Real talk: the first time I packed my kid for a week of sleepaway camp, I cried twice. Once at Target when I realized one stick of unscented bug spray cost more than my coffee budget for the week, and once at home when the trunk wouldn't close.
Camps send you a packing list. You think, cool, this is doable. Then you start labeling sock number forty-three and you start to wonder if you actually love your child or if you just resent them now.
This is the cheat sheet I wish someone had handed me. It's organized by category, calls out the things camps quietly expect you to bring (but don't always list), and tells you what to skip. If you want to print this and tape it to the trunk while you pack, that's the energy I'm going for.
The Rules Before You Start Packing
Before a single sock goes in the bag, three things matter more than the list itself:
- Read your camp's official packing list first. Different camps have wildly different rules. Some are package-free. Some ban aerosols. Some require a specific size of trunk. The list below is a starting point, not a substitute for your camp's instructions.
- Label everything. And I mean everything. T-shirts, socks, water bottles, the inside of shoes, the flashlight, the toothbrush case. If it can leave the cabin, it will. Camp lost-and-found is a small mountain of unlabeled stuff at pickup.
- Pack with your kid, not for them. They need to know where things are. Otherwise, they will not change their underwear all week, and you will find out about it when you do laundry.
Camps usually send their list four to six weeks before the session. If you haven't gotten one and camp is less than a month away, email them. Some camps assume you'll just know.
Clothing: How Many of What
The general rule for sleepaway camp: pack for the number of days plus two. Two extra of everything because kids are wet, muddy, paint-covered creatures, and laundry is rarely available at week-long camps.
For a one-week sleepaway camp, that looks like:
- 9 t-shirts (camp shirts plus regular, expect at least three to come home stained for life)
- 7 pairs of shorts
- 9 pairs of underwear (yes, more than days)
- 9 pairs of socks (same logic)
- 2 pairs of pajamas (long for chilly cabins, even in July)
- 1 sweatshirt or hoodie
- 1 light rain jacket
- 1 pair of jeans or long pants (campfire nights, hikes through poison ivy)
- 1 swimsuit (two if your camp does daily swim, send a second)
- 2 pairs of closed-toe shoes (one pair will get soaked, guaranteed)
- 1 pair of shower flip-flops (NOT for walking around, for the shower house only)
- 1 hat with a brim
- Theme night or special event outfits if your camp has them
A note on swimsuits: send a second one even if the camp doesn't list it. There is no faster way to misery than putting on a still-wet suit two days in a row.
For day camp, divide most of these numbers by the number of days and add a single extra outfit in case of accidents. Day camp is a different beast, you're sending kids home dirty, not packing for a week of independence.
Bedding: The Part Camps Forget to Explain
Most sleepaway camps have bunk beds with thin twin XL or twin mattresses. The camp tells you "bring a sleeping bag or sheets and a blanket." What they don't tell you is which one your kid will actually use.
What I recommend:
- 1 sleeping bag rated for the lowest expected nighttime temp (cabin nights drop more than parents expect)
- 1 fitted twin sheet (so the kid has a layer between them and the plastic mattress cover)
- 1 pillow with at least 2 pillowcases (one will get something on it)
- 1 small lightweight blanket for naps and quiet hours
- 1 comfort item, stuffed animal, lovey, small pillow from home
The fitted sheet is the move nobody tells you about. Plastic mattress covers are loud, sticky in the heat, and uncomfortable. A fitted sheet under the sleeping bag fixes all three.
If your camp does laundry mid-session, you can skip the second pillowcase. If they don't, send it. The pillowcase always gets dirty first.
Toiletries: The Camp Bag, Not Your Bathroom
Send a separate, zippered toiletry bag with only what's needed, not your kid's whole bathroom. Camps usually require a hanging toiletry bag because cabin bathrooms are tight. A hanging travel toiletry bag with mesh pockets is the gold standard here.
What goes in:
- Toothbrush in a vented case (not a sandwich bag, those grow mold)
- Toothpaste, travel size (full-size will leak)
- Shampoo and body wash, travel size
- Conditioner if your kid has long hair, otherwise skip
- Hair brush or wide-tooth comb
- Hair ties, at least 10, they will lose half
- Deodorant if age-appropriate
- Sunscreen, non-aerosol, SPF 30+ minimum (most camps require this in writing)
- Bug spray, also non-aerosol, DEET-free if your camp specifies
- Lip balm with SPF
- Small towel for face washing
- Shower caddy if the toiletry bag isn't waterproof
What to skip:
- Anything in glass
- Aerosol anything (most camps ban these for fire-safety reasons)
- Perfume, body spray, scented lotion (attracts bugs, bothers bunkmates)
- Brand new products, pre-test at home so you know they don't break out your kid's skin
A mesh shower caddy that drains is worth the eight bucks. Solid plastic ones get gross fast.
Bath Towels and the Wet-Stuff Problem
Send 2 bath towels and 2 pool/lake towels. They will all be damp at some point. Camps don't have dryers for personal towels.
The hack: pack a small mesh drawstring laundry bag just for wet things. Wet swimsuit, wet towel, soaked socks, they all go in the mesh bag instead of mixing with the clean clothes. Cabin smell is a real thing. Mesh bags drain and air out instead of fermenting.
Also: write the kid's name on the towel TAG, not the body of the towel. Sharpie on terrycloth bleeds and looks awful, plus it fades off after one wash. Tag-only labeling lasts.
Bag and Trunk Setup: What Actually Holds It All
For sleepaway camp, you usually need:
- 1 main camp trunk (most camps require a specific size, check first)
- 1 duffel for overflow (sleeping bag, pillow, towels)
- 1 backpack or daypack for the trip there and for activities
- 1 reusable water bottle (label it, label it again)
A wheeled camp trunk is worth every penny when you're hauling it up a hill from the parking lot to the cabin. Trust me on this.
