14 Items You Need While Camping That Most People Forget – Be Prepared

Even though traveling to a remote camping spot for me is considered one of the thrilling aspects of an expedition. People have different experiences traveling to different places which may include something as simple as a historical place, a tourist center, a campsite, mountains, forests, islands, etc.

On that account, traveling to places that are covered with natural vegetation that has not sensed even a small trail of the human presence for so many years can be termed as wilderness travel. After traveling to such a remote place, one can learn about the good and bad faces of nature, and also it allows you to learn to tackle the hurdles put forward by nature thus enhancing your managing and decision-making skills.

Nature is a teacher who demonstrates all the lessons to its students. Isn’t it?
Unlike other kinds of travel, wilderness travel would be somewhat coarse and rough to survive and overcome it which cannot be possible without some survival equipment gear. It’s not like we can travel to the nearest Walmart to grab something.

For me, I like to make sure I have covered these 14 camping equipment list. Make sure to never skimp on them because my life is on the line.

1. Tent Camping Necessities – Food and nutrition

Food is the most important requirement for any wilderness travel as it involves frequent hiking, trekking, adventures, etc. It should be the number one spot on anyone’s camping equipment list. These activities would make anyone lose energy soon and make them hungry.

When you are hungry, your adventures and enjoyments suffer, and so you need an adequate intake of food with an appropriate nutrition level. Don’t try to eat food from off the land that you are unfamiliar with.

Even if you know well about the food in the forest you can eat it only if you are sure about the absence of any microorganisms in it. Moreover, when you pack for a wilderness journey, make sure you pack extra food for 2 extra days which you help you when you are about to complete your camping trip.

MRE packs are perfect for keeping your energy level high and your body well nourished. These MRE packs are ex-military surplus and actually taste great.

2. Fire and Tinder

Fire is the energy that provides happiness and enthusiasm and it is very much needed during the night time. At night, things may turn upside down in the forest areas. You may hear the terrific sound of various creatures, the creepy noise of the plants, and the wind which would make you feel scared.

Fire, when lit would protect you from wild animals and also it can also chase fear from you. Moreover, it can also be used to cook food items on your site. Once you finish having your food, hang the remaining food above the ground ( say a tree) to protect it from other creatures such as bears. Also, food should be kept several yards away from your campsite to prevent an invasion of animals like wolves, hyenas, bears, etc. If the expedition is to a moist place then it would be better to have brought some of your own tinder to ignite your fire.

So it’s important to take some matches or a fire starter. If you want to go high tech you should check out these cool micro plasma USB fire starters. We use them to light candles at home but they are really effective at lighting a campfire as well.

3. Emergency Toolkits

Travelers should always have a basic handyman toolkit while they are on an expedition to a wild forest. Things don’t work in terms of socialism and democracy in the forest; the only rule out there is the survival of the fittest. So, if you need to survive you should be strong enough to encounter any issue occurring there, then fixing it with your bare hand is not easy. So it is necessary to equip yourself with a toolkit and be a bush mechanic.

4. Navigation

Controlling the movement of a body from one place to another through various means is termed navigation. A topographic map is a crucial tool that should be always with a traveler and it would be helpful in finding the path even if you miss your footsteps. Even though you have a recent map, finding the exact direction of interest would not be that easy.

Folks would think that the sun can be used to find the direction. Remember, forests are really dense whose canopy is completely covered with trees and leaves. Also, clouds would make detecting the position of the sun difficult. To overcome these issues a compass is a mandatory tool. Moreover, the advancement in today’s technology has provided you with GPS technology with which we can locate a person easily using a GPS locating device.

We use Navman as our GPS of choice but TomTom is another well-known brand. You can also install some aftermarket nav kits. We installed an S100 Navigation device into our Toyota Highlander. It’s a flush finish into the dash.

Don’t install a fake cheap Android Head Unit GPS unit into your vehicle. Here is how you can test if your Android Head Unit is Fake.

5. Shelter- Bring a hammer.

Next, to food, shelter proves to be a vital requirement in wilderness travel. You wouldn’t understand its importance in the daytime, and its importance would be felt only when you are tired and need a rest when it’s raining.

My tent of choice is the Coleman 8 Person tent which has a full rain fly. This tent is fully waterproof and has heaps of room inside for my family. I like that is has a large fast exit swinging door.

Shelters can be any simple type of tent or it can be made with the shelter ground tarps strung up between a few trees.

You can also make your own shelter with rope, sticks, and logs. Tree branches make excellent windbreaks. But try not to light your fire inside your shelter. Also make sure you take basic essentials such as camping chairs, flashlights, etc with you.

It’s amazing how many people forget parts for their tent such as the tent pegs or a hammer. Be prepared and test out your tent before your expedition.

