Well, it’s summer camp time again! The time when I buy new socks and boxes of Ziploc bags and start the sorting and organizing for the kiddos to head out to church camp for a week. Do your munchkins go to overnight camp? Our kiddos head off for a week each summer with their church group. Sometimes the different age groups go at different times, but this year all 3 of our farm kids are heading off together–that’s a new stage for us! {smile}

Our first year I did a lot of Googling and asking around to figure out what I needed to know when it came to getting them packed up and ready. Here’s the simple, frugal, less stress, less mess, packing list and tips we use to get all three of them out the door!

1. What to Use for Luggage

We don’t use the popular trunks I found so much on Pinterest. (Those things are expensive! If you’re going that route, the best prices I found were these Seward trunks at Amazon with FREE Prime shipping, so now’s a great time to Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial.) Perhaps if it was a longer camp that might be necessary, but for 6-7 days, I have found that their duffle bags and backpacks meet the need–for about a quarter of the cost!

They each have a rolling duffle bag and a high-quality daypack for camping and hiking that they use as their bus carry on. (BTW, we love these rolling duffles and have gotten them for all our nieces and nephews as well! And they will stuff in an overhead bin as a carry-on!) They also each have a quality sleeping bag which has lasted without problems since 2013. We also get each of the kiddos a toiletry bag as a family “rite of passage” their first year at camp. We get the boys a men’s shave kit-type bag (these are super sturdy!) and the Ladybug got a hanging toiletry kit.

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2. How and What to Pack

Here’s how we do it…

1. Gather everything you need to pack in one place. We pack one kiddo at a time and we start by piling everything on the checklist on the kitchen table. (Need the checklist? Grab it here!)

2. Get some gallon and quart Ziploc bags. I do use either Ziploc or Glad brand because they hold up better. We don’t want leaks or spills making a mess! If you don’t use name brand, go with the freezer bags, they’re thicker.

3. Sort all clothing into outfits. Then bag up each outfit and label by days. The bags are both organization and damage control when the kiddos start throwing wet clothes or dirty clothes back in the bag. This way their clean clothes actually stay clean and fresh!

4. Group like toiletries together and bag up using either quart Ziplocs or zipper pouches. For example, all shower toiletries go in one bag. All first-aid items in another bag. Sunscreen and bug spray together. (BTW, these bug spray WIPES are awesome for traveling!)

5. Add a mesh laundry bag. This is more to help them corral their stuff than to sort clean from dirty. Hopefully, it will help them bring all their socks home! Add an ID tag (this one comes with one pre-sewn!) and worst comes to worst, they can tie the top shut and haul it home as is, if it won’t fit back in their bag.

6. Lay out travel clothes separately. Make sure you didn’t accidentally pack something they need to wear on the bus to get there!

7. Organize writing supplies. We make sure to pack paper, pens, pencils, and Bibles when they head off to camp. The easiest way for them to organize those supplies is with a Bible case with zipper pockets. I have two that work with that, and one that insists on carrying his stuff separately. {smile} Another idea is a comp book or spiral with a pencil pouch or a binder with a 3-hole pencil pouch inserted. (BTW, how cute are these little Camp Greetings notes?) I would pre-address and pre-stamp anything you wanted to be mailed!

Here’s a quick, 1-Minute Love Note Tutorial for making your own little heart-shaped notes to send!

8. Label everything. We add homemade luggage tags to their duffles, backpacks, and sleeping bags (and laundry bags!)–anything that will be thrown into a pile with other campers’ stuff. This makes it easy for them to grab their own stuff.

3. Organize Spending Money into Daily Allocations

If your kiddos are new to managing their own money unsupervised, or just a little anxious about overspending and running out (like my Ladybug) it really helps to pre-sort their camp funds into daily allocations for them. That way if they overspend, they can understand that they are taking money from tomorrow and not be surprised when it’s not there. In the same token, if they don’t spend it, I have them add it to the next day, and keep rolling it forward until the end of camp.

We put traveling funds for meals on the road in completely separate envelopes in their carry-on so these also don’t get spent by accident.

There are several ways you can allocate the funds, but we find that either a little accordion pocket folder labeled by days or just paper clipping the allowances together with post-it notes and putting them in a shared envelope will usually do the trick. The accordion method is easier for younger kiddos than having to un-do and re-do paperclips as you move money around.

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4. Minimize and Simplify EVERYTHING

You’ll see on our packing checklist that there are very few “extras.” In our age group they end up too busy to do much more than run from one activity to another, so there’s no need for books, makeup or jewelry, games, cards, etc. Here’s a couple minimizing tips (just a note–these are particular to the junior or “tween” age group):

• Get some reusable toiletry tubes to pack in. This will save money, save space, and reduce your aggravation if they lose it or forget to bring it home! (I like these TSA-approved silicone ones because you can also easily use them for other family travel after camp!)
• Girls put in one pair of go-with-anything stud earrings that can be left in throughout camp.
• Girls get a 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner to save on packing and possible leaks.
• Skip the curling iron, flat iron, hair spray, etc. We pack a brush, ponytails, and snap barrettes. My “hair dude” get a comb, no gel. {smile}
• Skip the scented lotions and sprays and put one small tube of good lotion in their first aid kit.
• Boys get a 3-in-1 washing soap in one travel tube to save on packing, leaks, and shower time.
• Send along a pack of face wipes for quick clean-ups before chapel each day or if there’s a backup in the bathroom. (The Ladybug uses Burts Bees, but I also pack these plain Johnson face wipes for the boys, just for camp.) If you’ve got an acne-prone kiddo in this age group, I think a combo medicated face wipe is worth the minimal extra cost to save on possibly forgetting (or packing and skipping!) a more expensive skincare product at camp.

When you stick with a short packing list, it can really simplify the stress of getting everyone ready. I also go ahead and buy new socks and underwear for everyone at camp time, instead of waiting for back to school time. That way I know everyone has what they end, but it still fits in my annual budget.

FINAL TIP: Have the kids help with the packing!

Then they’ll know what they have and where it should be when they get there. Our checklists are perfect for that.

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