Important Camping Equipment - List - for Boat Camping

By important, I mean important for camping, not that my list is important.

Camping and cruising equipment list

      Over the years, camping aficionados tend to collect everything needed.  They learn from  painful experience what not to forget - again.   Packing for them is just a matter of grabbing prepacked gear. They store it stuffed into one pack, one closet, or in my case, one group of Rubbermaid boxes. Everything is kept together so that when it is time to load up and go nothing important is forgot or left behind.  We call ours  "camping gear,"  and "camping boxes," and all of it is stored on the "camping shelves." 

         In our gear boxes you will find  rolls of aluminum foil with only six inches left, dead spray cans, water logged matches, and barely functioning openers, corkscrews and  rusty grimy pliers.  Did I leave out dim flashlights?

       Rather than list a truly massive list of mostly unneeded items, I thought I would attempt to list the important things that really impact me when forgot. Like my sleeping bag or coat, both I have forgot.

This is a boat camping list, 

not surprisingly, it doubles as a car camping list:

folding saw

ropes and tarps

baby or folding shovel

flashlights -  tested, with extra batteries

fire starting system or plan

stove or cooking system and fuel

fry pan

cooking pot

coffee system

bucket with bail (use for hauling water or bailing or storing icky stuff))

plastic bags big and little

sanitation needs

sponge or rags and towel

soap or detergent

water proof and animal proof food containers

kitchen stuff - spoons, openers,

folding chair

good knife or multi-tool

emergency tool kit

sleeping pad

sleeping bag

tent (for some)

water jugs

layered clothing for hot, cold, and rain

hat

mosquito repellant

suncreen

Added in 2023    >>steel wok for campfire cooking

Some of the items don't belong in a gear box (like clothing) but should be listed.

For those of you that need more, try my
Mother of all packing lists - click here > Mother of all packing lists

Click below for view of Rosario Resort

Cruisers Packing List - don't forget the ?

      If your a beginner to the San Juans as well as a beginner to cruising (boat camping) you may find some useful advice here.  But some people don't like being told what to bring or what not to bring, or ask for directions when they are hopelessly lost.  So stop right here if you recognize yourself, and move on.

        Okay, now that the captain and skipper have quit reading lets see if we can ease the pain somewhat.  I'm not going to try to be all inclusive here, but just some little reminders to get you thinking about your cruise.  Obviously you have a spotless well equipped boat and many things are already on board.

• I'll bet you don't have an underwater flashlight, they are great for teasing sea creatures after dark, and will add hours of entertainment time to answer your children's "I'm bored" comments. (hint, stick a cheap flashlight in a ziplock bag) Now tie it to the end of your boat hook and poke it under water
• How about heavy duty zip lock bags, or the ones they sell at the outdoor outfitter stores for river running, you know for your cell phone, ipod, camera, wallet, etc, etc, etc.....
• speaking of waterproof have you got any good wood matches in a waterproof container?
• here's one you really miss and then its too late  - chap-stick with spf 99 (how high do the #'s go?)
• remember that hat that blew off into the water?  ditto for glasses!  you need a chin strap or leash.
• OK, this is a good one, get a second or third corkscrew, uh huh! (try em at home to make sure they work well)
• Dramamine in all forms for everyone
• cheap little led flashlights, lots of em, they're cheap
• plastic kites for beach fun, don't forget the string
• multi-function tool that you carry in your pocket all the time
• boat cleaning supplies, wax, polish, paint thinner to remove tars you track on board with your shoes. We seem to do our heavy cleaning while on a cruise, I see others doing the same.
• misc. boat repair supplies and tools. (sail tape) get a bottle of soft scrub it's my best friend (paint thinner too)

These are just some starter ideas, feel free to add your favorites.

Since some folks really benefit from in depth detailed instructions and are lost without to-do lists, I have added below a list created for a general travel article.
Click here and read more >>>>>