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This page provides a quick and dirty list of equipment for a camping trip.

This page was written by Steven J. DeRose on 2004-09-27, and was last updated on 2004-10-18.

Almost everything on the list provides opportunities for teaching your Scouts. See also the Outdoorsman Badge section of the Webelos Handbook, pages 352-353. Items I think are must-haves but are commonly forgotten appear in red below.


For eating

  1. Plates and/or bowls (Frisbees™ work well)
  2. Drinking cups (Aluminum with wire handles are great)
  3. Utensils
  4. Cooking pots, pans, and tools
  5. Hot pads/gloves or pliers
  6. Condiments
  7. Stove, fuel, and matches. If wood fires will be used, a bow saw to cut it.

For dressing (in winter, plan much more carefully)

  1. Layered clothing
  2. More socks
  3. Raingear
  4. Hat

For cleanup and personal care

  1. Liquid soap that also works as shampoo
  2. Toothbrushes, paste and floss
  3. Towels
  4. Prescription medications (best packed in 2 places, waterproof)
  5. Deodorant
  6. Zip-loc™ bags
  7. Sunscreen
  8. Bug repellant
    You can get a combination bug repellant/sunscreen here. Couldn't someone combine some or all of soap, toothpaste, deodorant, disinfectant in one? Maybe even rehydration salts and something nutritious as well?
  9. Trash bags
  10. Toilet paper

For navigating

  1. Compass
  2. Local topographic map(s)
  3. Flashlights and spare batteries and bulb

First aid

Be sure to learn how to use everything you have. Only the most basic items can be found in a typical car or home first-aid kit, but be sure you have those. On top of that I would add:

  1. Sterile wet burn dressings
  2. Very, very good splinter tweezers. Do not skimp on these or try to use everyday drugstore tweezers. Good ones are available at Mark V, First-Aid Product, the general sources listed below, and other places.
  3. Sterile Eye-wash solution (be sure it hasn't expired!)
  4. Moleskin for blisters from hiking
  5. Butterfly or Steri-Strip™ closures for larger cuts
  6. Child-strength aspirin, Tylenol™, or similar
  7. An Epi-pen™ for severe allergic reactions (if you know how to use it appropriately)
  8. Large dressings ("abdominal pads" are one type)
  9. Topical sunburn/itch/pain treatment
  10. Triangular bandage or another way to make a sling
  11. Activated charcoal in case of poisoning

For safety (other than first aid)

  1. Mylar emergency blankets (sometimes called "space blankets" -- they fold up to pocket-size) -- one can save your life if you get lost: they serve as sleeping bag, tent, signal mirror, you name it. They should only cost $3-4, though I've seen them sold for as high as $10, so be careful. Four Seasons Survival has one here that is formed into a bag, not just a blanket, which is a couple ounces more, but awfully nice. You can get much the same result if you carry tape
  2. 50 feet of 2-3mm nylon cord ("parachute cord")
  3. Whistle
  4. Signalling mirror
  5. Water purification tablets or similar
  6. Fire-starter and matches (waterproofed). The Spark-Lite fire-starter kit looks quite good, though I haven't tried it myself yet.
  7. Full canteen or water-bottle
  8. Some kind of saw
  9. Fishhooks, line, sinker. Add a needle and you can use the line for repairs, too
  10. Many kits contain duct tape; I would go with narrower waterproof medical tape, to get much more length for the same weight and size
  11. Crazy glue. Fixes many things duct tape can't

A few good sources


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