What to pack for Kanakuk camp
What to pack for camp can be intimidating, especially if this is your first time going, or sending your child to camp.
I’m here to help you know what to pack for Kanakuk camp.
Kanakuk is a Christian camp located in southwestern Missouri with multiple campsites on and around Table Rock Lake. They also have Kanakuk family camp if your whole family wants to get in on the fun!
My daughter has attended Kanakuk for 7 summers now, so I finally feel like I know a thing or two about what to pack for summer camp for a teenage girl.
How to pack for camp has been overwhelming at times so I hope to help you feel confident in the process. I like to joke that figuring out what to pack for summer camp can be like cramming 2 weeks of parenting into 24 hours!
Most camps, including Kanakuk, provide a list of what to pack, but I find that falls short of what should actually go, especially for a 2 week summer camp.
In addition to the camp Kanakuk cost, and their recommended list, you should consider these things as well.
Jump to:
1. The Trunk
First and maybe most important is the trunk! When you start searching for trunks online you can be astonished at the prices they can go for. My kids were young when they first went to Kanakuk and I didn’t want to invest a ton of money into something they may never use again!
We have been pleasantly surprised with this trunk from Walmart. I remember thinking that if it lasted a year or two we would be thrilled. Seven years later it is still my daughter’s camp staple!
The nice thing about the Walmart trunk is that it is light weight and has wheels. Yes, the lock has broken on both of our trunks, but the latches still work, and it was under $100.
Now that she is in high school and STILL LOVING Kanakuk we think it may be time for an upgrade. However, we know some things to look and not look for. Her friend has a HEAVY wooden trunk with no wheels, and I have had the pleasure of helping her carry that too many times.
I’ve assigned The Girl (a nickname for our daughter) the job of finding a new trunk for next year so I will be sure to keep you updated on what we decide.
2. Water Shoes
This is something everyone probably needs, but when the time comes you realize you don’t have them. Also great for beach trips, a good pair of water shoes can save your feet when walking in rocky areas.
Similar as with the trunk you don’t want to spend a ton of $ on something your kid will wear a few times for one week and may even outgrow by next year! We found these Teva look a-likes for a decent price.
They get the job done and she has worn them every year since she her feet stopped growing. (I believe that was 6th grade.)
Here is a great option if your kids are still in child size shoes.
3. Crazy Creek
If you have no clue what a Crazy Creek is, you are not alone! I think I still ask my daughter what the heck that thing is called every year.
Back in my day we called these Sit-Upons because you would literally “sit upon” them rather than sitting on the dirty ground. We made Sit-Upons at Girl Scout camp and had a lanyard that would hang them down our back side.
The modern-day Crazy Creek is certainly an upgrade. It comes with a back! I mean these kids are not roughing it! If you are going to Kanakuk they sell the chairs at their store, but if your child is going to another camp, I highly recommend picking up this one and pack it for a forest camp.
No matter the summer camp, the kids will spend a chunk of time on the ground and these chairs make the time nice and relaxing. The Girl sneaks it into her duffle somehow every year.
4. The Duffel
So, we’ve already talked about the necessity of the trunk and yes, they do need a trunk. It almost becomes their “dresser” at camp. A great place to keep all their belongings.
What to pack for an overnight camp, but never seems to fit, however, is her bedding. At Kanakuk the mattresses fit twin sheets. At home we use these sheets on all our beds. They are a great price and very comfortable!
I keep a couple of sets of twin sheets in a closet specifically for camp as we no longer have any twin beds in the house!
The Girl (our daughter) really likes to have light weight blankets at camp. Again, buying the Kanakuk blankets is a rite of passage, so maybe in year one encourage your child to pick one up. Every kid gets a store credit as part of your payment. I think we now have about 5 Kanakuk blankets around the house courtesy of our two kids.
If you are going to a different overnight camp, this is the kind of blanket I’m talking about. Somehow 2 blankets seem to end up on our duffel each year. Why does she need 2?
The duffel we use is one Ryan had in college. It has held up for over two decades. This one is similar and has great reviews. I would go with the 100L bag as you’ll find lots of things to put in it. (Such as the Crazy Creek!)
5. Laundry Bag
So, life is about learning lessons and I’ll say the laundry bags I first sent my kids to camp with…. came home in shreds. I have no idea what they did to them, but lesson learned.
Durability is a must for camp laundry bags and this one proves to be fit for the job. We each have one and keep them in our suitcases for travel. We just used them on our trip to New York that we took with our son while The Girl was at camp.
Now when they say they are extra-large, they are extra-large! At first, I was turned off by their size but when traveling it folds up nicely in our suitcases.
For camp The Girl fills it with her dirty clothes and at the end she tags it, and it is considered a piece of luggage on the way home. It is that durable (Not check on an airplane durable, but ride in the car for hours durable.)!
She also likes that all the other things in her trunk don’t get gross from the camp dirty clothes. Because we all know there is dirty, and then there is summer camp dirty!
