The Ultimate Camper Packing List

Are you about to embark on a camper adventure and no idea what to bring with you or how to pack? I got you covered!

Over the past 3 years I’ve done several camper trips. From cruising through the fjords in Norway to exploring South Africa and its fabulous wines. I even traveled around Iceland in a camper no less than 3 times! So, it’s safe to say that I’ve gained a ton of experience when it comes to creating the perfect packing list for when it comes to trips like this.

To be honest, I made a lot of mistakes during my first camper trips. I brought way too much unnecessary stuff with me and ended up not needing half it.

Of course there’s also a big difference on the type of destination that you will visit with your camper! A packing list for a camper trip in Norway or Iceland looks a lot different from one where you’re cruising through France or Italy. To make it a little easier for you I’ve divided this list in different sections so you’ll know exactly what to bring with you!

The Ultimate Camper Packing List

Maybe it’s just me but I already start mentally packing for a trip about 1 week before we leave. I already put some clothes aside so later on I can choose which outfits I really want to bring with me. I repeat this process with other items such as photography gear, medicines, beauty products, etc.

This way I get a nice overview of which items I still need and I will have plenty of time to go and get them.

I usually write everything down according to category in a little notebook and as soon as its actually packed in my suitcase I cross it off the list. It wouldn’t be the first time I forgot to pack something simply because I thought that I had already packed it.

Now let’s get packing! 🧳

Items to stay organized during your camper trip

• Packing cubes – I can’t emphasize this enough! Packing cubes are an absolute lifesaver! I can’t even imagine traveling without them anymore! These sets come with cubes in different sizes and I’ll tell you how I use them when I go on a camper trip. The biggest cube I use for pants, leggings, shirts and light jackets so that all of them are together and I don’t have to dig through my suitcase to find what I am looking for! I use a smaller packing cube for my underwear and these cubes also come with a drawstring bag that can be used a bag for your dirty laundry. Another cube is used to put in medicines, bandages and a small emergency kit. These items are especially important if you’re going on a more adventurous trip. Then there’s another cube for all of my socks and one to store part of my beauty products. If you have 1 packing cube left you can use it to pack some clothes in case your big suitcase gets lost.
• Suitcase – I always prefer suitcases that open in the middle. You know where on one side you can put your folded clothes and on the other side it closes with a mesh and a zipper. Maybe there are more efficient suitcases out there but this is how I learned packing one from my mother and I always stayed true to her method. Mother knows best they say. There are two brands that I prefer when it comes to hard case suitcases. On one hand there’s Samsonite which I love for the flexibility of their material and on the other hand there’s Rimowa. These last ones are a lot more expensive but damn, it always feels like I can put my entire closet in these!
• Carry on Luggage – I always travel with 1 big suitcase and 1 carry on luggage. I use my carry on to store some extra clothes in case my big suitcase would get lost and I also use it to store my drone.
• Make up bag – I like to keep my make up separate from my other beauty products and below you can find a list of my favorite make up products to use on a camper trip. What I love about these vanity cases is that they have different sections for your make up brushes but it also has enough space to store a regular hair brush, hair products, a deodorant and perfume.
• Camera bag with dividers – As a photographer I always carry a lot of gear with me. A camera body, several lenses, a hard drive, spare batteries, SD-cards, etc… To make sure that all of them stay safe and don’t get damaged during traveling I like to put them in a separate camera bag with dividers. I love using this one from Fjallraven cause it fits perfectly in their Kanken bag pack.

The best beauty products to take with you on a camper trip

Just like with any other regular trip you don’t want to bring too much with you. Beauty products can really add to the total weight of your suitcase so on trips like this I tend to really think about what I need the most and leave the rest at home. When I go on a camper trip for instance I don’t bring a hair dryer with me. I did so the first 2 times and ended up never using it. It was just dead weight in my luggage and also took up a lot of space. Instead I took a product with me that adds some natural volume to my hair instead. Below you can find some of my go to favorites!

