So that you don’t forget anything important at home on your next camping trip with the rooftop tent, we have put together a practical camping checklist for you here.
That’s why you have a packing list, right?
Although packing lists are very individual, I personally always find it interesting to read other people’s packing lists, as I always discover something that I don’t use and/or want to try yet. Of course, you can also expand this checklist individually.
At the end of the article, you will find the packing list as a PDF file to download and print out, tick off the individual items and add your personal ideas right away.
How do I create the packing list?
When creating the packing list, I imagine the situation, what I’m doing, and the things I need for it.
We will be staying mostly at campsites this holiday so we don’t need to include things like an outdoor shower and dry toilet on the list. So if you’re going on a wild camping trip, you’ll of course have to add these things to it.
Table of Contents
Rooftop tent packing list: The car trip
The following checklist for the car is just a suggestion to think about your own car and its driving ability.
What do you need on your packing list for the trip?
- Tires: Do the profile height and age of the tires comply with the legal requirements?
- Oil level: Is the oil level ok?
- Washer water: In summer it’s the flies that you have to wipe away from time to time. Annoying when the windscreen water runs out while on vacation.
- Tank: fill up so that you don’t have to pay the more expensive prices on the motorway.
- First aid kit: Every car should always have it with them.
- Safety vest: One for each passenger.
- Car is vacuumed: I prefer to leave in a clean car.
- Insurance: Paid and contact details included.
- Vehicle registration and other important documents: Always with you.
- Coins for parking meters: Stand at the parking meter and have no coins in your wallet. Happens to me too often. Not on vacation!
- Cooler box: For snacks and drinks
- Snacks
- Beverages
Rooftop tent packing list: setting up the camp
What do you need to set up your camp?
Everyone builds their camp differently. We haven’t found our definitive setup yet.
Is there a definitive setup at all? It’s probably evolving.
This is our packing list for setting up the camp:
- Ramps: With the ramps, you can ensure that the vehicle is perfectly level. Here you will find my personal recommendation (>> link to Amazon.com <<)
- Level: (>> Best Article Amazon <<)
- Tarp or something similar: You can always use it, for example, to build wind or sun protection. Or if you stand under trees that lose resin, you can use them to protect the roof tent and the car. (>> Best Article Amazon <<)
- Rubber mallet: For the awning pegs. (>> Link to Amazon <<)
- Telescopic poles: Telescopic poles (>> Link to Amazon <<) brace one side of the awning. But you can also stretch the tarp or the hardware store tarpaulin with it.
- Outdoor carpet: For the camping table and camping chairs. Helps keep the camp clean. Here you will find my personal recommendation (>> Link to Amazon.com <<)
- Camping table: Here you will find my personal recommendation (>> Link to Amazon.com <<)
- Camping chairs: Here you will find my personal recommendation (>> Link to Amazon.com <<)
- Gas grill: Here you will find my personal recommendation (>> Link to Amazon.com <<)
- Small broom with shovel: Here you will find my personal recommendation (>> Link to Amazon.com <<)
- Camping cord: cords of your choice are always handy. Here you will find my personal recommendation (>> Link to Amazon.com <<)
- Pocket knife: Best with multiple functions. Here you will find my personal recommendation (>> Link to Amazon.com <<)
Sleep in the rooftop tent
What do you need for a restful sleep?
You should always have this with you:
- Mattress: Make sure that the mattress is not too soft!
- Spacer fabric: comes under the mattress for more sleeping comfort and air circulation.
- Fitted sheet
- Pillow
- Sleeping bag
- Led lamp/Headlamp
- Earplugs: If you are used to being quiet at night at home, the noises you hear in the roof tent can often disturb your sleep.
- Sleeping clothes
The camping kitchen
what would you like to cook So what do you need to have with you?
This time we only have to make breakfast ourselves from time to time.
For this we use:
- Gas cooker: There are many different camping gas cookers, here is the gas cooker that I can recommend to you. (>>Link to Amazon<<).
- Camping coffee machine: The best small coffee machine in the world (>>link to Amazon<<).
- Coffee powder/pads
- Sugar
- Cups/Mugs
- Small pan: For the breakfast egg and for toasting the bread
- Frying Ladle: For the breakfast egg
- Oil
- Spice Salt
- Pepper
- Plate
- Fork
- Knife
- Tea
- Small pot
- Washtub: These foldable washtubs (>>link to Amazon<<) are very practical.
- Large roll of paper
- Detergent: It is best to always have biodegradable detergent with you because you are not only at the campsite and sometimes have to wash up.
- Sponge
- Bottle opener
Everything for a trip to the lake or beach
What do you need for the beach or the day at the lake? Of course, it always comes down to personal taste or the travel destination and personal preferences.
For the beach we include the following in the packing list:
- Umbrella: If you don’t have one, it’s best to buy one locally. Is a nice souvenir.
- Bath towel
- Sunglasses
- Suncream
- Beach clothes
- Swimming trunks/Bikini
- Flip flops/water shoes
- Cooling box
- Beach bag
- Air mattress
- Games
- Books
- iPad
Everything for the evening
What you need for the evening always depends on your personal taste or the travel destination. If you go into the wild, you probably won’t need a large part.
What are you going to do in the evening? To a restaurant or would you rather cook something yourself at the base camp?
- Shorts
- Long trousers
- Shirt/T-shirt
- Dresses
- Mosquito spray
- Shoes
Hygiene items for the camping trip
What do you have in your toilet bag? What do you need for the daily hygiene ritual?
We take the following in two bags:
- Toothbrushes
- Toothpaste
- Razor
- Nail scissors
- Tweezers
- Shower gel
- Shampoo
- Painkillers
- Pavement
- Small towels
- Large towels
- Toilet paper
- Moisture wipes
- Something against insect bites and light sunburn
Anything else you could need
what else do you need Have you forgotten anything that you would like to have with you?
I also came up with these things:
- WD 40 Spray: Always in the car. Is a universal spray that can be used to lubricate, loosen adhesive, and loosen screws. It also serves as a contact spray and corrosion protection.
- Duct tape: Another utensil that you can always use. It’s just a very strong piece of tape.
- Wrenches: Having some tools with me makes me feel good.
- Ratchet
- Tongs
- Leather work gloves: I mainly bought them for working with fire.
- Mobile phone charging cable
- Laptop + Accessories
- SLR camera + accessories
- Boombox: If you’re in the mood for music!
- Headlamps
- Meditation rug
- Cable reel
- Cash: You should always have some cash with you. I have to keep reminding myself because I usually just pay by card everywhere.
- Documents: ID card, passport, etc.
I hope this packing list will help you to have everything you need for a pleasant and relaxing holiday with the roof tent.
Make sure that I may have forgotten something or that you have to add other important things to the list. Of course, everyone has their own requirements and needs. So think carefully beforehand about what you need to take with you.
The packing list is a starting point that you can adapt to your needs and use again and again in the future.