If you’ve never had to house camp before, it can be tricky to think through it. House camping is when you’re still at home but without all your things. This can be on the leaving end, either after your stuff is in boxes or after it’s on its way to your next duty station. Or it can be on the arriving end, where you’ve landed in your new home, but your things have not.
I should begin my recommendations by letting you know that our family has never moved within the US before. So, all of my firsthand experience has come from needing to fly with everything we’d need to house camp.
As an FYI, any product links included in this post are not sponsored or affiliated. They are just products I use (or similar ones) in my actual life that help us when traveling PCSing. I don’t get anything from mentioning them or from you buying them, other than the satisfaction of knowing I’m sharing something that works for us.
Our House Camping Experiences
For our first PCS, we arrived OCONUS in Japan and received a house within a week. This was much faster than I anticipated. Many of our essentials were sent via Unaccompanied Baggage because I had prepared for a long hotel stay. Thankfully, the base had loaner furniture, and we were able to buy most of what we needed.
Our second PCS was from Japan to Italy. Because of COVID, we had to quarantine for 2 weeks in base housing, so I was more prepared for house camping (although we thankfully had loaner furniture there, too). After our quarantine, we spent 3 months in a hotel. By the time we found a house, all our things had arrived. We got our keys, and our stuff was delivered the next day.
Our most recent PCS from Italy to the US was my first true house camping experience. Our house was assigned to us before we arrived. So, we spent only 3 days in a hotel before moving in. Unfortunately, our gaining installation didn’t offer loaner furniture. We had traveled with beds for everyone, but had no other seating options until we bought something.
Think Through Your Timeline
Each time we moved, our first shipment (limited usually to 2000 lbs or less) arrived about 1.5 months after we did. The rest of our household goods came about 3 months after the pack date.
When you move within the US, you will often drive your car and/or a moving truck or trailer. This gives you more options for what to bring when you’re considering house camping. For our moves, we were limited by airline baggage and weight limits. You won’t get an unaccompanied baggage shipment for moves within the US, but you should also get your stuff sooner than if you moved overseas.
With that in mind, here are some things I recommend packing for your next house camping adventure. If this is your first move, hopefully this list helps you think through the things you use each day. If you’re a veteran milspouse, maybe it will include things you haven’t thought of before.
This list is meant to be a bit more barebones. Think of it as if you were trying to get everything through the airport instead of packing a trailer. Thinking through the essentials helps me to see how much I’m taking vs. how much I actually need. And as a bonus, if there’s extra room, I can bring along a few more things.
House Camping Essentials: Kitchen
While I would love to pack my whole kitchen to have immediately upon arrival, that often isn’t the case. Normally, I make sure to pack a couple of do-it-all pots and pans. For me, this is a large stock pot (for soups, pasta, and one pot meals), a saute pan with higher sides, and a frying pan. Don’t forget things to cook with, like a silicone spatula, a regular spatula, a ladle, and a serving spoon.
I also pack my crock pot, which comes in clutch for long hotel stays, when everyone is tired of eating out. Since we usually don’t have the space when flying, I grab a few plastic Tupperware containers on our first shopping trip. After we’ve settled, I like to keep them on hand and use them to send friends home with leftovers.
I also bring along a few dish towels, usually 3 or 4, and a few quick cleaning cloths for spills. If we have a hotel stay, I’ll also grab a Swedish dishcloth or two to clean up dishes.
Once we arrive, I buy dishwasher detergent, dish soap, and a sponge. We usually travel with silverware but not plates and bowls, so I get a cheap plastic set (like these ones at Target). Typically, we use stainless steel travel mugs for coffee until our things arrive, and we each have a reusable water bottle.
If you’ve got kids, don’t forget to think through what they might need during the transition. I almost always packed the silicone plates they used for meals at home, a few sets of silverware, and bibs.
For our most recent PCS, I loved this travel highchair. It gave our oldest somewhere to sit and eat, but also functioned like a normal chair when we needed one.
House Camping: Bathrooms and Laundry
We bring only the essentials for our bathroom, since our travel usually includes a multiday hotel stay. In some cases, we’ve even mailed most of it to ourselves. I make sure to bring two sets of towels per person. And rather than bulky bath towels, we travel with pack towels or Turkish towels, which fold up much smaller.
Don’t forget potty inserts or toddler potties for kids. We also travel with basic first aid supplies and medications, as well as a thermometer. And if we’re flying, I make sure to have some kids’ medication and the thermometer in my carry-on – just in case.
Upon arrival, we buy items like hand soap and bath mats. We also bought shower hooks and curtain liners since our last home had all had shower doors. (Otherwise, I’d probably try and pack the hooks and just buy a new liner.)
For laundry, I bring along a collapsible laundry basket, dryer balls, and a laundry wash bag. The foldable basket easily fits in a suitcase and makes doing laundry in a hotel or empty home so much easier.
House Camping Essentials: Bedrooms
Our kids love using the Slumberpod sleep tent when traveling. Before we had curtains in our house, they helped keep early-morning light out and let them sleep longer (and we could keep our nap routine!).
We usually use a pack-and-play or an inflatable toddler mattress for sleep. Don’t forget sheets and whatever other comfort items your kids need. This non-WiFi baby monitor is our regular one, and we love it!
I can’t recommend this nightlight enough. All our recent moves have included international flights. This light is small enough to fit in your suitcase, works with either 120 or 240 volts, and is a great nightlight option for bedtime routines and overnight feedings. We even bring it with us when we travel domestically and stay in a hotel.
For the adults, we usually plan to sleep on an air mattress, but a camping cot or thick camping pad are other great choices. I like to bring at least two sets of sheets for each bed if I have the space. Often, we need to buy a blanket and pillows once we arrive.
If you have to space, grab some hangers to use once you arrive. Getting things out of your suitcase and hanging them in a closet goes a long way to helping a new space feel like home.
House Camping Essentials: Living Room
We traveled with next to nothing for our living room. For our flights, we used a large Rubbermaid container as a checked bag. This became our TV stand.
We ended up buying a cheap futon and a small 32” TV. If I had the space, I would have at least packed a few camping chairs for the adults. As it was, we had almost a week without anywhere to sit that wasn’t the floor or our bed.
At the time of our move, our youngest was still not yet crawling. I purchased a padded mat for the living room floor so he’d have somewhere to lie in the living room.
We traveled with an iPad for the kids, which was our only source of entertainment before the TV. Thankfully, I had packed our Roku, so once we had a TV and internet, we could easily access all our streaming services.
House Camping Essentials: Everything Else
A few random things I threw into our baggage that came in clutch: a surge protector or two, especially if you’re expecting a hotel stay. Rubber bands and clothespins for closing up snack bags. Reusable shopping bags, which can also help organize things in an empty house. Scissors for opening up the new kid toys you’ll buy to keep everyone occupied.
Because our kids were still young, I had our stroller and a baby carrier. We flew with their car seats, but if you’re driving to your next duty station, you’ll already have those (hopefully).
We bought housekeeping items like a broom, mop, and vacuum. If we drove for a CONUS move, I would likely try to pack these things in our car, depending on how far out our delivery date was scheduled.
Of course, it should go without saying (but PCS is a crazy time and things fall through the cracks) – don’t forget to pack seasonally appropriate clothing for everyone!
Have you house camped before? What are some must-haves that you never forget to pack? Anything you missed last time and wish you had brought with you?
Looking For More PCS Content?
I have a great packing list, including more product links, in my ebooks. Although they are mostly for families PCSing overseas, I think the packing lists are great to help you think through your move. (And they’re free! Just click the banners below to have them emailed to you). You can also find my other PCS posts here!
