The Ultimate Guide to Wild Camping with kids
If you’ve ever wondered about taking your kids wild camping, but been unsure of where to begin, this is the post for you. As a family we’ve spent many nights under canvas, usually in a busy campsite with modern facilities and perhaps a playpark to entertain the kids. Two years ago, after discovering Camp Wild, we decided to give wild (or nearly wild) camping a try and haven’t looked back since. Wild camping with kids is an entirely different experience, and takes a little more planning, but this family wild camping guide will set you off on your adventures.
Why Try Wild Camping as a Family?
We’ve tested out wild camping in several locations in the UK, as a family, as a mother daughter weekend and at a couple of Camp Wild campouts. Over that time we’ve discovered many benefits. Yes, it’s a little more difficult, but the benefits definitely outweigh the challenges. In fact, the challenges are often part of what makes a night of camping so memorable. When you leave behind the play facilities, restrictive rules and convenient facilities of traditional campsites behind, a new way of camping emerges. It’s slower, more thoughtful and much more connected. You can read about our very first experience of wild camping as a family in Somerset over on the Camp Wild trail tales page.



If you enjoy finding great places to explore with your family, try our family guide to Barcelona, Tossa de Mar or visiting Oxford. For coastal locations with great walks try our guide to 10 fantastic beaches in the South West UK. And for a great road trip read our North Wales Road Trip Itinerary. Finally for wildlife lovers, we have a guide to visiting Skomer in Wales to see puffins and much more wildlife besides.
The Benefits for Kids and Parents: Connection, Confidence, and Adventure
- Wild camping feels like a real adventure of the sort you usually only read about in story books. Our children have loved the sense of freedom and adventure wild camping has given them. Without any other campers around, they are free to explore and make as much noise as they like (or as much as the adults are prepared to tolerate).
- Away from the sports clubs, technology and other trappings of our normal life, we’ve found that our kids creativity slowly emerges. Over the duration of the trip they begin to relax and can be found creating bridges or dens in the woods, making up stories or games and generally finding fun from the smallest of objects.
- Whether watching a red kite search for prey, admiring a particularly weird and wonderful fungus or observing the slow journey of a beetle across a blade of grass, there’s always a great sense of connection to the natural world. We’ve found so much joy in observing the little things, listening to the dawn chorus in the morning over coffee is particularly delightful.
- Carrying everything you need for the night, making decisions about what to bring and what to leave at home and learning to live for a night or two with a little less are great ways of learning to be more resilient. Resilience is a skill that can be hard to develop. Trying new things and gradually increasing the boundaries of your safe zone can be great ways to develop this essential skill.
- Wild camping spaces are much closer to nature than traditional camping. This increases the nature exposure which has been shown to have multiple positive benefits for both physical and mental health.
- With limited distractions from other campers or technology, wild camping allows the rare gift of uninterrupted family time to relax, play and connect deeply.
- Often wild spaces can give us access to incredible natural scenery. We’ve encountered waterfalls, star filled skies, epic sunrises and sunsets, tranquil ancient woodlands and lakes to swim in on our adventures. These spaces fill both adults and kids with that magical sense of awe and gratitude for the world we live in. Furthermore, when our young people are exposed to natural spaces that are regenerated.
Essential Family Wild Camping Kit List

There are a few things you’ll need to get you out there. When thinking about what to pack for wild camping with your family, try to avoid rushing out to purchase a complete new set of gear. Use what you already own or borrow from friends and family until you find what really suits you.
Your kit doesn’t need to be perfect – we began by carrying our gear in shopping bags. With that said, there are some excellent gadgets that might make your life a little easier. If you do decide to invest, go for lightweight, quality items that will last you for a long time and reduce the environmental impact of camping.
Shelter and Sleeping Gear
Here’s the ultimate family wild camping kit list — tested on trips with kids aged 6–13. Use it as a checklist before your adventure.
- Lightweight tent. We use this Big Agnes tent and love it for 2 or 3 person adventures. If 4 of us travel we extend our sleeping space with this lightweight bivvy bag and tarpaulin.
- Sleeping bags and sleeping mats: One for each person. We currently use a range of sleeping bags collected over the years, but my favourite for warmth but very little weight is this lightweight down sleeping bag from alp kit, paired with an insulated camping mat. In summer the kids tend to sleep on a lightweight mat. Check the minimum comfort and safety temperatures for your sleeping bag before you go. In summer you can usually get away with a 2 season bag, for spring and autumn you’ll need a thicker bag and some sort of insulation, either an insulated mat or add a folding foam mat for added warmth on cooler nights.
- Electric pump: We use this tiny electric pump from Flextail, which can also be used as a nightlight. It’s my favourite camping gadget; incredibly small, light and useful!
Cooking and Food Supplies

