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 (also at Go Outdoors) 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
- A foot pump for the airbeds and inflatables
- A tent tidy and a camp wardrobe. Life is SO much easier when everything has a home
- An outdoor rug for outside the door, and a doormat to stop half the pitch coming in with you
- Duct tape and cable ties. They fix pretty much everything…
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
- A travel cot and sheets if you’ve got a little one
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, a lantern that doubles as a phone charger and a red light lantern. Red light doesn’t affect sleep, but we can still see if the kids need anything
- 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). We also hang metal string lights, retractable lights and bulb lights around the pitch
- Power banks and every charger you own (phones, tablets, GoPro, watches)
- Candles for the evenings
Kitchen
- A camping kitchen unit. We swapped our charity shop one for this Decathlon camping kitchen and never looked back. The zip-up cupboard keeps food safe from pests
- 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 steamer is on our list too
- 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
- A BBQ and BBQ tools, plus extra gas, a lighter and matches
- The bits you always forget: chopping board, colander, grater, tin opener, peeler, bottle opener and a corkscrew
- Tongs, a spatula, a serving spoon, scissors and a bread knife
- A hot water flask so there’s tea on the go
- Cups, mugs, camping crockery and salad bowls. We take plastic wine glasses too (obviously)
- Collapsible washing up bowl and a bucket. The bucket gets used for everything from water to sandcastles
- Sponges, an oven glove, bin bags, Tupperware, bag clips, zip lock bags, cling film and tin foil
- Ice packs for the cool box and a bottle stopper for the fizz
- Salt and pepper, oil, herbs and spices, sauces and coffee. They cost a fortune in the campsite shop
- A water jug and reusable water bottles for everyone
- A few tins or meals to take for the first night, when nobody can be bothered to cook
Seating and living
- Camping chairs and a table
- A Sack’n’Seat for the little ones and an art table for rainy afternoons, plus some stools for guests
- A picnic blanket
- A foldable wagon for carrying everything from the car to the pitch (and the kids back from the pool)
- Kids camping chairs so they stop stealing yours
- Picnic bags for days out
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
- Washing tablets take up much less space than a bottle
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)
- Goggles, armbands and floats
- Lake shoes for lakes, rivers and rocky beaches
- Beach towels and a bodyboard. Mike bought one from the campsite shop at Le Vieux Port and spent hours out on the waves
Our pick for swimwear is Budgy Smugglers: fun prints, fine for French pool rules, and women’s and kids’ styles too. Code FAMILYCAMPINGEUROPE gets you 20% off.
Bugs and weather
- Bug repellent, mozzie wristbands and citronella candles. My mum swears by Jungle Formula. 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
- Pack a macs for when the weather changes in five minutes flat
For the kids
- A scooter or bikes. Campsites are brilliant for this
- Water painting books, colouring pads, a packable pencil and sharpener kit 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
- Glow sticks for the walk back from the evening show
- Kids headphones for the tablet (thank me in the car)
- Their favourite cuddly toy. Don’t leave it on the pitch!
Babies and toddlers
- A baby monitor and a sleeping bag or sleeping sac
- Bottles, formula and water
- Nappies, wipes and nappy cream
- Bibs, toddler cutlery and cups
- A baby carrier and a pushchair or trike
- A splash mat under the high chair (the grass will thank you)
- A thermometer and nail clippers
Toiletries and first aid
- Towels for showers and swimming
- Toothbrushes, toothpaste, shower gel, deodorant, hairbrush and hairbands
- Loo roll. The campsite toilet blocks don’t always have it, so bring your own
- Shower shoes for the toilet block
- Painkillers, Calpol, cough medicine, a thermometer, tweezers and plasters
- Sun cream and after sun
- Tampons or pads, razors and your makeup bag
Documents and tech
- Passports, driving licence and your booking confirmation
- GHIC cards and your travel insurance details
- Wallet, cards and some euros in coins
- A UK extension lead to plug into your 2-pin adaptor
- A GoPro for the water slides and a Bluetooth speaker for the pitch
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. If the kids are slide mad, here are our campsites with water slides, and our Eurocamp holiday guide if you fancy a break from the tent.
