Scout campout planning checklist for troops and packs

Independent of Scouting America. Always follow the Guide to Safe Scouting and your council’s rules; this checklist is a planning aid, not policy.

The short answer

Plan a campout backward from the date: two months out, pick the site and dates; one month out, open sign-up and assign adult roles; two weeks out, finalize meals and gear; the week of, confirm paperwork and weather. The sections below are an original checklist you can copy.

8 to 6 weeks out

• Choose the site and confirm it is available and appropriate for the age group.
• Put the dates on the unit calendar.
• Decide which adults will lead, and make sure the right number of trained, registered adults will attend.
• Check whether any activity (water, climbing, shooting) needs extra planning or approval under your council’s rules.

4 weeks out

• Open RSVPs with a deadline and a cap if needed.
• Post cost, departure time, pickup time and gear list.
• Send the permission slip and medical form request.
• Assign pre-event tasks (transport, equipment, food, first aid).

2 weeks out

• Build the meal plan by patrol and day; list allergies and dietary needs.
• Generate the shopping list and assign shoppers.
• Check patrol boxes: stoves, fuel, lighting, first aid kit, anything expiring.
• Arrange transport and carpools.

The week of

• Confirm permission slips and health forms are on file for every attendee.
• Check the weather and adjust the gear list.
• Print the roster, emergency contacts and a paper backup (cell service may be poor).
• Remind families of departure and pickup.

Day-of packing list (Scouts)

Layered clothing for the forecast, rain gear, sleeping bag and pad, tent share arrangement, water bottles, headlamp, personal hygiene, mess kit, sun protection, any medications with the required forms. Leave electronics and knives according to unit rules.

After

• Record attendance, hours and service for advancement.
• Return and clean shared gear; log anything broken or low.
• Share photos only for Scouts whose families have consented.

Doing this in MySummitKeep

• Event roster with patrol assignments and role gaps, pre-event task assignments, RSVPs and reminders (Basecamp). See event planning and roster and attendance.
• Permission slips (Summit): per-event slips with e-signature, plus a one-year standing slip parents can sign once. See permission slips.
• Health form tracking and a pre-trip health form checklist: metadata only (on file yes/no, expiry), not the medical details (Basecamp). See health and safety.
• Meal planning (Summit): meal plans by day and meal, assigned to events and patrols, auto-generated shopping lists, allergen and dietary tracking. Browsing 100+ camp recipes is free. See meal planning.
• Patrol box inventory and equipment checkout (Summit). See patrol boxes and equipment.
• Per-event packing list checked against each Scout’s gear locker, and recommended gear lists (Summit).
• Camp Mode and a Trip Pack PDF for places with no signal (Summit). See Camp Mode.

Plans

Event planning, RSVPs, health-form tracking and the recipe library are in free Basecamp. Permission slips, meal planning, equipment, packing lists and offline mode are in Summit ($99 per unit per year; 30-day trial). See pricing and the camping page.

FAQ

How many adults do we need?

Follow the Guide to Safe Scouting and your council. Do not rely on a third party for ratios.

Do we store medical details?

MySummitKeep tracks whether forms are on file and when they expire, not their contents.

Can parents sign once for the year?

Yes, the standing slip, and a separate slip can still be signed per event.