Every vendor has the same story. You're 45 minutes into setup, the show opens in an hour, and you reach for the price tags. They're sitting on your kitchen counter at home. The thing that separates calm setups from frantic ones isn't experience, it's a packing list you actually follow.
This guide is the full version of that list. It covers every category of gear a craft fair vendor needs across a one-day, weekend, or out-of-state show in 2026, plus the boring-but-critical extras most checklists skip. Save it, print it, and check off each item the night before every event.
What You'll Learn
- Why a Real Packing List Matters
- Tent and Booth Hardware
- Display and Merchandising Supplies
- Payment Processing and POS Gear
- Cash Box and Money Supplies
- Tools and Setup Hardware
- Weather Protection Gear
- Personal Comfort and Survival Items
- Marketing and Branding Materials
- Emergency Backup Kit
- The Day-Before Loading Checklist
- Frequently Asked Questions
Why a Real Packing List Matters
Forgetting one item can cost you a full day of sales. No price signs means slower transactions and walk-offs. No weights means a gust flips your tent into the booth next door. No phone charger means your card reader dies at 1pm.
A working packing list does three things. It makes loading fast because you grab from a list, not from memory. It catches the rare-but-critical items like your vendor permit or your sales tax certificate. And it lets a helper load the van without needing your supervision.
Most veteran vendors keep a stocked "show kit" tote that lives in the garage, fully packed between events. The kit holds the small items (tape, scissors, batteries, tags), so the only loading task before each show is product, tent, table, and chairs. That shaves an hour off prep and removes 80% of the forget-something risk.
Tent and Booth Hardware
For outdoor and tented indoor shows, the structure comes first. A 10x10 booth setup runs about 150 to 200 pounds of gear before product.
- 10x10 pop-up tent (a heavy-duty model with steel frame for outdoor use)
- Tent walls (at least one back wall, plus side walls for weather)
- Sandbag or concrete weights (40 to 50 pounds per leg, four legs minimum)
- Bungee cords or ratchet straps to secure walls to frame
- Tent stakes and rubber mallet (for grass venues that allow stakes)
- Tent repair kit (zip ties, pole repair sleeves, replacement velcro)
- Extra tent ropes and reflective guy lines
- Folding tables (two 6-foot tables fit a 10x10 well, or one 8-footer plus a side table)
- Table covers that reach the floor (so you can hide inventory bins beneath)
- Two folding chairs (one for you, one for a helper or rest break)
- Floor mat or anti-fatigue mat (your feet will thank you after hour six)
For indoor shows, you can skip the tent, weights, stakes, and ropes, but you still need tables, covers, and chairs. Always confirm with the show organizer whether tables and chairs are included with the booth fee. Some shows provide them, most don't.
Display and Merchandising Supplies
A booth that looks finished beats a booth that has more inventory but feels thrown together. These are the items that turn a bare table into a real retail display.
- Tiered risers (wood or metal, at least two heights to add vertical interest)
- Wire grid panels or pegboard for hanging items
- S-hooks and zip ties for hanging displays
- Display props (crates, baskets, vintage suitcases, anything that fits your brand)
- Mirrors (for jewelry, hats, or apparel vendors)
- Mannequin busts or apparel forms (for clothing, scarves, hats)
- Acrylic sign holders in multiple sizes (4x6, 5x7, 8.5x11)
- Pricing labels or hang tags with strings
- Pricing gun and labels if you sell high volume
- Chalkboard signs and liquid chalk markers
- Printed price signs (laminated for outdoor durability)
- Booth banner with your business name (visible from 20 feet away)
- Backdrop or pipe-and-drape behind the table to define your space
Lighting deserves its own callout. Indoor venues often have flickering fluorescents that wash out colors, and outdoor tents create deep shade. Pack battery-powered LED puck lights, clip-on LED bars, or a string of warm LED lights. For more on lighting that actually sells, see our craft fair lighting ideas guide.
Payment Processing and POS Gear
Lost sales from a dead card reader hurt more than slow days. Pack redundantly.
- Phone or tablet for running your POS app (Square, Shopify POS, Stripe Terminal, or your platform of choice)
- Card reader (chip and tap, not just swipe)
- Backup card reader (a $59 spare reader pays for itself the first time the primary one dies)
- Phone charger cables (at least two)
- Portable power bank (10,000 mAh minimum)
- Extension cord (25-foot minimum, weather-rated for outdoor use)
- Power strip with surge protection
- Mobile hotspot or backup data plan for venues with weak cell signal
- Receipt paper (if your POS prints receipts)
- Stylus or stylus pen for signature capture if your app requires it
- Tax certificate or seller's permit copy (laminated, kept in your cash box)
For deeper guidance on which payment system actually saves money over a season, see our guide to accepting payments at craft fairs.
