The Best Cabin Packing List

I love love love a cosy cabin trip!

There are so many amazing BC cabins that we’ve managed to do our fair share of cabin trips over the years we’ve been living in Vancouver.

From cabin trips on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia to our all-time favorite cabin on Bowen Island. There are even been a few backcountry ski cabin trips in there too.

Every year I try to experience at least one cabin getaway and this means we’ve just about perfected our cabin packing list and ensured we have everything we need for a relaxing stay (with plenty of good food!).

If you’re planning to stay in a cabin soon and wondering what to pack for a cabin trip, make sure you take a look at this cabin packing list!

Ultimate Cabin Packing List

I’ve broken this list out into some of the essential things you should add to your cabin packing list.

It’s not a complete breakdown of what clothes to pack, but it does include things that can easily be forgotten!

Of course when it comes to what to take to a cabin trip, you’ll need your usual weekend away things like clothes and toiletries too.

Cabin essentials list

Once you’ve chosen your cabin (Airbnb & Vrbo have some of the best options) you’ll need to remember to do the following to make sure you can find it!

• Check driving directions: Some hosts and accommodation providers will send this to you if it’s not obvious. Otherwise, just put the address into Google
• Access code or key for check-in: The majority of the cabins I’ve stayed in are self-check-in and I’ve been sent either a code or details on how to find the key to get access before my stay.
• Emergency contact number for the owner: Just in case anything comes up during your stay!
• Before booking: Have a good look at the photos and description to see what it does come with, you may not need to bring toiletries/games/cookware or entertainment

Cabin toiletries

While some cabins come with toiletries, you’ll likely want to include the following things to pack for a cabin trip.

• Toothbrush & toothpaste
• Skin care that you like to use
• Any personal medications
• Glasses/contacts
• Shampoo/Conditioner
• Body wash
• Lip balm & hand cream are a good idea if you’re visiting in winter and planning on spending time outside!
• Towels (often provided, but not always)

Cabin food and kitchen items

Many cabins come with basic equipment. It’ll depend on whether you’ve opted for a more luxurious cabin, or something more basic.

One of my favourite things about staying in a cabin is spending the afternoon cooking up something delicious for dinner. I like to use Half Baked Harvest to find some tasty pasta dishes and then if I’m in doubt that the cabin will have the necessary equipment I’ll bring my own (e.g. dutch oven).

This Sunday Ragu sauce with pasta is one of my favourites for cabin cooking.

Don’t forget eggs, bacon, bread, and coffee for a tasty cabin breakfast. A nice bottle of wine for dinner. Oh and chocolate, because of course! And a charcuterie board is always a good idea.

Rustic, backcountry cabin camping checklist

Some of the more rustic cabins might not have a proper oven or stove. You can find this out from the booking details and plan accordingly.

You may need to bring your own kitchen equipment and a camping stove if you’re really staying in a cabin in the backcountry! That may these cabin camping essentials:

• A camping stove
• Camping gas
• Pots and pans
• Plates, cups, utensils & glasses/mugs
• Small dish soap
• Water container
• Headlamp (not all of them will have electricity)
• Sleeping bag
• Sleeping mat

For Kees and Claires hut camping in Whistler backcountry, we needed to bring a sleeping bag, mat, and all our food, but all the cooking equipment was included.

This was great since it saved a lot of weight in our bags since these things to bring to a cabin were already included.

That’s not the case with every backcountry hut so always check the full details before deciding what things to bring on a cabin trip.

Cabin Entertainment

Some cabins come well stocked with games, and interesting books and some have a TV. Personally, I prefer it when there’s no TV so I feel like I’m getting away from it all a bit more.

If I read the booking details and find there are no games or books I’ll head to the library and get some out.

Anything in the adventure genre suits me (see my favourite adventure books).

I’ll also add a pack of cards or some games like scrabble or a puzzle to my cabin packing list which I consider log cabin essentials.

Cabin gear for different seasons

When are you planning your cabin trip? Winter? Summer? Your cabin packing list is somewhat determined by the time of year you will be visiting. Here are some specific items to bring during different seasons:

Fall cabin trip packing list

Fall cabin trips are great for getting cozy and enjoying an outdoor fire (or an indoor one!). When it comes to what to pack for cabin trip in fall, I think these are additional essentials.

• Warm blanket
• S’mores ingredients

Winter cabin packing list

Cabin trips are best in winter in my opinion as that’s when you can get the log fire going and cozy up with a good book and your favourite person.

For a winter cabin packing list you should add:

• Slippers
• A cozy sweater
• Good books
• Warm jacket for outside adventures

Packing list for cabin trip in spring

Come spring, you’ll want to add these items to your cabin packing list.

• A waterproof jacket
• Wellies/rain boots or hiking boots

Cabin trip essentials for summer

When it comes to what to bring to a cabin in the summer, you’ll probably be spending lots of time outside of the cabin itself. If you’re near water pack your swimmers as well as these items:

• Bug spray
• Sun cream
• A paddleboard/kayak or other watercraft (some cabins come with these)
• Trucker/baseball cap
• Sunglasses
• Hiking gear!

Final thoughts on what to pack when staying in a cabin

For your cabin weekend packing list, you need to think about the type of cabin you’re staying in. If it’s backcountry, you may need more camping-style gear and if it’s an Airbnb or VRBO cabin you’ll just need whatever you usually pack for a weekend away.

This cabin checklist includes everything you should include on your cabin essentials list when packing for a fun few nights away and disconnected from the ‘real’ world.

If you’ve been wondering what things to take to a cabin for an upcoming trip, hopefully you’ll wonder no more!

Last Updated on November 2, 2023 by Hannah