6. Bring Extra Clothing

Clothing should be worn depending on the climatic conditions of your camping site. Always prefer tough and thick dresses which would protect you not only from the chilling wind but also from the stings of poisonous insects and plants. Woolen clothing would be the most preferable option for winter climates. Moreover, make sure you have a quality pair of gloves and boots. Waterproof boots would serve as a best friend during your adventures on wilderness travel.

Always take spare clothing in case you get wet. You can die from hypothermia really quickly in cold climates.

7. Flashlight and LED Globes

Even though we have the fire to illuminate the shelter and protect you from the wild animals, a torch is very much necessary in the campsite because fire is not easily portable. You can make a fire torch for monitoring and surveillance but these won’t last long.

Inside the tent, we like to use a LED solar powered light globe. These can last around 7 hours and just need recharging the next day via the included solar panel.

Having a lot of light is definitely on my tent camping necessities. It’s not fun being in the dark for the whole night.

8. Aqua-tablets and Water filters

Aqua-tablets are tablets that are used for the purification of water. They don’t get rid of sediments but it can kill microorganisms that cause cholera, typhoid, dysentery, etc. These aqua-tablets are usually another form of chlorine or iodine which develops effervescence when introduced into a water container.

Simply put one or two tablets inside a container of unhealthy water and wait for 30 minutes to get risk-free healthy water. An
the unfortunate part of these tablets is that they cannot be used for persons who have thyroid problems.

Another way to filter out bacteria in the water is to use a life straw. These are well known to many campers who rely on only a water stream for their fresh water. I always keep a few in the first aid kit for emergencies.

9. Paracord bracelet

You may be quite familiar with a bracelet, but what is paracord? It is a nylon cord used in the suspension lines of a parachute due to its incredible strength. They can also be fashion knotted to make bracelets, lanyards, and also belts. These bracelets can be disheveled when you need a rope and used as per your requirement. Designing a bracelet with it is also quite easy.

Its another item I like to keep in the first aid kit but most people just wear them as a fashion statement. Who knows one day you may need that strong piece of rope to hold something together like a broken leg or a tent pole strap.

10. Whistle

You may be confused about seeing the word “whistle” here and it would seem to be odd to have a whistle make it on this list. As we know, wilderness travel is a rough journey through natural vegetation. You may need help from your teammates who could only be a few yards away from you. At this juncture, even if you shout like hell your voice would not reach
your friend. But, by blowing the whistle you can draw your friend’s attention.

I made it my new year’s resolution to learn to whistle by only using my fingers. It took some time but I finally got there. It’s really handy now while out camping to get someone’s attention. One less thing to pack.

11. Duct Tape

I don’t go anywhere without duct take. It can fix a leaky radiator pipe, leaky tents, and torn clothing. Plus I’m sure you can come up with 100 or more other uses. Sometimes I want to duct take up the kids to a tree for the day so they don’t wander off.

If astronauts take duct tape up into outer space then I can take it on my next camping trip.

12. Toilet Paper and wipes.

Now I’m sure this is my worst nightmare. Going out into the bush without toilet paper. Who wants to use spiky leaves? Not me. The baby wipes also come in handy for cuts and abrasions to clean them out.

Toilet paper is also a great fire starter. Just roll a few sheets up into a tight ball and they will catch on fire really fast and will burn for a while lighting up the tinder around it.

13. Jump Starter for Car and Phones

Nowadays Jump starters are small and tiny. Lithium-Ion technology is simply amazing that such a small device can start such a large vehicle. I have one now in both of my cars stored in the glove box and it gets used quite a bit. Not for me but usually others stranded out bush or in a car park at the shopping center.

They can also be used to charge phones and tablets so it’s great to be able to use them as another source of power. Check out our review on some of the best compact jump starters around.

14. BackPack solar panel.

Now I have been using an Anker backpack solar panel now for around a year and it’s so wonderful I wonder why I never thought of it before. I often had to take a few portable power banks for my phones and tablets. Not anymore the one small solar charger is all I need.

It’s a small compact device that folds out and receives power from the sun to charge your phone. just make sure to angle it towards the sun for maximum charge rate. Check out my full review of some Folding backpack solar panels.

Conclusion

Hopefully, some of these tent camping necessities can be included in your next remote camping adventure. It’s always good to be prepared and safe. But often we overlook the small things in our preparation for our trip.

Now I’m sure there is a whole range of items that you would like to bring. Such as recovery gear, ax, chocolate, and even friends but I will leave that up to you. Let me know in the comments below what your most important item is that you never go without.

Mathew S

I am a qualified Industrial Electrician for the past 20 years and I love to share my knowledge on home repair and maintenance jobs.

I love fast toys like Motorcycles, Cars, Jetskis, Boats, and Computers so writing about them is easy. Working on them is fun.
To keeps costs down I do all my own mods, repairs, and servicing. These skills I want to share with everyone. DIY is a skill everyone can learn.