• Deodorant – A lot of brands now sell deodorant bottles that are smaller in size. These are perfect for a trip like this cause they only take up half the space. A roll on deodorant is also smaller in size usually but I do like to spritz some deodorant inside the camper as well to help it smelling fresh.
• Perfume – I never bring a full bottle of perfume with me. Instead I go to my local perfume shop and ask if they have any small samples left. It may not be from your go to perfume but this way you also get to know new ones. These samples are super small in size and perfect to take with you on a camper trip!
• Day Cream – For years now I swear by the Ultra Facial Cream from Kiehls. And if you have a Kiehls store in your neighborhood or you can order from their online store you get to choose a couple of samples as well. I took a travel size version of their Ultra Facial Cream with me and also a couple hydrating masks. Their all super small in size and barely take up any place!
• Lip Balm – I don’t know why but I always need to bring a good lip balm with me. My lips tend to get dry very fast and otherwise they would get chapped. As long as I can remember I swear by the lip balm of La Roche Posay and in my opinion this is the best one out there!
• Cue Tips – I am one of those people that needs to use one every single day or I go insane.
• Washing Cloth – Perfect to freshen up inside of your camper.
• Soap Bar – A camper usually comes with a small sink. To freshen up simply take your washing cloth and soap bar and you’re good to go. A soap bar also takes up way less space in your luggage and it’s better for the environment. as well!
• Cotton pads
• Micellar Water – Always go to bed with a clean and make up free face.
• Sunscreen – Make sure to re apply to your face regularly cause pretty much all of the hikes that we did in Norway were exposed most of the time. I love this one by Neutrogena which feels like a face mist but also provides SPF 50 protection!

Hair Products I swear by to go on a camping trip

• Dry Shampoo – Dry shampoo is my very best friend on a camper trip. Even that almost all of the campsites have decent showers I often end up too tired or too busy to wash my hair every couple of days. Dry shampoo solves the problem of greasy hair and on the plus side it adds extra volume to my otherwise pancake flat hair. I love the dry shampoo from Moroccan Oil and they even have a separate one for dark hair!

💡 TIP – If you’re blonde like me you actually don’t need dry shampoo! You can simply use some baby powder! Put a decent amount on your hand and rub both of your hands together before massaging it through you hair. Afterwards simply brush your hair and it will look as good as new and with extra volume!

• Shampoo & Conditioner – For travel I like to go for a brand that sells travel sized bottles. Again, this will save you a lot of space and dead weight cause no way that you’ll use up two entire bottles on 1 trip. Unless you’re going on a camper trip that lasts longer than a month. Otherwise I love these On-the-go kits from Moroccan Oil and they even come with a travel sized version of their fabulous hair treatment oil. This one is a life saver if you’re traveling to colder destinations and prevent your hair from getting super dry.
• Hair Brush – Let’s just say that investing in a good hair brush will pretty much change your life. And I’ve had this Mason Pearson hair brush now for the longest time and it always makes my hair look more shiny.
• Hair Volume Lotion – This is my go to product that replaces my big hair dryer! Simply put 1 pump of product on your hand and massage it through the scalp of your head when your hair is towel-dry. Your hair will have a lot more volume even if you simply let it air dry. I swear by the Moroccan Oil Thickening Lotion and you don’t need a lot of product so 1 bottle goes a long way!

My favorite make up products to bring with me on a camper trip

• CC cream – I never really like to put on foundation, especially not if I am being very active outdoors. Instead I go for a the Erborian CC cream. It makes my skin look glowy and covers up most of the redness and spots.
• Concealer – Going on a camper trip means lots of activities and little sleep. At least with me it does! So I make sure to bring something to cover up the bags under my eyes. I like the Maybelline Concealer since I can just pick it up from the drugstore, it’s not that expensive and it works like a charm.
• Eyebrow Pencil & Gel – I have very light blonde eyebrows and I love to shape them and make them a little darker. To get the perfect shape en soap brow effect I use two products: the Charlotte Tilbury Brow Lift Pencil and Mac Eyebrow Gel
• Bobbi Brown Corrector – I keep my eye make-up pretty sober on a camper trip but I do love using this corrector on my eyelids.
• Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Powder – I’ve tested a lot of bronzers and this one is my favorite out of all of them!
• L’Oréal Paris Superstar Waterproof Mascara – It’s the best one out there, simple as that. And I love using a waterproof one if I go on a more adventurous camper trip that involves a lot of hiking.

Essential Travel Clothing for a camper trip

When it comes to clothing your camper packing list will look very different if you’re going on an adventurous trip or a more luxury and city focussed trip.

