Packing for Camp

Clothing & Belongings | Luggage | Laundry | Lost & Found | Prohibited Items

Clothing & Other Personal Belongings

We encourage you to consider New Hampshire’s changeable weather and rough terrain, as well as the inherent nature of camp activities when choosing clothing to bring to camp. Remember that camp is informal, and campers and staff often wear shirts for a day or two and shorts or pants for several days. We guarantee that clothing (and the campers wearing it) will get dirty! We ask that clothing brought to camp be reasonably modest in style and cut, and that any graphics or messages on clothing be tasteful and responsible.

We strive for a community that is peaceful and safe for all campers and staff, and removed from some of the distractions and busy-ness of everyday life. As a result, there are some items that may be a part of participants’ lives at home or school that may not be brought to camp.

Important: All clothing and possessions should be clearly labeled with first and last names. 

Packing Lists

General Packing List
Teen Adventure Trips—updated packing lists coming soon!

Luggage

luggage for Wildwood Camp
View packing tips from a seasoned Wildwood staff member.

To keep cabins and tents neat and clutter-free, we ask campers to tuck their luggage under their bunks. Clearance under the bunks is about 10-12 inches.

Please pack belongings in a suitcase, duffle, or storage container that will fit under a bunk, if possible.

Bring a backpack, like a school backpack, that holds a rain coat, water bottle, and closed-toe shoes and that the camper can carry daily.

It is helpful for transporting luggage if all of a camper’s luggage, including pillows and sleeping bags, fits in one or two clearly labeled pieces of luggage that close securely and into which the camper is able to repack his/her belongings. It’s important for a camper to know what his/her luggage looks like, and what’s inside of it, so there are no surprises during unpacking. 

Teen trip participants luggage guidelines.

Laundry

Overnight campers who register for Intersession will wash clothes during Intersession. Wildwood staff will assist those campers in washing their laundry at Wildwood or at a local Laundromat. The cost of laundry is included in Intersession. Wildwood staff members will assist other campers in doing laundry at camp in the event of urgent or special situations.

Lost & Found/Valuables

Campers’ clothing, linens, possessions, and luggage should be clearly labeled with first and last names, and counselors may label any unlabeled items a camper brings to camp. Wildwood staff members make every effort to reunite lost items with campers both during and after camp. Unlabeled and unclaimed items that cannot be used at camp are donated to a charity organization in the fall.

Wildwood is not responsible for lost or missing items.

Please leave valuable, cherished, or irreplaceable items at home. If necessary, campers may request that valuable items be stored in the camp office.

Items That Should Not Be Brought To Camp

If any of these items are brought to camp, the Wildwood Director will keep them throughout the session and return them to the camper’s family on departure day. Bringing any of the first two items will result in the camper’s immediate dismissal. Please see special policies for Family Camp.

  • Weapons of any kind; pocket knives, fireworks, lighters, or matches
  • Tobacco products, alcohol, illegal drugs
  • Food, candy, chewing gum, soda (except as pre-approved for special diets)
  • Radios, music/DVD/video game players, iPads, Kindles, or other electronics
  • Inappropriate reading material (ex. with alcohol or tobacco ads, double entendre, or offensive or violent pictures)
  • Cellular phones, pagers, walkie-talkies, messaging devices
  • High-heeled shoes or shoes without a heel strap (except shower shoes)
  • Short skirts or dresses, strapless tops, low-cut or revealing clothing
  • Hair dryers, curling/straightening irons
  • Hairspray, cosmetics, nail polish, perfume
  • Valuable items (expensive cameras or expensive binoculars, trading cards, jewelry, etc.)
  • Pets or other animals
  • Sports equipment, like bats, sticks, bows, or other items that require special training for safe use
  • Vehicles, bicycles, or boats (with the exception of adults driving vehicles to Family Camp, campers may not have/use personal transportation at camp)

Additionally, teen trip campers may not bring, bicycles, kayaks, climbing gear, or other equipment – all gear is rented because of limited luggage space and to ensure parity and maintenance. Teen trip campers may not drive alone to camp, leave a vehicle at camp while on a trip, or drive a vehicle during a trip.