Top 11 Long Term Camping Essentials- [ Best Camping Essentials ] (2024)

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Long Term Camping Essentials

Camping is a great outdoor activity to bond with friends and family. It is even a great way to bond with yourself, get in touch with nature and your true yourself. Relaxing your mind and body is a sure way to increasing productivity and your overall peace of mind. In this review, we are going to look at the long term camping essentials you need for a comfortable camping experience. Sometimes, we need to take a long break from everything and just sit and enjoy nature and the calmness it brings.

Camping is usually fun, as a matter of fact, we highly recommend it. The difference between a great camping experience and a really horrible experience is what you packed or what you did not. We want you to have a splendid experience, so we are going to give you a list of long term camping essentials to help you have a relaxing time no matter the time period.

Long Term Camping Essentials Guide

You have decided to go on a long term camping trip, you will need a couple of essentials for a great time.

#1) Shelter

I know it seems rather obvious but trust me, some people forget to pack up their tents if their shelter is not their cars. You absolutely need to make sure you packed your tent. If you are a beginner, you probably do not own a tent. There are different choices you can make depending on what you want.

A survival tent– There is probably a tent for every situation you find yourself in. For example, there are cold-weather tents that are designed to keep you warm in the cold weather. Technology is integrated into these tents making them quite expensive.

4 seasons tents- As the name suggests, these tents are built to take you through the four seasons of the weather. They are waterproof for a rainy spring, insulated for fall or even winter, and a removable rain fly for the hot summer weather. These tents are great for long term camping.

Others include dome tents, backpacking tents and if you are a camping minimalist, you can get a tactical bivvy. Although not recommended as a long term camping essential, tactical bivvies can be life-saving in emergency situations.

There are also canvas tents which are not so common but are slowly catching on.

Some of the best tents for camping include:

PRODUCT	IMAGE	PRICE
OT QOMOTOP Tents, 4/6/8/10 Person 60 Seconds Set Up Camping Tent		Check Price
Coleman Cabin Tent with Instant Setup		Check Price
DANCHEL OUTDOOR Cotton Canvas Yurt Tent with 2 Stove Jacks		Check Price
HIKERGARDEN Camping Tents – 6 Person Tent for Camping Waterproof, Windproof Fabric, Cabin Tent		Best Price

Related:Best Tents for Long Term Camping

#2) Sleeping bag

Now you already have a tent, the next thing to tick off your long term camping essentials list is a sleeping bag. Unless you fancy an uncomfortable sleeping situation, you need a sleeping bag. They provide warmth at night and if it happens to be too hot at night you can just sleep on top of it.

Investing in a great sleeping bag is a decision you will not regret.

Some of the best include:

PRODUCT	IMAGE	PRICE
Sleepingo Double Sleeping Bag for Backpacking		Check Price
Kelty Sleeping-Bags Cosmic 20		Check Price
REDCAMP Cotton Flannel Sleeping Bags for Camping		Check Price
tuphen- Sleeping Bags for Adults Kids Boys Girls Backpacking Hiking Camping		Check Price

#3) Water

Water is among the top 5 long term camping essentials. Depending on the camping site you pick, you will need to store some water for yourself. Some camping sites offer public water pumps but what do you do when you are camping near a lake or a creek? Drinking lake water is not very advisable due to bacteria that might be in the water. You might get sick. If you are long term camping, you will need to get large water containers for water storage. You will need this water to drink, cook, and clean.

Stackable bricks are recommended for they occupy less space and are easily portable. Have enough water to last you as long as your camping trip duration.

PRODUCT	IMAGE	PRICE
REDCAMP Gallon Portable Water Container		Check Price
WaterBrick 1833-0001 Stackable Emergency Water		Check Price
Rubbermaid Roughneck️ Storage		Check Price
Personal Water Filter for Hiking, Camping		Check Price

#4) First Aid Kit

You will probably get small cuts, or blisters after a hike while camping. Even though they are not life-threatening, you still need to treat them to prevent a serious infection. Get a first aid kit with essentials like antiseptic, bandages, gauze, emergency whistle, scissors, and adhesive. You can also add on some over-the-counter medication, bug repellents, and sunscreen, lots of sunscreen.

You can get one of these medical kits depending on the number of days you will spend camping and how many you are.

PRODUCT	IMAGE	PRICE
Surviveware Small First Aid Kit with Labelled Compartments		Check Price
EVERLIT 250 Pieces Survival First Aid Kit		Check Price
Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Hiker First Aid Kit		Check Price
First Aid Kit – 160 Piece – for Car, Travel, Camping, Home, Office, Sports, Survival		Check Price

#5) Knife

You need a high-quality knife for camping. I can guarantee you, you will need it. A knife will help you slice things like fish or sausages, cut a rope, sharpen a stick, open a package, or any other activity that needs a sharp tool.