6. Shower Caddy
Who would think that a shower caddy would make that big of a difference? Well apparently, it does!
A few years ago the girls of Kanakuk Term 2 (IYKYK) started picking these up and I think the trend has spread. These shower caddies pack great in the trunk, but also keep their supplies together going to and from the shower daily.
I don’t think The Girl will ever go to camp without it!
7. The Caboodle
It’s official, the 90s have officially returned. Or was it the 80s? Late 80s or early 90s, at some point in my childhood I remember my dad giving me a hard time for asking for a “tackle box” for Christmas.
I was so offended at his comment, but as I recently bought my daughter the same thing I thought, dang Dad, I see your point! Alas, everything old is new again.
The Caboodle is a current go to item along with the mesh shower caddy and is essential to pack for sleep away camp. A great way for the girls to take their things to and from the bathroom, not get mixed up with their cabinmates and to stay clean in the process.
8. Bracelet String
What would camp be without string! I remember my childhood summer camp days fondly and filled with more friendship bracelets than you can count. The tradition has continued, and it is a must to send string to camp each year.
The Girl always has a bracelet in progress tied to her HydroFlask (another must!) Make sure to bring at least the 32-ounce bottle. She used to have a smaller one but came home one year mandating that it was too small. Gotta keep these kids hydrated!
I love that string and friendship bracelets are still a tradition going strong. As you progress in years at Kanakuk you will earn charms. We add those charms to a necklace we braid the week before camp so she can be decked out in all things Kanakuk upon arrival.
9. Photos
They may not tell you, but your kids will miss you. When they were younger I would go to Walgreens or CVS and print out a dozen or so pics of family. I never thought about taping them to the underside of the trunk lid until the teens did it a couple years ago. Genius!
Now The Girl’s pics are more of her friends than her family, but it is nice for them to see their loved ones every time they open their trunk lid.
Since electronic devices are not allowed at Kanakuk summer camps, getting your own pics can be tough. Granted Kanakuk does an amazing job of photographing everything and even posts pictures for us parents daily.
Our daughter started packing this camera with her a few years ago. She likes taking pictures with her close friends and kabinmates. It is not electronic, so it isn’t violating any rules.
10. All The Things
So as The Girl has gotten older, I’ve noticed a couple of things missing from the Kanakuk recommended packing list. Bras and tampons.
Yep, I went there, but trust me in the frenzy of packing you and your daughter may not remember. And since they are only bringing one-piece swimsuits, they won’t even have a bikini top to wear if they forget!
My daughter loves sports bras as most girls do. Her favorite that is still reasonably priced is this one from Athleta Girl.
And since we went there…. she hadn’t had her first period before a recent year’s camp. I was terrified it would happen at summer camp, so we closed the door, sat down on her floor, and talked about it.
My kids know they can talk to me about anything, so she wasn’t terrified or intimidated. We talked about the logistics of tampons.
I had picked up a box of these tampons for her to take and stuck in some pads just in case. Since they live in the water at camp bypassing the tampon was highly unlikely.
She thankfully didn’t get her first period at summer camp that year, but she was SO popular in her cabin with the girls who were on their period because she had the “good” tampons. Nothing like making friends by having the good stuff!
I will write up a post on all things girl periods sometime including this amazing underwear that I swear will stop embarrassing situations for millions of teen girls! For now be sure to check out my tips on trip souvenirs in this post.
11. Care Packages
Before we close the lid on what to pack for camp, I have a sneaky way to deliver care packages although my daughter has come to expect it.
As she’s gathering things and heading to the car, I tell her I’m just going to double check her trunk to make sure she hasn’t forgotten anything. I take that time to sneak in 3 – 5 packages.
They are just small gifts wrapped in wrapping paper and always accompanied by a “punny” letter. She knows that all my pun jokes will be horrible, and the gifts aren’t necessary, but I like to think that they are there when she needs.
If she’s homesick or just a little down she can search for a wrapped gift in the trunk and open it whenever the mood strikes.
Be sure to stay away from the no-no’s on Kanakuk’s packing list. No food or really anything that would annoy the counselors. This year I threw in a Magic 8 ball, a deck of Uno and glow sticks.
12. Stationery and Stamps
Don’t’ forget to put in something for the kids to write home with! This includes: stationery, stamps, a pen AND your address! Throw grandma’s address in there too.
It is easy to forget but you will want an update from your little one!
I hope this helps all you first time Kampers and parents! Our daughter LOVES Kanakuk and I personally don’t think you could have made a better choice. She just attended her 7th year and plans to continue until she can be a counselor herself!
I know this isn’t the full packing list that they send, but I do think it helps fill in the gaps. Have I forgotten something? What is your kid’s must pack summer camp item?
Check out more about our kids and our story here and if you are looking for essentials that are kid approved for a hiking, check out my friend Julie’s post here!