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Does packing for a weekend of camping make your head spin? It can be overwhelming to say the least, especially with KIDS! Trust me, I get it – I’ve got 5 kids! It can be so hard to remember everything you need to pack, so we created this handy printable camping list for your next adventure.
But wouldn’t it be nice if you could get the fun of camping without the stress of packing?
That’s why we’re here to help. Every outdoor family needs a camping checklist, so this printable camping checklist will save you so much time and energy. We want to simplify your life, which is exactly why we created this FREE camping checklist. This free printable camping checklist has everything you’ll need for a great camping trip, plus a few things that will make it extra fun!
So whether you’re headed out for a weekend of beach camping, or you are camping in the National Parks, this list is sure to be something that you’ll break out EVERY TIME YOU CAMP! Trust me – we camp A LOT with our kids and I keep a laminated copy of this list next to our gear so I don’t forget something important! Having a checklist for family camping trips is a life saver (Because, let’s face it – with the number of times that parents are interrupted, it’s kind of a miracle that we remember to bring ANYTHING camping).
Best Gear for Family Camping
Now before we dive into our camping checklist, I want to share with you some of the essentials that we take with us to add to your camping list with kids. We are big believers that having good gear will make your family experience in the outdoors EVEN EASIER! I know that it’s tempting to make do with what you have or just buy something cheap from a big box store, but it almost always backfires on us (we’ve shared a few of our favorite Walmart camping items here, and also would have no problem buying a good pocket knife from any store).
Over the years, we’ve cycled through lots of camping gear in our family, but the gear we are sharing below is our favorite on our camping pack list. Some of it has been amazing and some of it has been absolute junk. Here is the family camping gear that we use over and over again and has been repeatedly put to the test by our kids, that hopefully makes your family camping trip easier, and packing for camping more enjoyable (and easier with our printable camping checklist). It’s got everything covered from your first campout with a baby, or a large extended family campout.
Best sleeping bags for camping
If you’re planning on taking a family camping trip, my biggest piece of advice is to invest in good sleeping bag for your kid. In fact, I’d say that a good kids sleeping bag is the most important thing on our camping with kids checklist. The fastest way to make a camping trip miserable is with cold kids who can’t sleep. When all of our kids are toddlers, we invest in good sleeping bags for them. Because getting your kids to sleep while camping is hard enough without having to worry about a poor quality sleeping bag.
Guess what? Because of the investment that we made to buy our kids the best sleeping bags we could, our kids have never been cold at night while camping. Not even when we’ve woken up to a fresh layer of snow outside and my husband and I are shivering in our sleeping bags (yes, our kids have nicer sleeping bags than we do).
If you want to know what to look for in a good sleeping bag for kids, make sure to check out our article on the Top Kids Sleeping Bags. Because whether you believe it or not, a good sleeping bag is one of the most important family camping gear list items.
We also really in love with these sleeping pads, so they should be on your camping list for kids. The shape is a bit different, but they are really comfortable and roll up smaller than a water bottle. Make sure that the sleeping pads you pack on your gear list are high quality so that everyone sleeps well!
Best Stoves for Camping
Although it seems nostalgic and Instagram perfect, cooking your meal over an open fire isn’t usually vary practical. For that reason, we ALWAYS take a stove with us when we go camping. When we are backpacking, we like to keep things super lightweight, so we take this tiny pocket stove with us.
When we are going camping just for a night or two or only have easy one pot meals, this stove is my go-to. I love that it’s compact with only one burner, yet it still cooks incredibly well. We’ve had it for over 15 years and never had a single problem with it. It almost always makes our camping gear list for shorter trips.
If we’re going for more than a couple of days, I always take this trusty propane stove. It’s a true workhorse, and with it’s double burners, I can bust out a massive stack of pancakes in no time, and then end off the day with a fancy camping dinner! Of course, don’t forget a cast iron griddle since it can make pancakes in about half the time of a frying pan.
Best Camping Cookware
To keep all our camping cookware organized, the secret to my success is always storing it TOGETHER. your camping packing list is so much easier when you don’t have to think about all the little pieces in a camp kitchenI store everything in a plastic file tote (I love the smaller size compared to most large plastic totes), and then when it’s time to go camping, I just grab it and GO. No need to hassle with the family camping trip list because it’s already ready to go. I’d much rather spend my time putting together amazing camping meals than worrying about packing the can opener (our favorites are here, here, here, here, and here) .
The real truth behind what we take camping, is incredibly inexpensive. All our dishes, cooking utensils, cups, knives, and cutting boards come from either Walmart or the Dollar Store. The truth is that we regularly lose something when we go camping, or my kids end up digging in the dirt with it so I don’t really want to eat on it again. We save tons of money on camping items at the Dollar Store and Walmart so that we can spend money where it really counts.
By saving money in some areas, it’s allowed us to feel great about spending more in other areas. We absolutely LOVE this pot with it’s folding handle and lid that clamps on (PS – the cheap bowls from Walmart stack wonderfully inside of here). It’s also wonderful for backpacking since it’s lightweight and compact.
A good frying pan is also worth investing in. Our old one bit the dust last year, so I’m planning on getting this frying pan with a folding handle. It really caught my eye since it’s so nonstick that you don’t need butter or cooking oil to coat it (which I often forget).
Another area that we splurge a bit on is in our silverware. I know it’s quirky and weird, but we bought some sporks a few years ago, and have never looked back. The kids are so obsessed with them, and as a mom, I love that I don’t have to rummage through all our cooking materials to find a fork, knife, and spoon, since it’s all in one. It really makes packing for family camping a lot easier.
