Ah, packing. I hate it. But I’m going glamping! In fact, by the time this is published I’ll have been glamping and be home again but in real time, I haven’t gone yet and so I have to pack and so I give you my (summer) glamping packing list.
Last time I glamped it was December and so my relevant experience is almost entirely irrelevant. I spent three days damp and freezing, with no way to dry out soaked boots and towels and then there were those early mornings kneeling in the dust, squinting at the woodburner in the dark, blowing ash into my own eyes. Take it from me, glamping loses most of its glamour in winter. Oh, June, I love you. I’m also only going for two nights this time, which works out at about 40 hours so I don’t really need to take much at all. But I know me, I’m an overpacker and I bet even after carefully making this list of too much stuff, I’ll end up taking more.
Clothes
Swimsuit, towel & flipflops
There’s a hot tub so swimming stuff is my first essential. I swim in a plain black one with little legs but I wanted a red one, mostly for the photos. I did have one but it was so tiny that I had to wonder if the number in it was the age rather than the size. Now I have another and since I took the photos, you might as well have another picture of my awkward bathroom photoshoot in it.
Towel dress
I bought a so-called travel robe for taking to the Blue Lagoon. The thing takes longer to dry than my dad’s woollen fisherman jumpers. But my towel dress was made for throwing on as I run back to the hut! It doesn’t work so well for changing under after swimming but it’ll be ideal for after a hot tub.
Sandals
Just for wandering around in the field, lighting the hot tub & lounging. I like my sandals, they’re my default footwear all summer from the moment the sun pokes its head out until I start getting frostbite on my toes.
Hiking clothes
My plan is to go for a countryside walk for 2-3 hours on Tuesday morning. Ergo I’ll need my boots and my trousers and a t-shirt I can sweat in. Waterproofs will be ready in the car in case the weather is bad.
Warm pyjamas
I don’t anticipate being cold enough to wish I could light the woodburner in the evenings but it would be best to have something warm to sleep in, or at least have it at hand to put on in the middle of the night when I realise June isn’t the heatwave I’ve been anticipating.
A big warm jumper
I’m fondly imagining sitting outside in the evenings when I’m not in the hot tub. It’ll be warm and lovely and all I’ll need is a fluffy jumper. Well, it probably won’t be fluffy. It’ll probably be my favourite oversized yellow hoodie.
Long trousers
Probably my red cords, for when it’s not warm enough to have my legs out. Maybe my leggings instead. Or more likely “as well”.
A t-shirt
Probably my black cropped Solo one. Might take my long-sleeved yellow one too, especially if I opt for the leggings. I’m not designed to wear a crop top with leggings, I’m really not.
Playsuit
Fondly imagining summer weather. I bought a playsuit backalong and it hadn’t been warm enough to even put it on yet. I want to wear it glamping! I want to prance in a field in a playsuit!
Sun hat
Always got to have a hat. You need to keep the sun off your head and face and I’m a vampire so I particularly need to keep the sun out of my eyes.
Floaty dress
I bought a long floaty pink dress to wear to Rome in 2019. I don’t wear it all that often and I think I would be adorable for glamping. Probably not practical and I’ve probably already got too many clothes for one evening, one whole day and one morning but I think I’d like to throw it in just in case, even if I do nothing with it but a very quick and unprofessional self-photoshoot.
Not clothes
It’s not just clothes I’ll need on my glamping packing list – there’s so much stuff I’ll want to take too, for evenings and nights and eating.
Camp blanket
For when it isn’t warm enough outside for that big jumper. Anyway, if I’m going to have a campfire I need to have a camp blanket.
Headtorch
Useful for getting around, reading, writing, just seeing when you have no mains electricity. I think this hut has some electric lighting but I might want it for the evenings outside or for getting to and from the hot tub. She says, as if sunset is due before 9.30pm this week and as if we have any true night at all here in June.
Notebook
I’ll be blogging about it but my blog schedule will be happier if I can scribble an outline longhand by candlelight. I don’t always write but I always want to write and I’ll end up with no choice but to walk into town and buy a notebook on Monday afternoon if I don’t take one with me.
