Who doesn’t love the chance to get outside and go camping with the family?! Camping is a great budget friend and frugal family outing everyone enjoys. The hardest part with camping was that we always felt we were forgetting something. Enter our ultimate family camping checklist. When you have all your camping gear ready to go, camping is the perfect frugal holiday!
When we were getting out of debt, we didn’t have any extra money to travel. So we decided to try camping. We both enjoy it, but the getting ready part was a big thing that held me back from doing it more. That’s where this list comes from. My wife is a champ at making sure we have everything and keeps a packing list of what we need. This way, when it’s time to go, packing takes an hour and not days of planning.
Here’s the thing, the difference between an awesome camping trip, and one that is forgettable is making sure you have all your camping essentials. You want to have it so that you can get where you are going. Set up camp. Then start to enjoy this time with your family. This camping packing list is the first step.
You can download and print a copy of this camping trip checklist here too.
Shelter
- Tent(s) When you are picking a tent a few things you will want to consider is the fly (the part that covers the tent so rain can’t get in), the number of people it will sleep, and height. Changing in a tent in a rainstorm, or spending the day inside in a storm should be a few things you think of when you are buying a tent.
- Tarps if you don’t have a fly on your ten, then you will want to have some tarps to add extra coverage when it rains, or for extra shade.
- Mallet You will need this to hammer the tent pegs in.
- Mat for tent entrance, our tent has an entrance when the fly is up, we have an old mat to stand on and remove sand or dirt
- Dust pan/broom this seemed funny until you realize that sand gets everywhere and it’s nice to have it in the tent for clean up.
Bedding
- Sleeping bags depending on your sleep situation you will need a few, we got layered ones that you can use in different temperatures.
- Sheets
- Pillows
- Blankies/Stuffies
- Extra Blankets
- Air mattresses the difference between a good night’s sleep and a bad one is the mattress. We invested in one and it changed our lives when we camp. Try to get a self-inflating one for quick setup.
Outside Gear
- Sunblock a must wherever you go
- Cooling Towels we first got these for our trip to Orlando, add some water and tip them around for a few seconds and they cool you off. So cool!
- Bug Spray/Raid We need a lot of sprays where we live
- Aloe vera, Sunburns happen from time to time, this is a miracle worker
- Lantern/propane
- Flashlights
- Kids lanterns
- Hanging Lantern
- Batteries
- Bug lantern and refills
- Umbrellas
- Lawn chairs
- Rope/clothespins
- Bikes/helmets
- Water toys/swim stuff
- Folding table(s)
- Baseball gloves
- Backpack for beach
Cooking Gear
- Blue water jugs I try to bring two, with growing kids there is always a need for hydration.
- Dish Bins
- Electric frypan
- Drying rack
- Dish soap
- Dishcloths
- Towels
- Scrub pad
- Lysol Wipes
- Coolers/ice packs
- Stove/propane
- BBQ
- Lighters, we usually pack a few to make sure we have fire when we need it.
- Firewood (dry)
- Kindling
- Axe – Gotta split some wood at some point!
- Collapsible Buckets
- Newspaper
- Tablecloth/clips
- Plates & bowls/paper plates
- Silverware
- Cups
- Coffee travel mugs
- Water bottles
- Coffee pot/maker
- Aluminum foil
- Paper towels
- Pam spray
- Oven mitts
- Pots and frying pans with lids
- Spoons
- Tongs/ Knife/ Spatula
- Potato Peeler
- BBQ utensils
- BBQ scraper
- Roasting sticks
- Bottle opener
- Mixing bowl
- Cutting board
- Ziplock bags
- Grocery bags
- Garbage Bags
- Seasonings
- Sugar
- Condiments
Clothes for X number of days
- Socks
- Underwear
- Shorts
- T-shirts
- Sweatshirts
- Pants
- PJs
- Swimsuits, swim shirts, cover-up
- Beach Towels (6)
- Hats
- Sunglasses
- Beach bag
- Mini cooler
- Rain gear/Jackets
- Shoes/Sandals
- Laundry bag
Personal Care
- Towel/washcloth
- Wash Bin (blue)
- Mirror
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Soap/face soap
- Toothbrush/toothpaste
- Deodorant
- Comb/brush/Blow dryer
- Hair stuff
- Make-up
- Feminine products
- Toilet paper
- Kids medicine bag/ creams
- EpiPens/ inhaler
- Emergency Info
- First Aid Kit
- Band-Aids
Other Items for Camping
- Kleenex
- Wipes
- Fan
- Fly swatter
- Pocket knife
- Scissors
- Work gloves
- Extension cords
- Bungi cords/straps
- Duct tape
- Cards/games/toys/books/cardholders
- Notepad/pen
- Cell phones/chargers
- Walkie Talkies
- Money for showers
- Reservation info
- Park Pass
- Car Ride stuff for kids
You can download this camping packing list for free.
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