Packing. It takes me for.ev.er... Sometimes I find myself packing for a backpacking trip instead of a car camping trip. So here goes, I'll type the major items on my list as I put gear into the totes I'll be using in the trunk of my Chevy Impala LT for our trip. This way, I can refer back to it next year as well as share with fellow travelers.
*Note, I own a lot of the gear and a lot comes from my parents, who have been campers for years. I also have what boarders on a camping gear shopping obsession *see Cairn Box*. Because of this, I can't say that we're camping on the cheap by any means. But a lot of the gear that I own has been accrued over the years, so if you're going to go out and purchase my haul of gear in one fell swoop, don't be surprised by the bill! And because of all this, as you'll see throughout our trip this summer, I camp as cheaply as possible along the way.
**Also, remember that we are car camping, so this is NOT the same list of items we would bring for packing in to camp!
The list of ready-to-go-traveling items so far...
ESSENTIAL TENT GEAR
*Note, I own a lot of the gear and a lot comes from my parents, who have been campers for years. I also have what boarders on a camping gear shopping obsession *see Cairn Box*. Because of this, I can't say that we're camping on the cheap by any means. But a lot of the gear that I own has been accrued over the years, so if you're going to go out and purchase my haul of gear in one fell swoop, don't be surprised by the bill! And because of all this, as you'll see throughout our trip this summer, I camp as cheaply as possible along the way.
**Also, remember that we are car camping, so this is NOT the same list of items we would bring for packing in to camp!
The list of ready-to-go-traveling items so far...
ESSENTIAL TENT GEAR
- Big Agnes 4 Tent This tent has been fantastic for our family of 3 camping as well as when we've shared our space with my cousin on our first cross-country trip and a few weekends ago when my dad brought his cot and settled in with us for a weekend. The cot took up a bit more space than our sleeping pads do, so it becomes a tight 4-person tent with even one standard sized cot. This tent also has a vestibule sold separately. Someday I'll report how wonderful it is I'm sure, but for now, we'll do without the extra expense. You know, I'm a single mom and a teacher, so money apparently doesn't flow as freely as I like to think :/
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| Plenty of room... *Note: I forgot to put my tarp Inside the tent this time, but don't tell my dad! Included in the picture that's on the list: Marmot sleeping bag, 2 REI Youths' Lumen sleeping bags, and the all-purpose bandana. *Photography (I'm too |
- 2 Tarps. Find one that makes the least obnoxious noise or purchase an actual footprint for your tent. I try not to splurge on items when a cheaper version will suffice. I use a tarp on the floor of my tent and once we put our sleeping pads and bags on top, we barely hear the tarp at night. I purchased mine at a hardware store I think. The second tarp is backup. Tie one side between two trees in order to get rain cover, use it to cover firewood in case of rain when you are gone. Trust me, it will be super useful!
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| It was raining pretty good once we got back to camp from our hike, so this was the quickest set-up I could throw together in order to stay dry while cooking, so don't judge! |
- Marmot Women's Trestles 30 Long Sleeping Bag An REI garage sale find, so I definitely don't need a Long sleeping bag, but this bag is great! It has a standard zipper on side and a partial zipper on the other which is wonderful when I want to have some extra air flow on humid, chilly nights. I wish it compressed more, but since we aren't backpacking, it's fine for our trips.
- REI Lumen Youths' Sleeping Bag Another REI garage sale jackpot find! These bags came in a large REI sack and one had the compression bag inside. For less than half the cost of a new sleeping bag, these were perfect! My kids can use them for years as they grow and when their too big, assuming they'll be bigger than me someday, I can use one of theirs if they last that long. So far, they've kept the kids 'too warm' on summer trips, which is great for this summer when we're camping in the mountains and they'll need to stay warm!
- Two sleeping pads that my dad has had for years! No brand so I don't know who to give credit to, but these self-inflating pads are great. They are fairly compact and inflate quickly. The kids used these so far this spring and I have used a leaky pad on one trip and a yoga mat on another. I do NOT recommend a regular yoga mat. My back Hated me the next day.
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| Dad's great self-inflating sleeping pads. Can anyone identify the brand for me?!? |
- Airrail 1.5 Self-Inflating Sleeping Pad Yet another REI garage sale find. This one was more than half off the original with a note stating that it leaked. Once I got home, instead of putting it in a full bathtub to check for bubbles to find the leak, I blew it up and sat on it. Sure enough, I could hear the air leaking out and found a 2cm cut in the bottom of one of the rails. I had picked up a patching kit just for the project and patched that sucker up. It's now good as new! I'll keep the patching kit with me obviously, so it was definitely a bargain sleeping pad!
- Generic lantern with a carabiner to hang in the tent. This works great in our Big Agnes 4 Tent since there's tabs around the dome. This way we can hang out when it's dark and not have the obnoxious hassle of wearing headlamps. Obnoxious because kids don't sit still and constant headlamp lights in your face gets old. Real quick. We also have a gajillion caribiners that come in handy for absolutely everything.
