CF Cadillac Fairview

Picture this: You're relaxing by the lakeside just outside your summer cottage, surrounded by cherished companions and the sounds of laughter and nature. Excitement courses through your veins as you ready yourself for a canoeing escapade. As the night unfolds, you gather around a crackling bonfire, beneath the starlight, sharing tales and forging deeper connections. If this paints a picture of your ideal summer, consider it a sign to book a cottage getaway…now.

While a cottage weekend encourages rest and recreation, proper preparation is crucial to ensure a seamless trip. Consider, for instance, the consequences of forgetting something as essential as bug spray... you can already guess the outcome.

Whether you seek adventure, sun-drenched relaxation, or something in-between, here are nine often-overlooked essentials to pack for your next cottage trip.

Citronella Candles

No matter how luxurious your cottage may be, even your friendly neighbourhood mosquito can find its way in. However, there's a solution to this pesky problem: useful decor. Citronella candles not only create a delightful ambiance, particularly at night, but their scent effectively masks human odours, keeping mosquitoes at bay without causing them harm.

Windproof Travel Clothesline

With the help of a travel clothesline, you can conveniently air dry your clothes outdoors, which not only promotes energy conservation, but enhances freshness and eliminates strong odours. A clothesline is designed to be durable, stretchy, and easy to secure, allowing you to hang your garments virtually anywhere. With its reliable anti-slip clips, you can rest assured that your clothes won't be blown away or creased while drying.

Pizza Stone for Ovens and BBQ

Indulging in homemade, al fresco dinners is undoubtedly the highlight of any cottage weekend. Pizza stones reign supreme over conventional metal surfaces due to their ability to evenly distribute and preserve heat, resulting in impeccably crispy and perfectly cooked dishes. Despite its name, a pizza stone is a versatile cooking tool capable of preparing an array of culinary delights. From bread and vegetables to cookies, pies, whole chicken, French fries, steak, and beyond.

Outdoor Solar Shower Bag

Cottages can rely on septic systems, which means the water available may not always be clean. Therefore, in addition to bringing an ample supply of drinking water, it's advisable to reserve some for a shower bag. A solar shower bag offers the convenience of showering anywhere and is both portable and easily installable. To use it, simply fill the bag with water, allow it to heat in the sun for a few hours, activate the shower sprayer, and voila!

Dry Bag

An essential cottage weekend packing list item, a dry bag is indispensable for safeguarding fragile personal belongings and electronics from water damage during various cottage activities. It offers sufficient storage, convenience and is easy to carry.

Tarp

Due to its water, flame, and mold-resistant properties, tarps serve as ideal protective gear for sheltering and preserving outdoor furniture, such as lawn chairs, hammocks, firewood, boats, and other items, against potential environmental damage.

Rechargeable Air Pump

An air pump is an essential tool you wouldn't want to overlook on your cottage packing list. It's capable of inflating a wide range of items, including pool floats, beach balls, air mattresses, and more, opening up a variety of opportunities for maximal enjoyment.

Portable Fire Pit

This could potentially be the most straightforward entry in the collection. If a bonfire was absent, one might question whether you were actually at a cottage.