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How to pack quickly for weekend car camping trips


​​Just like most of you, we love to go on short weekend camping trips between busy work weeks, especially when we can get out with other families. But nothing ruins a short weekend of camping more than starting it off leaving late Friday night because packing takes too long. Then you can end up getting stressed out, yelling at your kids, and fighting with your spouse. Which never happens to us....

What follows are our recommendations for avoiding that.

Our high level recommendations:
  • Pack as much as possible ahead of time
  • Keep the packing list simple - don’t bring all the toys (for kids or grown-ups)
  • Dedicate certain items to camping so they're always ready to go

Our packing list:
  1. ​Sleeping stuff (sleeping bags, pads, headlamps)
  2. Tent
  3. Camp kitchen (stove, fuel, box of kitchen stuff) and camp chairs
  4. Small daypack for each person with a few personal items (book, water bottle, small toys or hiking entertainment, first aid kit, etc)
  5. Clothes & toiletries
  6. Food
  7. Last minute items (pillows, books, wallet, cellphone)

The packing is divided into 3 sections:
  • Pack ahead of time - always ready to go (Items 1, 2, 3): These should be stored in easy to reach places
  • Pack ahead of time - assembly required (items 4 & 5): Hand out packing lists to each family member, one person to ensure it gets done and packed
  • Last minute (items 6 & 7): Pack right before leaving​

Other recommendations:
  • Use packing cubes - one color per family member, use two sided ones with one side labelled dirty and one clean
  • Use one duffel bag for all packing cubes
  • Keep the hiking backpacks stored ready to go with water bladders and any hiking toys for the kids
  • Keep the camping kitchen in a storage box close to the kitchen so it's quick to clean everything and restock it, ensuring it's always ready to go
  • Create laminated packing lists and cross off items that aren't needed for that particular trip before handing it out to everyone to pack
  • Use packing lists with drawings for the kids who can't read yet

Using these tips, we can usually pack for a weekend trip in less than 1 hr ahead of time plus 30 min the day of and then unpack in less than 1 hr.

One final note: when you're packing for a short trip, don't spend too much time ensuring you have every single item on your packing list (except of course for any especially critical or life-saving items). The extra time required to go from 95% correct to 100% correct can be 1-2 hours which isn't often worth it for a short trip. If you do forget something, use it as a teaching opportunity for the kids to learn how to live without having everything. We have a long list of items we have forgotten on trips and it makes for good stories. (Like when our daughter had only climbing shoes instead of regular shoes for an entire weekend, or when we forgot the fuel last weekend.)

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Original version: 6/9/2019

​This advice is based on our experience camping in groups organized by our good friends who have amazing organization experience.
  • Plan for no more than about 6-8 families of about 4 people
  • Have one person book a group campsite or multiple campsites that are close together
    • Use the campground maps on the reservation websites to find sites nearby (don’t assume consecutive numbers mean they’re close together!)
  • Use a google sheet to like this one that our friends made to organize the planning 
    • Collect information on what gear people are bringing so everyone doesn’t need to bring 1 of everything (for example you don’t need 8 stoves, etc)
    • Keep track of what dietary restrictions everyone has
  • Ideas for meal plans:
    • Consider not planning meals the night everyone arrives - people sometimes come late 
    • Divide up the cooking responsibilities so each family cooks once (everyone who doesn’t cook helps clean)
    • Include a make-your-own brown bag lunch station
  • Clean up suggestions:
    • Set up dishwashing tubs (soap/rinse)
    • Use a mesh bag for hanging dishes dry
  • Organization ideas:
    • If people bring identical items suggest people label stuff (or use climbing tape)
    • Have one central dining spot so kids can eat at one table and parents can make a circle of camp chairs or eat at another table while still supervising
    • Consider bringing a folding table for the “buffet”
  • Suggested activities:
    • Plan a group activity, like hiking or playing in a river/lake
    • Bring stuff for campfire/smores
    • Glowsticks (they also come in handy for keeping track of kids in the dark)

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Original version: 6/8/2020