Car camping is an awesome way to experience the outdoors at your own convenience. You can bring along whatever you need, without having to worry about not having room in your bag. That being said, it’s easy for people to get carried away with packing. Follow these car camping packing tips to make sure you don’t go overboard.
It may sound trivial, but trust us, it’s not. Anything important (or expensive) that you’re bringing to the campsite should be labeled. This goes for your clothing and even food, too (especially if there are allergies in your group). Labeling things not only makes it easier to find things, but it also helps to make sure your things don’t get mixed up with your friends or other people at your campsite. Unless it’s obvious, label what’s inside your organizers and put your name and contact info on everything!
Just like you would pack up when moving houses or moving your kid into college, the things you need right when you get to the campsite should be in the front of the trunk. You don’t want to have to dig through everything to find your bottles of water, your tent, or your rain jacket. This is not only for convenience, but also because you can’t predict anything. You don’t know how the weather will be when you arrive. Or, if you want to head straight to the camping activities when you get there and you need something specific.
While it may be easier or even make more sense just to throw everything in a box or bag, you should avoid doing this at all costs. That’s just how things get misplaced or worse, lost. Spend a little extra money to get cases for your cutlery, duffels for your clothes, and even a hamper for your dirty clothes. The more organized you are now, the easier it will be to pack things up when you leave. And, let’s be honest, packing for going home is not exciting.
If you’re going car camping, it’s likely you might have a lot of people in the car, maybe even children. No matter what you pack, you need to be able to drive safely. If you can manage it, make sure there is space to see out the back. Your load or maybe even your vehicle will be larger than others on the road, so you need to protect everyone. Also, make sure any large or pointy things you’re bringing, like tent poles or firewood, are blocked off in case you make a sharp turn or need to stop short.
Just as you should know how to pack before you head out, the same goes for when you leave. Some things that you use while car camping might get very dirty. In fact, if you follow Leave No Trace (and you should) you may even have trash bags. Keep those things on one side of the car and your clean things on another side. Though, when it comes to car camping, there never really are any guarantees, are there? 😉
If you’re packing everything so that it just all barely fits in the car, then you’re bringing way too much. You want the whole packing and unpacking process to be as smooth as possible. Stuffing your trunk and the back seats of your car is just going to stress you out. Make sure there’s space to fit everything nicely, without needing to push and squeeze certain things in.
You got your gear ready, your campground reserved, and your weekend planned. Packing is probably the only downside of car camping, but it needs to get done. Use these packing tips next time you head out!
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