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Free template · Families

Camp packing list

A checklist to send families before camp starts: what to bring every day, on swim days and for overnight camp, plus what to leave at home.

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What's in it

What the packing list covers

At the top: Please label everything with your child's first and last name. Items left in our lost and found are donated after [date or time].

Every day

  • Backpack
  • Refillable water bottle
  • Lunch and two snacks, no glass [unless we provide meals]
  • Sunscreen, put on before drop-off, plus a bottle to reapply
  • Hat
  • Sneakers or other closed-toe shoes for running
  • Comfortable clothes that can get dirty
  • Any medicine your child needs during camp hours, handed to staff at drop-off in its original container with our medication form
  • Epinephrine auto-injector or inhaler, if your child has one, with our medication form (we'll tell you whether your child carries it or staff do)

Swim days ([days])

  • Swimsuit (wearing it under clothes saves time)
  • Towel
  • Water shoes or sandals
  • Plastic bag for wet things
  • Goggles (optional)

Good to have

  • Light rain jacket
  • Change of clothes, especially for younger campers
  • Bug spray (if you gave us permission to apply it)

Overnight camp only

  • Sleeping bag, or sheets and a blanket for a [twin] bed
  • Pillow
  • Pajamas
  • Underwear and socks for each day, plus extras
  • Warm layer for cool nights
  • Toothbrush, toothpaste, soap and shampoo
  • Shower shoes and a towel
  • Flashlight with extra batteries
  • Laundry bag
  • Addressed, stamped envelopes for letters home

Please leave at home

  • Phones, tablets, smartwatches and video games
  • Money and valuables, unless we ask for spending money
  • Toys and trading cards
  • Food with nuts [if we ask families not to send nuts]
  • Pocketknives or anything that looks like a weapon

Questions

Contact [name] at [phone or email].

Free to use and change, but not legal or medical advice. Check your state's licensing rules and your insurer's requirements, and have a lawyer review any consent or waiver language.

Tips

How to use it well

  • Edit the list to match your program. Add swim and field trip days, and remove anything you provide, such as lunch or T-shirts.
  • Send it with your welcome letter about a week before camp starts, and again the weekend before.
  • Keep spare water bottles, hats and sunscreen for children who forget.
  • If you ask families not to send nuts or devices, say so here and in your parent handbook.

Rules on ratios, medication and reporting vary by state. See your state in our state-by-state rules for youth programs.

FAQ

Questions, answered

What should kids bring to day camp?

The basics are a backpack, water bottle, lunch and snacks, sunscreen, a hat, sneakers and clothes that can get dirty, plus a swimsuit and towel on swim days. Any medicine goes to staff at drop-off in its original container. Label everything with your child's name.

Should campers bring phones?

Most camps ask children to leave phones at home, or keep them off during the day, so kids stay focused and staff can manage photos and messages. Families can always reach their child by calling the program. Write your rule down and put it on the packing list and in your parent handbook.

More free templates

Field trip permission slipA one-page permission slip for each trip: where, when, transportation and what to bring, with a parent signature and consent for emergency care.
Photo and media releaseLets families choose where photos, video and their child's first name may appear, from family updates to social media, and how to change their answer.
Participant code of conductKid-friendly behavior expectations, what's never allowed and the steps staff take when rules are broken, signed by the child and a parent.
Parent welcome letterA friendly first letter with what families need before day one: dates, hours, drop-off and pickup, what to bring, health basics and how to reach you.
End-of-program parent surveyA one-page survey on what families liked, what to improve and whether they'll come back, with ratings you can count for your board and funders.
Late pickup policy agreementExplains your closing time, late fees and the steps staff follow when a child isn't picked up, and gets each family's signature before the program starts.
All templates28 free forms, logs, policies and plans for camps, after-school programs and classes, as PDF and Word files: registration, pickup, medical and more.

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