We know that going camping in Tajikistan (especially if it’s your first time) can be a bit daunting! What is available locally? Are there special Tajikistan-specific extras? What about food? Is my sleeping bag good enough? We’ve spent weeks… months! …living in the mountains here (sometimes for stretches of up to 2 weeks) – both out of a backpack and out of the back of the car. Here’s our Family Car Camping Packing List!
If you think we’ve missed something then please do get in touch!
- Anything marked * is available for rent from Archa
- Anything marked ^ is available for purchase locally – get in touch if you’re unsure where
An easy to print copy of this packing list can be found by clicking here!
◦ *Tent
◦ *Sleeping bag [3 or 4 season – rated to at least 0C or 32F]
◦ *^Sleeping mat or air-bed & pump
◦ *Mallet
◦ *Extra tent-pegs
◦ *^Pillow
◦ *^Camping chair
◦ *Camping table
◦ *Picnic blanket
◦ *Sun/rain shelter
◦ *Toilet tent (not necessary at Camp Archa sites) & shovel
◦ ^Fairy-lights/twinklies
◦ ^Dustpan and brush
◦ ^Length of cord
◦ ^Clothes-line pegs
◦ Tent-repair kit
◦ ^Duct-tape
◦ *Solar-charger
◦ Hammock
◦ *^Gas burner (small propane canister from the bozor or camping-gas canisters and stove) – fire wood is not always easily available
◦ ^Matches/lighter
◦ *^Pots and pans
◦ ^Cooking utensils
◦ *^Kettle
◦ ^Plates
◦ ^Bowls
◦ ^Cups
◦ ^Water bottles
◦ ^Cutlery/silverware
◦ ^Sharp knife
◦ ^Cutting board
◦ *Water filter
◦ *^Cool bag & ice-packs (river fridges are available at some Camp Archa sites)
◦ ^Bucket
◦ ^5-litre bottle of clean water
◦ ^Trash-bags
◦ ^Dishcloth/sponge
◦ ^Dish soap
◦ ^Tea towel
◦ ^Hand towel
◦ French-press/coffee maker
◦ Thermos cup/flask
◦ Ziplock food bags
◦ ^Foil
◦ ^Tupperware
◦ ^Can opener
◦ ^Bottle opener
◦ ^Scissors
◦ ^Vegetable peeler
◦ *Fire-top grill mesh
◦ ^BBQ tools
◦ ^Shashlik sticks
◦ ^Ice packs
◦ ^Heat-proof pad/mat
◦ ^Laundry soap
◦ ^Toilet paper
◦ ^Wet wipes
◦ ^Hand soap
◦ ^Hand sanitiser
◦ Sunscreen
◦ Chapstick
◦ *1st aid kit
◦ Regular medication & vitamins
◦ ^Children’s Tylenol/paracetamol
◦ ^Bug spray
◦ Bug bite cream
◦ ^Insect-repellant burner-coils/citronella
◦ ^Hair brush
◦ ^Sanitary towels & products
◦ ^Toothbrush
◦ ^Toothpaste
◦ ^Towel
◦ ^Deodorant
◦ Glasses and contact lenses + solution etc.
◦ Clothing: socks, underwear, shorts, trousers/pants (preferably not jeans), T-shirts, sweaters, pyjamas, long-johns/thermal underwear etc.
◦ Warm clothing (even in the summer the temperature in the mountains can get close to freezing at night) – lots of layers are best
◦ *Down jacket/vest (gilet)
◦ Activity appropriate clothing (quick-dry hiking trousers, climbing trousers/shorts, sports-bra, merino wool T-shirt, lightweight hoodie, thick socks, cycling/spandex shorts etc.)
◦ ^Camp shoes (crocs/sandals)
◦ *^Hiking boots
◦ ^Swimming gear
◦ *^Flashlight/torch + extra batteries
◦ ^Warm/woolly hat
◦ ^Sun hat
◦ ^Sun glasses
◦ *Rain jacket (unpredictable weather in the mountains along with poor forecasting in Tajikistan mean this is a *must* no matter the season!)
◦ Binoculars
◦ Bats, balls, frisbee etc.
◦ Camera
◦ ^Large flashlight/torch
◦ Book
◦ Notebook
◦ Pens & pencils
◦ Art supplies
◦ Power-bank/battery
◦ Phone charging cable
◦ *Sat-phone
◦ Water guns
◦ Board/card games
◦ *Climbing gear
◦ *Bouldering mats
◦ *Hiking poles
◦ *^Map
◦ Water and food bowls
◦ Food
◦ Dog-leash (preferably long)
◦ Toys
◦ Salt & pepper
◦ Seasonings
◦ Cooking oil
◦ Tea (including caffeine-free fruit infusions for the cool evenings)
◦ Cafe Chatr ground coffee
◦ Hot chocolate
◦ Sugar
◦ UHT/Powdered milk/cream
◦ Peanut butter
◦ Jam
◦ Mayonnaise
◦ Ketchup
◦ Mustard
◦ Dried fruit and nuts
◦ Crackers
◦ KFC – order your meals from Dilovar’s Kitchen For Campers delivery service at Camp Archa sites
◦ Bread
◦ Pasta
◦ Pasta sauce
◦ Tinned vegetables (peas, sweet corn, olives, tomatoes etc.)
◦ Tinned fish
◦ Tinned beans
◦ Eggs (boiled or pre-cracked into a ziplock)
◦ Instant oats
◦ Instant noodles
◦ Instant mash potatoes
◦ Granola
◦ Cereal
◦ Sausages
◦ Kalbasa/salami – cured meat sausage
◦ Cheese
◦ Cream cheese
◦ Butter/margarine
◦ Chips/crisps
◦ Candy/sweets/cookies etc.
◦ Fruit
◦ Marshmallows
◦ …head over to Pinterest for some great camp cooking ideas!
For food: plan out your breakfasts, lunches and dinners plus plenty of snacks and always pack at least an extra 24hrs of food.
Top-tip: if you’re arriving later in the day we recommend ordering some Bella Pizza earlier in the day, packing it into ziplocks and putting it into the top of the cooler for the first dinner – no stress, no prep, super tasty 👍🏼😁
Finally, as with any trip to the mountains… make sure you let your emergency contacts know when you’re going, where you’re staying and when you’ll be back.