Packing List Generator
Build a printable packing checklist — start from a trip preset, edit the categories freely, and print it as a tick-box list.
# to make it a category heading. Everything else is an item.About this packing list generator
The value of a packing list is not the list itself — it is the things you would have forgotten. Chargers, adaptors, the prescription that needs a repeat before you go, the document you cannot board without. This tool builds a printable checklist you can tick off as you pack, starting from a sensible set of categories and letting you cut and add until it matches the trip you are actually taking.
Seven presets cover the common cases: beach holiday, city break, business trip, camping and hiking, long-haul flight, travelling with a baby, and house move. Each loads a categorised starting list you can edit freely. The format is deliberately plain text — a line beginning with # becomes a category heading, and everything else is an item — so reordering, deleting and adding is just typing, with no fiddly interface to fight.
Print it across one, two or three columns depending on how much you are taking; two columns suits most trips on a single page. Tick boxes can be square, round, or switched off entirely if you would rather use the sheet as a reference than a checklist, and an optional quantity box gives you somewhere to write "5" next to t-shirts rather than listing them five times.
Rather than guessing whether your list will fit, the tool renders the sheet and then measures it, so if the content genuinely overflows the page it tells you plainly and suggests what to change — more columns, smaller text, or a shorter list. That is a real measurement of the laid-out page, not an estimate that might quietly be wrong.
An optional header adds write-in lines for destination, dates and traveller. Everything is generated in your browser and your list is saved locally, so the list you refined last trip is still there for the next one. Nothing is uploaded anywhere.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add my own categories?
Start a line with # — for example # Ski gear. Every line after it, until the next #, is listed as an item under that heading.
My list is too long for one page
The tool tells you when the content overflows. Try three columns, a smaller text size, or a narrower page margin. Landscape is worth avoiding here: it makes the page shorter, and a list flows down the page, so it usually fits less rather than more. If none of that works, the list is genuinely longer than one sheet holds.
What is the quantity box for?
It adds a small write-in space before each item so you can note how many to pack — useful for things like t-shirts, socks or nappies where the count matters more than the item.
Are the presets complete lists?
No, and they are not meant to be. They are a sensible starting point covering what people most often forget — your trip, medication, climate and airline rules are yours to add. Always check current airline and destination rules for liquids, medicines and documents rather than trusting any generic list.
Are my tick boxes not printing?
Look for a "Background graphics" or "Print backgrounds" option in your print dialog and switch it on — some browsers strip them by default.