Camping checklist, Australia

As school holidays approach across Australia, a camping checklist is a priority for many households seeking relaxation, adventure and the great outdoors! In this article, we offer a few clever camping tips, as well as a free printable camping checklist that will make life easier when getting ready for your next escape.

A family camping trip is one of the best ways to enjoy the school holidays and some quality time making lifelong memories. For those doing the packing, though, it can be a stressful and overwhelming task with all the preparation needed before hitting the road.

Without careful planning, you might forget something important. A dependable camping gear list will ensure you have an enjoyable trip with everything you need.

In this camping checklist guide, we explore:

• Camping must haves
• A comprehensive camping gear list
• Camping list for families
• What food to take camping
• Camping tips for beginners, and
• A free camping checklist PDF

Want to find camping essentials in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide or Perth?

Camping must haves

Your camping essentials list needs to include the basics, such as shelter, food, water, bedding, first aid kit, and more. Some people prefer a simple camping experience without packing too much gear. But for families and bigger groups, it’s important to be prepared.

Here is a list of camping must haves which is the bare minimum you will need for a night or two camping:

• Tent (including tent pegs)
• Sleeping bags
• Sleeping mat or air mattress
• Pillow
• Headlamps or torches (and spare batteries)
• Camp chairs
• Camp table (if the site doesn’t have a picnic table)
• Lantern (fuel/batteries if needed)

Complete camping gear list

For a successful camping trip, you’ll need to pack all the camping basics. Here is a happy camper’s camping gear list to set you up for success:

Camping gear

☐ Tent / swag

☐ Shade tarp / poles / rope / stakes

☐ Ground cover / tarp

☐ Extra pegs

☐ Hammer

☐ Dust pan and brush

☐ Sleeping bags

☐ Bedding (pillows, sheets, extra blankets)

☐ Air mattress and pump / sleeping mat

☐ Repair kit

☐ Torch / lights/ head lamps

☐ Camp chairs

Personal

☐ Towels / washcloth

☐ Soap / shampoo

☐ Toothbrush / toothpaste

☐ Sunscreen

☐ Insect repellent

☐ Deodorant

☐ Comb / brush

☐ Feminine products

☐ Toilet paper

☐ Personal medications

☐ First Aid Kit

☐ Razor / scissors

Apparel 

☐ Hiking boots, casual shoes, water shoes

☐ Day time clothes

☐ Warm clothes for winter or cool nights

☐ Socks and underwear

☐ Jumper / jacket

☐ Pyjamas

☐ Rain gear

☐ Swimmers

☐ Laundry bag

☐ Gloves / beanie / hat

Cooking

☐ Washing up bucket

☐ Cooler / ice / car fridge

☐ Billy / kettle

☐ Camp stove with fuel

☐ Matches / lighter

☐ Firewood / Charcoal

☐ Camp oven / grill / BBQ hotplate

☐ Plates, bowls and cutlery

☐ Aluminium foil / plastic wrap

☐ Paper towels / tissues

☐ Bin bags

☐ Dishwashing liquid / sponge / tea towels

☐ Drying rack

☐ Cooking oil

☐ Food storage containers

☐ Pots and frypans with lids

☐ Cooking utensils

☐ Can opener / bottle opener / peeler

☐ Folding table / tablecloth

☐ Cups / mugs / plastic wine glass

☐ Mixing bowl

☐ Cutting board

☐ Ziplock bags

☐ Seasonings / sugar /  condiments

☐ Tea / coffee / hot chocolate

☐ Individual water bottles

☐ Water containers

Miscellaneous 

☐ Pocket knife

☐ Shovel and other tools

☐ Fire starters / newspaper / kindling

☐ Compass / GPS

☐ Solar shower

☐ Clothesline / pegs / rope

☐ Sewing kit

☐ Maps / directions

☐ Backpack

☐ Portable speaker

☐ Camera and spare battery

☐ Solar charger

☐ Duct tape

☐ Pet supplies and food

☐ Umbrella

Entertainment 

☐ Hammock

☐ Snorkelling gear

☐ Notepad / pen

☐ Books / magazines / Kindle

Want to find camping essentials in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide or Perth?

Camping list for families

Camping with family can be an incredible experience, but the key is preparation! Now you know what essentials you need, what makes a camping checklist for families any different?

A family camping list will generally contain the same items as your camping gear list. However, you’ll also need to consider the needs of little ones and different entertainment options across the ages of all campers. For example, if you’re pitching up near the water, be sure to include floaties or life vests for children, water shoes, and lots of sunscreen.

You’ll also need an array of toys, books and games to pass away the quiet hours. With babies and toddlers, wet wipes will be your best friend, and you’ll need the usual fare of nappies and bottles, as well as items like a portable change mat and portable cot.

A large picnic blanket always comes in handy, and the kids will enjoy staple entertainment items like glow sticks, bubble wands, and colouring books. Binoculars are a great addition for bird watching and star gazing.

Most importantly, don’t forget the marshmallows!

