Top 10 Packing Tips for a Cabin Trip in 2022

​I love a good cabin.  I love the mountains, a lake, a fireplace or a fire pit, a nice breeze,
trees, squirrels, birds, solitude, a good book with a cup of coffee,
an ice cold beer with a bluetooth speaker, and TIME AWAY. 
I can't see all the things left undone.  I can't feel all the weight of my daily routine. 
​Out of sight, out of mind. 
TIME for myself and TIME for my family.  TIME to sleep. TIME to eat and actually chew my food. 
TIME to watch a movie (without doing another task).  TIME to lay the phone down. 
TIME to do nothing.  TIME to think!!!  TIME to talk.  When did we stop talking?

Okay, enough about my love affair with nature- let's get to the packing.  ❤️

My Top 10 Cabin Trip Packing Tips:

1. Clothes:  For you, spouse, kids, and excursions.
2. Food:  Dry goods.
3. Food:  Cold items.
4. Food:  What to buy when you get there.
5. Electronics:  Know streaming passwords.  Bring chargers.
6. Plan ahead:  Outings, equipment, meals, cash.
7. Essentials:  Items we have at home that your cabin may or may not stock (see full list below).
8. Extra:  firewood, alcohol, other things you might forget.
9. Expectations:  of your spouse, family members, other cabin guests.  May need to discuss ahead of time.
10. Keep the goal of the trip in mind.  (see list below if trip is geared towards fun, recreation, relaxation, rest, etc).

Let's break each tip down further into more of a checklist so that we don't forget anything.

1. Clothes:  For you, spouse, kids, and excursions.
   1. For all:  pajamas, daywear, loungewear, socks, shoes, underwear, nice outfit if needed for any reason
   2. Do you need any clothing for an excursion?  Snow boots, heavy jacket, hats, gloves, rain gear, hiking gear, ski goggles, swim goggles, swimwear, water shoes for canoeing or tubing
2. Food:  Dry goods.
   1. Ketchup, mustard, mayo, bbq sauce, salad dressing, salt & pepper, seasonings, cooking spray, croutons, jelly, peanut butter, hot sauce, syrup, pancake mix, cooking oil, grits, oatmeal, squeeze apple sauce, crackers.
   2. Coffee & filters, sandwich bags, foil, paper towels, napkins, foil pans, dish soap and dishwasher tablets, trash bags, hand sanitizer.
   3. Bathroom items:  toilet paper, shampoo, bar soap, lotion, makeup, hairdryer, q-tips, toothbrushes & toothpaste, deodorant, a mini sewing kit is a good idea, manicure set, soft soap for bathrooms & kitchen sink.
   4. Laundry:  detergent, dryer sheets, dirty laundry bag for what you plan to wash once you're back home.
   5. Paper plates, solo cups, a Sharpie for the solo cups, plastic silverware, cheap Tupperware for leftovers - who wants to do dishes at EVERY meal when on vacation?
   6. Case of bottled water, soda, sports drinks, apple juice, capri sun, whatever your family drinks.
   7. Snacks:  chips, cereal, granola bars, Smores supplies, cookies, pretzels, goldfish, Chex mix, nuts
   8. Cups, water bottles, coozies:  if you still have a baby or toddlers, ALL THE THINGS for that age
   9. PRO TIP:  this trip we did hot dogs on the first night (I cooked them in the skillet while husband went to the store - I planned and brought what we needed), tacos on night 2, burgers on night 3.  A lot of the needed items are the same:   condiments, chips, pickles, onion, etc.  It just keeps things simple and easy.
3. Food:  Cold items.
   1. This just depends on how large of a cooler you want to or are able to bring.  We have brought LOTS of cold food and LESS cold food depending on the size of our party and length of our trip.  We also gauge access to the grocery store.  If you do bring a large hard-shell cooler, I suggest packing a soft-side day-trip cooler for picnic lunches or to keep snacks and drinks in the vehicle.
   2. PRO TIP:  Even if you use ICE, throw some ice packs in your cooler that you can use for your picnic lunches / car snacks and drinks
4. Food:  What to buy when you get there.
   1. Butter, eggs, sliced cheese, shredded cheese, milk, OJ, creamer, yogurt, frozen biscuits, frozen waffles, ice cream, frozen pizzas (easy lunch)
   2. Fruit, meat for meals, lunchmeat, bacon, sausage
   3. Ice for coolers and drinking - cabin water can be sketchy at times
   4. Food for all the meals you plan to cook.
5. Electronics:  Know streaming passwords.  Bring chargers.
   1. In today's world, DVDs are out and streaming is in but there's nothing worse than not being able to connect to all of your streaming subscriptions, so make sure you know or bring your passwords
   2. Chargers, chargers, chargers, and LONG CORDS since most cabins are limited on electrical outlets.  We always bring a multi-port charging block.
6. Plan ahead:  Outings, equipment, meals, cash.
   1. What excursions peak your interest?
   2. Are there any restaurants you want to check out?  Check hours online!  We wanted to go to.a restaurant one time that was closed on Mondays or something odd like that and we missed out.
   3. Always bring cash.  Yes, digital is 2022 but remember some remote places may not have great cell or wifi services and you can never go wrong with cash.  If only I could get my husband to remember to bring cash.  No worries, Mama always has cash thanks to her Mammaw.  Love you babe.  🤗
   4. Winter gear if needed.
   5. Stroller, baby or toddler supplies if you're still in that world.  May God bless you and keep you.  The packing gets easier, I promise!
7. Essentials:  Items we have at home that your cabin may or may not stock.
   1. Medications for you and family members (include Tylenol or Ibuprofen, Benadryl, stomach meds).
   2. First aid kit including a thermometer
   3. Clorox wipes  / dish scrubber.  Any other cleaning items you may prefer that the owners may not stock.
      
