The Ultimate Annotated California Camping Checklist

This is where I’d like to offer you my own ultimate camping checklist, based on my own experience as a thruhiker-turned-camper.

In 2019, I hiked all 2,650 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, where I had quite a bit of time to think about what I really needed while in the wilderness.

Now, I’ve adapted to the weekend warrior lifestyle, slowly adding back more and more comfort items the more trips I do. And for me, the bottom line is this: Bring what keeps you safe and makes you happy.

Don’t be put off by the sheer amount of stuff on this list: Most of it is optional, and camping can be done on the cheap (plus we have a whole article about how to make camping as economical as possible). To help sort through the noise, we’ve bolded any item that’s a must-bring.

As for where to store everything, heed this advice: Keep everything that will fit into one large storage bin, like this, so that you can “shop” it before each camping trip, checklist in hand, to decide what to bring.

Sometimes just seeing the item in the bin means I will remember to bring it — and you can always toss the entire bin into your car if that method is easier for you.

Quick version: Your camping checklist, visualized

You can either save the image below to your phone’s camera roll or print a PDF version of our camping checklist.

Keep reading for more information and specific suggestions about your camping checklist, or jump straight to what to bring for:

• Sleeping
• Cooking
• Clothing
• Safety
• The fun stuff

The essentials: Sleeping

Your tent 

Which tent you choose to buy (or rent) is ultimately going to depend on the types of trips you do — or that you’re hoping to do.

There are three-season and four-season tents, freestanding and trekking pole-supported, tents for one to many people.

So be sure to think about how often, when and with whom you can see yourself typically camping with: Are you really going to be out camping in the winter in the snow?

If not, you probably only need a three-season tent. Most campers will use freestanding tents, but if you’re planning to backpack a lot, consider buying a trekking pole tent, which uses the poles you’re already carrying to hike as your tent poles.

If you’re car camping only, there’s no need to worry about weight, so get the comfiest, roomiest tent you want. The important thing, regardless of which tent you choose, is that you know how to use it properly before heading out.

Your sleeping bag

Another place you don’t want to skimp is on your sleeping bag. Sleeping bags have ratings that you’ll want to pay attention to, but not all rating systems are done the same way, and you keep a few things in mind:

• They’re not always reliable
• They’re often rounded to the nearest 5 degrees
• They aren’t always tested on both women and men
• You should assume the low-end number is the temperature at which the bag will keep you alive, not comfortable

And if you want to make sure you’ll be extra warm (or keep the inside of your bag clean), you can always bring a sleeping bag liner or emergency blanket which can up the temperature rating of your bag significantly. Pro tip: For down sleeping bags in particular, when you’re not heading out to camp, be sure to store them uncompressed, so they maintain their loft and warmth.

Your sleeping pad

Trust me: Even the smallest, thinnest of pads creates a warm, insulated layer between you and the cold ground. At the very least, you need a foldable foam pad to go under your sleeping bag in your tent.

At the most, you can even bring your own inflatable mattress or cot — they even make lightweight backpacking cots these days, to raise you off the ground.

And there’s a whole world of products in between — slim, inflatable sleeping pads — sold by tons of outdoors companies.

The major factor to pay attention to is called the R value, which essentially tells you how warm it will keep you at night.

And if you do choose an inflatable kind of pad, don’t forget to clear the ground of sharp objects like sticks as best as you can before setting up your tent and always carry your patch kit with you.

The last thing you want is for your pad to pop and sadly deflate in the middle of the night.

In addition to these three essentials, the following accessories typically come with these items — but you’ll want to double-check you indeed have them with you before you head out:

• Tent stakes: While you may not need them on calm nights, always bring at least six tent stakes so you can stake out your tent on windy nights. They are included with most tents
• Ground sheet: This will protect the bottom of your tent from being ripped open by sharp items on the ground. Many tents come with this, typically called a “footprint,” or you can buy it separately. A tarp, piece of Tyvek or polycro sheet work just as well
• Rain fly: This should also come included with your tent — just don’t forget it, even if there’s no rain in the forecast
• Poles: Your tent will either come with poles to set it up or, if you have a trekking pole tent, you’ll have to bring your own
• Patch kit (for inflatable sleeping pad): This should come with your inflatable sleeping pad in case it pops. You can also try to use gear tape (below) in a pinch

Other non-essential sleep-related items to consider bringing:

• Earplugs and/or eye mask for getting your snoozing in
• Sleeping bag liner or emergency blanket if you’re worried about being cold at night
• Pillow, either one from your home or bed, or you can get a specific camping-style pillow
• Electric pump for inflating your sleeping pad
• Door mat and/or tent rug for making your tent feel more like home
• Mallet for pounding tent stakes (a large rock also works well for this)
• Gear repair tape (Duct tape works great; I have also used this brand for a hole chewed through my tent by a mouse — it worked like a charm!)
• Tent slippers or sleep socks
• Battery-powered fan for hot nights

The essentials: Cooking

Now you’ve sorted your sleep setup; now let’s get to food. Here’s what I would recommend for a weekend in the woods:

• Stove: If you mostly car camp, you may want to pick up one of these two-burner camping stoves — but before you buy new, check if you can pick one up secondhand instead, as there are lots of these floating around on resale markets like Facebook Marketplace. If you’re more of a backpacker, a more compact stove will heat up your meals just fine. And don’t forget: If you camp where campfires are allowed, you can always heat up some hot dogs on a fire
• Fuel: If you’ve got a stove, you’ll need fuel — usually propane gas. Just be sure to double-check you’re bringing the right type for your stove and that you have enough for your trip
• Pots and/or pans: You can bring these from home or use specialized camping pans
• Lighter: Even if your stove is self-starting — usually with a switch that ignites the fuel — always bring a backup way to get it started
• Bear and critter proof food storage: Be sure to check the local regulations of where you’re camping. Sometimes, leaving your food in your car is just fine — but other campgrounds will require you to use provided bear lockers or even bring your own bear-proof food storage
• Bowl, plate and/or cup: Whatever you’ll need to enjoy your food — Tupperware also works great for this!
• Eating utensils: Some people love a spork. Personally, I’d rather bring multiple useful utensils instead of one subpar (to me) utensil
• Trash bag: Don’t assume you’ll be able to toss your trash at the campground — you might need to collect it and take it with you
• Firestarter: At the very least, have some newspaper or a paper grocery bag to help get the campfire started
• Firewood: Again, double-check if campfires are allowed, and if you’re allowed to bring your own firewood or can purchase or collect it onsite. It’s also important to know how to properly extinguish your fire
• Cooler and ice: Unless you have a very powerful cooler, any ice you bring with you will melt after a day. So check ahead of time to see if your campground sells ice if you’re going out for more than 24 hours
• Can/bottle opener: Make sure you have a way to open every food item you’re bringing with you
• Dish soap: Biodegradable soap is advised if you won’t have a sink/drain to wash dishes with
• Sponge or rag: for doing the dishes
• Cutting board and cooking utensils: The most important among which might be a knife, spatula and tongs

Extras that you may not need but might find come in handy:

• Tablecloth and clamps to keep it from flying away
• Tin foil for cooking on the campfire
• Ziplocks for food storage
• Paper towels for cleanup
• Your favorite mug
• Extra fold-out table for meal prepping
• Marshmallow roasting sticks
• Dutch oven for cooking
• Charcoal for grilling
• Coffee maker: A French press, pour-over equipment or whatever strikes your fancy

The essentials: Safety

Camping is, in general, very safe, but bringing these items will help you feel more secure if something does go awry.

• Flashlight or headlamp: You’ll want to have some way to see at night
• Bug spray and sunscreen: To stop your skin getting bitten or burned
• Hand sanitizer, toilet paper and a trowel: Double-check your campsite has bathrooms; otherwise, you’ll need these items (although hand sanitizer can be good to have around camp regardless of the bathroom situation)
• First aid kit and toiletries: This should include any prescription and nonprescription medications you might need. These first-aid checklists might be helpful, but remember: You should really know how to properly use everything in there, or it’s not worth bringing at all
• Cash: For any camping fees or campground stores selling ice, firewood and other essentials
• Water jugs and/or water filter: You may not need these, but be sure to double-check your campsite has potable water before heading out
• Backup device charger and/or extra batteries: Especially if you’re relying on your phone for GPS navigation (or entertainment)
• Backup maps: Make sure you know where you’re going and that you have at least two forms of digital or paper maps

Extra safety/preparedness items that might help you sleep at night:

• Cables to jump your car: Yes, my car has died while camping.
• Multitool: These often have helpful items like scissors, knives, tweezers, corkscrews, etc.
• Bungee cords, paracord and/or shock cord: Having a length of some kind of cord is great to have, both in case of major emergencies (some paracord is strong enough to haul a person up a cliffside) minor emergencies (it’s windy out, and you need to strap something down), and for convenience (like a DIY clothesline)

The essentials: Clothing

When it comes to clothing, bring whatever is most comfortable, but remember to bring enough layers to keep you warm around camp at night. Layers that are made of materials like wool, fleece and down will help with insulation.

• Walking/hiking shoes: for exploring during the day
• Hat and/or sunglasses: for sun protection
• Raincoat: Yes, even if there’s no rain in the forecast
• Warm jacket: A ski jacket or puffer works great here
• Warm sleep layers: Consider long-sleeved base layers made of wool or fleece

Extra clothing items you may not need but might enjoy:

• Camp shoes: Having comfy shoes to change into after a hike or long day exploring makes camp feel more like home
• Sandals: for river or lake exploration
• Gloves: to make cold mornings not so painful
• Warm beanie: for campfire hangouts
• Balaclava or buff: This multipurpose item can act as a neckie for wind protection, a sweat guard for hiking, and even a bathing suit top in a pinch
• Swimsuit: for taking a dip if you’re camping near swimmable water

The fun additions

• Beach or camp towel: Bring something like this that’s quick-drying if you’re planning to shower, or a regular beach towel you’re not afraid to get dirty
• Clothesline and pins: For hanging out any wet or sweaty clothes to dry
• Camp chair: Most campsites have picnic tables, but bring these for sitting by a beach or around a campfire
• Hammock for lounging around
• Twinkle lights for atmosphere
• Dustpan/broom for keeping your tent clean
• Day pack for hiking
• Portable speaker for daytime tunes
• Board and card games for entertainment
• Field games/sports equipment: Consider a frisbee, football, croquet set, or spikeball set
• Binoculars for wildlife viewing
• Field guide for flora and fauna identification
• Book for relaxation
• Art supplies like a sketchbook or watercolor paints