What to take camping with kids? Family camping checklist:

☐ Bikes/scooters/helmets

☐ Cards/games/toys

☐ Water toys

☐ Life vest/floaties

☐ Wet wipes

☐ Nappies

☐ Portable cot

☐ Portable high chair or booster

☐ Portable change mat

☐ Bottles/formula/baby food/dummies

☐ Picnic blanket

☐ Glow sticks/bubble wands

☐ Binoculars

☐ Colouring books and crayons

☐ Marshmallows

A family camping list can help you be prepared when thinking about what to take camping. If you haven’t camped with children before, a trial run in the backyard is a great way to ease into it. Also note that how you decide to camp will affect the supplies you need. If you’ve got a campervan for instance, you won’t need to pack the same things as if you’re camping in a tent.

Want to find camping essentials in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide or Perth?

What food to take camping

What foods to take camping will largely depend on how long you plan to be away, what shops and amenities will be nearby, your chosen method for cooking, and how you intend to keep food cool.

Camping food will usually include things like:

• Cereal, bread, pasta and rice
• Crackers
• Powdered milk and long life milk
• Eggs
• Tinned food, like beans, tuna and soup
• Fruit and vegetables
• Stir-in sauces (pasta, chilli, curry sauce, etc)
• Condiments
• Peanut butter, vegemite, jam
• Salt and sugar
• Tea, coffee, hot chocolate

If you want to keep fresh dairy or meat for longer than a few hours, you will need an esky with an easily sourced supply of ice to replenish each day, or a camp fridge.

Some easy camping meals are things like pasta, hot dogs, bacon and eggs, baked beans, porridge, pancakes, damper, baked potatoes (in the campfire), sandwiches, burgers, curry, and more!

The best food for camping is simple, yummy and filling.

Camping tips for beginners

Need some camping tips for beginners? Everyone has to start somewhere! Camping with kids is even more daunting as you will find yourself packing a lot more stuff. Let’s explore a few camping tips that will help make your trip stress-free and fun!

1. Research where you’re going

To make your camping experience enjoyable, it’s crucial to be ready for anything and know what to expect. Research the area you plan to visit beforehand, including the weather conditions, facilities, and available camping sites. While spontaneity can add to the fun, investing a little time to do your homework can make a significant difference in how smoothly your trip goes.

2. Test your equipment before you leave

If you have brand new camp gear or have borrowed some from a friend, be sure to try it out at home first. Pitch the tent in the backyard and see how easy or difficult it is to put up. Test your lights to ensure they’re in good working order. And make sure your camp stove is firing on all cylinders!

There’s nothing worse than getting to camp and finding out there’s something wrong with your essential gear.

3. Don’t rely on campfire cooking

While campfire cooking sounds affordable and ideal, the event of rain and other issues could impede your campfire tucker. Not only will bad weather put your best laid plans to rest, but a campfire can take a long time to build the right amount of heat sufficient to cook your food properly.

You’ll also need to check with your local fire authority to find out if there are any current fire bans in place.

If you’ve got your heart set on campfire cooking, make sure you have a good back up option in case of any problems that arise. Some campers prefer a BBQ, while others enjoy a compact butane stove.

4. Purchase quality gear

Quality gear doesn’t have to be the most expensive on the market, but if you buy the cheapest you will be getting what you pay for. For instance, a bargain priced tent might not be fully waterproof, and you might not realise this fact until your camping in a storm.

Cheap equipment can fall apart easily. It’s better to shop the sales for quality brand name products that offer guarantees on their goods. It will save money in the long run not needing to replace shoddy camping gear.

5. Pack the right bedding

Sleeping in the wilderness on a cool night will be your worst nightmare if you don’t have the right bedding. For summer camping with warm nights, an air mattress can suffice, but for cold nights they usually fill with cold air and you will be shivering all night long. Sleeping pads can be a better option or even laying down an insulation mat or extra blankets under your air mattress can help take the chilling edge off.

Do your research before you choose your camping bedding, because comfort is priceless!

6. Arrive early

There’s nothing worse than arriving at a campsite in the dwindling sun light. Arrive early, so that you can get all your camping gear set up and have time to make dinner and relax in the evening.

Over Easter, many campgrounds will already be full early in the day. If you arrive late in the evening or night and try to squeeze in next to someone on their campsite who came early to set up, it won’t be a happy scenario.

7. Keep your food and rubbish packed away from critters!

This is the lesson you usually learn the hard way. Late night noises from nocturnal visitors rummaging through your bags and bins is a common place occurrence in Australia. You can expect possums, rats, kangaroos and even foxes to be investigating what goodies you may have left about for them to sample.

For the animals with sharp teeth, even your plastic storage boxes won’t hold up. It’s best to pack all your food items and rubbish carefully at the end of each day and place them in the plastic storage boxes in the boot of your car.

Waking up to rubbish strewn across the campsite and most of your food gone is not a great way to start the day!

Camping checklist Australia PDF

For a free downloadable camping checklist PDF to use on your next camping holiday, check out our complete Yellow Pages Camping Checklist. This is a printable camping checklist to help you with all your packing needs. Happy camping!

Want to find camping essentials in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide or Perth?