The packing list that actually works
Four nights in a tent at the coast, packed into one bag a Grade 5 can carry.
15 September 2026
Camp packing lists tend to grow every year until nobody reads them. This is the short version we send to schools, tested against what arrives and what comes home unused.
Bring
- Sleeping bag and a pillow. Tents, stretcher beds and chairs are supplied.
- Two towels. One for showering and one for the beach, because a wet towel does not dry in a tent.
- Shampoo, soap, toothbrush and toothpaste.
- Sunblock and a hat. The morning beach session is in the sun.
- One warm top and long pants for the evening fire. The coast drops cooler than people expect.
- Closed shoes for activities, sandals for the beach.
Leave at home
- Valuables and anything the school does not want to be responsible for.
- Extra snacks and sweets. Three meals a day are provided and food in tents attracts visitors of the small furry kind.
- A second bag. One bag per camper keeps tent space usable.
- A water bottle. Every camper gets one from us on arrival, along with a cap.
The three that get forgotten
A warm top, a second towel, and a torch. Every single camp.