Pack outfits rolled, not folded. You'll fit twice as much, and rolled clothes don't unspool when a kid digs through the trunk looking for "the green shirt." If your camp lets you, gallon-size resealable bags labeled "Day 1," "Day 2," etc. are the cleanest way to keep an overwhelmed eight-year-old from showing up to evening campfire in the same dirt-stained shirt they wore canoeing.
Keep one set of clean clothes (including socks and underwear) inside the duffel, not the trunk. If the trunk gets delayed or temporarily lost on day one, you have backup.
The "Don't Forget" List Camps Don't Always Mention
This is the stuff that doesn't make the official list but always saves a parent from a panicked midnight email:
- Pre-stamped, pre-addressed envelopes (kids will write home if it's easy, won't if it isn't)
- A small notebook and 2-3 pens for writing letters and journaling
- A book or two for quiet hour
- A flashlight or headlamp with extra batteries (cabin lights go off early)
- A water bottle with a clip or carabiner
- A small first-aid item: bandaids, the camp infirmary handles bigger stuff
- Tide pen or stain stick, travel size
- A sturdy laundry marker or labels for last-minute marking
- A folder with copies of the camp's medical form, emergency contact, and any prescriptions
- Cash or a few quarters if your camp has a tuck shop or coin-operated dryer
- Pre-packed mailers if the camp does care packages, with stamps already on them so you can drop them with grandma during pickup week
The pre-stamped envelopes thing is huge. Camps love to push letter-writing time, and if your kid has to find paper, find a pen, and figure out the address from scratch, they'll skip it. Write your home address on 5 envelopes before you pack, throw in 5 stamps, done.
What to Leave at Home
This is just as important as what you pack:
- Cell phones (most sleepaway camps ban these outright)
- Tablets, gaming devices, smart watches
- Expensive jewelry or anything irreplaceable
- Gum and candy (most camps don't allow it in cabins, bugs, mice, ant trails)
- Nut-based snacks if the camp is nut-free (check)
- Their absolute favorite comfort item if it can't be replaced, send the second-favorite stuffed animal
- Pocket knives, lighters, anything sharp or flammable
- Brand-new shoes (blisters, blisters everywhere)
- Anything you'd be devastated to lose
The "favorite stuffed animal" rule is a lesson I learned the expensive way. Send the backup lovey. The real one stays home, safe.
Labeling: The Step Everyone Underestimates
If I could give one piece of advice to a first-time camp parent it's this: buy or order labels and start labeling two weeks before camp. Not the night before. Two weeks.
Options that work:
- Stick-on iron labels for clothes (most durable)
- Stick-on label stickers for plastic (water bottles, toiletry containers, shower caddy, flashlight)
- Sharpie on the inside tag of t-shirts and shorts as a backup
- A bag tag with name and cabin name on the duffel and trunk
Camp lost-and-found is brutal. At pickup, there's usually a giant pile of unlabeled towels, water bottles, hoodies, and one inexplicable shoe. Labeled stuff actually comes home. Unlabeled stuff stays in that pile until the staff donates it.
Also label by kid's full name. "Sam" doesn't help when there are four Sams in the cabin.
Day Camp vs Sleepaway Camp: Quick Differences
If you're packing for day camp, ignore most of the bedding and trunk talk. Day camp is different:
- 1 backpack (not a trunk)
- 1 set of clothes plus a spare in a labeled gallon bag
- Swimsuit and towel in another labeled gallon bag (kept separate)
- Lunch and at least 2 snacks (check if camp provides food)
- Refillable water bottle, full
- Sunscreen, lotion, applied before drop-off and stick or lotion for reapplication
- Bug spray (non-aerosol)
- Hat
- Closed-toe shoes
- A tiny first-aid pouch with bandaids and any allergy meds
- Emergency contact info inside the backpack
For day camp, send a single labeled insulated lunch box with an ice pack. Save yourself the daily lunch panic by prepping five days of lunches Sunday night. I learned this the hard way after three Tuesdays in a row of "we forgot the sandwich."
My Real-Mom Tips After Two Summers of Camp Packing
A few things I'd tell first-time camp parents over coffee:
- Do a dry run. A week before camp, have your kid put on the sleeping bag, climb into it, find their flashlight in the dark. Camp is not the time to learn how a sleeping bag works.
- Pack Tide pens. Multiple. Camp staff sometimes do emergency stain removal, sometimes don't.
- Photograph everything in the trunk. Not for memories, for insurance if something goes missing.
- Pack a small "first night" zipper pouch on top of everything: a comfort item, the flashlight, pajamas, toothbrush, a granola bar. Kids show up tired and overwhelmed. Easy access matters.
- Write a letter and tuck it inside the sleeping bag for night one. They will cry. They will be okay. You did good.
Also: the second summer is so much easier than the first. You'll know what they actually used and what they didn't. Trust me, by year two, you'll be the parent telling first-timers the laundry-bag trick.
If you found this helpful, you might also like our babywearing carrier guide for the toddler years before camp, our back-to-school colds prep for fall recovery, or pregnancy summer survival if you're packing for a kid AND incubating one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bottom Line
Summer camp packing feels overwhelming the first time and reasonable the second time. Read your camp's list first, label everything two weeks ahead, pack outfits rolled in gallon bags by day, and add the extras camps don't always mention (pre-stamped envelopes, mesh laundry bag for wet stuff, a fitted sheet, a backup lovey).
Your kid will come home filthy, exhausted, and bragging about something gross they ate on a dare. That's a successful camp drop-off. You did it.