Food
I might pop to the pub for lunch on Tuesday, so two breakfasts and two dinners. One of them must be pasta, as the necessary sacrifice to the camping gods. I’ll have a gas hob this time so that’ll be a lot easier. Marshmallows for smores over the campfire, of course (or possibly, awkwardly, over the hot tub fire). I’m afraid I can’t give you a shopping list and nor would you want one.
Camera stuff
My tripod for the hut and mini tripod for everywhere, including my walk. Waterproof phone case, even if I do nothing with it but waste my time and data on Twitter in the hot tub. I might take my GoPro. But then again, I might not. Nothing works except the buttons, so I can’t change the settings, I can’t use it remotely, I can’t even take a timer selfie because the timer function doesn’t work. My own fault for investing in a 7 White after watching a dozen videos telling me not to. I might invest in the same cheapie one my dad has. It seems to work pretty well.
Chargers
I’ll want my portable charger plus wires for camera and phone. The hut has a USB charger so the portable one is just for backup. I swear I’m going to stay off social media (I absolutely won’t) but I’ll want my phone for photos and as a remote for my camera, which won’t take a separate one.
Books
I intend to read. Whether that’s a paper book or a Kindle depends what I’m reading in the days leading up the glamp. If I’m going to take it in the hot tub, the Kindle would probably be better. I have a waterproof case for it too and when/if it finally dies, I’m going to invest in the waterproof version. I never wanted a Kindle but my grandad had one and when he died, it was unwanted and I felt sorry for it. I don’t use it a lot but I grudgingly admit it really does have its uses and this is one of them.
Wallet, sunglasses, keys, mask etc
You know, just the stuff you don’t leave home without.
Fairylights?
I have a battery-powered string I took last time. Very useful for general illumination that’s less targeted than the headtorch. I’ll have to have another look at the hut to see if I might want them, especially as June is inherently less dark than December.
Kitchen stuff
Most stuff is provided but they recommend you bring extra matches so I guess I’ll take my camp kitchen drybox. I probably don’t need the rest of the kitchen bag but salt, sugar and a sachet of hot chocolate might be useful. Actually, I might take one of my cook sets. I like to make my hot chocolate with milk. Obviously you can’t just pour that into the kettle and my little pots might be more efficient than whatever they provide. Last time it was cast iron cauldrons you could feed a wedding party with.
Walking stuff
By which I mean first aid kit, map & compass and anemometer. I’ve already done whichever walk I end up doing but I like the compass almost as a party trick, which is definitely what the anemometer is. A bottle. Normally I’d take a packed lunch but I’m sort of hoping to end up at a pub.
Suncream
Nearly forgot one of the most important things! No sunburn please.
Wash things
Such a given that it’s only just occurred to me to write it down. Might not bother with shampoo. It’s only two nights and I’ll be swimming when I get home on Wednesday anyway. It’s glamourous but it’s still camping and I wouldn’t bother with a shower if I was spending two nights in a tent, especially not as I’ll be on my own. There’s a bottle of all-purpose wash and a travel washing line that you can’t see in the back pocket and a miniature hotel soap rescued from being binned after I left in the waterproof pouch at the bottom. To be honest, the green tubes are empty but they’d have shampoo and conditioner in them, if I took them at all and if I didn’t take the solid version. There’s also usually a mini travel towel clipped to it but I took it out with me yesterday so it’s still downstairs somewhere.
Enamel mug
For the ~*aesthetic*~. I think there are campsite-branded ones in the hut but you’re not camping if you’re drinking hot chocolate out of anything but enamel. The Moomin one is cutest but the campfire one is biggest. Both? Both is good.
Is that everything? It seems a lot for what’s effectively one day away. I guess we’ll find out – I’ll soon realise if I’m missing anything and you’ll hear about it in the first of the glamping blogs. Because I’ve slightly overfilled my June calendar of delights, the posts won’t be until the end of the month or the beginning of July but you’ll be getting the first of the tree camping blogs on Monday and that’s going to be fun!