The seven things every camper should have

Sleeping mattress These very thin, insulated Therm-a-Rest mattresses aren’t as luxuriously buoyant as an air-bed, but they are lighter, can be inflated with a several hearty exhalations, and fold down to the size of a large toilet roll. On a cold night, a fat air-bed will conduct heat out of any body part unfortunate enough to come into contact with it. If frost is possible, I take sheepskin rugs for an extra layer between myself and the cold, cold ground. Photograph: travelib / Alamy/www.alamy.com

Sleeping bag I use a standard three-season Quad 3 Mummy bag from Blacks, which has an optimum temperature range from -3C to 10C. A silk sleeping bag liner provides an effective extra layer. On a hot morning, abandon the bag and drape yourself in the silk. The children use Vango Astral Midi sleeping bags and are bundled together in one inner tent to maximise body heat. Photograph: PR

Knife I like the French Opinel knife: cheap, sharp and available in a variety of sizes. A knife is not just for cutting; it is also an invulnerable metal finger, used for prodding campfires and hot coals. Campfire chefs should consider a covered paring knife from Kuhn Rikon. All knives need sheaths. Photograph: Brendan MacNeill / Alamy/www.alamy.com

Stove A meths stove, such as the Trangia, is a tidy way of carrying all your pots and pans, but it doesn’t generate enough heat for frying and is better suited for stews. Also, when meths burns it leaves a noxious black residue. Gas-powered stoves generate more heat but are either clunky or unsteady. So I cook on the campfire, using a grill propped on foraged stones. A local blacksmith has just made me a cooking tripod from which billy cans and grills can be suspended. Some blacksmiths maintain eBay stores where you can commission your own campfire cooking kit: search for “campfire tripod”. Photograph: PR

Water flask Bottled water is so over – and being outdoors in summer is thirsty work. So pack water flasks for everyone in your party, which can be replenished from a large water bag. At this year’s Glastonbury, my family drank five litres of water in a morning. Photograph: Desintegrator / Alamy/www.alamy.com

Torch The Maglite torch is standard, coming in either pencil-thin, purse-friendly size or the heftier, security-guard length. I don’t bother with expensive lanterns; instead I use glow sticks. I bought my father a head torch, and now he blinds everyone he speaks to. Photograph: NordicImages / Alamy/www.alamy.com

Salad The instinct, when camping, to reach for a hosepipe of sausages and catering bags of crisps takes its toll over a few days. Put some banana chillis, red peppers and corn on the cob on the campfire grill to avert scurvy. Or even buy a lettuce from the farmer.
Photograph: Fuse/Fuse