Now that we have officially completed our beach camping trip I wanted to share our improved packing list. So basically, this is our packing list minus the things we did not need and plus the things we ended up buying or will bring on our next beach camping adventure.
The Sleeping Gear
- Tent ( Ours is a Wentzel Air Pitch Tent- Check out the details on my blog post about it. It inflates!)
- Tent air pump and stakes. GET SAND STAKES!
- Sleeping bags for the kids
- 1 set of sheets for the air mattress
- 1 comforter for the air mattress
- Pillows ( travel size for the kids and standard size for me)
- Self Inflating air mattress
The Eating Gear
Please Note: We do not normally even attempt to cook camp food other than hot dogs, smores, and sandwiches. If you plan to do more extensive camp cooking there are some great packing resources that can be found online.
- Rolling soft sided cooler
- Plastic utensils
- Paper Plates
- Plastic cups
- Paper towels ( removed from the roll and folded in a zip lock bag to save space)
- Wet Wipes (A.K.A baby wipes. They are your best camping friend)
- Marshmallow/Hot dog roasting sticks. ( Mine are extendable to save space. I got them at walmart and they are a smart investment if your kids love scores and hotdogs.
- Candle lighter or matches
- Citronella bug candle
- Small plastic totes with locking lids for your dry food goods.
- Zip lock bags. ( I use the Hefty brand with the slider.)
- Vinyle fabric backed table cloths. There are great for use as a picnic blanket or even putting your beach towels on top of.
- Scissors
- Kitchen Knife
- Leftover condiment packets from fast food trips are great to take camping. It saves a lot space verses packing a full size ketchup, mustard and mayo bottles.
- Dryer lent ( to use as a fire starter.)
Food Packing List
- Hot dogs
- Sandwich meat
- Cheese
- Buns
- Bread
- Pop-tarts
- Granola or cereal bars
- Bagels
- Single serving Cream cheese (Left over from the continental breakfast at the hotel
- Leftover condiment packets from fast food trips are great to take camping. It saves a lot space verses packing a full size ketchup, mustard and mayo bottles.
- Lunchables
- Salt & Pepper in travel size
- Fiber one bars
- Jiff to go peanut butter
- Travel size grape jelly jar from the dollar tree
- 12 packs of soda
- Case of bottled water ( Some frozen to use as ice packs)
- gallon of water (frozen to use as ice pack)
- Chips
- Marshmallows
- Snack Size Hershey's bars
- Graham crackers
- Assorted single serve snacks
If I am attempting to eat healthy I will also pack the following things for me:
- Baby Carrots
- Quest Bars for breakfast and snacks
- Fresh Pre cut fruits and veggies
- Beef Jerky
- Almonds/Cranberry/Chocolate chip mix
- Bananas
First Aid & Medication
For any trip I bring along my pre packed medication bag. I always restock it after each trip. I don't take full size bottles of medications. To save space I use the travel size packets of over the counter medication. For my prescription or not travel size medication I place a weeks worth of each in the small bags you can get at craft supply stores. I peel the label from the bottle and place it on each bag.
- Personal Medications
- Burn Relief Cream
- After Sun Aloe Gel
- Sunscreen
- Bandaids
- Triple antibacterial ointments
- Medication for tooth pain
- Pain Relievers
- Migrane/Sinus relief medication
- Nasal Spray
- Allergy medication
- Inhaler
- Moleskin for blisters
- Nausea motion sickness Medication
- Pepto
- Vitamins/Supplements
- Bug Repellant
- Deoderant
- Tooth Brush
- Tooth Paste
- Toiletries
- Makeup
- Comb /Brush
- Hair Ties, pins, clips, headbands
- Extra Sunblock
Glamping Stuff: Just to make camping fun and pretty.
- Cute Battery Operated lights strings. I wrap these around the front of my tent.
- Solar Powered Light stakes. Mine are shaped like tulips and I place them at each of the tie out strings on my tent. It helps to keep people from tripping over the tie outs at night.
- Brightly colored camp chairs
- Umbrella that clips onto your camp chair
- Large colorful beach umbrella. ( I use another strand of battery op lights on the inside of the umbrella to add extra lighting at night.)
- The mason jar lanterns I made. You can view the tutorial on the craft section of my blog. I have ended up using these for many different things.
- $1 bag of decorative rocks or marbles- leave them in the netting bag they come in and use them to help hold down the corners of your towels and beach blankets.
- Brightly colored folding table. Can be used in the tent as a side table at night or as a side table for your camp chairs during the day.
- Lightweight rugs that can be placed inside the tent or outside the tent to help keep your area tidy and fun.
- Glow stick and bubbles for the kids
Must Have Gear
- LED Lantern
- Extra Batteries
- Flashlights
- Headlamps
- String or rope
- Zip ties
- Bungee cord ( there are great if you have a tree. Wrap it around the tree and then tuck your trash bag , baby wipes, hot dog roasting forks, scissors and utensils between the cord and tree.)
- Small dust pan and broom for cleaning sand out of the tent and car.
Beach Gear
- Towels
- Sun hats
- Beach Blanket
- Extra Swim Wear for each person
- Sand Toys
- Inflatable Beach Toys
- Fishing Net
- Fishing Poles and tackle
- A few good books or a well stocked Kindle
- Sunglasses
- Beachwear & Cover ups
- Life Vests or flotation devices if needed
- Zip Lock bags for holding your phone or other items you do not want to rick getting wet.
- Zip lock bags for storing collected seashells.
- Mesh laundry bag for storing sand and water toys. When it is time to go, put this all in the bag and dunk them in the water to clean.
- Baby Powder for getting the sand off your skin