There are very many camping knives but the best ones include:

PRODUCT	IMAGE	PRICE
Schrade SCHF9 12.1in High Carbon Steel Fixed Blade Knife		Check Price
Sandvik Stainless Steel Blade		Check Price
Morakniv Companion Fixed Blade		Check Price
RoverTac Pocket Knife Multitool Folding Knife For Camping Fishing Hiking Outdoor		Check Price

#6) Fire Starter

A warm campfire is one of the things that make camping an exciting experience. This means you will need tools to get a quick fire started. Even though you can start a fire with sticks only, it might take the whole night. You can carry a cigarette lighter, a magnesium fire starter, or waterproof matches. You also need to carry a little kindling something like newspaper strips in a container that is waterproof. This is especially useful when you want t start a fire quickly and you have no time to go out and find dry kindling.

There are fire starters specifically designed for this.

They include:

PRODUCT	IMAGE	PRICE
AOFAR Fire Starter AF-381 Fire Steel 5-in-1 for Camping		Check Price
bayite 4 Inch Survival Ferrocerium Drilled Flint Fire Starter Ferro Rod Kit		Check Price
Swiss Safe 5-in-1 Fire Starter with Compass, Paracord and Whistle		Check Price
Fire-Fast Trekker. Best Emergency Waterproof Survival Fire Starter		Check Price

#7) Clothing

Clothing is on our long term camping essentials list for various reasons. You need to go camping with weather-appropriate gear or else the experience will be very uncomfortable. You need to ensure they are dry at all times. Damp clothes are not only heavy but are a risk to our health. Lightweight, breathable clothes, waterproof clothes are ideal as they’ll prevent overheating in humid weather and will prevent wetness in rainy weather.

#8) Headlamp/ Flahlight/ Lantern

Campfires are great but they are not bright enough at night for your lighting needs. If you need to use the latrine or get something from the tent, you will need light. You can battery powered or solar powered headlamps. If you are camping for an extended period of time, a battery-powered one is ideal. Just don’t forget to carry extra batteries.

The best on the market are:

PRODUCT	IMAGE	PRICE
Internova 1000 LED Camping Lantern		Check Price
Camping Lantern Rechargeable , Alpswolf Camping Flashlight		Check Price
Vont 2 Pack LED Camping Lantern, Super Bright Portable Survival Lanterns		Check Price
Eveready 360 LED Camping Lantern		Check Price

#9) Camping utensils and stove

Long-term camping means you will need to cook and eat and because a campfire is not guaranteed, you need to carry a camping stove and utensils. There are different options for a portable stove. The difference is majorly on what powers them, portable electric stoves are powered by electricity. This is a great option for modern camping sites with electricity though it is not very versatile. There are also portable gas stoves that are powered by gas and the last ones are the woodburning backpacking stoves that use wood.

For utensils, make sure you carry some cups, spoons, forks, and bowls. Don’t forget to pack a telescopic fork if you want to cook marshmallows or hot dogs over the campfire.

PRODUCT	IMAGE	PRICE
Camping Dual-Purpose Use Stove Heater Iron		Check Price
Outdoor Mini Firewood Stove Camping Square Wood Stove		Check Price
Backpacking Portable Wood Burning Stoves		Check Price
Portable Windproof Survival Gas Furnace Stove		Check Price
Portable Stainless Steel Folding Wood Stove		Check Price

#10) Toiletries

Some outdoor enthusiasts might feel toilet paper is unnecessary to pack but it is very useful. Leaves and bark are not very comfortable to use, not forgetting unhygienic. Using them for a long period of time will make you feel crappy as they might chap your backside. We recommend biodegradable tissue paper to protect the environment as we enjoy it.

You can also carry a toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, and soap if you like feeling clean even while camping.

#11) Cooler

A cooler keeps food fresh for at least three days while also protecting it from outdoor elements like animals. It also keeps things like beers cold which is ideal if you are camping in hot weather. It is in the long term camping essentials list for the fact that, if you are camping for a long time you need to preserve the food you have to avoid food poisoning and other illnesses.

Other long term camping essentials include:

Airtight containers- For storing food once cooked

Camping chairs- You can sit outside and enjoy the sunset

Survival tool kit– Things like a compass, signal rescue mirror, paracord, shovel

Other non-essentials that you may want to carry are:

Books- Just in case you want to read

Campsite sandals- to let your feet breath

Camping Tips

Here are a few camping tips for you.

Food

The food you want to eat and how much cooking you want to do on your camping trip will give you an idea of what kind of food to shop for. Some campers prefer whopping up a meal at the campsite while others like packing already prepared food. But if you are long term camping, you will probably cook more so you can meal prep before the trip to make it easy and fun to cook at the campsite.

Garbage

Keeping the campsite clean and litter-free ensures rodents and birds are kept at bay. You really don’t want rodents or birds swarming your campsite to try and get a meal. Whenever you van, separate the recyclables. Also, ensure your food is kept safe when you leave the site to do other activities

Stay organized

Staying organized is great, in case of emergencies or you need to leave the site in a hurry, you can easily grab your stuff and go. Keeping your camping gear in clear plastic bins with lids will help you with this. They make transportation easy and you can take inventory at a glance.

Conclusion

Camping is a fun activity but what makes it fun is adequate preparation especially for beginners. We have covered long term camping essentials but you can also add more depending on your needs and what is unique to your camping site. You can also adjust the quantities of the essentials depending on how many you are.

Happy camping!

See Also: Best Survival Kits for Camping

7 Best Survival Kits for Hiking /Camping