Camping Checklist

Camping is so much fun! Whether you’re in a tent or an RV, you’re surrounded by nature, away from the noise and bustle of big cities, and the extent of your delight is limited only by your imagination. But before you head out into the beautiful outdoors you may want to go over this camping checklist.

Not everyone was born with the gift of creativity, however, so we’ve put together this camping checklist to help cinch your camp-out experience.

1. Campfire Supplies

• Wood — large pieces and lots of twigs for kindling
• Long, sturdy stick for stirring embers (About as long as you are tall)
• Dryer lint — to help start the fire in case lighter fluid is unavailable
• Torch lighter or extra long stick matches
• Six-inch long copper tubing and several six-inch cut lengths of old garden hose for “magic fire.” (Stuff pieces of garden hose inside copper tubing and place in bottom center of fire pit before stacking wood and starting fire. The chemical reaction of the hose and copper tubing being heated together creates rainbow-colored flames! NOTE: Do not roast food directly above or within rainbow-colored flames.)

2. Campfire Roasting Supplies

• Long, thin wooden sticks or metal kebab sticks with wooden handles
• Marshmallows
• Hershey’s Chocolate Bars (Hershey’s work best for s’mores because they break apart into even pieces)
• Graham crackers
• Pie iron
• White bread and butter (The butter is to make sure the bread doesn’t stick to the inside of the pie iron)
• Pie filling
• Hot dogs, brats, and bacon for stick cooking

3. Cooler With Lots Of Extra Ice For Storing Perishable Food (If tent camping)

  4. Fishing Poles, Tackle Box Supplies, And Fishing License If Necessary

5. Acoustic Guitar And/Or Bongos

6. Glow Sticks And Sparklers

7. Binoculars

8. Frisbee

9. Mitts And Baseball For Playing Catch

10. Deck Of Cards Or Board Game (In case of rain)

11. Extra Money To Rent Canoe, Kayak Or Paddleboat

12. Camera And Extra Batteries

13. The Absolute Essentials

• Lantern, flashlights, and extra batteries
• Sunblock, bug spray with DEET, hiking gear (Boots, long socks, blue jeans, bandana, hat, canteen)
• Pocket knife
• Axe or hatchet
• Water jug
• Duct tape
• Toteable folding chairs
• Swimsuits, towels, and sunglasses
• Battery-powered radio for both music and weather reports
• Cell phone and extra battery or charging device
• At least 2 extra rolls of septic safe toilet paper
• First aid kit
• Personal hygiene supplies
• Rain gear and umbrellas
• Compass
• Paper plates, plastic-ware, and paper towels
• Trash bags

Try not to feel overwhelmed by the length of this list. It might look like you’re packing half your home to go with you, but most of the essentials will actually all fit nicely in a backpack, and the rest is easy enough to toss in the trunk of your car or RV, or even find lying around once you stake out your campsite.

At the end of the day, while we want you to be prepared to get along safely in the great outdoors, we want to see to it without a doubt that you’re also prepared for loads of fun!

See Something We Missed On This Camping Checklist? Leave A Comment Below