Alaska is the land of epic adventures, but it’s also the land of needing to be epically prepared! With that in mind, I thought I’d share an Alaska packing list summer must-haves for any RV family planning to make the journey! This isn’t an exhaustive packing list, just some of our most important gear for staying warm and keeping our RV functional in Alaska. If you want the complete packing list (along with Alaska RV itineraries and money-saving hacks!), please check out our RV Alaska with Kids e-book. If you want to skip the chatter and get a quick link to my Alaska packing list gear, head to my Amazon affiliate storefront Alaska list. Otherwise, read on!
Kid Clothing
Summer in Alaska is probably colder and wetter than you expect. At least, it was for us! Here are a few Alaska summer packing list kid must-haves:
- Fleece jackets (our kids LIVED in their Columbia fleeces)
- Quality rain gear (we didn’t have rain pants, but they sure wouldn’t have hurt to have!)
- Keens hiking boots (Alaska is one place where it’s worth splurging to make sure everyone, even the kids, has good hiking footwear)
Adventure Gear
Nowhere is it easier to have a bucket-list style outdoors adventure than in Alaska. There is some gear that we either brought with us or bought up here to take advantage of all of the fun.
- Inflatable kayak (I’ve been raving about mine because it’s affordable, packs up small, and has allowed me to see so much more in Alaska!)
- Drone (if you want amazing footage of giant landscapes, this is the place to nab some drone footage, and this drone is AMAZING)
- Kid hiking backpacks
- Alaska field guides (for identifying all of the flora and fauna on your adventures!)
- Fishing rod and tackle (when the salmon are running!)
RV Supplies
An Alaska RV trip is worth all the hassle, but your RV will take a beating in Alaska. Be prepared to “rescue” yourselves because you might have RV trouble miles from cell service or a sizeable town. For these reasons, I’ve included some emergency supplies we actually used on this Alaska summer packing list!
- Bottle jack (we’ve had to jack up our RV twice on this trip)
- Tire repair kit
- Spare tire
- Spare leaf spring
- Eternabond tape (you just never know)
- Windshield repair kit
Miscellaneous
Here are a few other Alaska summer packing list essentials.
- The Milepost (if you’re driving in, not flying)
- Blackout curtains (you WILL want these on every window if you’re visiting in July)
- Binoculars
I hope this Alaska packing list summer RV trip essentials guide was helpful to you! I know I spent a lot of time researching what we’d need, so I thought I’d pass that knowledge on. Don’t forget to check out our guide to RVing Alaska:
RV Alaska with Kids Travel Guide
If you’re looking for Alaska vacation ideas, you’ve come to the right place! This guide features 20+ pages of what we learned throughout a summer RVing Alaska with Kids.
Disclaimer: Links in this blog post are Amazon Affiliate links, and I will earn a small commission for each purchase made through these links at no extra cost to you. Affiliate income helps fund our family travel and allows me to keep creating inspiring family travel content for you. I so appreciate when you use my links to make purchases you would have made anyway.
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One response to “Alaska Packing List: Summer Adventure Must Haves”
[…] And now I’m setting out to be the first google result for “best Alaska hikes with kids!” So after a whole summer of unbelievable hiking, here are the best Alaska hikes with kids (in our opinion!). I’ll link to the AllTrails listings where possible, because it’s especially important to check trail conditions in Alaska! If you’re in need of suggestions for hiking gear, check out my post Alaska Packing List Summer. […]