Illustration by Scotty Reifsnyder
Based on a 1956 study by a Princeton psychologist, Miller’s Law suggests our short-term memory can hold a maximum of only seven items. My camping checklist has 214 items on it, I am not kidding. And unless your cranium has considerably more RAM than the average person, what you need is a good checklist. Leave home without ticking items of The List and you will, without a doubt, forget something.
Now, this could be no big deal if the item in question is a spare fleece or a box of crackers. But let’s say you leave behind your tent poles, which my brother did on a trip to Moab. He discovered the oversight at about midnight when we finally made it to Utah and went to set up the tents. He ended up sleeping in the back of his truck in a gravel parking lot, which is sort of camping, sort of not. My husband and I have gotten two hours down the road before having this problematic conversation:
“You packed diapers, right?”
“Um….no. I don’t think so. I thought you put them in.”
Forget the diapers, and you’re really in deep doo-doo.
So here’s my advice: Keep lists. Have lists of lists. Use them, make checkmarks, amend with notations, double check the checkmarks before you roll out of the driveway.
You can use the checklists below or go to the Camping Checklists pdf from my book, The Down and Dirty Guide to Camping with Kids. My lists include basic camping gear, clothing, footwear, camp kitchen, first aid, hygiene, backcountry essential, as well as specialized gear for camping with kids, gear for camp play, camp art, and camp quiet time. Also below are checklists for stargazing, wildlife watching, and water-based activities.
Hardware
- Tent (with poles, stakes, and rainfly)
- Tarp (ground cloth)
- Extra plastic tarp
- Rope
- Vestibule mat
- Sleeping bags
- Sleeping pads
- Pillows
- Screen house
Softwear
- Underwear
- Socks
- Base layer, top and bottom
- Fleece shirt
- Fleece pants
- Down jacket
- Zip-off travel pants
- Fleece or down vest
- Fleece hat
- Light gloves
- Rain or shell jacket
- Rain pants
- Shorts
- T-shirts
- Bathing suit
- Sun hat
- SPF clothing
- Pajamas
- Laundry bag
Footwear
- Hiking boots or light hikers
- Sneakers
- Sandals with straps
- Flip-flops
- Water shoes
- Camp booties
Little Tykes Gear
- Front-loading baby carrier
- Baby backpack carrier
- Portable crib
- Kid-sized day pack
- Child’s reusable water bottle
- Portable potty or potty seat
- Portable high chair
- Child-sized folding camp chair
- Battery-powered night-light
- Child-sized or small adult sleeping pad
- Child-sized sleeping bag
Camp kitchen
- Camp Kitchen
- Camp stove
- Fuel
- Pots
- Pans
- Skillet
- Grill rack
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Spatula
- Big spoon
- Long-handled tongs
- Strainer
- Plates
- Bowls
- Cups
- Insulated coffee cups
- Coffee making device
- Water bottles
- Utensils
- Marshmallow sticks
- Corkscrew
- Bottle opener
- Pot lifter
- Aluminum foil
- Small plastic bags
- Large plastic bags
- Plastic tablecloth
- Extra-large tablecloth clips or tablecloth weights
- Tupperware containers
- Matches, lighter, or fire stick
- Collapsible water container
- Water purifier (optional)
- Drink coozies
- Coolers
Camp Kitchen Cleanup
- Plastic washbasins
- Sponge with scouring pad
- Small scrubber brush
- Old washcloths or tea towels
- Biodegradable camp soap
- Grocery-store plastic bags (for small amounts of garbage)
- Tall kitchen garbage bags
- Paper towels
- Baby wipes
- Clothesline and clothespins
Campfire
- Homemade or store-bought firestarting tinder
- Tinder collected at the campsite
- Kindling
- Larger sticks
- Bundle of firewood
- Matches, lighter, or fire starter
- Paper or plastic plate
Daily Hygiene
- Antimicrobial hand sanitizer
- Baby wipes
- Moisturizing lotion
- Small tube of Aquaphor
- Travel-size deodorant
- Lip balm
- Toothpaste
- Toothbrush
- Dental floss
- Hairbrush
- Soap and shampoo
- Sanitary products
- Washcloth and towel
- Plastic washbasin
- Earplugs
- Needle and thread
- Contacts and glasses
- Prescription medication
Backwoods Pottying
- Small poop shovel or garden trowel
- Toilet paper or baby wipes in a plastic bag
- Diaper rash cream for babies
- Plastic bag for trash
- Hand sanitizer
First Aid
- Adhesive bandages (e.g., Band-Aids)
- Butterfly closures
- ACE bandage
- Hurt-free antiseptic wash
- Small and large gauze pads
- Antibiotic ointment (e.g., Bacitracin)
- Zinc oxide (for sun protection and diaper rash)
- Thermometer
- Ibuprofen (e.g., Motrin or Advil; children’s and adult)
- Acetaminophen (e.g., Tylenol; children’s and adult)
- Antihistamine (e.g., Benadryl; children’s and adult)
- Nail scissors
- Medical tape
- Safety pins
- Insect repellent
- Anti-itch remedy
- 1% hydrocortisone cream
- Sunscreen
- Hand sanitizer
- Antacid tablets
- Cough drops
- Lubricating eyedrops
- Instant cold pack
- Safety whistle
- Emergency blanket
