Ultimate Camping Kit List

This is always a popular discussion point amongst forums and bloggers, and so I thought I would post up my Ultimate Camping Kit List:

There's no such thing. The end.

Of course, I must explain myself: For one thing, everyone is different. Some people are tall and some are short. Some are fat and some are thin. Some are naturally cold and some warm. For these reasons alone I don't believe there are many- if any- one-size-suits-all solutions when it comes to equipment and clothing. And even if there was, the nature of industry is that products are always evolving, so what is the best today might be rubbish by tomorrow's standards.
Then there is usage to take into account; gear and clothing perfectly suited to campsite camping won't be much good for someone spending their nights sleeping on the side of a cliff.
And then of course there's budgets- unless money is no object you will no doubt be restricted along the way by the cost of products, prohibiting you from buying what you may consider to be the best, and preventing you from developing an informed decision on the suitability of a certain product.
And if that wasn't enough there's weather and seasons to take into account!

So there's no "Ultimate Camping Kit List", only the ultimate kit list for you personally. And to that end, very little point in dictating a list of items that may be in part or in whole unsuitable for any given person or their circumstances.

Currently I have five different set-ups depending on the type of outing planned. Some of these set-ups share items, while others have items specifically for that kit. These are:

Mine & The Wife's Multi-Night Campsite Kit: This is a big 3-man tent with living area, and pretty much contains everything but the kitchen sink. I can't even bring myself to go into detail because it blows my mind how many things the wife thinks we need to take.

Mine & The Wife's One Night Campsite Kit: A smaller 3-man tent for single-night camps when it just isn't worth taking the big tent. The kit list is much more limited with little more than the basics- sleeping bags, air beds, stove(s), etc. We tend to eat out on these short trips so cooking is more or less limited to breakfast.

My Solo Campsite Kit: This was born from Bob and I campsite-camping for my birthday, where we came to realise we could walk further if we weren't lugging huge packs round with us. During that trip it seemed daft being crammed into a small solo tent when weight was no longer an issue, hence I put together a new kit with a larger 2-man dome tent, air mat and folding stool. With water not being in short supply on a campsite, my Alpkit gas stove offers boil-in-the-bag convenience for a quick breakfast. A 25l rucksack is perfect for taking water/drinks, lunch, a jacket etc out for the day's walking.

My Wildcamp Kit: My original (and constantly evolving) kit, housed in a 65l rucksack. This is geared for 3-season camping, though for summer months may be a bit overkill. I use my spirit stove in this set-up, as its easier to cook up a proper meal and means I don't have to depend on water to make it (unlike dehydrated food or boil-in-the-bag).

My Ultralight Summer Wildcamp Kit: My sleeping bag always took up the majority of the main compartment in my 65l rucksack, but when I got a diminutive summer sleeping bag I realised this could change. My summer pack is based around a 45l rucksack, with an onus on the ultralight. Its still a work in progress- I intend to change my full length sleeping mat for a 3/4 and a new pillow is on the cards- as I aim to get the total pack weight, including food and water, down to under 7kg. This relies on finding a water source along the way, and incorporates dehydrated food.


I could endlessly list all the items in each of my kits, though as previously mentioned it would be a largely fruitless exercise as in this instance what's good for the goose isn't necessarily good for the gander, and can be very much dependent on where you intend to go and what you intend to do when you get there- as proven by the fact that I myself have five different set-ups.
Items from my ultralight set-up could well be used in a different kit, but in order to be ultralight sacrifices are usually made, either in comfort or space or usage options. Conversely the nice comfortable airbed or lovely capacious tent in my campsite kit is far too heavy to make it into my ultralight pack or even my standard wildcamp kit.

So there you go- no ultimate list. Anti-climactic I know, but better than me dishing out bad advice.