Packing for a camping trip with kids is a whole different game to packing for a Eurocamp. There’s no kitchen waiting for you, no beds, no fridge (unless you hire one)…just a patch of grass and whatever you managed to squeeze into the car.
We’ve camped all over France in our own tent, from 10 nights at Le Ranolien in Brittany to a stormy week at La Civelle. This is everything we pack, plus the bits we’ve learnt the hard way. It works for caravans and campervans too, and if you’re staying in a mobile home instead (Eurocamp or anyone else), our Eurocamp packing list is the one you want.
Tent and shelter
- A family tent. Ours is the Berghaus Adhara 700XL and we’ve done a full review of it here
- A gazebo for shade and eating outside. We use the Decathlon Camping Living Room Gazebo
- Mallet, spare pegs and a peg puller (French pitches can be rock hard in August)
- A groundsheet or footprint, and a dustpan and brush for the sand you WILL bring back from the beach
Sleeping
- Camp beds or airbeds. The Quechua Camp Bed Air is our favourite, or have a look at the Decathlon Airbeds
- Self-Inflating Mattresses for the kids
- Your own bedding, pillows and a spare blanket. Nights can get chilly, even in summer
- A white noise machine. Tent walls are thin and campsites are LOUD at bedtime
Power and light
- A long electric hook-up cable if you’ve booked a pitch with electric (check the length you need when you book)
- A 2-pin European adaptor. We plug our UK extension lead into it so we can charge everything at once
- Lanterns and a head torch for those midnight toilet trips. We love a rechargeable lantern
- Fairy lights to make the pitch feel like home (we bought solar ones for our daughter’s birthday at La Civelle and they got stolen the next night…so maybe take them in at bedtime)
Kitchen
- A stove and gas. We use a Cadac. Check your gas bottle type before you go, as UK bottles can be hard to swap in France
- Pans, utensils and crockery and a sharp knife (you’ll thank me)
- A cool box. For longer stays, lots of campsites will hire you a fridge. We hired one at Le Ranolien and it was delivered straight to our pitch
- Washing up bowl, washing up liquid, tea towels, multi-surface wipes and kitchen roll. We ALWAYS pack these
- Water carrier. Not every pitch has a tap (ours at La Civelle didn’t)
- A water filter if you don’t fancy the campsite taps. We tested the ITEHIL portable water purifier after years of grimy looking taps
- Travel mugs for the morning coffee walk to the bakery
Seating and living
- Camping chairs and a table
- A Sack’n’Seat for the little ones and an art table for rainy afternoons
- A picnic blanket
- A foldable wagon for carrying everything from the car to the pitch (and the kids back from the pool)
Laundry and money
- Coins! The washing machines at Le Ranolien and Lac des 3 Vallées only took cash. There was no cash machine on site at Le Ranolien, so poor Mike had to drive to one
- Laundry detergent. I forgot ours at Le Pin Parasol and had to pay a euro extra for some
- Pegs and a washing line
- You don’t need to pack loads of clothes. We pack around 3 days’ worth and use the campsite laundry
Pool and beach
- Speedos or jammers for the boys. Most French campsites don’t allow board shorts, so Mike wears his jammers under his Bermudas. Have a read of which campsites allow swim shorts
- A swim cap, just in case
- Brightly coloured swimwear for the kids. I stupidly forgot at Le Pin Parasol and our girls were very well disguised in their blue swimsuits
- Your own inflatables. Two of the slides at Le Pin Parasol needed one to ride
- A parasol. Lots of campsite pools have no shade at all (La Vallée had none in a heatwave)
Bugs and weather
- Bug repellent, mozzie wristbands and citronella candles. Tiger mosquitoes are a real pain in France now
- Puddle suits and wellies. We had to pack up in the rain at La Civelle, and I think it’s been raining there ever since…
- Sun cream, hats and plenty of water. We set our tent up at Pomport Beach when the car said 40°C
For the kids
- A scooter or bikes. Campsites are brilliant for this
- Water painting books, colouring pads and a tablet for the journey
- A portable potty if your pitch is a long walk from the toilet block (ours at Huttopia Sarlat was)
- A first aid kit
Caravans and campervans
We’re tent campers, so I’ve kept this bit short. If you’re bringing a caravan or campervan, add these to the list above:
- A long hook-up cable and an EU adaptor (the same as for tents)
- Levelling blocks or ramps, as French pitches aren’t always flat
- A water hose or water carrier, and a waste water container
- Check your gas bottle type works in France before you leave
Driving to France
Don’t forget the legal kit for driving in Europe: a driving kit with hi-vis vests and a warning triangle, a UK sticker and headlamp beam deflectors. Our guide to driving in Europe has the full list.
Want more?
Have a look at our favourite family camping gear, where we go into every bit of kit in detail, and our best campsites in France for where to take it all.
