Packing for a Car Camping Adventure

When it comes to exciting and unique ways to have a blast on a camping trip while keeping the costs down, you can’t go wrong with car camping. The trick to successfully car camping is all in the preparation; let’s start with packing your car. I recommend buying several large clear containers that fit nicely in your trunk for holding everything you’ll need during your camping experience.

You can sort them by utility to make sure you always know where everything is, for example a container for clothes, another one for kitchen supplies, another for food. It keeps the car neat, and keeps you from having to deal with clutter rolling around the inside of your car making a mess and blocking your view from the mirrors.

I like to keep these containers packed and ready to go in my garage at all times. That way if I feel like a spontaneous camping trip, it’s only a matter of throwing the containers into the car and I’m on my way.

I like to number my containers with large and easy to read numbers. I number them in the order that I’m going to need them, that way when my trunk is going to be especially full, I’ll just pack the containers into the car in order.
Then when I arrive at my camping destination and I need certain items first, I can just unpack the items I need and leave the rest in the car. No need for pulling all the containers out and getting them all dirty on the ground.

One of my rules when it comes to car camping is packing a quilt that roles into a tight bag, instead of buying a sleeping bag. Sleeping bags are practical for the outdoors, but uncomfortable. The practicalities they provide in protecting you from nature don’t apply when your not sleeping on the bare Earth, so it’s far better to sleep beneath a comfortable quilt that will keep you warmer and give you a better sleep.

The best way a quilt will work for you is if your either sleeping in the car itself, a camper van or a large tent. I don’t like sleeping in a two person tent under any circumstances, especially if it’s a two person camping trip. If it’s just two of you going camping, I recommend a six person tent. If six people are camping bring a twenty person tent.

Having extra living space makes all the difference when your camping, and the ability to stand up and walk around is worth whatever you paid. I also like to bring amenities, such as battery powered lights, cookers and music or entertainment devices that charge on the car’s battery. That way I can add a little bit of extra fun to my car camping experience.

The camping experience is unique for all of us, and not all of us are going to like the same experiences while camping. But whatever it is that makes you happy while you camp, make sure you have everything you need to make that possible by having clearly organized and numbered containers, and a thought out list of everything you’ll need cleverly packed inside. That way you’ll be ready for an adventure in the great outdoors!