Family Camping Packing List
What you pack on your family camping trip can make or break your experience. Here is our tried and true checklist
Knowing what you need to take on a camping trip with you is important. You don’t want to overpack and end up bringing too much stuff, but you don’t want to bring too little, either.
Things to think about before packing
- How long are you going to be gone? That will determine how many pairs of clothes and how much food you need to bring with you. Remember to always pack a few extras!
- What will the weather be like while you are gone? Its important that your gear and clothes support the environment.
- What activities will you be doing there? If you are going swimming, creek walking, fishing, hiking, or anything else, you might need to bring special clothes or gear for that.
Family Camping Packing List
Here are our must have items for an easy but enjoyable camping experience with your family. Check out our printable checklist below!
Campsite Items
This is what helps your campsite be a home away from home.
- The right tent that will fit your whole family and gear.
- Your sleeping systems, which include your sleeping bags, sleeping pads, camp pillows, and any extra sleeping items you need (like maybe stuffed animals or special blankets).
- Your resting spaces like camp chairs, hammocks, or stools.
- Lanterns, flashlights, and headlamps
A Camp Kitchen
Your camp kitchen box includes items to help you store your food, cook your meals, and clean up afterwards.
- Food storage system including coolers and other storage containers
- Camp stove, grill, along with any gas, charcoal, and matches that you need
- Cooking pots and cooking utensils
- Serving plates and utensils
- Cooking items like knives, cutting boards, mixing bowls, etc.
- Items for washing up like dish towels, scrubbers, a sink, paper towels, and soap.
- A camping table is an excellent item to add to your packing list to help you cook.
Personal Items
These items are your personal things you need to bring with you.
- Clothing
- Sleep wear
- Toiletries, including sunscreen and bug spray
- Toilet Paper
- First Aid Kit
Tools
Its always a good idea to have some tools on hand in case you need to repair something, saw some wood, etc.
- A multi-tool
- A handsaw for if you need to cut firewood
- Duct-tape, because you always need that
- A hammer or mallet
- Extra bungie cords and tent stakes
Extra Items
These items aren’t necessary, but they do make camping more enjoyable! We add a lot of these items into our kids hiking backpacks that are use as “explorer’s bags” for them to use while exploring and hiking around our campground.
- Field guides for local wildlife and plants
- Binoculars
- Star Charts for gazing at the sky
- Notebooks and pencils for nature journaling, drawing, or writing
- Camp Games
- Activity books
- Firewood and DIY Fire Starters (do check your campground to see if they have firewood regulations, though).
Once you have everything you need for your camping trip, figuring out a system for setting up your campsite is a great way to make sure your trip is as easy as possible!
Join GROW for free printables!
Our printables are provided for FREE via the GROW app. Provide your email address to download your free printable. Go to the lock screen below and click “subscribe now”. Then, click the download button to be taken to the free printable to download. You only need to sign up once and then you’ll be able to access all of our exclusive printables! It’s that easy.
By signing up, you’ll also receive all of our new posts straight to your inbox. This is completely FREE! Note, that we will NEVER sell your personal information.
Already a subscriber? Grab your printable just below this text!
