Free Packing List Template (Excel)
What Should Be on a Travel Packing List
A packing list only works if it's organized enough to check against quickly the night before a trip. This template groups items into six categories - Clothing, Toiletries, Electronics, Documents, Medications, and Misc - so you're scanning one category at a time instead of one long undifferentiated list.
It ships prefilled with about two dozen common items across those categories - passport, boarding passes, chargers, toothbrush, first-aid basics, and similar - as a starting point. A simple rule of thumb worth keeping in mind: one set of clothing per day, capped at around seven, then plan on doing laundry for longer trips.
What's Inside the Free Packing List Template
One sheet, the Packing List, with 60 rows: Category (a dropdown of the six preset categories), Item, Qty needed, Qty packed, Remaining, and Notes.
Remaining calculates automatically the moment you fill in Qty needed and Qty packed for a row - it's Qty needed minus Qty packed, so you always know what's left without doing the subtraction yourself.
Adjusting Quantities for Your Trip
The prefilled quantities are a starting point, not a calculation - there's no formula that scales Qty needed to your trip length or the number of travelers automatically. You edit the Qty needed number yourself per item, based on how many days you're gone and how many people are packing.
For a shared trip, the simplest approach is one row per item per traveler, or a single row with the combined quantity if everyone's packing the same thing - either works with the sheet as built.
Tracking What's Packed vs What's Left
As you pack, update Qty packed for each item. Remaining drops with it, so a quick glance down the column shows exactly what's still not in the bag.
The summary block counts items on the list, items fully packed, items still missing, and the total quantity still remaining across every row - useful for a final check before you zip the suitcase.
How to use it
- Adjust the prefilled items per category and set the quantity needed for your trip length.
- Tick off quantities packed as you pack - the remaining count updates per item.
- Check the summary for items fully packed vs still missing before you zip the bag.
Download the free Free Packing List Template (Excel)
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Frequently asked questions
Can I use this packing list template in Google Sheets?
Yes. Upload the downloaded file to Google Drive, then open it and choose File > Save as Google Sheets. The remaining-quantity formulas keep working.
Does the quantity needed adjust automatically for trip length or number of travelers?
No. The quantities are prefilled as a starting point, and you edit the Qty needed number yourself per item based on your trip length and how many people are packing. There's no formula that recalculates quantities from a date range or traveler count.
Can I add my own categories or items?
Yes. The Category column is a dropdown with the six preset categories - pick the closest fit, or edit the dropdown list if you want to add your own. You can also insert extra rows for items not on the prefilled list.
Is this template really free?
Yes. You give an email address to download it, and then it's yours to use with no further cost.
What's the usage license?
Personal use. It's not meant to be resold or redistributed as a template product.