Camping vacation: tips for beginners, packing list, preparation and destinations

Camping vacations – idyllic nature, picturesque landscapes and the feeling of complete freedom!
Who doesn’t dream of a relaxing vacation where you can switch off from everyday life and spontaneously decide what’s next on your to-do list?
Whether with a roof tent, camper, folding caravan or motorhome – a camping vacation promises a mixture of relaxation and adventure and is therefore also suitable for the whole family.
Find out here what you need to know about packing lists, preparation and recommended destinations.

Want nature, relaxation & adventure?
Go camping!

Camping is becoming increasingly popular with young and old.
The flexibility that you have compared to a vacation in a hotel or vacation apartment is winning over more and more holidaymakers.
Relaxing far away from mass tourism, exploring remote places, hiking in idyllic nature, cycling in the forest or along the sea and enjoying quality time with your loved one at the campsite in the evening – these are just some of the aspects that speak for a camping vacation. Whether it’s summer or winter camping, more and more people are being drawn to natural campsites in Germany, France, Italy, Norway, Sweden or even the USA.
So pack your bags, grab your loved ones and look forward to a camping adventure in the middle of nature! However, especially as a camping newbie, you should consider a few things in advance and prepare yourself sufficiently!

Beginner’s tips for your first camping vacation

If you haven’t really been camping yet, you should find out a few important things before your trip.
For example, it’s super important to familiarize yourself with the basics, such as packing lists, preparation and route planning.
But knowledge about food, electricity and gas is also useful for a smooth vacation.
You should also avoid the most common beginner’s mistakes as much as possible.
You should not make the following beginner’s mistakes:

  1. Drive off unprepared
  2. Driving for too long at a stretch
  3. Blindly trust the navigation system
  4. Always park in the sun
  5. Taking too much luggage with you

You can find all the important information and detailed tips for your first camping vacation here:

Travel destinations: Weekend, short trip and longer trip

Whether it’s a weekend getaway, a short camping trip or a trip lasting several weeks – before you start your vacation, the first step is to choose your destination!
Do you want to travel in summer or winter?
Stay in Germany or perhaps go to warmer regions?
The choice of destination depends entirely on your personal preferences.
Of course, closer regions are more recommended for a short trip, while more distant destinations are ideal if you have planned more time for a road trip.
Either way – don’t overdo it, especially as a beginner, and plan a little more time for your route! The following destinations are recommended for a camping vacation in Germany:

Take a look at the following video for more recommendations and inspiration on the most beautiful destinations in Germany: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLAuQFux5Ms These destinations are suitable for a longer camping trip:

Road trip to Sweden – here you can get an exciting first impression of what your road trip could look like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aKbtvXz0fs&t=49s

Motorhome, camper or roof tent?

The destination has been decided, but now the question is how to get there.
You can decide according to your preferences whether you want to travel by car and classic tent, caravan, motorhome or camper van.
The length of your trip and the region you have chosen may also play a role in your decision.
Another, cheaper and more flexible option, however, would be a camping vacation with a roof tent or tent trailer.

Why you should camp with a roof tent

The roof tent is simply mounted on your own car and can be folded up into an amazing, comfortable living space whenever and wherever you need it.
In addition to easy handling, the focus here is clearly on fun.
Read more about the advantages, different models, roof load and prices here: Roof tent for the car.
But no matter what you decide – you’re sure to have an eventful time on your camping vacation, see amazing landscapes and come back relaxed. The advantages of traveling with a roof tent:

  • Flexible travel arrangements
  • Is permanently mounted on your car
  • Can hardly be felt on the roof while traveling
  • Can be unfolded anytime and anywhere
  • Comfortable living space for up to 5 people
  • Free and spontaneous daily planning

A vacation with a roof tent promises relaxation and fun for the whole family!

