Sleepaway Camp Packing: Label Everything, and Other Things Camp Directors Wish You Knew
A first-year camp family over-packs clothes, under-packs socks, forgets the laundry bag, and sends their child with unlabelled gear that ends up in lost and found. Here's the list that prevents it.
A sleepaway camp packing list should start with the camp's own required list, add quantities rather than vague categories, and name the items families reliably forget: a laundry bag, shower shoes, a second towel, and a flashlight. Every item should be labelled with the camper's full name before it leaves the house.
Camp directors see the same packing failures every session, and they're remarkably consistent. The fixable ones are all list problems.
Start with the camp's list, then make it shoppable
If you run a camp, you already have a required-items list. The issue is rarely its content — it's that it arrives as a PDF attachment in a March email and gets opened again in June, if at all.
Turning it into a link families can shop from directly removes the step where a parent reads "flashlight" and has to go find one. For families, it means opening a page on a phone and buying the items that are still missing.
Bedding and the bunk
- Sleeping bag or twin sheets plus a blanket — confirm which; it varies by camp and by cabin
- Pillow and pillowcase
- Mattress pad, if the camp recommends one
- Laundry bag — the single most forgotten item
- Small fan, if cabins aren't air conditioned
Twin is the common bunk size, but some camps use extra-long. One line on the list saves a family buying sheets that don't fit.
Clothing, in quantities
Vague categories cause over-packing. Numbers don't.
| Item | For a one-week session |
|---|---|
| T-shirts | 7–8 |
| Shorts | 5–6 |
| Underwear | 8+ |
| Socks | 8+ — the most under-packed item at camp |
| Long pants | 2 |
| Sweatshirt | 1–2 |
| Rain jacket | 1 |
| Pyjamas | 2 |
| Swimsuits | 2, so one is always dry |
| Closed-toe shoes | 2 pairs |
| Shower shoes | 1 pair |
Two swimsuits and two pairs of shoes are the lines that matter. One of each means a camper spends half the session in wet gear.
Toiletries and the shower
A caddy that carries everything to a shared bathhouse in one trip, plus soap, shampoo, toothbrush and paste, deodorant, a hairbrush, sunscreen, insect repellent, and two towels. One towel never dries.
Shower shoes are non-negotiable in a shared bathhouse and are forgotten constantly.
The things camps ask you to leave home
Most camps restrict food in cabins, because it attracts animals — reliably and quickly. Many limit or prohibit phones and tablets. Valuables and anything irreplaceable should stay home.
If you run a camp, put the "don't bring" list on the same page as the packing list. Families read one document, not two.
Label everything
Lost and found at the end of a session is a mountain of unlabelled grey sweatshirts. Full name, on everything, in laundry marker or iron-on labels. This takes twenty minutes at home and is the difference between a camper coming home with their belongings and not.
For camp directors: one link, every family
ClassGear lets a camp turn its packing list into a page families open on a phone and shop from. Paste links to the items you recommend, add quantities and notes, and share one URL in your welcome email, your parent portal, or a QR code at registration.
It's free, there's no app, and families don't create an account to view it. When you change something, everyone sees the change — no second email correcting the first.
A separate list per session or age group takes a few extra minutes and means a first-year camper's family isn't reading requirements for the two-week trip program.
Frequently asked questions
Is ClassGear free for summer camps?
Yes. Creating and sharing packing lists is free, with no per-camper cost, and families don't need an account to open one.
How many pairs of socks should a camper bring for a week?
At least eight. Socks are the most consistently under-packed item at sleepaway camp, and wet feet end activities early.
Should campers bring sheets or a sleeping bag?
It depends on the camp and sometimes the cabin, which is exactly why it belongs on the list explicitly. Check the bunk size too, since some camps use extra-long twin.
Why do camps ask families not to send food?
Food in cabins attracts animals and pests quickly. Most camps also provide all meals and snacks, so there's no gap it needs to fill.
What's the most forgotten item?
A laundry bag, followed closely by shower shoes and a second towel.
Can we make different lists for different sessions?
Yes. One list per session or age group keeps each family reading only what applies to them, and each gets its own link.
Can parents see the list without signing up?
Yes. It opens as a normal web page. Only the person building the list needs an account.
Build your camp's packing list
Turn the PDF into a link families can actually shop from.