Car Camping Essentials (and Packing Lists)

An UPDATED list of our car camping essentials, packing lists, and lots of tips for family tent camping!

If you’re planning your first family camping trip, starting with car camping is the way to go! Car camping allows you to park right next to your tent, which means you can pack more of the gear that makes the experience comfortable, easy, and most importantly, FUN! Over the years, we’ve built (and updated) or go-to list of must-haves, packing tips, and campsite hacks that make family tent camping less overwhelming and way more enjoyable.

Camping is a lot of work, but it’s so worth it. Most campgrounds have really great amenities—think fire pit rings, picnic tables, electrical hookups, water spigots, and bathrooms—that make the whole experience smoother, especially with kids in tow. The hardest part? Actually securing a campsite. The popular ones (especially beach sites or campgrounds with tons of amenities) book up fast. We usually reserve our spot 12–13 months out, and if you’re aiming for a holiday weekend, you’ll want to be ready the minute booking opens. Scoping out the campground map ahead of time helps too, so you can snag a site near the bathrooms, wifi, or beach access—without getting sandwiched between two giant RVs.

Here’s where we’ve tent camped with kids so far:

• 2024 Bandits Roost, North Carolina
• 2023 Hunting Island, South Carolina
• 2022 Hot Springs, North Carolina
• 2021 Edisto Island, South Carolina
• 2020 Table Rock, South Carolina

Camping definitely requires a lot of prep work, but my hope is that our packing lists and organization system take some stress out of planning. I’ve included everything we use to keep trips running smoothly, and at the very bottom of this post, you’ll find a printable version of our camping pack lists to make getting ready even easier.

Car Camping Essentials & Favorite Gear

We’ve completed five camping trips with our family so far, and each year has gotten a little easier. Over time, we’ve upgraded, tossed out, and reorganized our camping gear as we’ve figured out what’s truly useful and what just takes up space. We’ve learned we always need multiple tarps, but a coffee maker isn’t essential—cold brew wins every time! We’ve nailed down our go-to meals, like tacos in a bag and s’mores cones, and know exactly what ingredients to pack. We’ve also learned to bring more trash bags than we think we’ll need, but we don’t need as many firestarters as we used to think. Multiple oscillating fans are a must if you want any chance of sleeping, and air mattresses are officially on our “never again” list. Packing everything in plastic storage bins is by far the easiest method, especially when it’s time to stash the food in the car for the night or quickly toss everything in a bin before it rains.

Hikergarden Campros Tent

I spent hours agonizing over which tent to purchase for our family. I must have read a thousand reviews and narrowed it down to four options before finally choosing the 8-person Hikergarden Campros tent. The features that ultimately sold me were the number of mesh windows (hello, airflow!) and the curtain room divider so the kids could have their own space separate from ours.

The only negative tent reviews were around the door zippers (which are hard to open but we figured out how to make these a lot easier to unzip). After three camping trips in this tent, I can honestly say I would buy it again in a heartbeat. On our most recent camping trip we got a TON of rain and the tent held up perfectly and kept us 100% dry.

TENT TIPS

• We love stringing twinkle lights inside the tent with clothes pins for some extra fun at night! This also serves as a nightlight to help the kids fall asleep.
• I highly recommend spraying any new tent and rain fly with a coat of heavy-duty water repellent a few days prior to your trip.
• Use a pool noodle to wrap your tent lines so the little ones don’t trip over them.

Outdoor Folding Table Cook Station

For our most recent trip, we decided to purchase a camping cook station table and it was a total game changer. Not only was it nice not having to share our cooking station with our dining picnic table, this folding table has a lot of awesome features too. There’s plenty of counter space to accommodate our stove, cooking utensils & cookware, a storage rack for paper towels, a collapsible sink, and a lantern pole!

Camping Stove & Grill

We really love our 2-burner camping stove for quickly cooking items we don’t want to slow cook on the tri-pod grill. We pack and use both quite a bit during our camping trips. Don’t forget to pack propane tanks!

FAVORITE CAMPING MEALS & SNACKS

I’ve written an entire post on our favorite Easy Camping Meals & Snacks, but my best tip is to bring meal items as prepared as possible. For example, make a batch of sandwiches ahead of time instead of trying to do it at the campsite. If you’re making tacos, bring all your toppings pre-diced and pre-cook the meat ahead of time, and warm it over the fire. If you like scrambled eggs, pre-scramble the eggs and store in a container until you’re ready to use so you aren’t cracking a dozen eggs at the picnic table.