Cooking in the wild is all part of the fun. This is our basic wild camping cooking equipment.
- Stove and gas: We use the OEX Tacana Stove, which rapidly boils water for drinks and dehydrated meals, and comes with a ring so you can use saucepans with it.
- Lightweight saucepan (unless you choose to use dehydrated meal pouches, in which case you can skip this)
- Spare matches
- Spork or lightweight cutlery
- Lightweight mugs or collapsible cups. Look for mugs with a carabiner attachment so you can hook on the outside of your bag.
- Teabags/ coffee bags. Essential!
- Washing up: Wilderness wash (decanted into a tiny bottle), a small cloth and small tea towel.
- Plastic bag for rubbish
- Penknife
- A peg (to hang your tea towel from your guy line)
- Water: At least 2 litres per person, and more if needed for cooking. Large plastic bottles are often the easiest, lightest way of doing this.
- Food: See our meal ideas further down this post for inspiration.
Clothing and Footwear
We keep this very minimal to save space but keep a clean set of clothes in the car to change into at the end of our family camping adventure.
This is our clothing list, per person, for a one night camp. The focus here is keeping warm rather than looking good.
To wear on day 1: Trousers/ leggings, tshirt, trainers or hiking boots, cap
For the evening: Fleece jumper, merino long sleeved top, thin waterproof jacket, crocs (on the outside of the bag), long PJ bottoms or long johns.
For day 2: Underwear and a t-shirt
Obviously, you will need to adjust this for the weather conditions and length of stay.
Safety and Navigation: Essential safety gear for wild camping with children
- Navigation: Before you leave, download or print out the route. Many wild spaces have limited connection and you do not want to spend half your day wandering around trying to find a phone signal. If you use Camp Wild, they send you a route card with a what three words location, and a free trial of OS maps.
- Portable charger
- First aid kit: A basic kit including a minimum of plasters, antiseptic wipes, antihistamines, pain relief, a foil blanket, bandages, small scissors, bite cream, burn gel, plus any prescribed medication. It’s a really good idea to complete a paediatric first aid course to increase your basic skills.
Fun Extras to pack to keep kids happy whilst camping
Depending on your chosen site, you might want to add one or two items from the list below. You could change this each time you travel, or select one or two things as a familiar camping ritual.
- A scavenger hunt or mini notepad to create a hunt on site. Ideas include leaves or trees to spot, sounds to listen for, natural items to find such as seeds or edible berries)
- Pack of cards – Uno or dobble are always popular.
- Head torches – I’m yet to find a child who doesn’t love a head torch. Also handy for playing torch tag.
- Pocket kite
- Frisbee or aerobe
- A tennis ball
- Lightweight Hammock
- Hot chocolate sachets
- Mini sketchbook and watercolour set or pencils
- Before you leave, get the kids involved in making trail snacks. Flapjack and trail mix both travel well and can be customised to their preferences.
Optional extras for added comfort
- A lightweight stool or folding chair.
- A picnic blanket
- Inflatable, multi-coloured light.
- We sometimes take a tablet with a film downloaded. This might be controversial, but we love watching a film once the sun goes down. Also handy if they wake up at 4am with the birds!
Hygiene and using the toilet whilst wild camping
OK, this is the bit no-one talks about. At some of the wild spaces we’ve booked through Camp Wild, we’ve had access to a compost loo. In most places there are no facilities.
Where possible, we try to use the toilet before we head to a wild space, and know where to go to when we leave! However, what happens if someone needs to poo
In some spaces you will be allowed to take a small trowel and bury your waste (carefully and at least 15cm deep), however in most you need to remove all waste. There are different ways of doing this, however the most straightforward it to bag it, along with any toilet paper. Double bag, and place at the bottom of your bag to be binned when you are off site. It’s not pleasant, but it is necessary as a responsible camper.
Remember to bring hand sanitiser and toilet roll, alongside plastic bags or dog poo bags.
For ladies, a pee cloth such as a Kula cloth is a great addition and much more hygienic than it sounds!
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Safety tips when wild camping with kids
Every family has different safety needs, depending on the ages and abilities of the children, however a few good precautions or rules are to:
- Consider using a booking platform such as Camp Wild, where you can camp with the permission of the landowner and locations are often accessed by locked gates which only you have the code for.
- When picking a spot to pitch your tent, avoid camping too close to water or under large tree branches which could fall.
- Make sure someone knows your location, take a fully charged mobile, back-up power source and well stocked first aid kit.
- Ensure you have enough clothes to keep you warm and dry.
- Talk to your children about any dangers in the area. Agree a distance they can go from you and any off-limits areas or activities.
Only you know your own child(ren) and you may need to take extra precautions, especially with younger children. There are always inherent risks with any activity, however with a few rules you should be able to balance the risks and rewards.



