Successful campers all have one thing in common: a to-do list as long as a CVS receipt. While it sounds daunting at first, a pre-camping checklist, or checklists, can save you time, money, and headaches in the long run. Plus, if you have a family or camping partners, you don’t need to do it alone. Divide accordingly and conquer faster than haters can say “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Whether your next trip involves putting 10 or 200 miles on your rig, below are 20 things to consider doing before you hit the road and go into vacay mode. And like the best menus, the list below is a la carte. Choose what best suits you and your style of camping.
1. Get Your Vehicle Ready
Have your oil changed. Fill up your gas tank. Check your tire pressure (including your camper/trailer tires) and spares. Don’t let car issues be the reason you miss out.
2. Download Everything You’ll Need Offline
This includes trail maps, driving directions, trivia apps for the car ride, etc. Service is often spotty or non-existent in the great outdoors, so don’t count on having 5G at your fingertips.
3. Check the Forecast
Just because it’s normally hot and dry where you’re headed doesn’t mean it will be this weekend. The temperature and anticipated precipitation will affect what you bring, so look this up before you even think about packing.
4. Make a Packing List
It might help to think in categories: clothing, equipment, sleeping, and food. Don’t check things off your packing list until they’re in your vehicle, or at least in your backpack (and make sure it makes it into the car).
5. Meal Prep
Unless you enjoy more primitive cooking and the mess that comes with it, pre-cook what you can. If you make breakfast burritos and wrap them in foil at home, all you have to do in the morning at your campsite is set them on the edge of the fire and sip your coffee as they heat up.
6. Pack Snacks
Don’t be one of those ingredient campers who never has things to munch on in between meals. Avoid hanger by packing trail mix, jerky, and fresh fruit. Chips and salsa also taste better in the woods than they do at home.
7. Inflate and Test Your Air Mattress/Sleeping Pad
Nobody wants to be the princess and the pea, but trying to sleep on rocks and pinecones is never fun. And discovering at 2 AM that your mattress has deflated is not a surefire way to start your day.
8. Research Amenities at Your Campsite
Is there potable water? If not, is there a nearby stream with water you can filter? Is there an outhouse, or will you need toilet paper and a shovel? Also, a lot of KOA campground pools are seasonal, so call ahead if you want to be confident the kids will be able to swim.
9. Check Your Battery Supply
Flashlights, headlamps, and/or lanterns are camping essentials, but they’re useless if the batteries are dead. Without a light source, how can you be sure you’ve safely stored all food and food-related items (so as not to attract bears) before turning in for the night? Or perhaps equally important: how can you play backgammon in your tent if it’s dark? Batteries are life.
10. Plan Your Excursions
Everybody wants time around the campfire, but probably not the whole day. While you have WiFi, find nearby hikes, rivers, or sightseeing spots, so you don’t need to waste time trying to do it at your site later.
11. Source Your Firewood
Look up in advance to see if your camping destination has any fire, or firewood restrictions. You’ll probably pay a premium to buy a cord from the camp host or at the closest gas station, but sometimes that’s the law or part of the site rules where you’re camping. If you can, chop wood at home and pack it with you. You’ll save money and get a workout in at the same time.
12. Make Sure You Have All the Poles to Your Tent
While this seems like a no-brainer, you’d be surprised at how many campers have at least one story of someone in their party forgetting a pole and having to share tents or sleep in the car.
13. Tell a Neighbor Where You’re Going and When You’ll Be Back
If they don’t see the whites of your eyes (or your car parked in the driveway) by a certain day/time, they can reach out to your emergency contact or call the police.
14. Prep Your Kids for What to Expect
Maybe let them sleep in their sleeping bags out in the living room to get comfortable with the idea of not sleeping in their beds. However, also be sure they know the point of camping is to have a fun romp in the woods, not necessarily to be comfortable.
15. Perform a Safety Check
Make sure your bear spray, sunscreen, and bug spray isn’t expired. Take an inventory of your first aid kit, and restock anything you’ve used.
16. Have Some Tricks Up Your Sleeve If (When?) Things Don’t Go According to Plan
For example, if you’re planning on making an elaborate five-course meal for your first dinner, throw in a premade option, too, in case you don’t arrive at your site in time to play master chef.
17. Check Your Rain Gear
Even the most expensive waterproof clothing and products lose their effectiveness over the years. That’s because their DWR finish isn’t designed to last forever.
18. Build a Fire-starter Kit
Collect kindling and newspapers, and invest in some lighter fluid. Make sure you have a lighter and waterproof matches, too. Rubbing two sticks together might be fun for a minute, but not when stomachs are growling.
19. Book Your Campsite in Advance
Sometimes you can roll in and find a vacant site, but as camping is becoming more common this is starting to be the exception. And once you’re there, if you plan on returning, scope out your favorite sites and make a note for next time.
20. Be Ready to Embrace the Unexpected
Know that you can plan for anything and everything, but you still don’t know what’s going to happen. That’s how memories are made and legendary stories are born. Try to be flexible and have a sense of humor about any hiccups.
Katie Jackson is a writer and media specialist based in Montana’s Big Sky Country. Living and working everywhere from New York to Nicaragua, Katie is no stranger to adventure. When she’s not traveling the world (or writing about it!) she’s busy chasing after a Leonberger named Zeus. Follow Katie’s travels on Instagram @katietalkstravel.
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