wish to disturb the house... Or perhaps (and in my case more likely!) you may be suffering with a little hangover, and the thought of facing everyone without two or three mugs of coffee is hideous! For the family vacation, where you will be spending two weeks away under canvas, the camping checklist is more extensive.
The joys of people watching...There is a distinct possibility that you'll think me unkind, but I would imagine that most people, at some point in their lives people watch. People fascinate me; the things they do or not do, what they believe they can get away with, and their body language that, with a little bit of study, you will realise blatantly tells you the truth! In essence, I believe this partly why I enjoy camping so much. Sat in the mornings, your feet damp with dew, smelling the freshness of the air, and watching, discreetly, the soon to be world war III that is going to commence over the way in the trailer tent! Oops SOMEONE didn't pack the frying pan, how are 'we' supposed to cook bacon now? Didn't help that the airbed went down, and the kids all jumped in bed with Mum & Dad.... not exactly kingsize are trailer tents! Now, perhaps if this site had been up and running at the time of their holiday, they may have found my camping checklist to be of use, to help prevent this. However the best time of day, if you've spent it on site, is the afternoon, when people are arriving. Tim and I play "Spot the first timer!", and if you've ever been camping I am sure you know what I mean. The car, jammed packed to the hilt with kids toys and bikes pulls up, only for Mum and Dad to realise that the tent is, where? Yup, you guessed it, underneath EVERYTHING!, as it was the first thing packed! A good 20 minutes or so later, the car is unpacked, belongings are strewn everywhere, the tent is unzipped from it's bag, and the contents neatly laid out. (I'm guessing he's some sort of engineer, assessing the potential parts to make home for the next week.) The Mrs., having dispatched the children to find the toilet block, reaches in the bag and pulls out the instructions. "I don't need those, I've camped before!" he says. She discreetly glances through them, quickly, whilst Mr. is mulling things over; going to need a hammer, mallet, clumpy stick thing...
The moral of the story? If you are going to have an argument and you are camping, or in a trailer, even a caravan, just remember the walls are not as thick as your walls at home - everyone will hear you!!! You'll probably find us more supportive of our fellow campers at other times. For instance, on our honeymoon, we were sheltering in the porch of our tent. It had been an extremely blustery night, and whilst we sat cooking our bacon for our sandwiches, we had watched the poor couple opposite. We guessed they were students, it seemed like they were away for the first holiday together, and they had had a bit of a disastrous night. It looked like the tent had half blown away, and some of their bedding had got wet. Boy, did I feel for them. As it happens Tim and I were not the only onlookers, and the people in the caravan on the pitch next to them, lent a decent hammer to the chap, who was at the time trying to secure the tent with a heavy duty text book or shoe. The poor chap was trying to secure his tent with the shop provided pegs - Tim refers to them as monkey puzzle pegs, as they end up looking like monkey puzzles once used! Tim and I had bought far too many heavy duty tent pegs and had a number of spare ones, so we gave them sufficient to seriously anchor their tent. We also leant them our hammer (I always use a claw hammer, as then you have an easy way to retrieve the pegs) as the borrowed rubber mallet was 'laughing' at the other attempts. Once all was secured, they looked wind swept, cold and more than a little cheesed off. As they came over to return the hammer, we invited them in to warm up, an offer they gratefully accepted. It was when we were talking and they were warming up, I thought about other people like them, first-time campers, who would probably find benefit in the Camping Checklist. Do have any comments or questions? Please do then Contact Us Check out our other pages within the Vacation section..... click here! Would you like to look at one of our other sections....return to Home New! CommentsHave your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below. |
Time has ticked by and the tent is up, the pegs are securing it down, including the guy ropes; however the tempers are a little frayed and the more heated this gets, the more pertinent the couple believe it to let off steam at each other in the tent. Once inside, all hell lets loose, and the occupants of the whole campsite can hear everything, just as if they hadn't moved from outside... 
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