Camping with kids works best when you plan around them rather than expecting them to fit around the camping. Keep them warm at night, fed regularly and busy during the day, and a family trip runs far more smoothly. Get any of those wrong and you’ll hear about it.
Here’s how to pack for it, keep everyone comfortable and safe, and actually enjoy the weekend.
What do you need for camping with kids?
On top of the usual camping kit, children need a warm and comfortable bed, plenty of layers, easy snacks and a few things to keep them occupied. The gear itself doesn’t change much. It’s the amount of spare clothing and the entertainment that make the difference.
The family-specific kit worth adding to your normal packing list:
- A warm sleeping bag and a good mat for each child
- Spare clothes, and then more spare clothes
- A potty or a step stool for younger ones
- Wet wipes, by the pack
- A head torch each, so nobody minds the dark
- Easy snacks and a refillable water bottle each
- Cards, games and something for the drive
Choosing a family tent and sleep setup
A family needs room to sleep and room to sit out a rainy afternoon, so a bigger tent earns its space. A family or dome tent with a separate sleeping area and a bit of standing room makes a wet day far more bearable than a cramped pop-up. Mark it with something bright so children can find their way back to it around a busy site.
Give each child a sleeping bag rated a little warmer than you think they’ll need, with a camping mat underneath. Children feel the cold from the ground faster than adults, so the mat matters as much as the bag.
How do you keep children warm at night?
Children lose heat faster than adults, so a cold night is the most common reason a family trip goes wrong. The answer is layers and insulation from the ground, not just a thicker sleeping bag. Dress them in dry base layers and a hat for sleeping, put a mat or airbed under every bag, and keep a spare blanket in the tent.
Changing children into fresh, dry clothes just for sleeping makes a surprising difference, and a warm drink before bed helps them settle.
How do you keep kids entertained while camping?
Bored children are the quickest way to end a trip early, so pack a mix of activities for different moods and weather. Camping also lets them loose in a way home rarely does, so lean into the outdoors and give them a bit of freedom. Small jobs around the camp, a torch each from our camping lights range for after dark, and a few games for the tent when it rains will cover most of the weekend.
- A nature scavenger hunt around the site
- Torch tag or a bug hunt after dark
- Card games and travel board games for rainy spells
- Toasting marshmallows over the stove or fire pit
- Giving each child a camp job, like fetching water
- Glow sticks, which double as tent nightlights
Planning a first family camping trip
If it’s your family’s first time, start small. A night in the back garden or a weekend at a nearby site takes the pressure off and lets you find out what you’ve forgotten without being hours from home. Choose a campsite with good facilities and space to run around, and keep the first trip short.
Pack a camping chair for every member of the family, adults included, because everyone needs somewhere to sit at the end of a long day. During the school summer holidays, a couple of easy nights close to home often beats an ambitious week away.
Family kit without the family-sized bill
Kitting out a family costs more than kitting out one person, so a fair price matters more, not less. Summit has supplied the UK’s camping retailers since 2002, more than twenty years, and now sells direct to families too, which is how we keep tents, bags and chairs affordable when you’re buying several at once.
None of that means going for the cheapest option, though. We pick gear that stands up to being dragged across a field, dropped, and packed away damp by over-excited children, and still comes out for the next trip. That’s what a family actually needs from its kit.
Get the family kitted out before your next trip and spend the weekend enjoying it rather than improvising. Browse the full camping range for tents, sleeping bags and everything in between.
Frequently Asked Questions
Alongside the usual camping kit, children need warm sleeping bags and a good mat each, plenty of spare clothes and layers, easy snacks, and a few games or activities. A head torch each and extra wet wipes are always worth packing.
Mix outdoor activities with quiet options for bad weather. Nature scavenger hunts, torch games after dark, toasting marshmallows and giving each child a camp job all work well, with card and travel games for when it rains. Small jobs like fetching water keep younger children happily busy.
There is no set age, and plenty of families camp with babies and toddlers. The key is keeping them warm, since young children lose heat quickly, so focus on insulation from the ground, plenty of layers, and a tent with room for a travel cot or extra bedding.
Put a mat or airbed under every sleeping bag, dress children in dry base layers and a hat for bed, and choose bags rated warmer than the forecast. A spare blanket and a warm drink before bed help, and changing them into fresh, dry clothes for sleeping makes a big difference.
