The Ultimate Cabin Trip Pack List

Make Sure You’ve Got Everything You Need to Getaway Well

You may have a wonderful week at the cabin planned for this summer, but are you really prepared to Getaway Well on your next trip to the cabin?

We’re not talking about ensuring you do a 10-minute workout each morning or planning for a mobile canoe camping trip, this is a deceivingly simple-sounding trip that can catch you unprepared when things don’t go as planned.

To help ensure you Getaway Well on your next vacation, we’ve put together a cabin trip packing list that you can use the next time you’re getting ready to start packing.

What to Consider Before You Start Building Your Cabin Trip Packing List

There are some things that you should be taking into account when you’re building your cabin trip packing list, which doesn’t apply to every trip but need to be considered – just in case.

Pack for Bad Weather

Never trust the weather stations telling you that you’re going to have picturesque weather for the entire duration of your trip. People die every year from weather-related fatalities – although, some of those risks can be avoided with careful trip planning.

The reality is that even the best meteorologists can only predict the weather to a certain degree of accuracy. We’ve all had days we planned that we thought were going to be gorgeous, and instead ended up being a cold, damp disappointment.

So, before you start packing, think about where your cabin is located and the time of year you’re planning to go. If you’re visiting in the spring, bring a few extra changes of clothes (in case you get wet), as well as plenty of towels.

If you’re going in the winter, bring lots of warm clothes. If you’re going in the summer, bring mostly loose-fitting, light clothing. Even if your cabin has a furnace, fireplace, or A/C unit, you should be prepared to be comfortable in case you lose power for any reason.

For example, these quick-dry hiking pants are perfect for ensuring that you can dry off in a hurry if you’re out exploring and suddenly get caught in the rain.

Don’t Forget Your Road Trip Emergency Kit

Odds are that you’re going to be driving to the cabin, which means that you might be taking a bit of a road trip to get there.

Even if you’re only going a few hours away from home, you should still be sure to include your road trip emergency kit in your cabin trip packing list.

You might be packed well for your stay at the cabin, but what if something happens on your journey there or on the way home? The last thing you want is for your whole trip to be ruined because you weren’t prepared for a roadside situation.

You can also bring along a separate camping first aid kit, which could provide appropriate emergency supplies to protect you throughout your entire trip to the cabin.

Consider the Amenities in Your Cabin

How much freedom you have to live comfortably (and pack lightly) really depends on what the amenities are at the cabin where you’ll be staying.

Do you have a full or partial kitchen? Is there an oven or stove? Do you have a microwave or toaster? All of these amenities determine how you’ll plan to eat healthy while on vacation.

Are there beds in the cabin, or will some of your party be sleeping on the floor? This can determine whether you need to bring air mattresses or sleeping bags with you.

If you’re staying somewhere you’re not familiar with, just be sure to make sure that you do your research before you start building your cabin trip packing list, so that you don’t overlook something major that could impact your comfort for the entire trip.

How to Plan Your Cabin Trip Packing List

Now that you’ve had some time to think about the overlying factors that can impact your vacation, it’s time to start building an actual cabin trip packing list.

Here are 5 essentials that we think you should never leave off your cabin trip packing list. Otherwise, you could find yourself in an unpleasant situation, and not know how to manage it.

5 Absolute Essentials for Your Cabin Trip Packing List

1.) Supplies to Build a Fire

Even if you have a generator attached to the side of your cabin, there’s no way to tell when you might suddenly have electrical problems out in the middle of nowhere.

If the weather is bad, and you don’t have what you need to get the power back up and running, you might be stuck for a bit without any electricity.

In those situations, you’ll be thankful that you included supplies to build a fire on your cabin trip packing list.

This could be extra firewood, above what you’d expect to use on nighttime campfires. Lighters, lighter fluid, dry tinder, and campfire cooking equipment are some of the things that you would need to ensure that you’re protected in this scenario, but we think it’s well worth it.

Without power, a campfire could be the only way you have to cook your food or to help stay warm if the temperature drops suddenly and your cabin isn’t very insulated.

This paracord survival bracelet includes a flint fire starter, which could be a very tactical way to make sure you’ve always got fire-starting tools on hand.

2.) Flashlights

Moving around inside the cabin in a situation where you don’t have any power can be frustrating, and even finding/assembling the supplies that you need to build a fire can be infuriating in the dark.

That’s why it’s always a good idea to bring flashlights with you when you’re planning a cabin trip packing list.

