Your Essential Packing List for Car Camping
Your first time camping can be a bit overwhelming, especially when it comes to knowing what to bring. Even regular camping veterans are still improving and adding to their packing list each time!
It’s also easy to forget a basic necessity if you don’t have a list ready. So, I thought it would be helpful to make a list of what we have stashed away in our plastic camping bin. We keep most of this this stored in our garage and ready to go, so we’re not running around trying pull together scattered items for each trip. We’re still working on a better kitchen pack, but if you’re just starting out, keep to the basics.
Keep in mind, our purposes are car camping with a tent. That means you typically park at a campsite, unload your gear, and set up a tent right there. It’s much easier to pack a little more since you don’t have to carry it far. If we were on a backpacking trip where we were carrying our packs to a camping site, this would be a much shorter list (maybe we’ll share that later!). Also, we typically cook our meals over our propane stove, so what you bring for the “Eating” section will vary depending on how much work you want to put into your food.
Packing List by Category:
I’ve linked to a few of the items we use with Amazon affiliate links. They’re super reasonably priced and have held up well for us.
For Sleeping:
- Sleeping bags
- Sleeping pads
- Pillows (you can get camp pillows, or we like to just use real ones if we’re car camping because it makes such a difference for a good night’s sleep)
- Tent
- Tarp or a tent footprint
- Hammer & tent stakes
For Hanging Out:
- Hammock & hammock straps
- Lantern (we love LumAID solar-powered lanterns)
- Bluetooth speaker
- An extra blanket or two
- Fold-up chairs
For Eating:
- Cooler
- Propane stove
- Lighters
- Camp cookset (with a pot, bowls, silverware, knife)
- A few sheets of aluminum foil
- Cutting board
- Hand towels that can double as a potholder
- Olive oil
- Seasoning
- Hot sauce packets
For Coffee:
Note: Obviously you can make instant coffee, or Trader Joe’s even has a one-time pourover packet if you don’t want to bring all this gear.
For Cleaning
- Trash bags
- Baby wipes
- Small dustbroom and pan
- Sponge & dish soap
- Paper towels
Other
- A first aid kit
- Chapstick (with SPF)
- Sunscreen
- Moleskin for blisters
Good luck! Do you have any must-have necessities on your packing list that I missed here? What are your favorite hacks for things to bring on camping trips? We’re always looking for fun camping hacks! Let me know.
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All photos by Andy Fortson Photography.
