Ah, camping. The chatter of early morning birdsong. The smell of damp earth after the rain. The feeling of you know, just being outdoors. And then the slow, painful realisation that you didn't bring any cutlery with which to devour your morning porridge*.
If you’re new to camping, don’t worry, you’re not alone in making mistakes. In fact, it’s practically a rite of passage, and happens occasionally even with super experienced campers (ahem).
To save you from utter disaster (or at least give you a good laugh when disaster strikes), we’ve rounded up the top 10 mistakes every camper makes at least once in their life.
Know that if you’ve done even one of these, you’re officially initiated into the world of outdoor misadventure. Welcome to the club. Try not to get too cold.
*We recommend using a clean tent peg or a large house key as an emergency spoon replacement. Not as a porridge replacement though.
Mistake 1: Believing it'll be warm enough because it's "summer"
I have spent over 500 nights in a tent in Great Britain. I can count on one hand the times where I've felt too hot. The rookie camper, who has not yet spent 500 nights in a tent, packs a summer-weight sleeping bag, one thin jumper and a pair of cosy socks because they think that'll do.
Fast forward to 2am and they’re wearing every item of clothing they own, shivering in the fetal position, questioning all their life choices. Pro tip: Pack like you’re embarking on an Arctic expedition, even if it’s June.
Subpoint mistake 1.5: Not investing in your sleep setup
Paying some amount of attention, and yes, money, to your sleeping setup will be worth it in the long run. Bring a roll mat (please, please bring a roll mat), preferably one with insulation (look for a higher R value) and a sleeping bag whose comfort rating says it goes well below the temperature you'll expecting to be sleeping out in.
For example, I camp year-round in Scotland and use a second hand down bag rated down to -23°C.(I wasn't joking about the Arctic thing).
Sure, in the summer I'll wear very little under it, spreading it out like a duvet over my roll mat, but in the winter, you bet I'll be snuggled up and toasty warm whatever the weather outside is up to.
Alright, of course -23°C is a little extreme, but do have a look at our winter sleeping bag selection for a good ballpark of what you'll need if you're camping in any season that's not high summer.
Mistake 2: Not practising pitching the tent before you go
You’ve watched the YouTube tutorials. You’ve studied the diagrams. And yet, somehow, your tent resembles canvas roadkill. The classic new camper mistake is assuming you’ll figure it out when you get there. You won’t. Well - not within the 5-10 minute window the instructions advertise, anyway.
So, do practice in your garden first, or you’ll find yourself wrestling with fabric in the dark while your camping neighbours sip wine and watch your one-man slapstick show.
Mistake 3: Not packing adequate waterproofing
Ah, the age-old mistake of saying: "It’s just a bit of drizzle.” Cut to the entire campsite being swept away by a freak thunderstorm, with inflatable sleeping pads floating like lilos on a swimming pool of muddy brown water. Perhaps I'm being dramatic, but it's certainly good to be prepared.
So, definitely bring tarps to sit under (umbrellas won't cut it, especially in windy conditions) and make sure the hydrostatic head rating is higher than 3,000 on your tent, especially the groundsheet.
When you're setting up the tent, tuck the footprint under the tent to avoid waking up in a giant puddle - something I forgot to do only last month and ended up paying the price for (it's not always rookies who make mistakes!).
For waterproofing yourself up, investing in a decent jacket and trousers combo is a good idea, as is a pair of campsite wellies.
Mistake 4: Trusting big gas stoves
Gas stoves are simple, they said. Even a child could use one, they said. And yet, here you are, staring at a cold pan of uncooked pasta, wondering how on earth you're going to end up with something edible in the next 20 minutes.
Mistakes with gas stoves range from buying the wrong type of gas canister, forgetting the lighter or leaving the stove in the rain, so that no matter what you do, the bloody thing won't light. To avoid disasters like this, there are precautions you can take.
Firstly, at the same time you put up the tent as a practice run, check your stove works, too. And unlike the tent, do check it works each time before leaving the house. They can be fickle things, these burners, so regular cleaning and maintenance will go a long way in ensuring reliability.
Secondly, we'd always recommend having a backup way of getting something hot inside you – whether that's having a separate campfire and pot to boil water on, or a spare, very lightweight backpacking stove as backup to your main campsite burner.
And lastly, always make sure you've got enough fuel for everything you need to cook, especially when it comes to cooking in windy conditions, which can make your gas run out faster.
There's little worse than crunchy pasta or noodles because your gas ran out halfway through – we've found a windshield to be super useful in saving you from this situation.
Mistake 5: Overpacking
New campers are easy to spot: they’re the ones lugging a suitcase, three coolboxes and a 12-piece cookware set through the whole campsite, while probably wearing a pair of white trainers. You're probably smart enough to know that less is more when camping, but actually putting that into practice can be difficult.
