Exporting & Importing Your Data

Camp Perfect Checklist stores everything locally on your device. Exporting a backup lets you protect your data and move it between devices without needing an account or cloud service.

How to export

1. Open the app and tap the Settings icon (⚙️) in the bottom navigation bar.
2. Tap Backup & Restore.
3. The Export card shows a count of your current items across all tabs.
4. Tap Export Backup to save the file.

What happens next depends on your platform:

Platform	What happens
Android app	The file is saved to your Documents folder and the system share sheet opens so you can send it immediately.
Web / PWA	The browser triggers a standard file download (e.g. camp-perfect-backup-2025-06-01-10-30-00.json).

The backup is a human-readable JSON file. You can open it in any text editor to inspect your data.

How to import

1. Go to Settings → Backup & Restore.
2. Under the Import section, tap Select Backup File and pick the .json file you exported earlier.
3. Choose an import mode:
   • Merge — adds items from the backup alongside what you already have. Items with duplicate IDs are skipped.
   • Overwrite — replaces your existing data with the contents of the backup.
4. Optionally choose which datasets (Shop, Pack, Gear, Eat, Containers) to restore if you only need a subset.
5. Tap Import to complete the restore.

WARNING

Overwrite mode is destructive. All existing data in the selected datasets will be replaced. Export a fresh backup first if you want to keep your current data.

Transferring the backup file between devices

Because the app is fully offline-first, the backup file is just a regular file on your device. You can move it any way you like — email, USB cable, cloud drive, AirDrop, and so on. LocalSend is a free, open-source option that works well because it transfers files directly over your local Wi-Fi network without needing an internet connection or a cloud account.

Using LocalSend

LocalSend is available for Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Step 1 — Install LocalSend on both devices

Download and install LocalSend from localsend.org (or search for it in the Google Play Store or Apple App Store) on both the device you are sending from and the device you are receiving on.

Step 2 — Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network

LocalSend discovers other devices automatically over the local network. Both phones (or a phone and a laptop) must be on the same Wi-Fi network.

Step 3 — Export the backup on the source device

1. On the source device, follow the export steps above to generate the .json backup file.

2. On Android, tap Share in the system share sheet that appears and choose LocalSend from the list.

   Alternatively (for example on web/PWA), locate the downloaded .json file in your Downloads folder, tap Share, and pick LocalSend.

Step 4 — Receive the file on the destination device

1. Open LocalSend on the destination device.
2. Make sure Receive mode is active (it usually is by default — the app shows a message like "Waiting for incoming files").
3. Back on the source device, LocalSend will show the destination device as an available target. Tap it to send.
4. Accept the transfer on the destination device when prompted.

Step 5 — Import the backup on the destination device

1. On the destination device, open Camp Perfect Checklist.
2. Go to Settings → Backup & Restore → Import.
3. Tap Select Backup File and navigate to the file you just received (usually saved to the LocalSend or Downloads folder).
4. Choose Overwrite (fresh device) or Merge (keeping existing data) and tap Import.

Your lists, gear inventory, meals, and containers will now appear on the new device. 🎉

Tips

• Back up regularly — data lives only on your device. A backup before any major change is a good habit.
• Keep old backups — the timestamp in the filename (e.g. camp-perfect-backup-2025-06-01-10-30-00.json) makes it easy to keep multiple versions.
• Check the item count — the import summary shows how many items were restored so you can confirm everything came across correctly.