As a family we love camping, whether it’s a France road trip, our Africa overland adventures, or even in our back garden, and our days camping in our Mazda Bongo will also be some of our best family camping memories. We love being outdoors, roasting marshmallows over the campfire, and waking up to the sounds of nature around us. Plus camping it’s a great option for budget travel.
What I don’t like? The packing. There is always so much stuff to take and seemingly never enough boot space!
But over the years, I’ve honed it down to a fine art to minimise faffing. Organisation is key when it comes to packing for a family camping trip and a camping checklist is paramount!
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If you’re new to Bongo life or thinking of buying a Bongo, check out our BONGO BEGINNER TIPS
Gas and water
- Gas cylinder
- Electrical hook up cable
- Water hose
- 16A CEE 3-pin plug and socket
- 1.5 mm high quality flex
- Length 14m
- H05VVF PVC cable
Tents and awnings
If you’re staying somewhere for a couple of nights of more, it’s nice to have an awning to give you that little bit more space. We have one that came with our Bongo when we bought it off eBay, but I do love this OLPRO Cocoon Breeze that Tinbox Traveller uses.
Dining and lounging
- Kids camping chairs
- Adult camping chairs
- Roll up table – this is an absolute space saver and genius!
- Inflatable lounger – this is really good value and such a simple idea for a comfy lay down
- Picnic blanket – we love our OS Peak District Pacmat!
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- 🏝️[Inflatable Lounger for Kids]: air sofa can be easily folded and placed in a Matching Bag…
- 🏝️[At Home or Breeze]: use a fan to inflate or run fast for catching air.Closing the pocket and…
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Sleeping gear
In our Mazda Bongo, the boys sleep up in the AFT (Auto Free Top) and us parents sleep in the pull out rock and roll bed.
- Kids sleeping bags
- Adult sleeping bags
- Pillows
- Teddies
For cold weather camping, we love using our coverless duvet rather than winter sleeping bags; much cosier!
- COSY COMFORT – As seen on TV. A lightweight fibre filled Night Lark duvet, now available in 4.5 tog….
- COVERLESS – A re-imagination of the traditional duvet, Night Lark comes complete with its own super…
- CONVENIENCE – Just pop your Night Lark in the washing machine when ready to refresh, then quickly…
- 4.5 TOG – A lighter duvet for the warmer months. Complete your dreamy bedding set with our soft…
- SUSTAINABLE – Each duvet is filled with our innovative Smartfil microfibre technology to deliver the…
Cooking gear
Thankfully our Mazda Bongo comes with a sink, two hobs and a fridge, as well as an onboard water tank! So the cooking gear we need is:
- Slow cooker – even though we have the hobs, the slow cooker is used so much. Often we put a veggie bolognese in there first thing in the morning, put it on a low setting, and then dinner is waiting for us when we get back from our hike!
- Frying pan and saucepan
- Kettle (I love this collapsible one)
- Plates, bowls and cutlery (including spatula)
- Mugs and plastic cups
- Collapsible dish drainer
- Collapsible washing up bowl (I still pack this as it’s handy to use at campsites with facilities)
- Washing up liquid and scrubber
- Bottle opener and wine / beer
- Table cloth
- Picnic blanket
- Cooking oil, ketchup, salt and pepper, marshmallows, and any other food items
Electrical items
- Solar lights
- Head torch
- Bluetooth speaker
- Phones and chargers
Personal items
- Clothes
- Wellies
- Hiking boots – we’re always off hiking somewhere
- Wash kit
- Microfibre towels
- Folding hair brush
- Camping mirror
- Medical kit – including plasters, Calpol, Savlon, mossie repellent, sun cream, Tiger Balm.
Additional items
- Travel washing line
- Collapsible bucket – we always find some use for this
- Small dustpan and brush – for sweeping up the Bongo
- Day pack
- Firelighters, kindling and firewood – if campfires are allowed at your site it’s often cheaper to take these items with you.
- Matches
- Scooters/bikes for the kids
For the kids
Don’t try and take any more than the below – they have the great outdoors to explore!
- Card games
- Reading books
- LEGO
- Paper, pens, scissors, sellotape, glue (add in sticks, leaves and grass and they can craft away for a while!) – check out these outdoor craft activities
- Tablets and headphones
You may also like to read:
All about our Mazda Bongo 4×4 camper
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Road trip essentials with kids: what to pack on a family road trip