- Duct tape
- Moleskin for blisters
- Fine-pointed tweezers
Backcountry Travel Essentials
- Food
- Water
- First-aid kit
- Matches and emergency tinder
- Emergency blanket or large trash bag
- Map and compass
- Safety whistle
- Headlamp or flashlight
- Extra layers
- Rain gear
- Pocketknife
- Sunglasses and
- sunscreen
Stargazing
- Binoculars
- Small telescope
- Star chart
- Flashlight covered in red cellophane
- Mobile phone with stargazing app
- Reclining camp chair, sleeping pad, or blanket
Wildlife Watching
- Child-sized binoculars
- Field guides
- Camera with zoom lens
- Bug collection boxes
- Magnifying glass
- Butterfly net
- Nature journal
- Pen and pencil
Water-Based Activities
- Fishing rods and tackle
- Bathing suits
- Goggles
- Water shoes
- Towels
- Personal flotation devices (PFDs)
- Water wings
- Dingy
Campsite Play
- Frisbee
- Soccer ball
- Hacky Sack
- Soft football (like a Nerf)
- Baseball and mitts
- Lacrosse sticks and ball
- Little trucks with big tires
- Bubbles
- Sand toys
- Small dolls and action figures
- Favorite stuffed animal
Quiet Time
- Playing cards
- Kid travel games
- Travel-sized board games
- Rope for knot tying
- Camping-themed books
- Flashlight for reading in the tent
- Coloring books or sheets, markers, and crayons
- Clipboard for leaning on while coloring
- Guitar
- Songbook
- Book of spooky stories
Basic Camp Art
- Inexpensive digital camera
- Pencils and sharpener
- Sketch pad, coloring sheets, loose paper
- Crayons and markers
- Watercolors and brushes
- Nature journal
- Glue, paper, scissors
- Chalk (for rubbings)
Thanks for the list! We’ve had our share of screw-ups while tent camping. And so to make our camping adventures easier and hopefully more frequent, we just bought a used pop up camper! We’re excited to get out there. This year we want to reserve camp sites so we can settle in and avoid moving. Wondering if you can recommend some kid-friendly camping spots in Colorado around Durango, Ouray, Mesa Verde and/or Telluride. I’m going to take my two 8 yr old & 10 yr old camping on my own (hubby needs to work) for 5-6 days. We are planning on taking bikes along. Thanks!
Last year we went to Molas Lake near Silverton. it was impossibly beautiful. it’s quite the drive from boulder, but the view alone is worth it. get a spot near lake. And the hiking is amazing.
Here is the list Glass, Miracle and I used to use:
Sleeping bag
Tent (optional)
Booze
Bacon
The list I currently use (minus Glass and Miracle add wife and two kids):
Your list times two.
Love the website Helen!
Chip,
It’s amazing how much stuff such little people require! Bacon is a real good start to any list. A friend’s daughter recently announced she loved bacon more than her mother. I suggested mom wrap herself in bacon, because everything wrapped in bacon tastes better. !!!
this is a great list! thanks so much. we always forget something – i have a book in the car that i write down things we did, and things not to forget next time. our kids are just getting old enough that we need to think of more games/quiet time activities. i love your ideas!
It’s amazing that you can have an extensive list like the above and drive away without something. I do the same thing when we go on a trip. I take notes on my existing list of stuff to bring the next time. Sometimes i think if my head wasn’t attached, I’d leave it behind. But then I could just add “head” to my list and I’d remember it!
I didn’t see mention on your list of a French press or some kind of coffee making implement. We’d DIE without our Nissan insulated stainless steel press!
Good call! I’ve added it to the list. Of course, we have multiple coffee making devices in our camp gear box. We have a little backpacking espresso maker and a non-breakable French press. And we bring along those little VIA Starbucks packets in case we need to satisfy a java Jones in a hurry. I have a whole section on making the perfect cup of camp joe in my book, so leaving it off the list was a total oversight! Thanks for letting me know.
My parents potty-trained me on a family vacation after someone {older sibling} removed the diapers from the motor home during a quick between-trips stop at home! But I agree, a checklist is a huge must! I have a plastic tote for gear with a checklist written in sharpie on the side. Before the trip, I mark off stocked items using dry-erase marker and put the unmarked items on my to-do list.
You are an organizer after my own heart! Love your system.
One of my favorite camping tips was to use a large empty rubbermaid container as a bath for small kids. Some kids just can’t sleep well until they are clean. Also, you can cut the very bottom of a plastic coat hanger and insert it into two ends of a paper towel roll allowing you to hang it so it doesn’t blow into the dirt. (must cover it with plastic at night to avoid it becoming damp from dew.)
