During our recent holiday, Tim and I had the pleasure of car camping with my sister in Cleveland National Forest, near Los Angeles, California. Tim and I are used to minimalist camping, so having a car was PIMP! My sister had all this cool stuff that one could only have with a car: an inflatable air mattress, a ceiling fan for her tent, a cooler full of ice cold beer…
It got us thinking: what would our ultimate car camping gear list look like? After a leisurely brainstorm over breakfast, this is what we came up with. Keep in mind, two of us were vegetarians, and we all have a penchant for hiking. If your into meat and mountain biking, your list is probably totally different. Let’s hear about it! What’s on your dream gear list?
The Car
A 4WD Adventure Wagon. We’re not exactly sure what that means, but it will have enough space to store all our gear, and enough power to get us where we’re going.
Cooking Supplies
- Grill grate - for cooking on the fire
- Long tongs
- Long spatula
- Tinfoil
- Cutting board
- Knife - for slicing veggies
- Vegetable peeler
- Pots and pans - about three per person, including a sizable pan for frying; this number may seem high, but remember, pots can double as bowls!; SnowPeak
makes some pretty sweet titanium cookware, but is probably more appropriate for you ultra lightweight backpackers
- Pot-grabber
- Cups and mugs - plus wine glasses for that extra touch of class
- Picnic basket/bag
- Plates
- Cutlery
- Baggies - waterproof
- Sharpie - for labeling baggies
- Paper towels
- Wet wipes
- Buckets (2) for washing up
- Sponge, soap and dish towel
- Camp stove - we like the MSR Pocket Rocket
- Gas for camp stove
- Igloo cooler
- Ice - for the cooler
- Bottle opener / corkscrew
- Food net for bugs
- Gallons of water
Clothing
- Wind/waterproof wear
- Thermal underwear
- Wool socks
- Bathing suit
- Towel
- Flip flops
- Warm hat, gloves, scarf
- Warm fleece
- Hike shoes
- Underwear
- Sunhat
- Gaiters
Camping Gear
- Tent
- Sleeping bags that zip together
- Air mattress and pump
- Pillow
- Coleman Zephyr Ceiling Fan with Light
- Thermarest
- Thermarest chair
Campsite Accouterments
- Lantern
- Headlamps
- Fire starter
- Fire wood
- Lighter
- Folding chairs with cupholders
- Crates to store stuff
- Platapus water bag
- Garbage bags (big and small)
- Coleman “All Terrain Blanket” (ATB) Poncho
- Picnic blanket w/ waterproof bottom (or use the Coleman ATB!)
- Bugspray
Personal Items
- Toilet Paper
- Sunglasses
- First aid kit
- Toothbrush/toothpaste
- Lip balm
- Face wash
- Hand/body soap
- Sunscreen
- Camera
- Diary/pen
- Field/travel guides
- Maps
Extra stuff for off-campsite activities
- Camelback
- Thermos
- Daypack
- Mountain bike
- Hiking boots/shoes
Crossposted to SmarterFitter.com
Related posts:
M,
Long time no write. You’ve got quite the car camping list. That’s the kind of stuff we’d think about out on the PCT. Sure beats a pack filled with bag, tarp (rarely used), long-sleeve shirt, rain jacket, dirty socks, food, food, food, and that’s about it. The only thing that’s missing from your list that I didn’t carry is beer. The only thing that’s missing from your list that I did carry is hand sanitizer. Speaking of which, I’m gonna go drink a cold can of hand sanitizer right now.
Deeeeeeeeeeeeeeez!!!!!!!!!!!!! How could I forget beer?! Oh yeah, that’s on the food checklist, which is even longer…
Glad to hear you packed a first aid kit…too many people forget to pack on in their belongings.
Just out of curiosity, what would you have for a minimalist car camping list?
thank you for the checklist… went online to find a checklist and yours popped up. thanks for saving us an hour of our prep time, plus all the stuff we would surely have forgotten…
Thats an awesome checklist! Really, very helpful. Question for ya, though. Where did you find your Platapus water bag? I haven’t been able to find a place that has one in stock, unfortunately.
Hello there! That’s a pretty good start.
You’re car camping, leave the backpacking stuff at home! Get a nice two burner Coleman propane stove for car camping trips. While the pocket rocket is great in the back country, when car camping, might as well splurge a little and get a good meal. You want a nice stove that can cook a large pot of pasta and heat the sauce at the same time. One that can cook four pancakes at once… yeah, leave the titanium pot at home, bring a full size griddle and regular pots and pans.
A full size coffee press. No little bags of instant, go for the real stuff when car camping! We usually have a jetboil with us for heating up water.
I’ve got an ultralight backpack, but that stays at home. For car camping, where I’m probably going to leave the tent up in public for a few days, I go with a 4-man tent from Target. One that fits a queen size air mattress. Spend a little more on the air mattress since the cheap ones are pretty low quality. Really, when you’ve spent a day climbing or mountain biking, you deserve a good nights rest on a comfy bed. Bring pillows!
A lantern that runs on propane is also nice. Don’t forget extra mantles.
Cord. You want some strong cord so you can hang up wet towels, let your bag air out, hang up a tarp to relax under in case it rains. Some cheaper cord for roping off your tent area, some florescent/ reflective tape tied on so it’s easy to see by headlamp.
Books and games; sometimes it rains here on the east coast…
You list a field guide and maps, but no compass! If you’re making excursions away from camp, you definitely need a compass. Even if you’ve got GPS, make sure you still bring a paper map and compass.
First aid kit should already be in the car, right? Along with duct tape, some tools, a good flashlight and some road flares?
Lastly, dessert! If you feel really adventurous, bring a dutch oven and make a pie! Or one of those ice cream making balls. The one thing I really miss when I’m going ultralight is desserts…
Good camping!