If you want to enjoy an epic camping trip in Australia, we are going to provide you with an essential packing guide that includes our recommended must have camping items to ensure your trip is a success. If this your first camping adventure or you have had several camping trips before, whichever the case, you will enjoy a unique and comfortable camping trip that you have always dreamt of.
We know that planning for a camping trip away from home can be a real hassle especially for foreign visitors who come to Australia to explore our wonderful country. We can help you with a professional guide to make you know and find every item you need for your camping adventure.
Our Recommend Must Have Camping Items
Baby Wipes
The number 1 item we pack in our vehicle & camper is Baby Wipes. Not only are they perfect for when accidents happen they are a great camping item to help you stay clean in between showers. Don’t like getting into bed with a dirty face, hands of feet. The wipes provide you with that quick fresh clean. You can pick up baby wipes pretty cheap in any Supermarket or Chemist Australia wide.
Music
Music is part of our lives and we actually can’t live without our UE Boom Bluetooth Speaker. A portable device and depending on size an excellent pocket-friendly purchase for outdoor activities and fun. Bluetooth connected from our phone we are able to stream our favourite tunes directly from Spotify or iTunes.
Cleaning Items
When your out bush in a free camp or even in a caravan park. You need to carry your cleaning items to wash up with. These may include buckets, dish racks, washing liquid, soaps, scourers and a towel or paper towel.
Garbage Bags
This one grinds our gears, we can’t stress the importance of packing Garbage Bags so you can dispose of your waste properly. Our popular post “A Rant About Rubbishing Dumping” will give you other helpful tips about rubbish disposal and how you can dob in a litterer. Don’t be a dick, bin it!
Water
Water is one of the life’s necessity and we can’t go without clean water for drinking, cooking and cleaning. Make sure you carry sufficient water if you are camping in a place where there is no tap water. We personally ALWAYS carry bottled water in our fridge, the 24 packs of water is our necessity.
Firewood
The necessity for a cold night to keep warm and if your wanting to cook over hot coals. Remember to carry enough firewood, matches and fire starter for your camping adventure. Good quality, dry firewood will make it easy for you to light the fire. Spending some nights around the fire not only keeps you warm but is fun too.
First aid kits
Accidents and other hazards can occur any time on your holiday and even least expected. A first aid kit is a must-have thing to pack in your car or camper. Our personal favourite is the St Johns Ambulance First Aid Kit, however you can pick up kits in any Camping Store or Chemist.
Insect Repellent
Try to keep the bugs off you at all costs, not only are some full of diseases, they can cause rashes on your body which can be quite itchy and painful. We personally always have Bushmans or Aeroguard packed, however if we do get bitten and rashes occur. We use DermAid which is a Hydrocortisone Cream or Dettol Antiseptic Cream. We have heard that people have luck with Essential Oils as well!
Sunscreen
You need to protect your skin from the fierce Australian sun. It can get incredibly hot in the remote parts of Australia. Please remember to carry your sunscreen products with you so you can slip, slop, slap. If your like Stacey and burn quickly it doesn’t hurt to have the Aloe Vera Gel packed as well.
Toilet Paper
You never know when Nature will Call. Its always best to carry toilet paper in your vehicle and camper if the need arises. Now if you do need to go in the bush, carry a garden trowel or shovel and dig a hole. It completely rude and disgusting if you chose not to to dig a hole and cover it up!
Utensils
How frustrating would it be if your organising your dinner meal and you have forgotten a quality sharp knife or your knives and forks to eat with? To help with your food preparation, cooking and serving, make sure you have the basic essential utensils packed. We always carry a BBQ Container that has all the basic cookware we need to get for a quick meal.
Comfy Bed And Pillow
The camping experience can never be complete without a comfy bed and pillow. You need a good rest so that you can wake up the following day feeling relaxed and refreshed. It pays to invest in a quality pillow and camping mattress or mattress in your caravan to have a good nights sleep.
Torches
Torches are of great help when it comes to lighting at night. Make sure you pack them, there is nothing worse than having to dash off during the night and you can’t see where your going! Our personal favourite torch that we have had for years is the Bunnings USB Torch. Read about how awesome this Universal Torch is.
USB chargers
A key item to charge all your electronic devices, phones laptops, tablets, torches. The list goes on! Make sure you carry plenty of USB charging ports or invest in a Converter so you can plug in your 240V to charge your devices.
Food
Ensure that you have carried sufficient food for everyone. Some places are so remote and it can be quite difficult to find a nearby food store and keep in mind the premium prices you can pay when your remote. Ensure that you carry easy to prepare food and those with a long shelter life can be good for you especially if your camping trip is going for many days.
Clothing
When camping, it can sometimes be Four Seasons in one day, its essential to carry along enough clothing & bedding. You never know when you could be camping in freezing conditions or even stinking hot weather. We have some popular tips when your Camping in Hot Weather, be sure to check them out.
Gas Cookers
Another of our favourite items is our Butane Gas Cooker, we carry ours everywhere in our BBQ Box that is stored in the back of our vehicle. Its essential for fast preparation of meals. On many of our long distance trips we would pull up and quickly cook up 2 Minute Noddles for lunch. Done and Dusted in no time!
Fuel
If your planning on going remote distances, you need to have sufficient fuel to get you from A to B. You may need to carry jerry cans with an extra supply of fuel. However its best to work out how many kilometres you get from a tank of fuel and work out your driving distances your looking at each day.
Tents
If your pitching your trusty tent, make sure you carry enough tent pegs and guy-ropes. If you are giving up the caravan or camper trailer to sleep in a tent, don’t forget your bedding which would include mattress, pillow and sleeping bag.
A Comfy Chair
As you sit around the campfire at night or in the day a comfy chair is essential. We recently upgraded our camping chairs and we now have a Moon Chair which is AMAZING. Amy and Ryan Murphy from Trekking Downunder pictured below, love their Front Runner Camping Chairs.
Tarp For Additional Shelter
Weather is unpredictable. You never know what to expect during your camp stay. Extra tarp can be of great importance. Put them over your tent to prevent yourselves from excess heat or rain. We personally love our Side Awning on our vehicle as this works well on our camping adventures.
Activity And Other Gear
If fishing is part of your camping activities, fishing gear should always be packed. In addition to bikes for yourself of the kids and kayaking or paddle boards. Child carriers and cots are great for camping when young ones are with you.
Well thats it! Its probably more than 23 Items but they are key essentials that we consider when we are planning our camping adventure or road trip adventure. Is there any others we have missed? Please let us know! ? If you like this post, check out our other popular Camping Posts;
Thank you to our Photo Contributors;
My Rig Adventures & Trekking Downunder
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