Tips for a Successful Family Wild Camping Trip
Choosing the Right Location
Wild camping is illegal in the majority of the UK, with a few exceptions. Parts of Dartmoor and Scotland have the right to roam, providing you camp responsibly and leave no trace.
For the rest of the UK, we’d recommend using Camp Wild to book a wild space. They have an extensive and ever growing network of spaces across the UK. Prices are usually very reasonable (£5 – £25) and you camp in a private, natural space, with the permission of the landowner. To access the spaces you do need to join them, which costs £25 for the year. This also lets you book their fantastic community campouts (additional cost but very very reasonably priced).
If you fancy going it alone, remember to respect the land and landowners. Always remember to leave no trace, including carrying out all rubbish and waste. Arrive late and leave early to avoid disturbing other land users, and keep quiet and away from the view of others.
How to carry your equipment for a family wild camp
This is dependent on the age of the kids. As a rule of thumb, children can carry approximately 10% of their body weight. You know your own child and their capabilities. Start with camps short distances from the car or public transport and work up to longer family through hikes.
Teenagers should be able to carry a little more weight, especially if they are used to lugging a heavy school bag around all day.

Adults and teens can carry equipment in a hiking backpack. Smaller children can carry a daypack, usually containing their water bottle, sleeping bag and clothes.
If the distance is short, the weather fair and you run out of bag space, we’ve utilised supermarket ‘bags for life’ and found these work fairly well as a back-up to rucksacks.
Cooking Easy Family-Friendly Meals

Below you’ll find a few wild camping family meal ideas we keep coming back to. If you want to up your wild camping food game, I’d recommend this outdoor cook book from Thom at Off the Beaten Pot. We met Thom and tried his food at a camp Wild community campout. I can confirm it tastes as good as it sounds!
- Dehydrated meals (available from camping stores) are the way to go if you need to pack ultra light or are short on space.
- This recipe for chorizo orzo pasta is our go to meal. I usually chop the veg before we leave and take it in a ziplock bag.
- Instant noodles are quick, easy and satisfying. Take some pre-prepared veg or protein to increase the nutritional value.
- Pre-prepared bean chilli, transported in a ziplock bag and serve in wraps or with pre-cooked rice.
- Breakfast (We usually take porridge pots, add a layer of foil held on with an elastic band to stop them popping open and spilling everywhere). Add some nuts and dried fruit to make a filling meal.
Wild camping with teenagers

Wild camping with teenagers can be a dream. We take an annual mother daughter wild camping trip to Dartmoor which we look forward to every year. As teenagers can usually shoulder more of the packing load, it can extend how far you are able to walk to reach a camping spot, getting you out into wilder spaces. It’s the best way I’ve found to connect with my teenager yet.
Responsible Wild Camping With Children
The golden, unbreakable rule of wild camping, and any time spent in nature is to leave no trace. Not only are you protecting natural habitats for the wildlife and plant life, but for the people who visit too. By treating areas with respect landowners are more likely to continue to allow access to their space. If places are disrespected this gives so much ammunition to those who would deny access and privatise spaces.

