Best tips and tricks for a summer camping trip

Camping can be fun, if you have the right gear. Photo / Pexels

This must begin with an admission: I hate camping.

Growing up, my family never did the camping thing. Why put yourself through the pungent long drops, gas-cooked meals and stuffy tents when you could enjoy the exact same mountain views or white sand beaches then return to your hut or house?

Amongst my friends, however, I am an outlier and every summer my proposal to rent a bach is overthrown by plans to pitch up at a DoC campsite.

See, my friends are the 'outdoorsy' type, the kind who make camping look comfortable and fun and oh so easy.

Armed with gadgets and gizmos and know-how, they make barista-style coffee in the morning and gourmet meals at night. Their tents never collapse, clothes never smell and through some sort of wizardry, they can sleep on the ground without wrecking their back.

By the end of the trip, they still look like a human being. Dare I say it, they glow.

Meanwhile, I emerge from a 3-day outdoor bender resembling the very perishable food item I accidentally left out in the sun.

As someone who loves travel, I'm no stranger to going without everyday luxuries. Whether it's rickety sleeper trains in India or strangers' couches in Prague, 24-hour Parisian diners or countless airports, I'll fall asleep anywhere in the name of adventure.

However, camping always seemed an area I just couldn't conquer.

Well, not this summer.

So, like any self-respecting millennial, I took to social media, asking Instagram how I could ace the camping game.

Essential items and advice for a summer camping trip

Use packing cubes to store everything in – keeps your campsite spick and span.

Buy a good quality chilly bin (then freeze food and drink before it goes in the cool box) – it gets hot in summer

Sleeping badly isn't a given when in a tent if you pack a sleeping pad/mat

No group needs 12 gas cookers, so collaborate with friends.

Check your tent gear before you go. Trust me, a branch is not a substitute for a tent peg.

Good quality coffee-making equipment. Even the worst night's sleep feels more manageable after a morning cup of coffee.

Cleaning wipes. You'll be surprised how often they come in handy.

Headlamp. Saves you from trying to balance a pot, spoon and torch while making dinner.

'Inside shoes' for your tent. It seems over the top, but it keeps your feet comfortable and your tent clean!