Packing list for your camping vacation

A packing list is essential for structuring and planning your trip – especially when camping!
Because if you forget something from home, you can’t just ask at reception.
Campers in the countryside also have a longer walk to the nearest supermarket.
As always, documents and papers should be at the top of the list.
Cooking utensils and long-life food are also essential, as you usually have to provide for yourself on the campsite.
So what should I not forget when camping?
Here is a summary of the most important things:

You can read everything in detail here:

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Offroad
Raised and extra stable for road and off-road… What do you do if you are traveling in regions with poor roads or drive an off-road vehicle or SUV whose dome height does not fit conventional trailers? The solution: the off-road tent trailer from CAMPWERK – specially developed for extreme conditions. This unique model impresses with a raised and particularly robust AL-KO chassis that can withstand even the most demanding off-road routes. The entire body is made of lightweight but sturdy aluminum, reinforced with durable stainless steel components. So you are perfectly equipped for any terrain.
Black / Silver
Available now: The CAMPWERK Offroader in the exclusive Black/Silver Edition CAMPWERK is expanding its range and now also offers the popular off-road tent trailer in the coveted Black/Silver Edition. The high-quality aluminium body is completely anodized in matt black, while the mudguards are powder-coated in elegant “Gun Silver Metal”. An absolute eye-catcher on any road and in any terrain!
The off-road trailer from CAMPWERK impresses with its lightweight construction: Thanks to the aluminum body, the base only weighs around 300 kg when empty. With a permissible total weight of 1.5 tons, it offers an impressive payload capacity of up to 1.2 tons – ideal for small excursions, transport and even larger expeditions.

Visually, the trailer blends in perfectly with the appearance of an off-road vehicle or SUV with its coarse-tread MT tires and robust, full-length aluminium mudguards. The mudguards are also designed in such a way that they are ideal for the safe transportation of petrol and water canisters or gas bottles.

To ensure flexibility, the off-roader’s tyres can be individually adapted to the towing vehicle on request, so that only one set of spare wheels is required. The standard ball head coupling can also be optionally replaced with a DIN or NATO eye.
T-drawbar or V-fork ?
Thousands of trailer drivers know the problem of tight spaces only too well: if you drive into a narrow lane and have to turn, it is important to back your car as far as possible against the trailer in order to get around the bend without any problems. With a T-drawbar, you can utilize the maximum steering angle. This is precisely why we at CAMPWERK rely on this tried-and-tested technology – for optimum flexibility and maneuverability, no matter how tight things get.
T-drawbar
V-fork
T-drawbar
V-fork
Chassis
Aluminum body
Wheels
Terrain values
Equipped for every situation thanks to the versatile accessories...

Raised dropside

20L canister

Towbar adapter for bike carrier with coupling connection

2-4 bike racks

Anti-drag clutch

Onroad

The perfect solution for your camping adventure:
Road trailer with tent
Imagine a first-class equipped road trailer that is ideal for camping trips in Germany and the surrounding countries.
This trailer comes with a sturdy holding device for a matching tent that can be set up in no time at all.
The result is your mobile home – ready for unforgettable tours!

Your decisive advantage: you are ideally equipped for your vacation in a particularly cost-effective way. And when you’re not on the road, you can use the trailer as a conventional utility trailer. We offer you the road trailer in two versions, depending on your needs: An unbraked version with a permissible total weight of 750 kg and the braked version recommended by us with a permissible total weight of 1,300 kg.
10-year guarantee
Our trailer base was not created in the laboratory – it was made for the real world. The robust construction is optimized for tough conditions. Oversized axles and virtually indestructible aluminum frames ensure exceptional durability. We are the only supplier in Germany to give you a 10-year guarantee on this unique quality!
T-drawbar or V-fork ?
Thousands of trailer drivers know the problem of tight spaces only too well: if you drive into a narrow lane and have to turn, it is important to back your car as far as possible against the trailer in order to get around the bend without any problems. With a T-drawbar, you can utilize the maximum steering angle. This is precisely why we at CAMPWERK rely on this tried-and-tested technology – for optimum flexibility and maneuverability, no matter how tight things get.
T-drawbar
V-fork
T-drawbar
V-fork
Chassis
Aluminum structure
Equipped for every situation thanks to the versatile accessories...

