We’ve looked at what you should take out with you on day trips but now you’re getting serious and need a wild camping kit list. Gone are the days when you get back to the B&B as it’s getting dark, now you’re in it for proper adventure. You may want to add a couple of personal things but below is a kit list of stuff that I’ve use for wild camping for years, if I trust it up in the mountains, after 30-odd years of wild camping, you’re pretty safe having something that’s here.
Everything I take wild camping (and why)
Now we’re going to get serious and look at the gear you’ll need with you to survive the night on a wild camping expedition, sleeping half-way up Snowdon, at Stickle Tarn in Langdale or at Murder Hole near Loch Neldricken. When I’m heading out into the wild with my tent or a bivvy, I use one of these lists. Then I can check that each item is in my bag. If it is, I know 100% that I am not going without. I NEVER think, lying under my shelter, ‘Sh!t I forgot to bring…X!’. It just doesn’t happen.
So here it is, everything that I’ll be taking up to Langdale next week.
My ‘standard’ Wild Camping gear
Before you go scrolling through any kit list, you should understand why us obsessives structure them the way we do, and why you should adopt the same thing. I, at least, categorise everything so when I think about reducing the weight of my kit, I can look at how much each category weighs, as well as the whole. You’ll find over time that it’s very helpful.
But for this standard list, it’s more helpful because you think of groups of kit and how you can improve each system.
I split my list into five categories – Pack items, cooking, water, shelter and sleeping.
- Pack items – I include the pack itself and things that are usually in my front pouch or odd bits just thrown in somewhere.
- Cooking – includes my stove, fuel, the pot, utensils, a lighter and a towel.
- Water – includes my filter (or purification mechanism), bottle, collection pouch.
- Shelter – includes my tent or tarp, pegs, groundsheet or bug net.
- Sleeping – obviously includes the sleeping bag or quilt, mattress, pump, pillow.
I’m off to the Langdales next week, just for a night, and the following will be coming with me on my back. I’ll go through every item below individually, why I use it and alternatives that you may want to consider.
Product links here will take you to something I actually own, use and trust — not stuff sent to me free or paid to plug. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases so if you buy anything on Amazon (or another site) after clicking through and I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you — you pay the same price, they just share a slice of what they’d have made.
Pack Items
- Ruck sack – Osprey Kestrel 48L
- Compass – Silva Expedition 4-360
- Map – Ordnance Survey Explorer (Active – waterproof)
- Head torch – Petzl Active Core
- First aid kit – Lifesystems Mini Waterproof
- Sh!t bag – Including Coghlans Trowel, DCF bag, pack of tissues and sanitiser
Ruck Sack
Osprey in my opinion make the most comfortable ruck-sack hands down. I choose the Kestrel 48L because the pockets are perfect and the size covers any of my camps, whatever I take, even in winter. If you have bulky gear you want to look at the 68L (but that’s really big).
It weighs 1600 grams but because it’s so comfortable that weight is more evenly distributed around.
Compass
The Silva Expedition is the best compass out there for your money but make sure you get the 360 (in degrees) instead of the military one (in millimetres), unless you’ve learned navigation using one of them.
Map
For the best detail, Ordnance Survey Explorer maps are the best in my opinion, and there’s a waterproof version.
I cut my maps up to more than cover the area I need when I’m out. I’d recommend you carry the full map, although, you could ditch the cover.
Head torch
Head lights are essential. It may sound like an overkill to take a head torch, spare battery AND a spare light but you never know when you’ll get caught out with technology so it’s a must. The E+Lite is only 26g so it stays in my first aid kit all the time, it’s always there and I’ll use it in the tent at night.
First aid kit
Carry one for years, not needing it, then one day…
I’ve helped quite a few people off mountains. I’ve patched kids’ fingers when they’ve fell, splinted a broken finger. Nothing too serious but it was nice being the only person around with a first aid kit.
After carrying a Mountain first aid kit for years and the bag being very tatty, I got one of these recently to reduce the weight and keep everything dry.
Sh!t bag
What else to call it? Not only should you carry a trowel but toilet roll and sanitiser.
The metal Chinese things you see on Amazon cut your hands open when they’re wet and cold, a mate of mine wasted £18 on one of those. I used a Sea To Summit one for a few years, it was strong but too blunt really. Ground isn’t always Peak District soft. Borrowdale fells will test your trowel! The best I’ve found is the orange Coghlans.
Kestrel anemometer (wind meter)
I love my Kestrel, waited a year before I could justify getting one but up in the mountains it’s just so good to have one with me.
There are many models that do all sorts of things. The 2000 is what you want – temperature, wind speed, maximum gusts, photos for instagram (or your wild camping focussed website).
Am I freezing because I’ve not eaten? Oh no, it’s -15 degrees in this cave, it’s normal to be a bit chilly.
Cooking
- Stove – Jetboil Zip
- Utensils – Spork or titanium spork
- Towel – Microfibre Towel
Stove
To be transparent, most of the time I use a feather light stove setup that I got from a guy who made them years ago but he died.
That stove setup has took a beating over the years so I’ll probably buy a Jetboil Zip. I’ve had a couple of Jetboils but they got damaged years ago (a mate melted one at Three Tarns in winter when his wasn’t working properly). Although it weighs a bit more than my current setup, it’s just quicker. It’s also easy to set up, no shield required, safer to use, put it all in one container.
555g setup weight includes 200g gas canister and 31g stand.
Spork
Forgetting a spoon when you go wild camping is the most disappointing thing any human can do, almost. Think about how you’d eat. I took my stove out on a day walk with some noodles and forgot my spork, had to fashion a branch into a two pronged fork, awful.
