Vacation Packing List | Get Kids To Pack Without Help!

Inside: Packing for vacation can be overwhelming if you have more than one child. This post breaks down the best ways to teach kids how to pack their own suitcase or duffle bag! Included is a FREE vacation packing list for kids.

(Originally published on June 3, 2019; updated on May 30, 2025)

The temps are creeping up past 100 degrees here in Arizona, which means Summer is here!

With each of my kids finishing school on a different week this year, we’re rolling into summer with a bit of a staggered start. But we’re ready for it.

One of the biggest blessings this year? My husband got a job that gives us the flexibility to hit the road and camp in our RV up north again. It’s a must since we live in the desert. We have the opportunity to be able to enjoy the outdoors, ride dirt bikes, and get dirty. It’s good for all of our souls.

There’s just something about packing up, unplugging, and heading into the woods that resets everything.

Right now, as I’m writing this, my 15-year-old son is packing two suitcases! He has a duffle-type rolling bag for summer camp in Northern Arizona, where we’ll spend four days learning how to live a life for Jesus together. I’m going too, but volunteering to lead a group of 10th-grade girls!

His other suitcase is for a life-changing trip to Peru. Yes, you read that right. Peru! My mama heart is both bursting and slightly in denial, but a service-learning trip to Peru is just what he needs in this stage of his life.

Our summer rhythm usually looks like camping every other week to escape the Phoenix heat because it feels like your eyeballs could melt right out of your head. We don’t have to go far.

Just a few hours north, and suddenly we’re surrounded by grass, pine trees, and cool mountain air. It’s like entering a whole different world.

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When we first started camping and taking more road trips, I was losing my mind trying to pack for myself and three kids.

Camping doesn’t come with turndown service, so the vacation packing list is a lot longer than for a hotel stay. Between food prep, meal planning, packing bedding and towels, making sure we’ve got everything from shampoo to marshmallows, plus both cool-weather and cold-weather clothes (because Arizona mountain temps can swing from 85 to 35 in the same day)… it was a lot.

But somewhere around the time my boys turned six and eight, I had a revelation: they could pack their own stuff.

These days, every one of my kids packs their own bags for every trip.

It hasn’t always been smooth sailing (one of them once forgot his contacts. Never again!), but every forgotten sweatshirt, sock, or toothbrush has helped them take more ownership the next time around. We’ve had some hilarious packing fails over the years, not just from the kids but from me, too, but those experiences have actually been the best teachers.

One time, I forgot tennis shoes and there was not a single store nearby that sold them. Therefore, I bought cowboy boot slippers because they at least had a rubber sole. They’re still in the camper years later.

It’s so freeing to hand over a packing list, give them a deadline, and off they go. It’s one less thing on my plate, and honestly, watching them learn and grow through it has been a gift.

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Keep Reading: 4 Easy Steps for Teaching New Skills to Your Kids

Teach Your Kids How to Pack with a Vacation Packing List

One of the most empowering things we’ve done as parents is hand over the packing responsibility to our kids and not just once, but every single trip. It’s a life skill that helps them take ownership, learn from mistakes, and build confidence (and let’s be honest, it saves me a ton of time and mental energy).

Start by telling your kids that packing is now part of their job, because they’re totally capable of handling it. Keep it positive and frame it as a privilege, not a punishment. You’re trusting them with something important.

Years ago, we created a master vacation packing list together. It includes all the possible items they might need for any road trip or camping trip. There’s a column for how many of each item to bring, which I update depending on the trip. Our list is laminated, but you can print it out fresh, and my kids know where to grab this every time they have to travel.

When we first introduced it, we followed the four steps of learning a new skill:

1. I showed them how.
2. We did it together.
3. I watched and coached as they did it.
4. Then they packed without any help.

Now, they’re fully in charge of packing everything they’ll need or use that isn’t already stored in the camper. And yes, sometimes they forget things, and sometimes they forget the same thing more than once, but if it’s important enough, like contacts, because they are basically blind without them, you betcha, they’ll remember!

What Kids Learn When They Pack For Vacation

I had no idea how many life skills my kids would gain just by taking responsibility for their own stuff on a trip. What started as a way to keep me from losing my mind turned into one of the best teaching tools we’ve used as parents.

We were just camping with some friends. I overheard one of the boys say, “Of course, I didn’t remember to charge my electric dirt bike, I was too busy needing to pack.” This is real-life real-time learning because the parents put the packing in his hands and not their own!

Ownership

Gone are the days of hearing, “Mom! You forgot my pajamas!” or “Where’s my favorite blanket?”

Now, if something’s missing, they know exactly who to blame…and it’s not me. And guess what? Forgetting something once (like contacts!) usually guarantees they’ll never forget it again. Mistakes are how the brain learns, especially when the natural consequence is no cozy blanket for four days or having to miss out on riding dirt bikes because your mom has to drive you an hour to the closest eye doctor for contacts.

Responsibility

Kids need real responsibility to grow. Giving them the chance to take ownership of something important, like making sure they have underwear and a toothbrush, helps them act independently and builds trust. Packing is a simple, tangible way to practice this.

Self-Belief + Confidence

Kids crave autonomy.

When they’re trusted with something meaningful, they feel capable, confident, and proud. There’s nothing like watching your child beam with pride when they say, “I packed it all myself.” Especially when they notice their friend’s parent scrambling because they forgot the stuffed animal.

Life Skills

Packing teaches decision-making, planning, and time management. These are foundational skills they’ll use forever. When they’re young and still learning, it’s the perfect time to guide them with a list, encouragement, and a little grace when they mess up.

Independence

Isn’t that the goal of parenting? To raise humans who can confidently take care of themselves.