8. Extra: 
   1. Firewood & a click lighter.  Possibly kindling wood.
   2. Alcohol if you plan to imbibe (some counties are dry).  Wine opener, bottle opener.
   3. Scissors:  I have never been on a trip where a pair of scissors wasn't needed
   4. Rainy day activities:  board games, deck of cards, puzzle, play-doh for little ones, art supplies and don't forget a few umbrellas and we always pack the clear ponchos for trips
   5. A good skillet, a good spatula, and a good pot- you never know what your cabin will have and the quality is often less than stellar for cost reasons on the owners' end - understandable
   6. Extra kitchen towels, potholder, and maybe beach towels / swim towels if needed
   7. Fishing gear if you plan to fish (poles, tackle, check out fishing license requirements, check out where you can purchase live bait, styrofoam cooler if needed), maybe some tailgating chairs if you plan to fish for hours and want to sit 
   8. Swimsuits for hot tub even in winter if you plan to partake.
      
9. Expectations:  of your spouse, family members, other cabin guests.  May need to discuss ahead of time.
   1. Are the kids going to be allowed on electronics?
   2. Do you want the kids to read while they are there?
   3. Who is sleeping where?  This may need to be decided ahead of time to avoid drama, especially if multiple families are sharing a large cabin.
   4. If you are sharing a cabin with other families, who will cook which meal?  Who will do the cleaning?  Again, this may avoid drama or conflict if it is discussed and planned ahead of time.
10. Keep the goal of the trip in mind.  (see list below if trip is geared towards fun, recreation, relaxation, rest, etc).
    1. I always pack books, a jigsaw puzzle, art supplies, my planner stuff, my laptop, and my lapdesk
    2. I like to alternate a rest day with an excursion day and my family seems to enjoy this rhythm as well

EXTRA PRO TIPS: 

• Have an easy meal planned for when you get home or have a takeout meal already planned.
• Either do laundry while you're at the cabin or plan to start it as soon as you get home.
• Try to leave the house in order if you can.  You'll feel less stressed when you pull back in your driveway.
• Have mail and pets, flowers that need watering, etc all handled while you are gone.
• Order groceries for the upcoming week of your return WHILE you are on vacation.
• Plan out your upcoming week WHILE you are on vacation.
• Remember almost all of us need a buffer or a "vacation after our vacation."  Plan accordingly.

​Bonus packing tips from my kids:
Blanket, pillow from home, stuffed animals, toys, electronics (if parents allow),
sound machine, nightlight, books, flops / play shoes
***  they each said TOYS about 3x  ***

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