Master Checklist

• Make campground reservations early


• Do you have your permit or reservation information?


• Do you have your map(s)?


• Tell someone you trust — family, neighbor, friend — where you are going and when you expect to return. Leave detailed information so they can track you down if you don't return or there's an emergency at home


• Stop the newspaper and ask the Post Office to hold your mail — or ask a friend to collect them for you on a daily basis while you are away


• If you are not taking your pets, make special arrangements for someone to feed them, or for them to stay with a relative or friend. Leave plenty of food, the name and phone number of your vet, and instructions for special needs


• Make arrangements for plant care so your houseplants will still be alive when you return


• Plan special medications so you will have an ample supply on the trip and extra for when you return. Store in a waterproof container


• Label all medications as to what they are and for whom. In an emergency, medical workers may need this information to administer a dose


• Tent — Keep in mind where you will be camping. Not all campsites are created equal. (see right side bar)


• Your tent size may require a bigger campsite


• Ground cloth


• Tarp(s) — use tarps as ground cloths to protect against moistue, or over your tent to protect it from dripping sap, bird droppings, sparks, the sun, or for extra rain protection. If using the tarp over your tent, try to get one bigger than your tent so you'll have an overhang by your tent door. This keeps the inside of your tent drier in the rain! Some people have been known to buy an inexpensive dining canopy just for the poles to use for the tarp over their tent


• First aid kit — refer to the chapter on first aid kits for our master list of contents (see right side bar)


• Wood cover — if you plan to chop wood for the campfire
• Ax or hatchet for chopping wood
• Lantern(s) — Depending on your lantern, don't forget the re-charger or propane fuel. For propane lanterns, invest in a bulk propane tank, which also requires a pipe and hose. The bulk tank provides significant savings over 1 pound cylinders. For weekend camping the bulk tank may be extreme, but for anything longer than a weekend it's worth it (see right side bar)


• Camp cooker and fuel
(see right side bar)

• Mantles — there are even "clip-on" style mantles out now


• Fire extinguisher


• Matches — keep matches in a square Tupperware container to keep them dry. This also makes it a little harder for the little kids to get at them. Keep them out of sight in another container


• Dependable flashlight — with Mag Lights, make sure you lube up those o-rings on a regular basis. This helps seal out moisture and dirt
• Compass (see right side bar)
• Binoculars (see right side bar)
• Water Hydration — keep liquids close by at all times. (see right side bar)
• Snake lights — they hang around your neck, freeing both hands for whatever task you're doing. They also can be coiled so they stand up like a desk lamp for reading etc.


• Lantern tree hanger — long chain (with a big stable hook) that wraps around a tree. Here you can hang your lantern out of reach from your little ones. No worries about a child tipping the lantern over or burning them-selves. This added height also increases the light your lantern will give off


• Small hatchet — but please don't let the kids chop trees


• Stake hammering mallet or hammer — the best are rubber with a hook onthe other end for pulling up stakes


• Whisk broom to sweep out your tent


• Small rug for outside your tent door — this is important because it really cuts down on the dirt that would otherwise end up in your tent! Some campers don't wear shoes in their tents (saves on tent wear and tear). They use a small rug inside the tent to keep the shoes on


• Clothesline and clothespins


• Cooler(s) — Take two, both different colors — one for beverages, the otherfor food


• Ice — Some handy campers reuse 2-liter soda bottles. Fill them with waterand freeze. Put them in your cooler before you go and they will stay frozen along time. When they melt, you have fresh 'home' water and it isn't all overthe bottom of your cooler!


• 5-gallon water container — one with a spigot for drinking is nice. A square shaped one will pack easier in your car than a round one


• Sleeping bags (see right side bar)


• Pillows and pillowcases


• Sleeping mat/pad or cot — the combination of foam and air makes for agreat insulator in all types of temperatures. Air mattresses can deflate during the night and will fill up with cold air on cold nights (see right side bar)


• Large size utility bags — to store sleeping bags, pads, and pillows


• Pack all clothes in duffel bags or Rubbermaid containers, or roll them upinside the sleeping bags


• Fanny packs — the ones that hold a water bottle or two


• Camp cooking gear — Gas stove, Dutch ovens, etc.(see right side bar)


• Chuck box where you can keep can and bottle openers, scissors, measuring


• spoons/cups, spatulas, pot scrubbers, vegetable peelers, wooden spoon, ladle, medicine spoons, BBQ fork


• Eating utensils — knives, forks, spoons


• Dishes — enamel ware or paper plates, mugs and bowls


• Coffee/tea/hot chocolate


• Thermal mugs


• Cooking timer or watch w/ timer


• Sandwich-size zip bags


• Bungee cords/straps — you know, those rubber cords covered with fabricthat have metal hooks at each end


