As the Summer comes to an end, we all feel the need to get outdoors as much as possible and make the most of the good weather. Have you fancied camping but unsure where to start?
We’ve put together a guide from our community of the ‘Best Camping Gear’ so hopefully, this will help you enjoy some camping this season. Remember, if you can get your kit second hand, it’ll be more cost-effective and better for our environment. Let’s re-use where we can OAGs!
Rucksack
Depending on whether you are wild camping or camping in a field next to your car, you will need to think about weight within your backpack and whether it’s comfortable enough to carry for the distance you need to carry it for. We recommend going into the shops and trying on the backpack to see if it fits your body shape comfortably.
Our community loves…
- Osprey Kyte in 46L or 66L – £180-200
- Osprey Eja 48L – £152 members card price
- Montane Trailblazer – £69 members card price
Chair
If you are looking for comfort when camping, a chair is a must but ONLY if you aren’t wild camping as this adds unnecessary weight.
Our community loves…
- Robens Pathfinder – £67 (half the price of a Helinox chair)
- Argos Steel Folding Camping chair – 2 for £16 offer on until January (in store only)
- Vango Titan Chair – £60 members card price
Stove
How do you like your eggs in the morning? We like ours cooked on a camping stove!
Our community loves…
- Jet Boil MiniMo – £144 members card price
- MSR PocketRocket 2 Mini Stove Kit (just for boiling water) – £90
- Vango Folding Gas Stove – £30 members card price
Sleeping Mat
We all need a good night’s sleep but often it is tricky when it comes to camping as we all have different comfort preferences. A sleeping mat that you can easily roll up is great for backpacking or if you have the car then you can opt for a less foldable mat option.
Our community loves…
- Mountain Equipment Helium 3.8 Women’s Warmzone Mat – £50
- Vango Single Trek Compact Self-Inflating Mat – £25 members card price
- Therm-a-Rest Trail Pro Sleeping Mat – £130
Sleeping Bag
Depending on the climate when out camping, you will need a sleeping bag to reflect the temperature outside. In the height of Summer, you will be able to get away with a comfort temperature of 10 but in winter, you will need a sleeping bag that gets you through temperatures below -8.
Our community loves…
- Robens Serac 300 (2 degrees comfort) – £207.99
- Robens Couloir 750 (-8 degrees comfort) – £342.99
- Rab Alpine 200 Down (3 degrees comfort) – £240
- Mountain Equipment Women’s Starlight 1 (5 degrees comfort) – £120
Tent
If you are camping solo, we recommend getting a 2-man tent for 1 person so there is plenty of room for storage and moving around in the tent. If you are hiking and camping and therefore carrying all the kit, this may not be advisable as this is a lot harder to carry excess weight and would recommend getting a 1-man tent.
Our community loves…
- Vaude Mark L 3 Persons Backpacking Tent – £450
- Sierra Designs High Side 3000 1 Person Tent – £209.99
- Vango Cairngorm 200 2 Persons Tent – £136
Camping Advice from our Community
“Don’t go and buy too much stuff from the outset! Try and borrow or get cheap / second hand stuff first, it’s super individual what comforts you’ll need and what you like in a packing setup.”
‘A good torch is a must – I’d go for one you can hang up or a head torch, so you can keep your hands free while you set up your tent/prep food etc.”
“The Duke of Edinburgh packing list is a good basic guide. It misses some stuff like a camping stove on the very simple list but points you in the right direction and has some recommendations.”
“Random things that aren’t found on lists are glow sticks to put around your tent pegs so you don’t trip up at night and a massive plastic box to put all your food in so damp doesn’t get to it. These both don’t apply to wild camping!”
Solo Wild Camping
If you fancy trying out solo wild camping but are not sure where to start with it, then make sure you are prepared for all weather conditions and that someone knows where you are. We’ve put together some of our community’s suggestions for other blogs and videos to watch while preparing for Wild Camping…
Graces Adventures goes solo wild camping on Fleetwith Pike, Lake District:
Andrea Ference’s guide to solo camping:
The Girl Outdoors guide to finding the confidence to go wild camping solo:
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