How to camp more sustainably

Hello, I thought that for my first post I would chat about camping sustainably as that is at the heart of what we are trying to inspire. I’m sure that most of you reading this either love camping or want to try it. Camping is a simple pleasure, it’s all about immersing yourself within nature, slowing down and having some time together and away from our busy lives.

Here are a few tips and ideas to make some small changes that can help us camp in a more sustainable and low impactful way.

 

EQUIPMENT

If you are new to camping why not borrow or rent a tent. That will give you a better idea of what tent you might need for you and instead of buying straight away you would have time to research the tent you would like. Campsites are a great place to check out peoples set up and work out what you would like. I love getting to campsite and having a good old nosey and chat to other campers!

Tentshare is an amazing company that you can rent a tent through.

Contended Camping also do the same

When you do go to buy a tent why not check out the more Sustainable brands

Vaude, Nordisk, Snowpeak – they have some amazing tents.

Camping recycled is an initiative Vango set up to reduce the amount of great outdoor gear that goes to waste and ends up in landfill. They sell items that function as intended, but cannot be sold through our normal retail partners, such as samples, demo kit and refurbished products. 

When buying camping equipment sometimes it’s better to spend slightly more to get a better product that will last a bit longer. We bought our bell tent from BCT tents 15 years ago and it’s still going strong. BCT are one of the only British tent makers and make incredible quality tents.

You can also pick up lots of camping equipment second hand via Facebook Marketplace, eBay and Gumtree. We picked up our Dometic 3-way fridge this year from Facebook Market place.

Maybe just take your duvets from home or you can buy recycled down and synthetic sleep bags now.

 

FOOD

We all know that food is basically what the day revolves around when you are camping. It's literally the hot topic of conversation!

In a bid to be more sustainable, planning is the key.

Plan your meals, if going in a group collaborate and plan a feast night!

Prep some food to take with you

Take the basics, spices, salt and pepper, olive oil etc

Research where you are staying – are there any local farm shops, places to get eggs, amazing local shops.

If you have a veggie box you could arrange for it to come the day you leave for camp and take it with you.

All these things will help as you will know what you are eating, and will maybe avoid the mad dash around the supermarket grabbing anything and everything!

And sustainability isn’t just about nature. It’s about respecting the place you are visiting, which includes the people who live there. The best way to do this is to support local producers and buy fresh, local food from them. It has much less carbon miles attached to it and you get to chat to the local community who are always a great source of information and generally love a chat.

 

WHEN YOU ARE CAMPING

Maybe search out campsites that have good eco credentials.

Try and use eco-friendly logs on your campfire.

Try and avoid using to many single use plastics. There are so many fantastic re-useable products now, have a look in our new shop!

Some camp sites ask you to take all your rubbish away, so try and remember to take bags or boxes that you can sort the recycling into.

Try and swap personal care products e.g. shampoos, conditioner and soap for eco friendly versions.

Use solar power to charge your tech when you are away or just switch off!

Leave no trace, very important to leave your camp spot as you found it.

And finally have loads of fun!

Tess x