Car Camping Equipment Essentials Checklist (and not-so essentials)

One big thing everyone needs to be sure of for any camping trip is having the correct equipment...

Photo by Lan Bui

Which can end up being a lot.

For my trip to Point Mugu, we will be car camping (parking nearby and carrying the gear a minimal distance), so the weight and amount of gear is of little matter. At Point Mugu, we will also have picnic tables and a fire pit grill.

I have the following lists of important gear, optional gear, and items you need to regularly restock. Sorry, I currently have no specific gear listed, but I will update this later with links to all the gear that I currently own, and how you should or should not make the same purchase/mistake that I did.

Main gear for all car camping- what you need:

Shelter and Sleeping

• Tent w/ Rain Fly- unless you plan on sleeping/passing out on the ground by the fire.. no judgement
• Ground Tarp or Footprint for Tent
• Good Tent Stakes- the included stakes aren't worth the headache more often than not
• Rubber Mallet
• Sleeping bag- get an appropriate one for the weather you'll be camping in
• Sleeping pad (or air mattress, see below)- because sleeping on the bare ground sucks
• Pillow- basically necessary
• Rain Jackets or Ponchos

Cooking

• Fire Starters- matches, lighters, flint kits, or all of the above
• Way to cook your food:
• Camping stove
• Cast iron cookware for cooking on fire
• Portable Fire Pit Grill
• Cookware- Pots, Pans, Bowls, Knives
• Oven Mitt- cookware tends to get a little warm
• Water Kettle- Campsite water quality is often iffy pre-boiling
• Coolers- to keep your perishables cold
• Plastic Storage Totes- to organize dry foods and keep them dry
• Water container(s)- be it a 7 gallon tank or lots of plastic gallon jugs

General Campsite Setup

• Seating- foldable chairs, sturdy coolers, stumps at the campsite, etc
• Lanterns
• Paracord- for hanging clothes, lanterns, tarp shelters, etc.
• Extra tarps- Creating temporary shelters (in depth post eventually later)

Day Trips/Hiking

• BPA free water bottles/Nalgenes- 7 gallon tanks are no fun to take on a hike
• Backpacks- for the day trips and hiking
• Compass

Miscellaneous 

• Plastic Storage Totes- to organize everything and keep it relatively waterproof
• Duct Tape- it'll fix anything, including a tear in your tent
• Utility Knife- cut rope to size, open beers, defend your campsite, etc.

Optional gear- it's nice but not really critical to a trip:

Shelter and Sleeping

• Air mattress (for the glampers out there)
• Way to inflate air mattress (if applicable): rechargeable pump, hand pump, lungs of steel, etc.
• Portable/Travel Alarm Clock- if you don't exactly rise with the sun

Cooking

• Reusable plates and silverware- go green!
• Wind Screen for your heat source
• Coffee Press- if instant coffee in boiling water isn't good enough for you

General Campsite Setup

• Battery operated speakers- I have the GoalZero Rockout speakers
• Foldable Table- if your site has no picnic table or you just need more surface room
• Hatchet/Axe- if you feel the need (and are allowed) to get your own firewood
• Flip flops- if your campgrounds has showers you'll probably want something to cover your feet

Items to restock every time you go camping:

• FOOD- who doesn't like to eat
• Sunscreen
• Trash bags
• Paper Towels- lots
• Disposable plates and plasticware- Protip: paper plates burn far cleaner than plastic
• Dish washing soap
• Plenty of Booze- not so optional
• Firewood- although bulky for transport, is often overpriced at the campgrounds
• Stove Fuel Source (if applicable)- propane tanks, charcoal, alcohol fuel, etc.
• Aluminum Foil- good for cooking, storing food, cool hats, etc

Hope that gets everyone started on getting their gear together and thinking about what all they'll need for a car camping trip.  Let me know in the comments if I missed anything vital!

Coming up, I'll be putting together a camp menu with some easy recipes.