Over the years we have developed a checklist to help us arrive at camp with all the things we need. This list makes it much easier to get organized at home, especially if more than one person is doing the packing.
We have included a copy of our Camping Checklist here.
Feel free to use – and of course modify this checklist to help with your own trips. We modify the list for every trip but this list includes common items.
There is peace of mind looking at those checkmarks on the list just before you walk out the door.
This list is also handy to share if you are travelling with another group. There are some things you always want to double up on like stoves and water filters. However there are things you can share to lighten the load, for example you really only need one sink and one large pot.
You definitely only need one tablecloth and one set of hooks. Yes we pack a table cloth. I learned this trick from a friend years ago. If you are camping where you will have a picnic table, a tablecloth (find a thin light one) is nice to have for many reasons; weirdly it actually defines the space, it’s easy to wipe off, you can put things underneath the table to keep dry – like wood. If you are camping with a dog and it rains it won’t take them long to figure out that the best place to be is under the table cloth.
I have camped with people who hate tablecloths because it looks too urban. This is good to know so you can choose when to leave it behind.