Welcome to Dave’s Camping Corner, where the advice is practical and the duck’s packing skills are questionable.

Getting ready for a caravan holiday? This caravan packing checklist covers the everyday essentials for setting up your pitch, feeding the family and enjoying the weekend—without bringing half the house.

Dave has packed three hats, a rubber duck and absolutely no tea bags. Let’s do better.

The pitch setup essentials

Check what your caravan and booked pitch need before packing:

• Campsite booking details and arrival instructions.
• Caravan keys and keys for any security locks.
• Suitable electric hook-up cable, if using a powered pitch.
• Fresh-water container, the correct pump or connection, and a waste-water container.
• Levelling equipment, wheel chocks and steady winder.
• Toilet supplies suitable for your caravan’s system.
• Torch or head torch for arriving after dark.

Keep the items you’ll need first easy to reach. You don’t want to unpack everyone’s bedding just to find the steady winder.

Dave’s tip: “Arriving in daylight is lovely. Arriving in darkness with a torch you can’t find is character building.”

Kitchen kit—and the first cuppa

Plan a few meals before you leave, then pack what you actually need to make them.

• Mugs, plates, bowls and cutlery.
• Saucepans, frying pan and cooking utensils.
• Chopping board, kitchen knife and tin opener.
• Kettle, tea, coffee and the all-important biscuits.
• Washing-up liquid, sponge, tea towels and bin bags.
• Food containers for leftovers.
• Your first evening’s meal and breakfast supplies.

Put the tea-making essentials together so you can find them once you’re set up. Check the fridge and cupboards before buying duplicates.

Dave’s tip: “Six tins of beans and no tin opener. Technically food. Emotionally devastating.”

Bedding, clothes and bathroom basics

Pack for the forecast, with a spare layer for chilly evenings.

• Duvets or sleeping bags, pillows and sheets.
• Towels, toiletries and toilet roll.
• Waterproof coat and suitable footwear.
• Warm jumper and spare socks.
• Shower shoes if using campsite facilities.
• Any medicines you normally need.
• A bag for wet or muddy clothes.

Give each person their own packing list. “I thought you packed it” has never produced a missing toothbrush.

The comfortable campsite extras

Once the essentials are covered, choose the extras you’ll genuinely use:

• Camping chairs and an outdoor table.
• Awning or canopy, with its complete setup kit.
• Pegs and mallet where needed.
• Outdoor mat.
• Phone chargers and a power bank.
• Books, cards or a favourite board game.
• Dog lead, bowls, food and towels if your dog is coming.

Check what’s already stored in the caravan. Taking three mallets won’t make the awning go up three times faster.

Dave’s tip: “The camping chair is essential equipment. Someone has to sit down and supervise.”

Pack a 'first-hour' box

Put together one clearly labelled box containing the things you’ll want as soon as you arrive:

• Tea, coffee and snacks.
• Mugs and a tea towel.
• Toilet roll and hand soap.
• A torch.
• Phone charging cable.
• Your campsite details.

Keep setup equipment accessible separately. The idea is to spend less time rummaging and more time enjoying the pitch.

Make the checklist better after every trip

Keep three short lists on your phone:

• Things we forgot.
• Things we ran out of.
• Things we brought but never used.

Update them while the trip is still fresh in your mind. Over time, you’ll have a packing checklist that suits your caravan, your family and the way you like to travel.

This is a packing guide rather than a towing or departure checklist. Follow your caravan and tow vehicle instructions for loading limits, safe weight distribution and checks before travelling.

Dave’s final thought

“You can forget a board game. You can survive without the fancy outdoor rug. But forget the biscuits and you’re holding a family meeting.”

We have forgotten multiple things on multiple occasions, but the one thing that caused us the biggest issue was forgetting the grey waste container and not having a long enough grey waste pipe to reach the drain. This then resulted in over an hours round trip to a hardware shop to buy a 3m length of PVC pipe... 

What’s the one thing you always forget?

Tell us on the Caravan Competitions Facebook page—we’d love to hear your funniest campsite packing mishaps.

Looking for something for your next adventure? Browse our latest competitions to see which prizes are currently up for grabs.

Stephen & Jennifer
Caravan Competitions