• Paper towels


• Tablecloth


• Gallon-size zip bags


• Plastic grocery bags


• Garbage bags — use the large size. If you forget your rain gear you can cut ahole in them for your face. They should cover you and your backpack


• Sugar or other sweetener


• Salt and pepper


• Garlic or seasoning salt


• Small "ditty bag" with tablecloth clips — buy the metal tablecloth clips in the camping section of your sporting goods store (the springs on the fancyplastic clips break too easy). Buy two packs — more than you would need for just the tablecloth. Clip two of these tablecloth clips to the end of the table about a foot apart. Take one of the bungee cords/straps you brought along and hang it on one of these clips. Take a roll of paper towels and put the bungee cord/strap through it and hang the other end of the cord by the other clip to produce a convenient paper towel holder. Clip another tablecloth clip on the end of your table to a plastic grocery bag attached to it. Now you have a convenient garbage sack. Hang two — one for garbage and one for recycleables. This way you don't have so much garbage hanging around attracting animals throughout the day. If it rains, these sacks don't fall apart. Hang your extra sacks from another clip on the table


• Pot holders


• Pots with lids — the thin enamelware pans heat water very quickly, savingon fuel


• Popcorn pan or over the campfire popcorn popper


• 10" cast iron skillet — cast iron is heavy, but it distributes the heat evenlyand a well-seasoned pan cleans easily


• Cast iron griddle (see right side bar)


• Funnel


• Stainless steel bowl


• Camping toaster


• Ladle


• Heavy-duty aluminum foil


• Wooden cutting board


• Clothing


• Footwear


• Rain Gear


• Insect repellents/sunscreen


• Caladryl Clear for poison oak


• Bug/tick repellent — Avon's Skin-So-Soft is a good bug repellent for very young children. Repel Insect Block - Sportsmen Formula is a good product. For those who don't like smelling like bug repellent, the Sportsmen Formula isn't as fragrant as some insect repellents. To get the repellent on your face, spray the repellent on the back of your hand and then dab it on the forhead and cheeks. Do not get any in the eyes


• Bottle of rubbing alcohol — great for getting the pitch (pine tar) off ofhands or clothing


• Dish soap (antibacterial ) — use it for hand soap, too


• Suntan lotion/sun screen


• Towels/hand towels


• Dish cloth


• Folding chairs or chaise loung
• Water/Water container (see right side bar)

Additional items you might want to take:

• Wool blankets — nothing beats a wool blanket as an insulator on cool/cold nights or fleece blankets for those cooler evenings (see right side bar)


• Backpack(s)
(see right side bar)

• Canoe/raft


• Fishing gear


• Bait


• Waders, float tubes, etc.


• Swim suits


• Water filter, bleach, or other purifier — depending on your water source. Also put a small amount (a tablespoon or so) of bleach in your rinse water for sanitizing dishes. Wiping down your table with the "bleach rinse water" helps to keep your table more sanitary


• Life jackets/inflatable water toys and sand toys for children — a mesh bag is great to keep these toys in. This can be dunked in the lake to rinse off the sand before it goes back in the car

For babies and young children:

• Extra clothes


• Diapers


• Wipes


• Diaper rash ointments


• Infant seat — hang a camping mirror from the handle of baby's infant seat. Great entertainment for baby


• Chaise lounge


• Playpen


• "Johnny Jump-Up" type seat if your campsite has trees Front/sling type baby carrier or backpack carrier, depending on your pre-ferred method of "wearing" your baby


• Folding, "clip-on" style highchair


• Stroller


• Mosquito netting, depending on where you are camping


• Oblong tub to use as baby's/toddler's bathtub


• If you have a toddler you are potty training, bring the "little white potty chair" along (and tissue)


• A medicine spoon


• Whistle — in case they get lost. Put it on a cord or chain they can wear around their necks


• Rain suit


• Tie-on hat


• Biodegradable soap


• Ipecac — in case you need to induce vomiting


• Pedialyte — for diarrhea

Basic weekend packing guide for children ages 3 and up:

• Sleeping bag (see right side bar)


• Pillow


• Camp Pad (see right side bar)


• Flashlight


• Glow sticks for when it gets dark. They last all night and are very bright


• Underwear


• Socks


• Long underwear for sleeping


• Jeans (2 pair)


• Shorts


• Shirts (at least one long-sleeve)


• Sweatpants and hooded sweatshirt


• Jacket (rain poncho/rain jacket)


• Shoes/sandals (2 pair)