Until I began planning this summer road trip, I had never heard the phrase “car camping”. However, I quickly learned that there are two broad categories of tent camping – backpacking and car camping. Backpacking requires carrying all of the gear that you will need for camping and then hiking somewhere to use it. This is usually reserved for serious outdoorsmen. Most people who camp – especially those with small children – go car camping. This means loading up your car with all of the camping supplies that will fit and driving it right up to the place that you will sleep.
Backpacking often requires campers to forego comfort and convenience for lightweight, compact equipment, but with car camping there are a huge range of options. There were three factors that went into our gear decisions – quality, size, and price. We wanted to invest in good gear that will stand the test of time, and we were willing to spend a little extra for space-saving options since our Ford Edge will fill up quickly. Here is our list of gear that made the cut.
- Roof Top Carrier – RoofBag Explorer Waterproof Soft Car Top Carrier
This may just turn out to be the best $100 I’ve ever spent. One of my biggest concerns when planning this trip was how we would fit everything in our vehicle, and this roof top carrier is more than doubling our storage space. There were several options, but since we don’t have a roof rack OR side rails (trust me, I won’t make that mistake again!) we had to go with a carrier that can be secured with straps that pass through the car. It was quick and easy to securely fasten it onto the car, but we’ll have a more complete review once we begin our travels.
- Tent – Ozark Trail Instant Tent
We received this tent as a gift , and it seems just perfect for us. The set up is almost too easy (isn’t part of camping supposed to be fighting with the poles?!) and there’s plenty of room for all of us to stretch out. It has several storage pockets and the rain cover is removable for those hot (but not rainy!) summer nights. I’ll have to update later this summer to share how it holds up with extended use.
- Sleeping Mats – Light Speed Self-Inflating Sleep Pad and MultiMat Trekker Sleeping Pad
This was one area where I REALLY didn’t want to sacrifice quality. Not getting a good night’s sleep is a recipe for disaster on a trip like this, so Ryan and I grabbed the Light Speed sleeping pads when we saw them for a great price at Costco. These pads are really thick and sturdy. I mean, I still might miss my pillow-top mattress, but at least I won’t be waking up with a stiff back every morning. And because the boys are so much smaller and lighter, we bought the more compact and cheaper MultiMat Trekker pads for them. I love how all of the pads are self-inflating so we don’t need to drag around a pump or pass out blowing them up.
4. Cooler – Arctic Zone Rolling Cooler
We weighed the pros and cons of several different coolers, and I’m still not convinced that we made the best choice for our trip. Space is a huge concern for us, and coolers can be really, really big. We ultimately decided on a really versatile, smaller cooler, since we plan on restocking groceries about every three days. Its is soft and can fold up when its not being used. It can also detach from the frame and be carried separately, so we can use it at the beach or for picnics. We also got it at Costco for about half the price that its going for on Amazon, so that helped us make the decision.
5. Chairs – ALPS – Mountaineering Rendezvous Chair
These chairs were just a little more that I wanted to spend, BUT they fold up smaller than most of the more standard camp chairs and they look super comfy. I like that they are lower to the ground, so its less likely that my little guys will take a spill in these. And they fit in the roof-top carrier!
6. Camp Stove – Coleman Max Perfectflow Grill Stove
We’ve had this little camp stove for almost a decade, and it’s still going strong. It has a burner for heating up soup or boiling water (mac and cheese for the kids, maybe?) AND it has a griddle, which is perfect for those pancake and bacon breakfasts. The whole stove is fairly compact and runs on propane, and I even found a bag for it to keep all of the grilling utensils together. Score!
On The Road Together 