Plastic ones can snap. Long ones get into food bags better. Folding? Hmm, I just think bacteria.
Weighing only 8g, a plastic spork is just an awesome bit of kit, I have some for sale here. Or try a 16g long titanium effort.
Towel
You have tissues in your sh!t bag of course but a towel actually feels nice to use when you’re cooking. If you spill water, it’s easier to clean up with a towel and it’ll dry off.
I carry a very small towel that fits into the cook system. I’ll often use it after breakfast for cleaning my hands and face in the morning, knowing it’ll go in the wash when I get home.
Water Purification
- Water filter – Sawyer Squeeze Water Filter includes pouches for carrying water
water filter
I’ve tried a number of filters after deciding that a UV pen or purification tablets were not the answer (see my Water Purification blog).
The Sawyer water filter is best I’ve found (and I check every year). I opt for the big one, it’s quicker, comes with pouches and a syringe for back-flushing (cleaning) it.
Because I have two pouches with me, I don’t carry a water bottle, just fill the pouch, screw on the filter and drink from it.
Shelter
- Tent – Vango Banshee 200
- Tent pegs – OookWorks Aluminium
The Tent
I’ve harped on about the Vango Banshee 200 for years now, with good reason.
I won’t take it with me on a long expedition, it’s 2.4kg, but for camp sites it’s just great and if you’re starting wild camping you don’t want to be spending £400 or £600 on a tent and then not go again.
This tent is included in my Best Wild Camping Tents blog and has it’s own review so let’s not fill the page with any more praise.
Tent pegs
The stakes you get with the Banshee, and most other ‘budget’ tents are crap shepherd hook style. They bend very easily.
My stakes are not guaranteed indestructible but I had them made in a Y-shape that holds together much better so they’re less likely to bend.
Use a Peg Pusher with them (instead of your shoe) and you’ll not only focus the force in the right direction, you’ll save your wet cold hands from being ripped open like I did on a Groundhog years ago.
Sleeping
- Sleeping bag – Read: Best sleeping bag for wild camping blog
- Mattress – Therm-a-Rest XTherm
- Pillow – Sea To Summit Aeros
Sleeping bag
Which sleeping bag you get is an important decision to make. A good one will set you back at least £200 and it’s hard to sell when you decide it’s not the one for you.
I wrote a blog to help you make that decision and include a few options to suit your budget so read that instead of clicking on a buy now button here.
Mattress
I wrote another blog on the best mattress to buy for wild camping as well.
Guess from the image what I use but there are a couple of others I can recommend (because I’ve used them) if your spouse will find out how much you’ve spent
Pillow
Something you lay your head on after a gruelling 19km hike around Coledale might be something, like boots, that will be personal to you but, after trying many, I can wholeheartedly recommend the Sea To Summit Aeros pillow.
When packed down, it would fit inside my cup at home and its weight is just shy of 100g. Bit of luxury but it’s very comfortable.
Putting it all together
This pack gives you a base weight (without food and water) of just over 7kg for about £1100 all in. With food and picking up water as you go, that would come in under 7.5kg. That’s a pretty good weight I would have killed for doing my Extended Coledale Round!
PACK ITEMS
- Ruck sack – Osprey Kestrel 48L
- Compass – Silva Expedition 4-360
- Map – Ordnance Survey Explorer (Active – waterproof)
- Head torch – Petzl Active Core
- First aid kit – Lifesystems Mini Waterproof
- Sh!t bag – Including Coghlans Trowel, DCF bag, pack of tissues and sanitiser
COOKING
- Stove – Jetboil Zip
- Utensils – Spork or titanium spork
- Towel – Microfibre Towel
WATER
- Water filter – Sawyer Squeeze Water Filter includes pouches for carrying water
SHELTER
- Tent – Vango Banshee 200
- Tent pegs – OookWorks Aluminium
SLEEPING
- Sleeping bag – Read: Best sleeping bag for wild camping blog
- Mattress – Therm-a-Rest XTherm
- Pillow – Sea To Summit Aeros
Conclusion
The items above are all things I’ve used, own or will replace my current kit items with when they die, and can highly recommend. Although the links are mostly affiliate links, I’m not recommending them because of that.
When I take a client out
The kit above is pretty much what I recommend to clients when they’re coming out on a Wild Camping Workshop or expedition. They either want to buy their own gear or try what I recommend before they invest.
One thing I would say is, don’t think that getting a lighter ruck sack is a priority. Don’t make the mistake of getting a pack that weighs 500g less when your kit inside it is still 6kg or so, the lighter bag will probably be less comfortable to wear when its contents exceed its limit. I sold an Osprey Kestrel 48L to reduce weight and the new bag pulled on me in awkward places because the stuff inside it was still too heavy.
Look at the categories and the weight of each item, start with your shelter, sleeping bag and mattress in that order, then find a good stove setup that works for you (this can be quite a personal preference thing). The other bits are just bits, don’t dwell on them.
Keep your list on a piece of paper, a list of what you take on each camp, don’t leave things off it. Then work out if you used them or not, do you really need to take them? Obviously, the first aid kit and the trowel might not be used one time but you still take them because you will need them at some point.
If you have any questions about kit or wild camping in general, I’d genuinely like to hear from you, just send a message from the contact page.
READ NEXT
An Extended Coledale Horseshoe from Braithwaite
Twelve Wainwrights, a wild camp on Crag Hill, and the round I keep looking over at from the top of Skiddaw.
YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN
How to stay warm at night camping
Bivvying out on a Binsey winter’s night only works because of a routine built over years of freezing summits — here’s what actually keeps me warm.