Getting up close and personal with nature is a great way to relieve stress and improve your overall well being, which is why camping is so great. If you are planning a family camping trip, you might be looking for campsites with electrical hookups and shower blocks so you still have some of your normal creature comforts. However, if you want a truly traditional camping experience, you should consider wild camping. You can get out into nature and leave all of your modern home comforts behind, which makes for a great experience. However, wild camping can be tough, especially for beginners, which is why you need to make sure that you have all of the right equipment. These are the essential pieces of gear that you need for your first wild camping trip. 

A Tent 

Obviously, you need a tent but choosing the right tent for wild camping is different from site camping. When you are driving straight to a site, you don’t need to worry about weight as much so you can go for a big tent. But when you are wild camping, you need to find a durable tent that is also very lightweight. Always follow the size guidance, so if you are going alone, take a one man tent. You should expect to pay a bit more for your tent because the lightweight, durable fabrics are more expensive. 

A Sleeping Bag 

You also need to consider weight when you are buying a sleeping bag as well. There are plenty of thick sleeping bags that will keep you warm, but they will also be very heavy to carry. It’s best to look for synthetic fill sleeping bags because they are lighter but they will still keep you very warm. A small self inflating mattress or even a foam pad will give you an added layer of comfort as well. 

A Knife 

A knife is one of the most important tools that you need to take with you when you go wild camping. It’s a very versatile tool that will help you split wood for fires, prepare food, start fires, and cut new tent posts. You can get some great quality knives from sites companies like urban survival kit that are perfect for camping. If you plan to go wild camping a lot, you should invest in a good quality knife because you will get a lot of use out of it. 

A Cooking Stove 

You need a way to prepare hot food while you are camping, so it’s a good idea to take a camping stove. However, you don’t want to take a huge stove that is heavy to carry. The good news is, you can get some great lightweight camping stoves that pack down into a small bag. If you take one of these, a small mess tin and some camp food pouches, you’ll be all set. 

Wild camping can be a truly amazing experience but only if you are prepared, so make sure that you have all of the essentials on this list before you set off.