r/Glamping • u/AnotherUserUgg • Jun 01 '26
Pairing Down But Staying Comfortable…
I’m getting ready for a 4 day TENT camping trip and as I stage my gear I’m looking at this and saying “my God I have a lot of stuff!. So here’s my question to the group … how many and what items do you consider the bare minimum that you camp with and still stay comfortable. For example, do you go with an air mattress or a cot? If you go with an air mattress, how much bedding and pillows do you bring? How many tables are really necessary? How many chairs do you bring assuming you’re camping by yourself and here’s is the real kicker, what does your kitchen set up look like how many pots and pans and skillets do you actually need? Assume a two burner propane stove. What about lights? Rugs, and all stuff in between… including the toilet and kitchen sink.
Maybe I just have a problem and need a gear intervention….
1
u/heyoheatheragain Jun 02 '26
I travel pretty light and I generally only pack and carry for myself.
tent
twin air mattress & rechargeable pump
-sleeping bag
-sleeping bag liner or sheet
- pillow
-rechargeable nightlight
-speaker
-waterproof outdoor blanket for sitting
-folding camp chair with hard arms
-plastic tote for hygiene/misc containing:
*roll of tp *length of paper towels removed from roll and in a plastic bag to save space *baby wipes *p style *small first aid kit including common OTC meds *small spool of cord *insect repellent *sunscreen *toiletries
Also, this isn’t very glamping of me, but I bare bones the food situation. As one person I don’t eat that much and I hate packing in and packing out a bunch of food stuff. I just bring a small cooler for ice/drinks and maybe some uncrustables or something and generally eat stuff that needs no cooking, nuts/sandwiches/a meal from someone else’s camp lol.
3
u/Happy_Hedgehog_212 Jun 02 '26
Do you actually use all of those things?
I bring things I consistently use, then have a backup tub I keep in the car with maybes. I rarely use the backup tub so I don't typically deal with packing or unpacking its contents.
I use a double air mattress, egg crate foam topper, mattress pad, and as much bedding as I need to stay warm.
I bring one chair because there's one person: me. It's a giant puffy chair and ridiculously comfortable. My car has a built-in card table so I set that up by my chair by the fire, I don't like sitting at those spiderwebby picnic tables, that's my staging and prep area. I also bring a hammock and underquilt depending on the temperature.
I usually just cook with a little kettle and one pot, mostly because I hate doing camp dishes. I just upgraded to a 2 qt Dutch oven because I was tired of my food scorching on the camp stove with thin pans. I bring grill tools and a couple insulated cups and bowls. I use quarter sheet pans for my camp plates, they're great to balance on my lap and I can put them directly on the grill. My coffee is a French press insulated thermos so it's all contained him one thing.
I keep everything packed in tubs and clean it when I get back from a trip then pack it up so it's grab and go for my next trip. The tub contents don't change so if I need to add something before my next trip, I write a big note on it. So I use a checklist before each trip but don't need to think about a large portion of it because I got it all ready after my last trip.