They also come in extremely handy if you’re planning to be outside after dark and away from the campfire, or if you need to get something out of your car later in the evening (flashlights can be a good way to help scare away animals like skunks lurking outside your cabin).

Plus, what would a cabin trip packing list be if you didn’t include flashlights for late-night ghost stories?! That alone makes this essential to Getaway Well.

3.) Non-Refrigerated, Healthy Snacks

Unless you have a refrigerator or reliable source of ice throughout your trip, it’s a good idea to bring some non-refrigerated healthy snacks with you on your trip.

Not only will including non-refrigerated healthy snacks on your trip reduce the urge to stop along the way to pick up junk food, or pack less healthy, salty/sugary options, but it could be a real life-saver in emergencies.

When you lose power, you might only be able to cook food on a campfire, but if the weather outside is horrible, you’re not going to want to do that either.

Adding non-refrigerated, healthy snacks to your cabin trip packing list is not only good for encouraging you to make good dietary choices but you’ll also be protected from potentially having to go hungry if you can’t cook your pre-planned meals.

4.) Bed-Time Supplies

Does your cabin come equipped with beds and bedding, or just beds? This is a crucial thing to consider before you head out to stay at a cabin that you’ve never visited before.

You’re not going to have a very good rest throughout your trip if you can’t sleep at night, and no one ever wants to use that scratchy emergency blanket that you can almost guarantee is sitting on the top shelf of the bedroom closet.

Call ahead and talk to the owner. Find out what you can expect for sleeping arrangements if you don’t have pictures to reference.

It’s not a big deal to pack some extra bedding for yourself to take with you, but if you don’t include it on your cabin trip packing list, you might be spending a few long nights lying awake wishing you were home in your own bed.

5.) 12v DC to 120v AC Converter

Not all cabins have an emergency generator for times when you do lose power, so it can be a really good idea to bring this type of adaptor with you as part of your cabin trip packing list.

This adaptor allows you to plug directly into the charger connection underneath the dashboard (often used for GPSs), which in turn allows you to plug any normal piece of equipment into it for temporary charging purposes.

Whether this means charging your phone so that you can call to check in with loved ones or plugging in an electric cooler to help keep perishable food cold until the power returns, there are plenty of uses that these adaptors can offer you.

3 Things Not to Include in Your Cabin Trip Packing List

Overpacking can be as frustrating as under-packing, especially when you pack your vehicle so tightly that you can’t actually access anything that you need without fully unpacking the car.

By the same token, there are definitely some things that you can cut out of your cabin trip packing list to help keep things nice and organized, without feeling like you need to bring along the kitchen sink.

1.) Weights

It’s great that you want to maintain your morning fitness routine, but there’s no reason that you need to bring weights with you on your trip.

There are plenty of other ways to get exercise and stay healthy while you’re away from home that don’t require you to literally lug a bunch of extra weight along for the trip.

If you really do want to do work with weight, consider finding natural substitutes instead, like logs or rocks that you’ll find an abundance of around your cabin.

2.) Junk Food

You can’t eat junk food if you don’t pack it. Sure, we all deserve some treats once in a while, but we’d recommend keeping junk food off your cabin trip packing list.

Bringing junk food with you on your trip is only going to encourage you to eat poorly between meals, and it could detract from other things that you’re doing (like exercising daily) to continue staying healthy while you’re away.

Whenever possible, pack healthy snacks that you’d enjoy instead. There are plenty of fruits and veggies that work well as a healthy snack, without loading you down with processed sugars and salts that are terrible for your diet.

3.) Electronics

You’re not going on vacation so that you can sit on your phone, a video game, or the television from a different location.

There’s nothing wrong with laying around on the couch at the end of the day if that’s what floats your boat, but we think there are lots of other wonderful ways to spend your time at the cabin that don’t involve sitting on screens.

Go for a walk. Explore the local area. Go for a swim. Play board games. Read.

The limits are only set by your own imagination, but we think leaving unnecessary electronics off your cabin trip packing list is what you should do, for the sake of making the most of your time away from your normal creature comforts.

Pack to Plan for Healthy Choices

Getaway Well with a Cabin Trip Packing List that Focuses on Positive Health & Wellness

As long as you spend time preparing properly for your trip, we’re sure that your cabin trip packing list will make sure your vacation goes as smoothly as possible.

You can never plan for every contingency, but when you do your best to think ahead and keep a health and wellness-focused mindset, you’ll be well on your way to Getaway Well no matter where your travel journeys take you.