CAMPING | What Things Do Campers Most Commonly Forget To Take Camping With Them?

What’s the most vital or inconvenient thing you’ve ever left at home or forgotten to do before a camping trip? Here I share some of the idiot things I’ve left at home and dig into some of the things people most frequently forget on camping trips…

We’ve all been there. We rock up to the campsite looking forward to a few blissful days of minimal stress only to open the boot of the car and proceed to have a minor Menty B as we realise with horror that we’ve forgotten something vital.

The ironic truth of being a camping ‘expert’

Despite being a so-called camping ‘expert’ and spending the last 30 years of my life camping at every given opportunity and writing about it for the last 13 years, these are some of the things I’ve forgotten to take camping with me in the last few years:

I either inexplicably pack enough knickers for a month, or none at all

Mallet, tent pegs, kettle(!), bin bags, gas canister, pillows, water carrier and underwear (I either inexplicably pack enough knickers for a month, or none at all).

When I say last few years, that’s not entirely accurate. They are all things I’ve forgotten in the last 6 months…most of them on the same ridiculous solo camping trip 😬

The ironic downside of camping so often is that instead of making me super organised, I’m now so blasé that I just assume I’ve magically got everything I need.

Perhaps the worst thing I forgot though was on a group camping trip a good few years ago and one of my friends was borrowing a tent from me.

A brand-new factory-packed tent often fits snugly inside a tent bag, getting it back in after it’s been used is largely impossible, so, I sometimes keep the poles or pump separately… you can see where this is going now can’t you?

Yep, I took a tent for my friend, but it was useless without the sodding poles that were still at home chilling in the garage.

Lesson learned! I now (almost) always check inside my tent bag to ensure the poles or pump are inside and I also have a permanent pack of emergency tent pegs stowed in my car.

Am I the only camping idiot out there?

This got me thinking though, am I the only camping idiot out there? Having lent and given things to other campers who’ve forgotten essentials in the past though, I suspected not, so I did a bit of research to find out some of the things that are most frequently forgotten and left at home by campers.

Things Campers Frequently Forget

1. Tent pegs and/or mallet
2. Lighter or matches
3. Lantern/torch
4. Air bed pump
5. Toilet roll
6. Sunscreen and bug-repellent
7. Camping chairs
8. Cooking fuel
9. Bin bags
10. Cooking pans, pots and/or eating utensils
11. Waterproofs/wellies
12. Extra clothing layers
13. Phone charger
14. Towel
15. Pillow
16. Washing up equipment
17. Hiking boots
18. Sunglasses
19. Prescription medications and/or first aid items

Where to next?

• CAMPING | Camp Like A Pro, The Ultimate List Of Camping Tips – 63 Camping Tips & Hacks
• CAMPING | Should I Buy A Canvas Bell Tent? The Ultimate Bell Tent Buying Guide – Updated 2023
• CAMPING | How To Choose The Perfect Campsite For Your Next Camping Holiday

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