What gear do we always pack for wild camping with kids?!

Wildcamp view over Loch lomond

After over a decade living out of a tent leading expeditions worldwide, raising a young family has become the latest but most rewarding adventure! With so little information available for adventurous families we thought we'd give it a go and create this blog to hopefully give some insight in to how we do things and hopefully inspire more families to be confident enough to get outdoors and experience the same 'once in a lifetime' experiences with their kids on a regular basis too for less than the cost a typical family of four holiday! A typical wild camping set up can cost £1000+ if you buy everything new...but most products from the top brands are built to last so scroll ebay, vinted and marketplace for second hand gear or use kit hire companies if you struggle for space and just want to 'give it a try'. Most of the gear we use is over 10 years old and still going strong with regular use.

Here's a deep dive in to what we always pack when wild camping with kids. We've split it down in to 5 key areas, the tent, storage, sleeping, cooking& nutrition and extra essentials, .

... But first the disclaimer -

Children have difficulty managing their body temperature, so it's crucial to keep them warm and regularly check their temperature both day and night. Wild camping should be limited to the summer months and should be close to your parking spot in case of emergencies. Always have a detailed weather forecast (check mwis) and ensure an emergency contact is informed of your route and schedule.

Now that's out of the way, here's the gear-

1. The tent

When picking a tent for wild camping in the UK there are a few important considerations:

Shape

Aim for a geodesic or semi geodesic tent - this ensures strength against the wind, it's always windier than you expect and a flapping tent doesn't do anyone's sleep any good!

Weight

The weight of the tent is important, most wild campers aim for as light as possible but for wild camping with kids you shouldn't be hiking too far from your vehicle so the weight shouldn't be as important as the integrity of the tent - kids damage tents easily so i'd choose durability over weight - or at least cheapest to patchup and repair! As long as the tent is compact enough to carry the short distance to your camp then i'd save £££'s going for a solid design rather than paying the premium for its lightweight rating.... plus most of the lightweight tents come with rubbish pegs and easily snappable poles. An overnight wild camping experience with kids shouldn't break the bank - most tent review blogs aim for multi day mountain expeditions, its overkill for a night with the kids.

Waterproof rating

The waterproof rating of the tent is essential for wild camping in the UK, even on those good forecast days because certain mountain regions have their own micro-climates which can cause a nasty surprise!, its always worth being extra cautious when looking at waterproof ratings for tents. Most decent waterproof tents are rated between 3,000 and 5,000 mm hydrostatic head, this is the amount of water pressure that the tent fabric can handle before it leaks, whilst 1000-2000mm HH should be okay for camping on a campsite most of the time, once you add potential wind gusts and heavy rain showers that can appear from nowhere, you'll be grateful for the upgrade - the higher the number the better. There's nothing more demoralising than a being kept awake all night with the side of the tent slapping you in the face whilst a puddle of water pools around the bottom of your sleeping bag!

Porch

Pick a tent with a decent porch area - great for sheltered cooking, storing muddy boots and midnight pee's (if you dont use a waterbottle or brave the dark)

2. Storage

Storage wise we'd recommend a 65 Litre plus size rucksack for adults and a small 6 Litre Littlelife alpine 4 rucksack for kids (age 4-5) due to its great shoulder side, side pockets for easy access to drinks bottles and a front pocket for snacks.

When picking an adult rucksack aim for width inside - some come with large side pockets which means you cant fit your sleeping bag into the main compartment horizontally - ditch the side pockets for more room inside so you can lay your sleeping bag or tent horizontally to save space.

Once everything is inside the bag, pack it with the last to be used gear at the bottom (sleeping bag usually) then the most common gear near the top (water bottles) this also helps with weight distribution so that all the weight isn't on the hips.

To keep everything waterproofed we keep everything organised in bright colour coded EXPED waterproof stuff sacks - water bottles leak all the time - or at least kids with water bottles leak all the time! Top tip: inside the clothing bag place another carrier bag to separate dirty clothes from the clean ones - this saves sniff testing once you get home!

