Free Printable Camping Checklist & Meal Planner

I can’t tell you how many times I forgot something that I really needed when I went camping. Definitely more times than I care to admit! This adorable free printable camping checklist eliminates stress and creates order as you embark on an amazing journey out into the woods for the weekend. It goes hand in hand with the meal planner, so you can enjoy your adventure with everything planned ahead, and zero supplies missing!

We love camping. We go old school in our house and stick with tents, and come home dirty and grimy with smiles on our faces.

Nature is so good for the soul, and being outdoors listening to the sounds rejuvenates me for the week ahead. There is no glamping for this family!

But camping or glamping, you still need to pack before leaving home, and you still need to figure out what you’re going to eat.

This free printable camping checklist and meal planner set was my answer to making sure we always leave home prepared!

🥾 Camping Checklist

I split the checklist into 8 categories that span across two sheets.

The first sheet guides you through packing your:

• Kitchen tools
• Camping tools
• Sleeping items
• First aid

If you have been camping for a long time, you most likely have most of this stuff geared up and ready to go. If not, and you are just starting out, you will really need to create a thorough list. Spend the time to think through the preparation of each meal and the items that you need to cook and serve it. Because we don’t want to bring glass bowls (I know, lol!!), think of meals and ways to cook using just one pan or foil packs. 

This sweet sheet gives you a great visual of the tools of the trade needed!  Have you ever gone camping and forgotten the rubber mallet to hammer your stakes in the ground?? We need lists, my friends! 

Helpful Hint: If you are struggling to think through what you need to take, review a camping checklist.  I refer to that one as it is extremely thorough.

🔦 Camping Food, Games and Miscellaneous Checklist 

Now it’s time to fill in the second checklist. And yes, this one is also mandatory!

Here’s what you’ll need to write down here:

• Food – Use the food section to record the excess snacks, condiments, drinks, or anything that doesn’t fit into the meal plans. Make sure to include any items for special dietary needs.
• Games – We decided to add the games section, as we always like to play when we camp. What is your favorite camping game? 
• Others –  When our son was younger, we always had to bring his special blanket, a favorite toy, and his stuffed animal that he couldn’t sleep without. But, now that he’s older, I don’t have those concerns. Now, I am thinking more of my Ibuprofen, books, an extra blanket, and medicines. It’s not too fun getting old, right?

🏕️ Camping Meal Planner

If you’ve read my blog before, you know I am a big fan of meal prepping and planning. So I apply the same principles to my camping organization. Remember, you are going out in nature, even if there is a store nearby, it certainly ruins the experience if you keep taking grocery runs.

For those interested in doing this on a daily basis, even at home, feel free to grab my free printable weekly meal planner and get to work – it’s easier thank you think!

I also use this free printable monthly meal planner (and all the other sheets from the kitchen binder) when I know I have a busy month ahead, and this helps me get some structure to my schedule.

Calling all fellow campers – let’s get organized! Just because you are camping doesn’t mean you have to rough it in the meal department.

Set up your meal plan for the camping weekend. I love this part, as you try to figure out what is going to work for more than one day, so you don’t bring the whole house with you. 

Do you have a list of “go-to” camping recipes yet? If you don’t, start to create one. Some of our best camping memories are the meals we made. Everything tastes better outside, right?

⛺ Camping Friendly Recipes

Hint: Visit Pinterest for camping meals ideas, but then quickly circle back to filling out your sheet. Pinterest is awesome but it is a huge rabbit hole if you aren’t careful! 

Check out this Pinterest board for great camping recipe ideas: https://www.pinterest.com/hodgepodgehippie/camping-food/

If you want to pre-make most of your meals, here is a great list of make-ahead camping-friendly meals. I did this on more than one campout and I really liked it. Making the meals ahead of time saved on the mess and the amount of time preparing food during the weekend. That meant I could spend more time hiking and exploring. 

🌲 Download Your Free Printable

With this printable camping checklist set to go, you are ready to fill this out and hit the woods! How do you plan to use this planner? What have you done prior to this? Always drop a comment or an email and let us know!