Make a list before you go and stick to it. Just to be helpful, these are some of the things you don't need: blender, full length mirror, portable dishwasher, inflatable corner sofa, Persian rug or high heels. Hope that helps.
It's also useful to assess how much you actually used of the stuff you brought with you on your trip – this is especially important when it comes to clothes.
I think a trip has been well-planned when I've worn every single item of clothing I've brought with, but not to the point of being overly stinky or wanting to rip it off as soon as I'm in the door back home.
Mistake 6: Bringing the wrong food
As a passionate outdoor cook, I will go against the grain here and say don't bring pot noodles for the whole weekend. You can do so much better than just pouring boiling water over dehydrated meals when camping, especially if you're staying a few days at a proper campsite with washing up facilities and everything.
There's no reason why you can't eat proper, fresh healthy meals outdoors. You'll feel better for not sticking to beige foods, too. Just don't drop it all over the place once you're done, obviously. That'd be a waste.
The important thing when cooking outdoors is to keep it simple. You don't want to be cooking a three-course meal with expensive ingredients, but something like a sausage casserole or a pasta with a three ingredient tomato sauce and cheese are perfectly doable from scratch on a double burner with a little bit of planning.
If you're at a campsite for a couple of days, they'll often have fridges for fresh ingredients, but if you're backpacking, tinned fish or a little chorizo and half a head of broccoli (chopped in a wee bag, possibly with a wedge of lemon) go a long way in making a simple couscous meal more filling and nutritious.
We'd always recommend planning your meals, and if you know you're going to be somewhere with limited facilities, chop and prep before you go.
Mistake 7: Feeding the wildlife
Look, we know that those squirrels/deer/foxes/badgers are cute. But if you're tempted to leave food out for them, take a long, hard look at yourself, and think again.
Feeding wildlife encourages close contact with humans and erodes the animal's natural foraging instinct – and the food we often leave lying around is very poor quality, which could make the animals sick.
Case in point is the deer in the photo above. This was Callum, the deer who hung around the car park at Beinn Eighe for a few years, getting fed by tourists. He was put down due to ill health in June 2024. Which is very sad.
The other side of feeding cute wildlife like birds and squirrels, you're likely to attract not so cute wildlife like mice, ants, rats, seagulls and pigeons. Bottom line: Keep human food for humans and let your tent remain critter-free.
Mistake 8: Relying on your phone for everything
Maps, weather updates, campsite locations, torchlight – your phone does it all. Until it doesn’t. Phones die in cold weather, signals disappear and suddenly you’re stuffed.
Like the camping stove stuff, always have backup – bring a couple of paper maps (including a road A-Z of the area you're visiting), a compass and a couple of head torches with spare batteries.
Putting your phone on airplane mode, of course, preserves battery, but why not switch it off altogether? For photos, getting hold of an instant film camera is a lovely way of recording trip memories, but digital cameras can be picked up for very little cash these days and make a good alternative to your phone's camera, if going back to basics sounds good to you.
Mistake 9: Underestimating midges (other biting insects are available)
Mosquitoes. Midges. Spiders. Wasps. They’re all out there, waiting for the sweet, clueless camper who didn't come prepared with headnets or bug spray. If you forget these things, by the end of the trip you’ll look like you’ve contracted some sort of mediaeval disease that someone won a Nobel prize for eradicating in 1878.
Invest in a good insect repellent wherever you are and buy yourself a head net if you’re venturing into midge country.
Tuck your trousers into your socks, too, and wear long sleeves and a hood for good measure. Yes, you’ll look ridiculous, but you’ll also be bite-free. See above photo for reference.
Mistake 10: Not being flexible in your planning
New campers often approach their first trip with a meticulous itinerary. Wake up at 6am, hike 10 miles, find a pub with a nice selection of beers and a view, set up camp, cook a gourmet dinner, watch the sunset.
Instead, you’ll do one or more of the following: oversleep, get lost, discover the pub burned down in 2018, drop your dinner, or it’ll rain all evening.
And you know what? That’s okay. The best part of camping is embracing the chaos, rolling with the punches, and collecting stories to laugh about later.
Making mistakes is part of the joy of camping. You’ll shiver, you’ll struggle and, most importantly, you'll learn what not to do next time.
While it might be nice to return to a centrally-heated house, sheets, a duvet and the choice of 2,182 shows to watch on Netflix, you’ll soon find yourself longing for the simplicity of life under the stars.
About the author
LFTO's resident camping enthusiast Fliss Freeborn knows a thing or two about living outdoors. She has spent well over 500 nights of her life camping in all weathers, and has made every single camping mistake under the sun, including forgetting a tent, buying an old camper van, and attempting to forage for dinner rather than simply bringing some sausages.