Car camping and the van life are a HUGE part of our lives, and it should be a huge part of yours too. A car camping road trip is SO much fun! It is a great way to get out into nature and experience the natural beauty all around us. You can head for a quick weekend getaway to a State Park near you, or you can plan an awesome long road trip throughout the American West in a campervan, or anything in between!
Car Camping – noun – a type of camping which involves driving rather than walking to a campsite.
In this article we put together a list of car camping road trip essentials to have an incredible car camping experience. To be honest, you don’t need all of these items to go car camping, however if you do get everything, then your outdoors experience will be everything you hope it will be and more.
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Tent
You need a tent to go camping, unless of course you have a full sleeping area in your car, van, or truck! Most car campers set up a tent in their campsite, and use this as their sleeping area only.
You can store your clothes and food in the car, away from your tent, especially considering that you don’t want to be by food if an animal smells it. In your tent you can put everything you need for sleep, including a camping fan if you are like us.
Sleeping Pad
In your tent, you are probably going to want a sleeping pad for added comfort. There are multiple great inflatable options, some for 1 person and some for 2 people. You don’t want to be sleeping on the cold, lumpy, rock-hard ground, so do yourself a favor and add a good sleeping pad to your car camping road trip essentials list.
Pillow
Sleeping without a pillow is tough. Sleeping with one of the inflatable pillows you can buy is pretty much just as bad. We recommend a nice travel pillow that feels more like a pillow you would use to sleep at home. You could even use this pillow on any plane trips you have in the future, and it packs up nice and small!
Sleeping Bag
Weather and climate is a big part of car camping. Sleeping out in the cold is especially tough, so you absolutely need to have the proper sleeping bag along just in case. It is best to have a sleeping bag that is warm and waterproof, and as an added bonus it should roll up very small. The one we recommend has all of that and more. Add it to your car camping road trip list.
Hammock
A hammock is the first item on this car camping road trip list that is a ‘nice-to-have‘ instead of a ‘need-to-have‘. A hammock can be an awesome way to kick back and relax at your car camping site, especially when you are camping out in nature in the woods. Many hammocks, including the one we recommend, roll up super small, and are extremely easy to set-up.
We put our car camping list to the test at campsites outside Grand Teton National Park.
Chairs
You won’t know how important it is to have a camping chair until you have to camp for a weekend without one. Sitting on sharp rocks and the hard ground is not ideal, your butt might be sore for awhile. The best part about these camping chairs is that they fold up really small and can be attached with a carabiner to any backpack.
Table
A folding table is another ‘nice-to-have‘ item to have on your car camping road trip packing list. If there aren’t any picnic tables where you are going, and you won’t have to hike from your car to your campsite, they bring along a table. It is really nice to have an area where you can cook and eat your delicious camping meals.
Canopy
A canopy used to be a ‘nice-to-have‘ item for us, now it is a ‘need-to-have‘ item. We have been caught in the rain too many times, it is so great to be able to put up a canopy to block out the rain. There are even great car canopies that help protect an open car from any rain and weather.
Lantern & Flashlight
You don’t want to be waking up to pee in the middle of the night and have to walk out into the woods with no flashlight. That can be a bit scary. Therefore, bring along a lantern and a flashlight, and make sure they are accessible in your tent in case you need them.
Camp Shovel
Another necessity for when nature calls: a handy dandy shovel. If you aren’t going to have access to a toilet while on your car camping road trip, then you’d better bring along a shovel.
You can dig a hole to relieve yourself into, then use some camping toilet paper and you are all set! If you really want to take your car camping site to the next-level, then you can get a portable toilet to have along as well.
Car Camping Stove
You are going to need to eat while you are car camping, and there is no better way to cook great food than with a portable propane stove. These stoves work with small propane tanks, and are a cost effective way to cook up delicious meals while car camping.
If you plan on hiking to the back-country, then it may be better to go with a Jet Boil rather than a full propane camping stove.
Pot/Pan
To go with your car camping stove, get a nice pot or pan that is easy to pack along and folds up as small as possible. However, don’t go too small, as you’ll need your pot/pan to be large enough to cook up some nice pasta or chili!
French Press or Pour Over
We are HUGE coffee lovers. Coffee is something that cannot be compromised, even while car camping. Therefore, we have a few different solutions for preparing coffee while on a car camping road trip.
First off is our favorite option: the French Press. The French Press is an easy and effective way to make delicious coffee each and every morning.
The other option is a pour over, which makes delicious coffee and is actually much smaller than the French Press. The pour over takes longer however, so we prefer the French Press, but for back-country trips the pour over is the best option.
Stainless Steel Carabiner Mugs
We bought two of these in New Zealand and we will never camp without them again. The carabiner handle makes the mug easy to clip onto any bag or backpack, and the stainless steel makes the mug super easy to clean. On top of all that, you can get awesome quotes on them such as our recommended mug with the following quote.
The mountains are calling and I must go
Bowl & Plate Set
Having tableware is a great way to bring some of the comforts from home along to your car camping road trip experience. Our recommended bowl and plate set is extra great because you can also use this set for back-country camping. The entire set collapses together in a small, easy to store pack that you can throw along in your backpack or trunk on your way to the campsite.
Car Camping Silverware
If you have the above tableware set, then you can use the silverware provided. Otherwise, try out this awesome set of camping silverware that you can bring along car camping or back-country camping. The silverware is made of high quality stainless steel and makes for the perfect set of utensils for whatever meal you choose to make while car camping.
Water Filter
You need water while car camping. Water is the most important thing to consider no matter what. If you are going to be near a water source and want to be able to drink the water there, then get a good filter to use.
The filter we recommend is great because it is collapsible, and will fit very small into any bag. You can fill it up with water and squeeze that water through the nozzle to use the filter. It works like a charm!
Car Camping Water Tank
If you would rather go with a water tank than a water filter, then that is just fine also. This collapsible water tank has room for 2.6 gallons, if you feel you may need more then it would be good to grab 2 or 3 of them just in case.
The US National Park Service recommends drinking at least 2 liters of water (just over a half gallon) per person per day, so factor that in when you are thinking about how much water you need.
Bear Spray
This is only necessary if you are going to be car camping in an area inhabited by bears. National Parks around the world are incredible, but you should educate yourself on what you may be running into when you visit these areas. If you are going to be near bears, then educate yourself on what to do if you see a bear. Have bear spray along, and take proper precautions when it comes to your food.
Food
You are going to need some food along on your car camping road trip. Of course, you’ll need less if you bring along a fishing pole and catch some dinner each night! Nevertheless, you’ll need to have some food packed. Here is our official car camping list of things to bring as it pertains to food.
Meals
If you bring cold items, as we often do, bring along a cooler and ice packs. We typically go on a grocery shopping trip on the way to our car camping destination, or going the night before works too. That way you can pack your cooler right before you head out to make sure the ice packs last as long as possible.
- Hardboiled eggs
- Pasta
- Rice
- Beans
- Fresh Fruit
- Fresh Vegetables
- Peanut Butter & Jelly
Coffee & Tea
An absolute necessity.
Hiking Food & Snacks
- Granola Bars
- Beef Jerky
- Fruit Strips
Thank you so much for reading, we hope you enjoyed this article! This car camping road trip list has everything you’ll need to have a wonderful outdoors experience. If you enjoyed the article, please use the below images to Pin it to Pinterest!