• Breakfast: scrambled eggs, bacon, bagels, mini muffins, mini boxed cereals, yogurt, cold brew coffee
• Snacks: popcorn (popped on tri-pod grill in covered foil pan with oil), crackers + spreads, chips + dips
• Mini slider sandwiches (see my recipe for hawaiian ham sliders)
• Tacos in a bag (aka “Walking Tacos”): Assembling these taco bags are really fun and this is always a favorite meal. We slightly crush mini bags of Doritos before adding the taco meat. Then pile on all the toppings (diced tomato, shredded lettuce, shredded mexican cheese, etc.).
• Pita Pizzas: Grab some pitas, smear a layer of sauce on, sprinkle with cheese and add all your toppings, then cook over the fire.
• Campfire Cones (aka “s’mores in a cone”): In a waffle cone, layer marshmallows, mini M&M’s, and mini Reese’s cups. You can really go wild with so many other toppings too including fruit like raspberries and bananas. Once the waffle cones are stuffed to the brim, wrap in foil and slowly roast over the campfire until they are warm and melty.

Mosquito Repellent

For as much as I love camping, I equally despise mosquitoes. They love me and eat me alive anytime I’m outside for more than a minute, so I’m kind of crazy about mosquito repellent when we’re camping. And I’m happy to report that I didn’t experience ANY bites during our most recent camping trip!

OK, so here is how we keep the mosquitoes away. First, multiple Thermacell lanterns. We use these anytime were outside at home and definitely bring them with us for camping. These also double as an extra light source at nighttime too! Don’t forget to pack a stash of repellent refills too.

We also used these Mosquito Repellent Patches on our recent camping trip and they WORK! The patches are made using all-natural plant-based ingredients, and they are 100% DEET-free. You can also stick them anywhere – clothing, tables, backpacks, and even the tent. DO NOT FORGET TO REMOVE THEM BEFORE WASHING YOUR CLOTHES. I have so many pairs of shorts with sticker residue from forgetting to take my stickers off!

Lastly, mosquito repellent bands! These last a full day and I usually wear one around my ankle and one around my wrist!

Car Camping Essentials: Organization System

We pack as much gear and supplies as possible into large plastic storage containers organized by category — camping gear, kitchen supplies, food, etc.

TIP: make sure you get the plastic containers that lock into place because you will likely fill these to the brim and will need the latch to keep the bins closed. We like these plastic storage bins for food and dry supplies, and we pack our camping gear and larger supplies in an extra large plastic storage bin.

We love this packing method because it helps expedite the campsite set-up, you can safely store and keep your supplies dry overnight (we usually throw the food and anything the critters may enjoy into one storage container and lock it up in the car before bedtime), and the containers are easy to hose out at the end of the trip.

Car Camping Essentials — Pack Lists

Alright, here is a list of all the gear and supplies we bring by container!

Camping Gear Container

• tarps + rubber mallet
• twinkle lights (for stringing inside the tent) + LED tent light (main light source inside tent)
• electric air pump
• torch lighter + fire starters
• sleeping bags
• flashlights + collapsible lanterns + headlamps + extra batteries
• thermacell lanterns x2 + refills
• hatchet
• polyrope + clothes pins (for clothesline)
• tri-pod grill
• dust pan + brush (for sweeping out the inside of the tent)
• extra long extension cords + heavy duty splitter + power tower
• marshmallow roaster sticks
• pool noodle (to wrap tent lines)
• door mats (one for inside, and a much larger one for outside)
• nails (to hang things from the tree)
• bungee cords

Additional Gear (not stored in container)

• tent (coated ahead of time with heavy duty water repellent)
• camping cots + inflatable sleeping pads
• camping chairs
• 2-burner camping stove + propane tanks
• oscillating fans
• day pack (for hikes)
• camping cook station table
• hammocks
• firewood bundles + ice (purchase at campground)

Family Container

• portable waterproof speaker
• walkie talkies
• bug spray + mosquito repellent patches + mosquito repellent bands
• sunscreen
• first aid kit
• cards + games
• bug bite relief stick + bug bite thingy
• baby wipes
• mesh laundry bag (for dirty clothes)
• toiletries caddy: shampoo + conditioner + soap + toothbrushes + toothpaste
• beach towels + bath towels
• pillows

Kitchen Container

I would highly recommend making a trip to the dollar store for most of these items!

• paper towels
• drinking tumblers
• trash bags
• ziploc bags
• fly fans
• kitchen utensils: spatula + tongs + pizza cutter + can opener + scissors
• knife + cutting board
• cutlery: knives + forks + spoons (used a 6 pk beer container as a caddy)
• paper plates + paper bowls + napkins
• disposable cups
• pop-up trashcan + binder clips (to secure the bag)
• potholders
• wash bin
• disposable tablecloths + tablecloth clamps
• foil pans
• aluminum foil
• hanging shoe organizer (for easy access to frequently used items)
• dish scrub brush + dish soap
• lysol wipes
• sharpie
• pot + pan
• cooking oil spray
• salt + pepper + seasonings
• toilet paper
• hand sanitizer