What to Do Before Camping Season Starts (A Simple Checklist)
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Getting Ready for Camping Season
As I’m writing this, camping season is still (but only) about two months away for most campers here in southern Alberta. Many campgrounds don’t open until mid-May and stay open through the end of September, which means now is that in-between window where camping is on your mind—but not quite on the calendar yet.
That’s exactly why this checklist exists.
This post isn’t about packing for a specific trip or doing everything in one exhausting weekend. It’s about prepping once, ahead of time, so the entire camping season feels easier, calmer, and far less stressful. A little planning now means fewer forgotten items, fewer last-minute store runs, and more time actually enjoying your trips.
You don’t need to do everything at once. You can tackle this list slowly over a few weeks, checking things off as you go. Think of it as a seasonal reset—getting your gear, food, and systems ready before your first trip rolls around.
This isn’t a packing list for a trip — it’s a reset list for the season.
Once this is done, packing for each individual camping trip becomes much simpler.
Big Picture Planning: Set the Tone
This step might feel unnecessary at first, but taking a few minutes to think about the kind of camping season you want to have makes everything else easier.
Before you start stocking bins or making lists, pause and think about how you actually want your trips to feel.
Are you hoping to cook more meals at the campsite, or would you rather keep food simple and low-effort? Do you picture longer stays in one spot, or shorter trips where you’re moving more often? Will most of your camping be just your household, or do you expect to camp with kids, friends, or guests throughout the season?
There’s no right or wrong answer here—but your answers will shape what you pack, how you stock your kitchen, and how much prep you really need to do. Setting this intention early helps you avoid overpacking, overplanning, and buying things you won’t realistically use.
Think of this as the foundation for the rest of your checklist. Once you know what kind of season you’re planning for, the practical decisions become much clearer.
Gear Check (Not a Full Inventory)
For this part of the checklist, the goal isn’t to do a full inventory of every single item you own. It’s to focus on the things that are most likely to fail or cause issues after sitting unused all winter.
This will look a little different depending on whether you camp in a tent or an RV, but many of the same problem areas show up in both. Instead of unpacking everything, do a quick test of the essentials:
Tent or RV basics: check zippers, seals, hoses, cords, and connections
Cooking gear: make sure the stove works and you have fuel on hand
Sleeping gear: check for air leaks, missing valves, or incomplete sets
Lighting and power: test headlamps, lanterns, batteries, and charging cables
These are the items that most often fail or get forgotten after winter storage:
Water System
Fresh water hoses (cracks, leaks, stiff fittings)
Hose washers (tiny, cheap, constantly missing)
Propane & Heating
Propane regulator (can fail or freeze over winter)
Propane hoses (cracks near fittings)
Electrical & Power
House batteries (won’t hold a charge)
Battery connections (corrosion)
Seals, Latches & Moving Parts
Door seals
Window seals
Cooking & Kitchen Gear
BBQ igniter
Camp stove fuel canisters
Sleeping & Comfort Gear
Air mattress valves
Pump cords or adapters
At this stage, the focus is simply on testing—not deep cleaning or reorganizing. If something works, it goes back where it belongs. If something is broken, leaking, or missing a key piece, now is the time to repair or replace it.
Keeping this step quick and practical helps prevent overwhelm and makes it far more likely that the checklist actually gets finished.
Get the full gear check printables
Safety & Essentials Reset
Before camping season starts, it’s worth taking a few minutes to reset the safety and emergency essentials that often get overlooked. Check your first-aid kit for expired medications and restock the basics you know you’ll actually use. Make sure your fire extinguisher is still charged and accessible, replace the batteries in your CO and smoke detectors if you’re camping in an RV, and test all flashlights to ensure they’re working. If you tow, this is also a good time to review your emergency roadside kit and replace anything that’s missing or expired. These are small checks, but they go a long way in preventing unnecessary stress once you’re on the road.
Food & Kitchen Prep (Not Meal Planning)
Before you start thinking about specific meals, take some time to reset your camping kitchen. Toss any expired pantry items, check dates on staples, and restock the long-lasting basics you rely on throughout the season. This is also a good time to inspect coolers, storage bins, and food containers to make sure everything is clean, intact, and ready to use. As you go, keep a simple running list of “camping-only” grocery items—things you want to keep stocked all season so you’re not rebuilding your kitchen from scratch before every trip.
Clothing & Personal Gear Reset
Before camping season starts, pull out last year’s camping clothes and do a quick reset (whether you keep it in the RV or at home). Check that everything still fits, that you have enough layers for cooler mornings and evenings, and that rain gear is in good shape and easy to grab. Once you know what’s usable, wash everything and repack it into dedicated bins(if applicable) so it’s ready to go for the season. This is also a good time to put together a simple toiletries bin with the basics you’ll need on every trip. Packing clothing and personal gear once—rather than starting from scratch each time—makes getting out the door much faster and keeps camping prep from feeling repetitive or stressful.
You can find various sizes and styles of toiletry bags on Amazon. If your RV is very small or has limited storage, you may want to limit your toiletry to 1 bag per person, share products or use 3-in-1 type products.
A few ideas for now:
Dr. Bronner’s - Pure-Castile Liquid Soap (Peppermint, 946 mL)
Everyone 3-In-1 Soap, Lavender plus Aloe, 32 oz
Everist Shampoo & Conditioner: [Link Here]
Everist Body Wash Concentrate: [Link Here]
I have tried (purchased with my own money) the Everist products and have liked them, but with no space constraints in our RV, I can’t justify the price. For backpacking or minimalist travel, however, they’re a smart option!
Organization: Set It Up Once
A little organization upfront can save you a lot of time and frustration once camping season is underway. Setting up camping bins by category—such as kitchen, clothing, outdoor gear, or tools—makes it easy to find what you need and put things away properly. It also helps to decide what stays permanently in the RV and what remains grab-and-go from home, so you’re not constantly repacking the same items before every trip. Simple labeling goes a long way here, especially when multiple people are using the space. As the season goes on, keep a running “forgotten items” list and add to it whenever something gets missed. That small habit makes each trip smoother than the last and helps your setup improve over time.
Labeling ideas:
Dry erase labels
IKEA Samla Boxes
Paperwork, Bookings & Admin
It’s not the fun part of camping prep, but taking care of the administrative details early can save a lot of stress later. Make sure park passes are current, keep an eye on reservation windows (many parks, including Alberta and British Columbia, open bookings 3 months in advance), and confirm that your insurance and registration are up to date. If you rely on memberships like AMA or CAA for roadside assistance, double-check those as well.
One-Week-Before Reminder
Charge all batteries (house, power banks, headlamps, radios, camera gear)
Check the weather forecast and flag any cold nights or rain days
Do a quick fridge/freezer test run (turn it on, make sure it cools properly)
Confirm reservations & passes (screenshots saved offline, or printed)
Restock last-minute consumables (paper towels, dish soap, garbage bags, etc)
Check tires & tire pressure (including spare)
Review your “forgotten items” list and pull anything needed this trip
Camping prep doesn’t need to be perfect to be effective. This checklist isn’t about doing everything—it’s about removing stress so each trip feels a little easier than the last. When the basics are handled ahead of time, there’s less stress, fewer forgotten items, and more space to actually enjoy being outside. Start small, set things up once where you can, and let your camping routine get simpler with every trip.
