Your first camp: what you need and what is smarter to rent

The biggest obstacle for a first-time camper is not money, it is the number of choices. The good news: for your first camp you do not need to buy anything.

Start with the rental option

Many camping tours offer an equipment rental package. On the Qusar Lazy Camp programme, for example, there are two options: with your own gear, or rental plus meals.

The logic is simple: after two or three camps you know what you like and you buy the right thing. Half of the people who buy everything up front end up replacing it.

The three most important items (in order)

1. The sleeping mat. The most underrated piece of gear. Cold comes from the ground, not from above. A good sleeping bag with no mat still means a cold night.

2. The sleeping bag. Look at the "comfort" temperature on the label, not the "extreme" one. Summer nights in the mountains are 5–10 °C; at 1300 metres (like Hamosham) it is colder still.

3. A headlamp. Not a hand torch. You need your hands for pitching the tent and fetching water at night.

About tents

One rule for a first tent: count one person fewer than the stated capacity. A "3-person" tent is comfortable for two and cramped for three.

Second rule: pitch the tent once at home. Pitching it for the first time in the dark and the wind is the worst possible start to a camping evening.

Clothing

• A separate set for sleeping. What you wore during the day is damp with sweat; sleeping in it means being cold.
• A hat. Most of your heat escapes through your head at night.
• Dry socks. Two spare pairs.

Small things that change everything

• A rubbish bag (you carry your own rubbish back)
• Wet wipes
• A power bank
• Earplugs or headphones — not everyone in camp goes to sleep at the same hour

Choosing a route for a first camp