I also keep my camp kitchen box stocked with a few spice essentials. I’ve found that having a few of my go-to spices on hand in portable containers always seems to be a lifesaver on camping trips.
Other Camping Gear we LOVE
When you’re camping it seems like there is a lot of RANDOM gear that you end up bringing with you. I have my go-to’s that come with us EVERY TIME and should be on all the camping lists for families! No joke. If you really want to make your camping trip more comfortable, I highly recommend looking into these pieces of camping gear for families.
Microfiber towels
We have a set of microfiber bath towels that we take on all our camping trips, so that everyone has their own, and take them EVERYWHERE with us (they were one of the few items that made the cut to take on our family gap year). They fold up smaller than a water bottle, and when they get water logged, you can just wring the water out of them. They work incredibly well and I can’t say enough good things about them. We use them at the lake and river, but also when we’re just out for a hike and someone gets the urge to jump into the water (or accidently falls in).
Rechargable Lantern/USB Charger
We got this rechargable lantern for camping a few years ago, and it’s so much better than any lantern we’ve ever owned. It’s incredibly bright (which is surprising since it’s also pretty small), can stay charged for close to a week, AND it has USB ports so we can charge our phones and GoPro at night. My favorite feature is that if it runs out of power, you can crank it to generate more, or just hook it up to a solar panel.
Headlamps
Our kids are so obsessed with our headlamps, that if I would let them they would probably use them 365 days a year, so obviously they make our best family camping gear list pretty easily. Headlamps are great for camping because they’re perfect for late night trips to the bathroom (because holding a flashlight in the bathroom is just disgusting), and the battery life is really impressive as well so we aren’t constantly changing the batteries. I also love that they come in lots of colors so everyone can have their own designated color, so no one fights over them.
Roll Up Table
We got this roll up table when we were first married, and it has gone with us on practically every car camping trip that we’ve ever taken. This table is amazing and we can set it up in about 45 seconds. Sometimes we use it for our dining table, other nights it’s the hot spot for a late night game of cards, and other times we just put it outside of the tent for the kids to put their water bottles and hats on. A roll up table is an awesome piece of camping gear that every family should have.
Amazing Insect Repellant
Usually, we don’t realize we should be wearing insect repellant when camping until it’s too late and our arms and legs are covered in bug bites, making good bug spray an essential item on your camp checklist. Typically we avoid it because it smells so horrible. Then we discovered Herbal Armor. It seriously works SO WELL, and the smell is actually quite pleasant. We like it so much that we just keep a bottle in the car for whenever we need it during the summer. It’s a must have on any camping list for family.
Free Camping Checklist Printable
Are you ready for your free camping checklist? Our family camping checklist printable will make putting together a camping list for families so much easier! We just couldn’t resist sharing our favorite pieces of camping gear with your first, because we are big believers that good gear makes being in the outdoors as a family SO MUCH EASIER! This is also why we made our printable family camping check list, because we want you to spend less time figuring out your own camp checklist and more time enjoying your camping trip with kids. This is the ultimate camping list that we put together so you can have one place to look for your family camping essentials. We’ve been camping with kids for over 13 years, so this has everything we wish we had in a family camping essentials list when our kids were babies.
This camping list printable includes a camping checklist for kids, a camping checklist for toddlers and baby, a camping kitchen checklist printable, and includes all the family camping essentials you need for a successful family camping trip with kids.
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Need more camping help? Check out our other camping posts:
Get Your Kids To Sleep While Camping
5 Tips To Make Family Camping Easy
Top 10 Tips For Camping With Kids
Tips for Finding FREE Campsites ANYWHERE
15 Activities To Do Around The Campfire
Be sure to make your camp out even better with our fantastic meal ideas
If you’ve got a camping lover in the family and want to get them something extra special, we are currently loving this list of camping gifts for your favorite outdoorsman or woman!
What in the world is jiffy pop?! Wait, is that the popcorn you can wiggle over the fire?
YES! You need to get out more friend!
What a great list! For minimalist campers like me, some items are rather inconceivable, but I’m sure having a kid will change some of that! 🙂 Thanks for putting the work into pulling this together!
Hah, no once a minimalist always a minimalist. We just started camping with our 2 yr old again. Our gear was for backpacking, so lightweight and space saving. We did just fine. I laughed at that list, a bit too. But, your personality doesn’t change! Good luck.
Meghan-
Although a lot of these are a stretch for you, from what I know, it’s how the rest of the world camps. I’m sure Maya is going to grow up in the backcountry with the awesomeness that no gear can replace!
Great list. Just went on an 8 day canoe trip and managed to pack lots of your list into the canoe. One of my favourite skinny little add-ins is the Coghlan Telescoping Fork. Wonderful safe and easy way for kids to roast marshmallows, or hot dogs (or tofu dogs). Not essential, but it takes so little room and is so much fun!
That sounds like a fun addition!
This is great..now I can just print this checklist before going to camping trip 🙂
Great list! A mini shovel is a great idea and something I usually forget! Another camping MUST have that I take everywhere now is Organic Brushing Rinse! It beats toothpaste by a mile because 1) you don’t need water, and 2) spitting it out on the ground wouldn’t be toxic, but actually cleans the ground and feeds the plants. It’s a biodegradable liquid you swish with, no water needed, and can beneficially soak right into mother nature! It’s saved my mouth so many times during backpacking and camping trips! BONUS: it has 1% Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide in it so you can use it to clean your cooking stuff or tools, etc.
Check it out: https://bit.ly/OrganicBR
Really enjoyed your article, this will prove to be very helpful.
thank you.
Thank you so much!! we go camping every year but we never remember what to bring!! Love your article, hopefully, my family and I will not forget anything and fun.