Oh no – it’s a week before your child is off to summer camp. There are lots of items marked off your checklist – doctor’s physical, completing the paperwork, planning a date with your spouse.

The last item left is packing. Don’t let this be an overwhelming task.

Here are 15 tips on successfully packing for camp:

  1. Review your camp’s packing list. They know exactly what your child needs and the extras that they don’t. Follow this list closely (but add in a few fun surprises – see number 15).
  2. Have your child help you pack so they will be familiar with what’s in their trunk and where to find it. Taking care of their own things is a great part of your child’s independent camp experience.
  3. Trunks/footlockers are the ideal choice for camp packing – sturdy enough to hold up for years of summer camp, makes a great bench seat in the cabin and fun to personalize. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy. Standard wooden trunks are good, but the Plano Plastic Storage Locker or Sterilite Footlocker with wheels is cheaper, lighter and easier for kids to manage. And the plastic footlockers can easily be washed out after camp.
  4. Personalize your trunk – Check out our Pinterest board for ideas to personalize your child’s trunk. The LidMate Organizer is a cool upgrade that expands storage space. The Container Store has a great section of camping supplies to explore.
  5. Label EVERYTHING. Personalized labels are a cute option, but a sharpie will get the job done too. Washi tape is a stress-free way to label with style. Be sure to clearly label the dirty clothes bag – it’s one of the most lost items at pickup every year.
  6. Gather all your items and lay them out. It helps to give you a sense of what you have and will make fitting everything in the trunk simpler.
  7. Only send clothes and items that can get dirty and won’t be a big deal if they never return from lost and found.
  8. For younger campers pack each day’s complete outfit (shirt, shorts, underwear, socks) in a gallon sized Ziploc bag. Label each bag with a day of the week. This makes getting dressed simpler each morning.
  9. Send a good backpack – campers fill their backpacks in the morning with all the items they need for their activities (jeans, boots, swimsuits, towel, water bottle, sunscreen). The small drawstring bags don’t hold all the items well and aren’t a good choice.
  10. Choose a sturdy wide-mouth water bottle. The narrow top versions are harder to fill with ice. It should also have a handy loop for carrying or add a carabiner to clip it onto their backpack.
  11. Check and/or replace the batteries. Be sure to check the batteries in flashlights and handheld fans.
  12. Pack toiletries in a caddy. It makes keeping their bathroom items together easy. Amazon has plenty of low-priced options. Pack travel-size items or fill travel containers.
  13. Leave the electronics at home. Most camps ban them, and this is a week to disconnect from iPads, phones and other electronics.
  14. Don’t include any food or candy. Remember this is camp and those items will attract bugs and critters to the cabin. Your camper will get plenty to eat in the dining hall.
  15. Sweet extras. These fun items are things you can add after your child has completed their part of the packing, so it will be a surprise when they unpack at camp:
    • Tuck in one or several handwritten notes that they will find throughout the week.
    • A deck of playing cards or small game
    • Glow sticks – enough for the whole cabin
    • New crazy socks or hair ties
    • An age-appropriate book
    • Coloring book with map pencils (crayons can melt)
    • Friendship bracelet supplies to share
    • Mad Libs

Now relax – you’ve set your child up for a successful week away at summer camp. All that’s left is a big hug at drop off and then you’ll just have to wait to hear about all the amazing things that you camper experienced.

Sara Mitchell is the brand manager at Camp Fire First Texas. She is responsible for graphic design, social media, digital communications and the production of Camp Fire materials. Sara enjoys seeing children participate in and learn to love the same programs she was involved in as a child. She is a 3rd generation El Tesoro camper and participated in Camp Fire youth programs as a child. Sara also earned her WoHeLo Medallion – Camp Fire’s highest youth honor. Sara is an active member of the Greater Fort Worth Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and the Waxahachie Rebekah Lodge, a fraternal service organization.