Half the fun of camping is getting down and dirty (thus the title of my book!), but I hear what you’re saying. I have a similar suggestions for the rubbermaid bathtub in the book, though I like your idea for the paper-towel roll holder. We have one of those Kelty basecamp kitchen setups (http://www.kelty.com/p-94-basecamp-kitchen.aspx) for our stove and all our pots, pans, and utensils. It has a paper towel roll, and I swear that’s my favorite feature of the camp kitchen. You just can’t have your paper towel roll rolling around.
Thanks for providing this comprehensive list. I was pleased to discover that your book checklists are available online. I just finished your book in preparation for our family’s first camping trip to Yosemite. We are newbie campers with a couple experiences under our belt but we (mom, dad, kids – 1 1/2, 8, and 11) have mad love for outdoor family adventures.
What an awesome spot to do a first (or any time) camping trip. Hope the book helps you get after it. Your kids are such a fun age to camp with. Let me know how it goes!
Great read. I can’t wait to get my little guy (15months now) out camping in a few years. Gonna halfta wait though, since the next one is on the way. I don’t think.I’m ready for two!! :O
I will be getting your book. I like the way you write, and found you through a search for kayaking here in Nebraska. Stumbled on you NY Times article on paddling the Niobrahra. Great read!! I took lots of the same trip you did as a kid, and it saddens me every summer I don’t have time to go!
Any advice on getting my outdoor challenged wife into camping? I am thinking roof top tent and heated camp shower installed on the truck would be a start
Cheers,
Kurt
Kurt, So glad you liked the my Niobrara paddle-camp story. It was such a fun trip. The kids will never forget it. Folks can read it here: http://helen-olsson.com/floating-the-niobrara/ So, a few ideas to get your wife on board with camping. Sleep is such a factor for folks, especially new parents. You’ve got to get your sleep! So i recommend, for car camping, a bomb-daddy 2 1/2 inch thick extra wide sleeping pad. (We have ones from REI). They are so comfortable, you don’t need to fear sleeping on the ground. Also, ear plugs: when you’re sleeping in close quarters, it’s kinda noisy. I get a better night’s sleep in a tent when I wear earplugs. Also promise her to make a fabulous dessert over the campfire like bananas foster. (recipe in my book). Food tastes so good when you’re outdoors and no camper should suffer food deprivation needlessly. Tell me how it goes!
Hey, there’s no food on this list!
We’ve been known to forget that.
I keep a detailed list on my computer with about 7 blank spaces for extra needs, complete with a check box by each line, and print it out each time before a camping trip. It has proved invaluable to me, especially as I get older!
I’ve been camping with my parents (and also as a parent) since birth, plus I was a den mom for scouts. Camping & fishing & hiking and all the activities that go along with it, and it’s most fun (and most exhausting) with kids — we have 7 of them. Now my kids are grown and some have kids of their own, and we’re about to go on a weekend camping trip next month so I gave them the link to your site (which my husband had shared with me). Good job!
By the way — if you have the essentials like water, a knife or scissors, and the ability to make fire, I’ve found the two most essential items to bring are dental floss and coffee filters. Those two things are so diverse they can be used for many different things, and they are both very strong materials and very inexpensive. I have yet to make a list of ways they can be used, but I’ve used them many times in an emergency.
Heidi, sounds cool. i’d love to see a list of camping uses for dental floss and coffee filters.!!!!
You have my attention.
I am a mother of 3 young children who love camping on the holidays.
Another great item to include in your camping equipment is melamine products for plates and cups.
Melamine is lightweight and break-resistant material, making it ideal for the outdoors, children and even the adults.
Melamine products come in a great range of colour and designs making if a litle funky and exciting. If you are tired of boring camping dinnerware try this!
For years, we used melamine plates from Target for camping. They work great for car camping, and yes, come in fun patterns and colors. Now that we are backpacking a bit more, we’ve gotten even lighter weight dedicated camp plates from REI.
Thank you Helen – genius list! I’m currently compiling a camping checklist for our 10-day trip and yours is the only one I’ve seen that mentions a cutting board (or 2 or 5!). Amazing how forgetting the most minor thing can be such a major drama.
Happy camping!
Hey Anna, yes, you only forget something critical once, then it goes on your list. I’ve spaced a strainer for pasta and found myself pouring angel hair through a bandana. Let me know if you find anything missing on the list.
MDM
Very good website you have here but I was wondering if you knew of any community forums that cover the same topics talked about here?
I’d really love to be a part of group where I can get feedback from other experienced individuals that share the same interest. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Thanks!
We are going on our first camping trip with our little one who is 3 1/2 tomorrow and your list was extremely helpful. I’m thinking about revising it for the crunchy moms list like herbal remedies for the first aid kit and natural sunscreens and insect repellents… You gave me a great foundation to work with. Thank you!
Milk Mom,
Glad the list was helpful. I can’t get out of bed without a list. I hope you’ll link to my site or the list and when you have your crunchy list, send it to me and I can link it to my site, too. Lots of crunchy campers out there!!!
MDM