How to pack for camp

Lessons from years of sleep-away camp preparation

My fourth child is currently off at sleep-away camp. This is his third year of going to this particular camp, and he goes for two weeks. He likes it enough that he is trying to convince his little brother to go next summer when he is old enough!

Packing is always a process. This camp is not as intense as some, where trunks need to be shipped ahead of time and packed in a certain way. We drive him there and pick him up two weeks later. Everything goes in our car. Still, the camp has a laundry service, which means everything needs to be labeled and there are certain things they encourage you to bring and encourage you not to bring. There are also certain things that make camp more comfortable — and hence more fun!

Here are a few lessons I’ve learned over the past three years of packing and preparing.

First, start early (though not too early). Printed labels that won’t fall off in the wash need to be ordered ahead of time (I use Oliver’s Labels). But the actual packing itself is best done in roughly two waves. About a week ahead of time, he and I sat down with the packing list, found what we had, and put it in a pile in his room. We ordered the things we didn’t have (extra D batteries for the fan, 3-in-1 shampoo/conditioner/body wash in small sizes, etc.) and checked that he had outerwear that fit him. I checked that he had enough shorts, socks, and underwear for 10 days — but we didn’t pack those things yet. That’s because he’d still be wearing his favorites during the week. So all those got washed and then packed the day before.