The camping weekend packing list
Shelter, sleep, food, and the checks to make before a weekend at a campground or national park.
A camping weekend is a small move. You bring a bedroom, a kitchen, and a first-aid kit, and all of it has to fit in a car and be easy to find in the dark. Pack by system: shelter and sleep, food and water, fire and light, and the small things in between.
Shelter and sleep
- A tent with poles, stakes, and a rainfly, set up once at home so you know nothing is missing
- A ground tarp to go under the tent
- A sleeping bag rated for the coldest night in the forecast
- A sleeping pad, since the ground pulls heat away from you
- A pillow, or a stuff sack filled with clothes
Food and water
- A stove, fuel, and a lighter, with matches in a waterproof bag
- A pot, a pan, plates, cups, utensils, and a knife
- A cooler, and ice or frozen water bottles
- Dish soap, a sponge, and trash bags
- Water, or a filter or purification tablets if you will draw from a stream or lake
- Meals prepped at home, so camp cooking stays simple
Fire and light
- A headlamp for each person, plus spare batteries
- A lantern for the picnic table
- Firewood bought or gathered where you will burn it. The National Park Service says moving firewood can spread tree-killing insects and diseases to new areas. Read the National Park Service's firewood guidance.
Fire rules can change with the weather, so check the park or campground's own page for your dates.
Keep wildlife out of camp
In bear country, the National Park Service says bears consider anything with a scent to be food, including soaps, toiletries, sunscreen, and bug repellent, and that food should not be stored in your tent or backpack. Storage rules vary by park: some call for food lockers, some for bear-resistant canisters, and some for a hanging food bag. Read the National Park Service's food storage guidance.
The small things
- A first-aid kit, plus any medications you take
- Insect repellent and sunscreen
- A rain jacket, a warm layer, and extra socks
- Camp shoes for when your hiking shoes are wet
- A multi-tool and a roll of duct tape
- A paper map and the park's phone number, since cell service can be missing
Check before you go
Reservations, fees, quiet hours, and open roads differ by campground and park, and some close for the season. Check the campground's own page, or for a national park the park's page on the National Park Service site, for alerts and closures on your dates.
Put it into practice
Pick Nature and hikes in the planner, and the packing list adds hiking shoes, a rain jacket, sunscreen, and a refillable water bottle. Put your campsite check-in time under Already set, and the plan works around it.