Camping Trip Planning Checklist

Planning A Camping Trip…

Check and Double-check...

Planning for your outdoor camping trip involves a lot more than just picking a date and campsite.
Too often critical decisions and details that should be considered first – are just taken for granted, which makes it too easy for simple little things to be forgotten or overlooked.

This camping checklist should be the first one you start with, and the last one in your hand as you get in the car!

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Note: This checklist follows the discussion about planning your camping trip in this Camping Tips post: Planning your Camping trip

*Links to a printer-friendly page-formatted copy of this list are included below.

Planning a Camping Trip Checklist:

__ Permits/Fees/Reservations

*Does your camping destination require reservations?
Are there extra fees for the activities you want to do?
Do any of your planned activities require permits?

__ Seasonal Restrictions

*Are there any seasonal or time restrictions on any of your planned activities?
__ Site Access

Can you drive up to the site with your car/truck?
Access/Departure restricted by operating hours?
__ Water Activities
__ Hiking/Woodscraft facilities
__ Tours

__ Facilities, Services, Resources

What will be available to you?
__ Water __ Electric
__ Bathrooms __ Showers
__ Laundry __ Fire-rings/Grills
__ Trash Disposal __ Sewage
__ Gazebos/Pavilions/Shelters
__ Camp Store/Retail Store
__ On-site attendants
__ Medical

__ Food/Cooking

Do you need to bring everything you will need?
__ Campfires allowed
__ Fire rings on site
__ Picnic grills on site
__ Firewood available

__ Weather Forecast – What is typical for planned date
__ Insect/Wildlife Issues
__ Animal/Pet Care Arrangements

__ Trip Meal Plans
__ Camp Food Supply List
__ Cooking Gear/Camp Kitchen Checklist
__ Group Campsite Camping Gear Checklist
__ Activities Gear Checklists
__ Personal Gear Checklist
__ Propane/Butane/Fuel/Battery Supplies
__ Medications Checklist
__ Camp Safety/First Aid Gear Checklist

Departure:
__ Inform Neighbor/Friend of Trip details

*where/expected return/emergency contact

__ Permits/Reservation & Fee Confirmation in-hand
__ All Camping Checklists Completed
__ Final House Walk-through

__ No Boxes, Bags, or gear left behind
__ All appliances/lights turned off
__ Thermostats set
__ Doors/Windows locked

Save/Print this camping checklist

As a customizable MS Word format
… that you can edit to become a personalized camping list for your camping trips.

As a PDF format
… which can also be customized with a PDF editor.

Tip: Be double sure – turn your checklist into an ‘X‘ list.

Check items when you gather them, but make that check an “X” as you actually load them. It doesn’t do any good to remember to get extra lantern mantles if you leave them on the kitchen counter when you leave.

More Outdoor Camping Checklists:

Is this the way you organize and pack for a camping trip?

Top 3 Tips to organize and pack for a camping trip

Do you know the best way to organize and pack all that gear for a camping trip? Do you know what to pack first, and what gear should be packed last? Have you discovered the secrets of separate duffel bags and stuff sacks?

These camping tips are simple and basic, but you would be surprised how many campers don’t think of them.

Here are some samples of camping and campsite gear you can use with your camping and cast iron cooking recipes. Once you have any of these camp tools you will wonder how you ever did without them. Especially when you see how inexpensive they are when you buy them online.