Raised dropside

20L canister

Towbar adapter for bike carrier with coupling connection

2-4 bike racks

Anti-drag clutch

Material and processing.
The tent fabric of our trailer tents is made from a high-quality, 450 g blended fabric, also known as canvas. This unique combination of cotton and polyester combines the advantages of a natural fiber with those of a modern high-tech material. The result is a robust, breathable fabric that impresses with its pleasant feel and high dimensional stability.

The tent fabric, which is also used by the military, is impregnated and particularly tear-resistant thanks to the ripstop process. In this special weaving technique, thicker threads are woven into the fabric at intervals of around 10-15 millimetres, giving the fabric its characteristic tiled structure and exceptional tear resistance. It goes without saying that our fabrics are opaque and therefore offer optimum protection and privacy.
The basis of our trailer tents is a robust stainless steel frame with a thickness of 3×3 cm. A 1.8 cm thick, water-resistant wooden floor panel is securely fastened to this sturdy frame with stainless steel screws. The frame of the trailer tents is also made of galvanized steel tubing and special stainless steel components that ensure maximum stability. The modern surface finish not only offers a high level of corrosion protection, but also gives the material a pleasant feel and ensures a durable, weatherproof construction.
We rely exclusively on yarn from the German market leader Amann. Thanks to the combination of a cotton core and a high-tenacity polyester core, this yarn is characterized by a particularly high tensile strength and excellent water resistance.

On contact with water, the cotton coating swells and closes the seam holes created during sewing. For additional protection, all seams in the roof area are fitted with a transparent sealing strip to ensure maximum waterproofness.
Less is sometimes more.
We are often asked: What about the water column? For tent fabrics, the impermeability of the fabric is specified in the form of the water column. For cotton tents, this value is usually around 300 to 400 mm. However, our tent fabric offers an exceptionally high water column for cotton fabric of around 750 mm. This means that theoretically more than 75 cm of water can stand on the material before the first drops penetrate.

A major advantage of cotton as a natural raw material is its ability to swell when it gets damp, which provides additional waterproofing. In contrast, synthetic fabrics, which cannot swell, must have a much higher water column (between 3,000 and 10,000 mm, depending on the material) in order to achieve comparable waterproofness.
Good night.
The comfort sleep set consists of a high-quality visco foam mattress that adapts perfectly to the individual body shape, ensuring a restful night’s sleep. The set is complemented by the innovative Froli bed spring system, which guarantees an exceptional sleeping experience. Perfect sleeping comfort in a well thought-out overall package.
Premium mattress.
An excellent mattress is the basis for healthy and restful sleep. Just as every person is unique, their mattress should also be individually tailored to them.
Our premium mattress adapts perfectly to the contours of the body and promotes orthopaedically correct positioning of the spine. Thanks to targeted pressure relief, back muscles and intervertebral discs can relax optimally. The innovative construction and high-quality materials create an ideal sleeping environment.
There are no compromises at CAMPWERK: We rely on flexible visco foam with memory function. The unique combination of supportive foam core and relieving visco foam topper ensures maximum sleeping comfort.
Suspension.
Good ventilation is crucial for your well-being and sleep hygiene. To ensure maximum sleeping comfort, we combine our mattress with an innovative Froli slat base. The flexible spring elements form a comfortable slat base with individually adjustable firmness zones. This combination ensures orthopaedically correct positioning of the body and provides targeted, pressure-relieving support. This effectively prevents tension and one-sided strain. The open, air-permeable cells also enable optimum ventilation and create a healthy sleeping environment.
Are you allergic or do you have special health requirements? No problem! We cooperate with a renowned German mattress manufacturer to offer customized solutions. Simply contact us and together we will find the ideal mattress for your needs.