3. Sleeping

Sleeping Mats

When it comes to sleeping, sleeping mats are just as important as sleeping bags. We use

EXPED inflating bag

EXPED synmat inflatable mats because they are ridiculously comfy, pack down small and are lightweight...they also come with a bag that inflates to blow up the mat at a rapid speed! this avoids getting moisture inside from inflating by mouth or having to carry the extra weight of a pump device like a flextail- an influencer favourite!

The downside for inflatable mats is that they can pop or slowly deflate when wet - for kids i'd opt for a simple roll up roll mat or the creme de la creme would be a therma-rest Z Lite, its folds away nicely, is bomb proof and reasonably warm and comfy!

Sleeping bags

We always go over the top for warmth when it comes to sleeping bags, we've been caught out too many times professionally to risk taking the chance wild camping with children. We always choose a minimum of 3 season sleeping bags - at least then they can used unzipped as a blanket in warm weather.

For adults i recommend down-filled bags due to the lightweight, warmth and compressibility however they are a lot pricier so cheaper the better for first timers!. synthetic bags are usually best for children as these bags perform better when damp and are easier to wash when stained. Synthetic material also feels softer against skin when sleeping and the smaller child sized synthetic bags pack down a lot smaller than adult sized synthetic bags.

There are other possible set ups that we are looking in to; Deuter have made a double sized bag, the deuter orbit SQ -5'c double synthetic bag which offers space for 2 people to share the same bag or can be used with a child sleeping bag or extra liner inside it. The benefits of this set up is that you can continuously monitor a child's temperature throughout the night and it gives some piece of mind that they aren't wandering around outside the tent.

4. Cooking & nutrition

Stoves

Cooking and nutrition options are endless and come down to personal preference - for us the Alpkit Brukit is the option we go for every time, its cheap, fast to boil and strong as an ox. we've used the same stove all over the world for over a decade and it still hasn't taken a dint or failed a spark.

The alpkit brukit can perfectly store a 100g or 230g isobutane gas canisters inside for easy transport whereas as similar brands arent big enough. look for the EN417 mark on gas canisters to ensure the thread is compatible with the Brukit.

Food

For food we use freeze dried meals - you can create your own with an air fryer and a lot of faff or spend £7-9 per meal from the likes of Firepot or Huel, just make sure you buy a LHFOON (dyor) to be able to spoon out the bottom of the packets without getting messy fingers!

For the little 'uns we've tried freeze dried packs, wayfarers packs and military ration packs but they just wont eat them (yet) so we have to admit defeat here and opt for packing a pot of super noodles ...at least then they're guaranteed to eat a hot meal before bed - and at a fraction of the price!

Snack wise - totally person specific so i cant make any recommendations!

5. Extra essentials

This blog could go on forever and the wine's running out so i'll skim over some of the extras that we always carry:

• pee bottles - to save leaving the porch area of the tent during the night (especially young kids)

  
  

• a poo bag - it rarely gets used but a little ziplock bag with a mini folding shovel, toilet roll, hand sanitiser and a lighter is great for digging those emergency poop holes and then burning and burying the paper afterwards to keep the countryside tidy!

  
  

• appropriate clothing (warm layers, boots and waterproofs) but that's a whole separate post in itself!

  
  

• sunglasses - the UV levels are stronger and you'll be outdoors for longer - they also help against wind in the eyes.

  
  

• Basic First Aid kit - waterproof plasters, cleansing wipes, micropore tape & basic dressings, gauze swabs, Calpol, burns gel ( you wont have access to running water), antihistamines and a small packet of Haribo - emergency sugar. Bonus points for including a tick removal tool and tweezers!

There it is -our full kit list, battle-tested over years of expeditions and now road-tested by toddlers! Remember, the goal isn't to buy a perfect setup; it's to get out the door and start making memories as soon as possible. Don't let gear anxiety be the barrier to those 'once-in-a-lifetime' family moments. Grab your best second-hand tent, pack those Super Noodles, and start exploring!. We promise, sharing a sunrise with your loved ones, the sound of silence and a sleeping child in a tent is worth all the planning, stress and any upfront costs! Its time to create their lifetime of adventure! Please message us for further advice on gear, family friendly locations or any suggestions of your own (we're still learning too! ) Thanks! :)

1.