24 Tips For Packing Your Kids' Camp Trunks and Not Going Insane Doing So

General Packing Tips

• Follow the camp's packing list to the letter. It was written for a reason.
• Pack clothing/items in 2.5 gallon ziplock bags according to category (i.e. swimsuits in one bag, shorts, socks, water bottles, etc.).
• If you have two trunks, include clothing in one and all bedding, towels, athletic gear, shoes, and chair in the other.
• Label everything (pens, pads, flashlights, etc.). It only takes a few minutes but will save lots of tears when your child’s favorite pen goes missing and their bunkmate thinks it’s theirs. Labels come in all shapes and sizes!
• Silver Sharpies can be used for labeling black and dark blue clothes.
• Pack with your child so he or she knows exactly what's going in the trunk and what's staying behind.
• Pack storage containers the way you envision them being used. If your camp suggests under-bed drawers, pack them with what should stay under the bed.
• If there are posters or cling-ons that you would like to be put on your child’s wall before they arrive to camp, attach a note to the counselors letting them know to hang them.
• Space bags are great for towels and linens. The air is sucked out (via a vacuum) to take up less space.
• Hide notes in your kids' clothes so they find them in the Summer.
• Prewash all new clothing, bedding, and towels prior to packing them so colors don't bleed in the camp laundry.
• Create an inventory list of everything that is packed in the trunks. Place one copy in the trunk so your child or their counselor can tell if something is missing. The same list can be used for packing to come home.