Packing their own bag is a small but powerful step toward that.

Organizational Skills

Some kids are naturally organized. Others… not so much. There’s a mix living in this house.

If your child struggles with executive function, you may need to walk alongside them a bit more. But over time, even the most scatterbrained kids can learn to group outfits, roll socks, and zip up their duffle like a pro.

What To Pack For Vacation

Having the boys pack their own bags has been a huge win, but along the way, we’ve learned a few things that make the process smoother and set everyone up for success.

Each time we hit the road, they use our family’s go-to Vacation Packing List, which includes all the essentials they’ll need, PLUS a few things they tend to forget if it’s not written down (looking at you, water bottle).

Here’s what we include on the list and how we make it work:

Clothes, Shoes, and Accessories

We stick with this simple rule: one outfit per day, plus two extras, because let’s be honest, kids can go through clothes fast. Mud, sweat, ketchup, mystery slime… You name it.

Let your kids pick out their outfits!

Letting your kids pick their outfits is a great way to give them autonomy. That said, I’m a photographer.

So, letting go of color-coordinated vacation pics has been really hard for me. Neon green shorts with a red Pokémon shirt? It’s happened. And I’ve learned to smile through it. (Mostly.)

If mismatched clothes truly make you cringe, you can teach them how to put an outfit together.

Show your kids a color wheel, explain how patterns and solids work together, and model it with a few outfits. Just know… they may toss all that advice right out the window, and that’s okay too. Clothing is one of the first ways kids express themselves.

Packing List Order:

• Shirts and or dresses for girls
• Shorts to match the shirt and anything to go with the dress, like if they need leggings underneath
• Long sleeves (if needed)
• Pants (if needed) (These pants turn into shorts, too!)
• Socks and underwear
• Sweatshirts or outerwear that can go with the shorts
• Pajamas – Even if they don’t typically wear these, we have them pack at least one pair when packing for vacation.
• Hat(s)
• Shoes – One pair of flip flops or Crocs and one pair of tennis shoes usually does the trick
• Hiking boots/shoes
• Reusable water bottle

Don’t forget to check the weather. As I mentioned we often have to plan for both cold weather and hot weather outfits for each day.

Read Next: An Easy Way For Kids To Pack School Lunch (With FREE Lunch List)

Toiletries

Let your kids pick out their own toiletry bag and make sure they fill it with at least the basics. Or for my teenager, he didn’t want to deal with picking out toiletries, so he ordered this kit from Amazon! They have them at Walmart too for the same price.

• Shampoo
• Body wash
• A scrubby (doesn’t get gross like washcloths!)
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Comb, brush, and hair accessories
• Lastly, other helpful items are sunblock, moisturizer, and lip balm

Entertainment

This category is vital for kids ages one to twelve. Entertainment items are used for the car ride as well as in and outside the camper. Here are a few non-screen ideas:

• Books and magazines
• Toys such as Legos, figurines, or building toys (My kids LOVE these math blocks)

• Games
• Coloring and activity books, stickers, and other crafts (check out this AWESOME craft store I found with all of these things!!!)
• Sensory toys

Here are some great games to play once you get to the destination! *Some can probably be played in the car.

Pick the Best Packing Method For Each Child

Find a method using your vacation packing list that works for each child.

Again, using these four steps to teach your kids a new skill really works! Just tattoo the steps to your arm seeing you’ll be using them a lot while your kids are young. Ha!

Ziplock Bags

A GREAT tip I came across for packing kids’ clothes in a suitcase or duffle bag is to use gallon-sized ziplock bags.

Have your kid use a sharpie to write his or her name on the bag. If your child needs some organizational help, he or she can label each bag with the day he or she plans on wearing each outfit.

Fold or Roll

There are basically two methods – fold or roll.

For most kids (especially those who want to get it done quickly), the rolling method is usually best. My son used one bag per outfit, one for socks and underwear and one more for pajamas.

1. Roll

For shirts, fold in the sleeves and roll from the neck down. For pants, fold in half and roll from the waistband down.

Here’s a great video with a demonstration. Once the items are rolled, put both the top and bottom into a bag.

2. Fold

When folding the items, have your child make sure the clothes are flat. Match the tops and bottoms and put them into a ziplock bag. There are many different techniques to fold clothes.

Other Ways to Store Clothes

As your kids get older, the ziplock bag trick may be harder to fit the clothes into because of the size of the clothes.

Packing cubes can do wonders!

Another idea a friend just told me is that she assigns different colored rubber bands for each of her four kids and wraps the rubber bands around the rolled clothing. No baggies required.

Teach Your Kids How to Pack a Suitcase or Dufflebag

The ziplock bag, packing cube or rubber band method all make it very easy to pack a bag or suitcase. Some kids are naturally organized but others need to be taught how to stack and arrange clothes.

Show your kids how to utilize the different sections in a suitcase or bag that make it easiest to find what they need.

Download Your Free Vacation Packing List

To help my kids, together, we made a vacation packing list with all the items they usually need. I used my handy-dandy laminator so they can write on the sheets with a dry-erase marker and wipe them clean after every vacation or road trip.

For you, I’ve updated it and made two different vacation packing lists – one for girls and the other for boys.

Oftentimes, I put the numbers in the quantity column, but have recently been asking them how many items they think they need.

Having your kids think for themselves is just as important as getting stuff done independently. So far, my boys have been right on as they realize how dirty they get.

Do your children pack for vacation?

Have any questions or additional tips? I’d love to hear! Comment below.

And feel free to share with friends who are heading on vacation!

P.S. The picture above was taken before his first year of summer camp. I can’t believe he’s going to his 5th summer camp AND Peru this year. I need to retake this photo if he lets me 😏