Cash Box and Money Supplies
Even with cards dominating, cash still matters. Older buyers, food trucks at the venue, and shoppers who hate fees often want to pay cash.
- Locking cash box or zippered money bag
- Starting bank: $100 to $200 in small bills ($20 in ones, $40 in fives, $60 in tens, the rest in twenties)
- Coin starter (a few rolls of quarters and dimes)
- Counterfeit detection pen
- Calculator (a physical one, in case your phone dies)
- Receipt book (carbonless duplicate, for cash transactions where buyers want a paper trail)
- Pen and Sharpie (always pack three of each, they wander off)
- Square sales log or notebook to track manual sales
- Plastic baggies for separating coins from bills
- Envelope for end-of-day cash deposit
Never count cash openly at the table. Step away to a chair behind the booth or to the back wall. For more on protecting your cash and inventory, see our theft prevention guide.
Tools and Setup Hardware
Setup days reveal which items you forgot. Pack these in a single tote that lives with your booth gear permanently.
- Hammer or rubber mallet
- Adjustable wrench (for tent leg pins on older models)
- Pliers
- Multi-tool or Leatherman
- Box cutter and replacement blades
- Scissors (heavy-duty kitchen-grade)
- Tape measure (25 foot)
- Level (small bubble level for tables and risers)
- Multiple rolls of tape: clear packing tape, gaffer tape, duct tape, masking tape, double-sided tape
- Velcro strips and command strips
- Zip ties (small, medium, and large)
- Twine or string
- Ratchet straps for securing tent legs
- Hand truck or folding dolly with bungees
- Wheeled wagon for the gap between the parking lot and the booth space
- Stretch wrap or shrink wrap for securing pallets of boxes
A folding wagon is the single most underrated purchase a craft fair vendor makes. The right wagon turns four loading trips into one and saves your back across a season.
Weather Protection Gear
Outdoor shows are won and lost on weather prep. Pack like the forecast is wrong, because it often is.
- Tarps to cover product in case of pop-up rain
- Plastic sheeting or vinyl drop cloths to throw over the booth at takedown
- Heavy-duty trash bags (size of contractor bags, for emergency rain covers)
- Microfiber towels for drying tables and product
- Umbrellas (one for you, one for the helper)
- Rain ponchos
- Spare set of dry clothes in the vehicle
- Sunscreen (SPF 30 minimum)
- Sunglasses
- Wide-brim hat or visor
- Bug spray (especially for evening shows or shows near grass)
- Hand warmers and extra layers for cold-weather shows
- Battery-powered fan and water mister for hot summer fairs
For a deeper dive on outdoor preparation, see our outdoor craft fair weather preparation guide.
Personal Comfort and Survival Items
A 10-hour day at a booth is more endurance event than retail shift. Pack like you're going camping.
- Water (a gallon minimum per person per day)
- Reusable water bottle with insulation
- Cooler with ice (for cold drinks, lunch, and perishable product if applicable)
- Pre-packed snacks (protein bars, jerky, trail mix, fruit)
- Lunch you don't have to leave the booth to eat
- Coffee or thermos drink for early load-in
- Cash for venue food trucks
- Hand sanitizer
- Tissues
- Wet wipes or baby wipes
- Lip balm
- Pain reliever (ibuprofen or acetaminophen)
- Allergy medication
- Stomach remedy (gas, indigestion, the works)
- Bandages and basic first aid kit
- Backup phone charger and battery
- Earplugs (for shows next to a stage or loud neighbor)
- Comfortable shoes you've broken in (never a new pair on show day)
- Backup shoes in the vehicle
- Light jacket or sweatshirt
- Floor mat or anti-fatigue mat for standing
- Bar stool or director's chair if you sit while selling
Sneakers, compression socks, and a cushioned mat in front of the register are the three best investments you can make in your own body across a season.
Marketing and Branding Materials
Every shopper who doesn't buy at the booth is a chance to capture a future sale. Pack the items that make that conversion possible.
- Business cards (at least 200 per show, more for high-traffic events)
- Branded shopping bags or wrap (paper, kraft, or branded plastic)
- Tissue paper and stickers for finishing each sale
- Thank-you cards with a discount code for online orders
- Email signup clipboard or tablet with a sign-up form
- QR code signs that link to your shop or social profiles
- Brochures or rack cards for upcoming custom-order or wholesale offers
- Loyalty cards or punch cards
- Stickers, magnets, or small free gifts to hand to kids and impulse browsers
- Social media handle signs (large enough to read from the aisle)
Business cards still matter, but a QR code that opens your Instagram or Etsy shop converts faster. Print one on every sign, every label, and every business card. See our QR code guide for placement ideas that actually drive scans.