Adventurous Camper Trip

• Trail Legging – I love hiking in leggings and have lately been loving the Abisko Trail Tights from Fjallraven. I usually bring 1 legging per 4 days that I am traveling.
• Hiking shoes – I love my Meindl Mountain Trail Boots for longer hikes and my Danner Mountain Light Boots for daily wear and shorter distances.
• Fast Drying Shirt – When hiking you tend to sweat, especially when climbing a mountain. One of the best things to wear is a shirt that quickly dries so you don’t get cold high up the mountain.
• Insulating Jacket – Depending on the temperature you’ll either want a thicker or lighter jacket. If it’s pretty cold outside I always go for my Fjallraven Vidda Jacket. Otherwise I go for their High Coast Light Jacket which is super light weight.
• Merino Wool Socks – My go to brand has always been Falke and I love how fast they drive after a long day of hiking. Plus since they’re made of merino wool they don’t smell and can be worn for a couple of days.
• Woolen cable hat – The perfect accessory to protect your ears from the cold and to cover your hair after a few days without a shower.
• Back Pack – You’ll want to bring a back pack with you to carry your camera, some snacks and your refillable water bottle. I love the Kanken No. 2 back pack from Fjallraven and pretty much take it with me everywhere I go.
• Sweater – I love bringing a woolen sweater with me for during the colder moments. My favorites are the Ovik Knit Sweater and Ovik Nordic Sweater from Fallraven.
• Jeans – A jeans always comes in handy on days where your adventurous don’t require you to hike up a mountain.
• T-shirts – I usually pack 1 T-shirt per 3 days.
• Underwear – Pack 1 for every day please and I usually bring an extra one as well. I swear by the Hanky Panky boy shorts. They come in a ton of different colors and are super comfy.
• Thermal shirt – If you’re traveling to a cold destination you’ll want to add a thermal shirt to your camper packing list!
• Comfy shoes – I always bring my Converse sneakers with me no matter where I go.
• Loungewear – This is something I never brought with me on my first camper trips and now I am obsessed. A good pair of sweatpants are so comfy when you’re having a slow evening in your camper or while driving.
• Sunglasses

Luxury Camper Trip

• Dress – I love wearing dresses and the same goes here. I would bring 1 dress for every 3 days.
• Bathing suit – Depending on which trip you should bring multiple ones with you.
• Comfy shoes – I always bring my Converse sneakers with me no matter where I go.
• Handbag
• Loungewear – This is something I never brought with me on my first camper trips and now I am obsessed. A good pair of sweatpants are so comfy when you’re having a slow evening in your camper or while driving.
• T-shirts – I usually pack 1 T-shirt per 3 days.
• Hat
• T-shirts – I usually pack 1 T-shirt per 3 days.
• Underwear – Pack 1 for every day please and I usually bring an extra one as well. I swear by the Hanky Panky boy shorts. They come in a ton of different colors and are super comfy.
• Sunglasses
• Jacket
• Jeans shorts

Travel Essentials for Safety

There’s nothing worse on a trip than getting robbed. I know it’s not the most fun thing to talk about but taking precautions so things like this don’t happen are necessary! You don’t want to end up halfway your trip with your wallet stolen and be left without an ID, driver’s license and credit cards. These items will help prevent such events!

• Money Belt – Never carry your wallet in your pocket. This is pretty much an open invitation for pick pockets. Instead put your money and important papers in harder to reach places. As a woman you can also choose a bra pocket to keep your belongings safe.
• Travel Insurance – When you’re going on a camper trip and pretty much every other trip the most important thing to get is good travel insurance. World Nomads is one of the most popular and trust worthy travel insurances out there. From theft, lost items, illnesses, etc. They will have you covered and you don’t need to worry about coughing up all of those extra costs yourself.
• A copy of your passport – If you go on a day trip leave your passport inside of your camper and only take the copy with you. Your chances of losing it or forgetting it somewhere will become a lot smaller.
• Cloud storage – Even if you bring a regular camera with you chances are very high that you’ll take a bunch of videos and photos with your phone. These precious memories can never be replaced. Now imagine your phone getting stolen or breaking down. Those photos will be gone forever. Unless you make a back up on a cloud storage. I have about 2TB of cloud storage for my iPhone so that all of my memories can never get lost.
• Head Lamp – Wether you’re going on a night hike or you need to find your way across a dark camping site a head lamp will come a long way!
• Portable battery – One the most important ways to stay safe is to stay connected. And the best way to do so is to have a mobile phone that has enough battery. You don’t want to end up in the middle of nowhere and have your phone die on you. That’s why I always carry a portable battery with me!

Camper Packing List to stay healthy

I never paid much attention to bring medicine or bandages with me when going on a trip. Well that wasn’t until we went to the Dolomites and both me and Christof got both hurt and sick. He cut open his knee during a hike, I became partially blind because both of my cornea’s got inflamed from the sun. Ever since that trip I always travel with an actual emergency kit. Cause you really don’t want to run to the pharmacy every other 2 days which is what we had to do in the Dolomites.

