Do you go camping and if so what’s your must-have luxury?

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As a child camping was just not something we did and the first time I went camping as an 18-year-old I really had no idea what I was doing, I had the most basic tent, sleeping bag and foam mat and that was it as far as equipment went. Since then I’ve done it a lot, backpacking while travelling, using it as a cheap accommodation option for other activities and now regularly camping as a family. I have a permanent list of things to pack that I refer to each time. Of course it includes the usual necessities like sleeping bags but also a couple of other things that people usually laugh at me for, but as far as I’m concerned they make camping pleasant and fun and not an experience that makes me go ‘I’m not doing this again!’ So what are they? Well the thing I dislike about camping is the amount of dirt that gets into the tent, especially when the weather’s wet: mud/dust, grass clippings (campsites are perpetually mowing the grass), sand if you are anywhere near a beach, crumbs, and all the everyday fluff and hair that accumulates in any living space. And of course in a tent you end up with a lot of your stuff on the floor and then that gets dirty too. And the worst thing is that if it doesn’t get cleared out, the next time you go camping you put the tent up and it comes pre-filled with dirt from the last trip – Yuk! So my two favourite items are a rubber doormat to put outside so you don’t get a mud puddle just outside the door and you can stand on it to put shoes on and off, and a dustpan and brush to clear up all the bits. What ‘odd’ items do you recommend for camping? All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur 2017.