Emergency Backup Kit
Every show throws something unexpected at you. Build a small tote of "I hope I never need this" supplies, then thank yourself the day you do.
- Spare tent canopy top (or a tarp big enough to cover the booth)
- Spare tent leg or replacement pole sections
- Spare table cover in case the first gets soaked or torn
- Spare phone charger and cable
- Spare card reader
- Spare batteries (AA and AAA)
- Spare price signs and pre-made labels
- Spare business cards
- Spare pens and Sharpies
- Spare receipt book
- Lighter or matches (for cutting frayed nylon rope ends)
- Super glue
- Sewing kit (for ripped table covers, banners, or apparel inventory)
- Small toolkit duplicates
- Bottled water in the vehicle
- Granola bars in the vehicle
If you sell food, cosmetics, or anything with regulatory requirements, also pack a printed copy of your labeling and licensing paperwork in case an inspector walks the show. For category-specific requirements, see our vendor license and permits guide.
The Day-Before Loading Checklist
The night before every show, run through this short list. It catches the things that get lost between morning and load-in.
Paperwork
- Vendor confirmation email printed and packed
- Vendor permit, sales tax certificate, business license copies
- Insurance certificate if the show requires it
- Booth map and load-in instructions
- Driving directions and venue contact info (in case GPS fails)
Product
- Inventory counted and packed by category in labeled bins
- Top-seller restock pulled and packed separately
- Price tags attached to every item or pre-grouped pricing signs ready
- Custom orders or holds bagged and labeled with buyer name
- Backup product for restocking the display
Booth Kit
- Tent, walls, weights loaded
- Tables and chairs loaded
- Display fixtures and signs loaded
- POS bag with reader, charger, power bank packed
- Cash box with starting bank packed
- Tools and emergency kit packed
Personal
- Water and food packed
- Comfortable shoes set out
- Weather layers packed
- Phone fully charged
- Vehicle filled with fuel
Vehicle
- Loaded in reverse order (last item out comes off the vehicle first)
- Heaviest gear on the bottom, fragile inventory on top or in the passenger area
- Wagon and dolly packed last so they're the first thing off when you park
For a deeper breakdown of how a strong first show should run, see our craft fair tips for beginners guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most important thing to bring to a craft fair?
After your inventory, the four most important items are tent weights (or a way to anchor a tent), a working card reader with backup power, your vendor permit and tax paperwork, and water. A booth that loses its tent to wind, its card reader to a dead battery, or its license to a missing permit is a booth that doesn't sell.
How early should I arrive to set up a craft fair booth?
Most shows offer a load-in window of 1 to 3 hours before the doors open. Plan to arrive at the start of your window. A 10x10 outdoor booth with weights, tables, displays, and product takes a first-time vendor about 90 minutes to set up. Experienced vendors can hit 45 to 60 minutes once they have a system.
What should I wear as a craft fair vendor?
Wear comfortable, broken-in shoes, layered clothing you can adjust as the day warms or cools, and something on-brand for your business. Apron pockets or a fanny pack keep your phone, pen, and tape measure within reach. See our vendor attire guide for more details.
How much cash should I bring to a craft fair?
A starting bank of $100 to $200 in small bills handles most one-day shows. Bring $20 in singles, $40 in fives, $60 in tens, and the rest in twenties. Larger shows or events with food and beverage vendors nearby may need more. Plan to make change for at least the first dozen cash sales without restocking from receipts.
What size tent do I need for a craft fair?
A 10x10 tent is the standard booth size at almost every outdoor craft fair in the US. A handful of shows offer 10x20, 8x8, or custom sizes. Always confirm the booth dimensions in your show acceptance email before buying. Buying a heavy-duty 10x10 with steel frame and waterproof top is one of the best long-term investments a vendor can make.
Do I need a generator at a craft fair?
Most indoor shows provide outlets, and most outdoor shows let you run a small battery setup. If you need consistent power for lighting, fans, or a tablet POS all day, a portable power station (1,000 watt-hours or higher) is quieter and safer than a gas generator. Many outdoor venues ban gas generators outright, so check the rules before packing one.
The vendors who run smooth booths aren't more talented. They just have a list, follow it, and keep their kit packed between shows. Print this checklist, pin it to the garage wall, and watch how much faster every load-in gets.
Ready to put your packed booth to work? Browse upcoming craft fairs on TheCraftMap and book the next show on your calendar.