• Emergency Kit – A compact First Aid kit has all of the necessities if you would get hurt on your trip.
• Water purification – In some waters you can’t just refill your water bottles with tap water. And I can tell you you don’t want to get sick from drinking bad water. I’ve been there and it’s no joke. Travel water purification tablets make contaminated water bacteriologically suitable to drink within 35 minutes! Just throw in a tablet, wait 35 minutes and your water is good and safe to drink!
• Bug Repellant – I always, always bring a bottle of DEET with me! Christof is incredibly allergic to insect bites so I really don’t want to take any chances.
• Travel Insurance – I will say it again, and again and again. You need Travel Insurance! For instance when we were in the Dolomites I had to go see an eye doctor. I had had a blurred vision for 3 days straight and I was getting extremely worried that my eyes were permanently damaged. In Belgium we have very good health insurance but there are a lot of countries which don’t and where a doctor’s visit or a treatment can be very expensive. I once got rescued of a mountain after a snow board accident and I tell you, those things ain’t cheap! But because I was covered by World Nomads they covered everything for me! They’ll sometimes even cover hotel expenses and a new flight if you had to reschedule because of your injuries!
• Ibuprofen 600 – If you’re taking anti-inflammatory medicine with you take at least Ibuprofen 600mg. You can take up to 3 tablets per day with food and because of the higher dosage it will also have a pain killing effect. I take it sometimes after days of hiking when my knees are starting to hurt. Not ideal but it does the trick and I can keep on adventuring.
• Voltaren – I always bring this gel with me especially if I am going on a hiking vacation. Before I got to bed I massage the gel where my joints are hurting and the next day I feel a lot better!
• Menstrual Cup – Even when you don’t need to get your period bring it. I ALWAYS tend to get my period when I am somewhere midway my trip. And last time even in the middle of a 20km hike. That wasn’t very fun. But you can always store a menstrual cup away so that when shit happens you can use it and prevent from pretty much bleeding through your clothes.

Travel Photography Gear

One of the questions I get asked the most is which camera I use. Well the thing is, is not so much the camera as to how you use it. These days you can also take stunning photos with your phone! But for those of you that are interested in which gear I in particularly use on a trip I created this list for you.

• Canon EOS 6D Mark II – My go to camera body for the past 3 years
• Main Lens – Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II
• Zoom Lens – Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6
• Wide Angle Lens – Canon EF 16–35mm f/2.8L III
• Manfrotto Tripod – I went with this Manfrotto tripod and so far it has always been my trusted steed when taking photos by myself! This tripod can hold up to 3kg and stays steady when using my 300mm zoom lens! The maximum height is up to 165cm which allows you to take photos on eye level. The minimal height is 44cm which makes it ideal to store in the side compartment of your backpack.
• Drone – DJI Mavic Mini 2 Fly More Combo
• LACIE Hard Drive – There is nothing more important than properly storing all of your stunning photos! Don’t make the mistake of only storing your photos on your laptop cause if it crashes all of your hard work will be gone!
  
  Before I bought this LACIE hard drive I used another, cheaper one. The problem was that it often disconnected from my laptop right in the middle of uploading my photos. And I can tell you, there is nothing more annoying than having to start all over again with this process. This hard drive can hold up to 2TB of photos and has a 1.2 meter drop resistance, 1 ton of crush resistance and rain-ready water resistance. It’s safe to say that this hard drive can endure a lot when it comes to traveling!
• SanDisk Memory Cards – My go to SD card is the SanDisk Ultra 128GB which can hold up to 3000 photos shot in RAW format. I always have a few back ups with me should I ran out of memory space though! Plus if the worst would happen and you would lose your memory card you will always have a spare one with you! These SD cards work for the Canon EOS 6D Mark ii, if you are looking into purchasing a different camera you might need to check if they also require an SD card like this.
  
  A drone doesn’t work with an SD card but works with a micro SD. To be able to upload your drone photos to your laptop you will need a micro SD adapter.
• Electronics Organiser – All of this photography gear comes with a lot of cables and chargers. And I can tell you that there is nothing more annoying than not finding the right cable at the right time! Enter this electronics organizer: it is super cheap and it does the trick! As you can see it can hold a ton of cables and it has a separate compartment where you can store extra batteries, SD cards , passport photos and even some medication!
• Lenspen – When you are out and about taking photos your lens will get dirty from time to time and it is super important to clean it with the proper gear! If not you might end up scratching your lens and that’s the last thing you want! I have used this lenspen from the start and it always gets off any smudges and dust without a problem or without damaging the lens! First you use the cleaning element and softly turn circles on the lens and afterwards you brush off the dust while holding your lens downwards!

Camper Packing List – Fun Extra’s

• String Lights – These are a nice and fun way to make your camper look more cosy during your trip and a great extra light source for the darker hours of the day.
• Dryer sheets – Nope, you won’t use these to do your actual laundry but instead you can stuff them in between your sheet and they’ll make your camper smell fresh at all times.
• Portable Bluetooth Speaker – Connect your music wherever you are! You can even do a little dance on the campsite!

Since I’ve always done camper trips with a rental camper I am not including any of the other necessities such as a cooking stove, plates, utensils, etc. They’re almost always included when you rent a camper van!

If you want to know more about my camper adventures I highly recommend you to take a look at the following travel guides!

• Norway Travel Guides
• Iceland Travel Guides
• South Africa Travel Guides

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