Not only that, teaching the principles of leaving no trace when camping instils a sense of responsibility and care for nature in your children.
Some simple rules to follow as a respectful camper
- Remove ALL waste and rubbish. Even biodegradable waste can cause problems to sensitive environments, along with potential health risks.
- Check the area carefully before leaving. Tent pegs in particular are easy to miss.
- Respect landowners and be mindful of livestock. Keep dogs on a lead around ground nesting birds and livestock. Leave gates as you found them.
- Keep the exact location you visit private to avoid increasing visitors to a specific spot, putting pressure on that area.
- Never light an open fire
- Keep at least 50 metres away from water sources when using the toilet. Where possible, use public toilet facilities.
- Use marked paths if available and avoid disturbing untouched ground.
- Enjoy observing wildlife from a respectful distance.
- If you can, consider bringing a litter picker and spare bag so you can leave the area cleaner than when you arrived.
- Keep noise to a minimum to avoid disturbing local residents and wildlife.
Common Mistakes to Avoid on Your First Family Wild Camp
Whilst choosing to wild camp with your kids is great fun, with a little planning you can avoid these common mistakes.
Mistake 1: Packing too much
This is so easy to do as an anxious parent. What if your child is cold? What if they’re bored? You imagine every possible scenario and pack for all possibilities, only to find yourself struggling to walk to camp under an enormous load, whilst the children add their loads to yours.
In reality, providing you have decent shelter, some food and one or two small items to entertain the kids, you’ll need very little else. Problem solving is all part of the fun, and living with limited possessions for a night or two sparks creativity. Keep your packing light.
Mistake 2: Packing too little
Whilst overpacking is the most common problem, it’s a fine line between over and underpacking. If you forget the jumpers, raincoats, matches or tentpegs then the camp might be over before it began. Use our handy packing list to help you remember everything you need, and leave the rest at home.
Mistake 3: Choosing a camp spot that is too challenging
For your first wild camp, keep it simple. This will allow you to test out your kit and capabilities. Whilst challenge is great, pushing it too far can lead to panic, and no-one thrives in a panic state.
Camp Wild have a grading system which you can use to select your camp spots. We started with an easily accessible spot with a compost toilet and the option to drop kit off before parking. This was a great way for us to test the waters. When I camp with my teenager, leaving her younger siblings at home, we usually try a wilder camp which requires more walking and more wildness.
If you’re going it alone, make sure the first spot you pick is close to an exit option and limit the distance you need to travel. With each camp you can push your boundaries a little further.
Mistake 4: Travelling too far from home
This is a mistake we’ve made. We’ve seen a great location that was a little too far from home and ended up spending more time travelling than enjoying the camp area. This leads to a more stressful camp. Ideally, keep travel time under 90 minutes.



Final Thoughts: Is family wild camping worth the effort
Whilst it does take a little more thought, once you’ve tried wild camping with your kids you might not turn back. The freedom and closeness to nature you experience within a wild space are hard to beat. We love the sense of adventure that comes with a family wild camp.We’ve tried easy access and more remote areas in Somerset, The Malverns, the Eryri National park (Snowdonia) and on Dartmoor and have never yet been disappointed.
Our children come home with mud on their faces, and stories of wildlife climbing trees. Right now, we go because it’s excellent, relatively affordable and wholesome fun that works for our mixed ages of children (ages between 6 and 13). For the future, I hope it will help them foster a life long love of the planet we live on, and build their confidence and resilience to adventure in their later lives. We urge you to pick a spot and give it a go. When you get home, please tell us all about your adventures.
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FAQs About Family Wild Camping
Is wild camping legal in the UK?
In Scotland, wild camping is generally legal under the right to roam. In England and Wales, it’s more restricted, with Dartmoor offering some permitted areas. Always check local rules before heading out.
How can I wild camp legally in England and Wales
In England and Wales, with the exception of parts of Dartmoor, you will need the permission of the landowner to wild camp legally. Camp Wild is a good way of doing this easily. There is a small cost associated with the service, which allows you to search for and book wild spaces that suit your family.
What age is suitable for kids to try wild camping?
It depends on your child’s personality, but many families start once kids are confident walkers (around 5-6 years old). Teenagers especially benefit from the independence and sense of adventure.
What kit do we really need for wild camping with kids?
You’ll need the basics: a lightweight tent, sleeping bags, mats, a stove, and food. For kids, bring extra layers, snacks, and perhaps a comfort item (like a small teddy).
How do we keep kids entertained while camping?
Nature provides most of the entertainment — climbing rocks, spotting wildlife, or stargazing. You can also pack card games, a journal, or a lightweight kite for added fun.
Is wild camping safe with children?
Yes, with preparation. Choose safe, accessible spots, check the weather forecast, and teach kids basic outdoor awareness. Always follow Leave No Trace principles.
What are the rules about fires, toilets, and waste
Research and follow the local rules with respect to fires and toilets. All wild campers should take great care to remove all rubbish and any human waste from site. You can learn more about the seven principles of leave no trace on their website
