So you think you are ready for your camping trip. You have your tent, air mattresses, sleeping mats, sleeping bags, food, water, grill, propane stove, and all your dishes, pots, pans and cooking utensils.
What else could you possible need for a few days or a week camping? As it turns out there are quite a few must have small camping items that you need to bring along if you hope to have a comfortable and enjoyable camp out.
Here are what we consider to be must have small camping items for any camping trip lasting more than overnight.
You can even use copy this checklist and use it for future camping trips to make sure that you pack all the necessities.
#1. Lighter and Box of kitchen Matches – There is nothing worse than getting your camp all set up and discovering you have no way to start a fire.
Unless you are really good at rubbing two sticks together to make fire you best have a lighter and/or matches.
#2. Flashlights – If you have ever tried to make your way to a restroom or even into the woods after dark you know how important a flashlight can be.
#3. Extra Batteries – For flashlights and any battery operated lanterns you may have.
#4. Bucket and a Shovel – A bucket can serve many purposes around camp, from collecting kindling, to holding water to put out your campfire or for holding the ashes when you want to clean out your grill or fire pit.
#5. A shovel is a must for digging holes for waste if you are primitive camping and for helping to bank or put out your fire at night or when leaving camp.
#6. Tent Sealer – Even if you sealed all your tent seams before heading to camp, you can always find a seam that didn’t get covered well during the first rain and having tent sealer can help you stay dry for most of your camping trip.
#7. Extra Tent Steaks – In case one gets bent, broken or misplaced you are going to want to have a few extra steaks to make sure that your tent is secure.
#8. Small Sledge or Sturdy Rubber Mallet – This will help to drive in your tent steaks even into the hardest ground.
#9. Needle and Thread – For those quick repair jobs.
#10. Hand Axe or Hatchet – For breaking up larger sticks and even for splitting fire wood.
#11. Plastic Table Cloth(s) – Picnic tables are outside all season, so you want to be able to cover them with something that is easy to clean.
#12. Rope – For clothes lines, putting up extra tarps and even when primitive camping for securing your garbage back from a tree branch to discourage animals from ripping it open.
#13. Clothes Pins – These are going to come in handy along with rope if you are going to be swimming or even in case you need to dry out some clothes or your dish or bath towels.
#14. Pocket Knife – To cut rope and to have on hand if you plan on hiking, fishing or for a number of other things.
#15. Deck of Cards – You are going to need something to do on those rainy days when you are stuck in the tent.
#16. Compass or GPS Device – While this is not a must have, it is helpful if you plan to hike or even go out on a larger body of water in a small boat.
#17. Digital Camera – For capturing those once in a life time moments, of course if you are bringing along a small phone you can always take photos with that.
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