- 3 headlamps. One Black Diamond, one Coleman, and one unknown branded lamp. These are great for bathroom trips, hence why they are in the tent list. I store one in each sleeping bag case so we always know where they are and no one loses or fights over them. They're all different brands and colors and I, mom, have the most boring one obviously.
- 3 camping pillows. These are kept in the car while traveling and then transferred into the tent when settling in.
*Emergency bag that gets brought into the tent each time it's set up...
- 3 Headnets. 2 Outdoor Research Springring Headnets, a much older model but effective just the same and one Atwater Carey Head Net. They work fine. Nothing to report other than when you need them, you'll be SO glad you have them!
- 2 Ponchos. I have semi-breathable ponchos from who-knows-where. One has a dragonfly and the other has a dinosaur, which obviously Never causes conflict between the kids (how to I portray the sarcasm in this statement, I don't even know but you should totally see the eye-rolling happening when I type that statement!)
- 3 bandanas. Because you never know when you need a bandana.
- 3 extra flashlights.
- 3 extra rain ponchos
CLOTHES
- Wise Planet Wet Bag All of our dirty clothes go in here and then they don't come out until they are washed, either by hand or in a washing machine if we happen to find one. I have a large one from our cloth diapering days and it's Amazing for all travel that includes an overnight stay. Especially since my kids don't notice what they wore the day before and the chances of obviously dirty clothes being worn two days in a row is reduced drastically when the clothes are in this bag!
- Everyone- The clothing items stay in 3 separate bags, one per family member. Our compression bags are big enough that the kids' sleeping bags fit inside their clothes bags, so everything is in one place.
- 3 t-shirts
- 3 shorts/capris
- 2 long-sleeve-shirts
- 1 vest
- 2 pants (mine are convertible)
- 1 base layer set
- 1 winter jacket
- 3 pairs wool socks
- 2 pair short active socks
- 4 pair underwear
- I have 2 bras
- Winter Gear- in one bag in the trunk, we have 3 of everything, one per person
- Hiking shoes
- Winter cap
- Winter gloves
CAMPSITE GEAR
- Three camping chairs. Nothing fancy, but make sure you have different colored chairs so each person has a specific color or all exactly the same chairs. Otherwise one kid's chair matches mom's and that's not fair, or one gets the good colored chair and that's not fair, or one will inevitably get dirty or break a little bit and it will only be another person's chair and it's not certainly not fair to say your own chair is either ruined or it now has to be shared. END OF THE WORLD definitely happens over chairs. Consider yourself warned.
- Extra tarp. See post under Essential Tent Gear.
- Eco Vessel This came in my most treasured subscription, my Cairn Box. This mug is sturdy and fits nice in my hands while I listen to nature in the morning with my peppermint green chai tea.
- 1 pot, 1 high sided pan, 1 water pot with handle and spout
- Single gas burner with gas bottles (5 for the entire month- we'll see if that covers us!)
- Mini spatula and serving/mixing spoon
- 3 multi-purpose silverware
- Can opener
- 3 collapsible bowls and plates
- BBQ lighters
- Paper towels. We only use cloth at home in the kitchen, but when camping, paper towels can be a lifesaver!
- Pan scraper/brush
- Food: repackage food into resealable baggies- instant mashed potatoes, DIY oatmeal with dry milk, dried fruit, and nuts/seeds to personal taste (I made 4 flavors to change things up), vacumm pack tuna and chicken packets, powdered pasta sauce, pasta, quinoa, dried vegetable mixes, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, bread, peanut butter, single serving honey packets, tea, hot chocolate mix, etc...
EMERGENCY MINI-TOTES
- Twine or rope
- Lightweight (or regular extra) tarp
- Duck tape
- Baby wipes. Cleaning messes, no-shower days, etc... BRING THESE ALWAYS
- Extra sunscreen
- Extra bug spray
- Elastic bandage
- Medical tape
- Gauze
- Adhesive bandages
- Hydrocortisone cream
- Saline (because I happen to have an unopened bottle from a recent surgery)
- Plastic ponchos
- Emergency blanket
- 3 extra mini flashlights
- Waterproof matches
- Extra plastic baggie with 1 roll of toilet paper and 1 box of waterproof matches
ACTIVE GEAR
- Teton Sports Oasis 1100 Hydration Backpack, Orange This pack has been great and I've had no trouble with the bladder. This is my pack, so it carries all the extras
- Mini sunscreen
- Mini bug spray
- Camera
- Binoculars
- First aid kit
- 2 Outdoor Products Youth Hydration Packs. These packs are cute, but don't have enough room for rain gear and snacks without getting all bulky and uncomfortable for a full day's hike. Also The Original Bladders Both Leaked after first or second use. We picked up replacement bladders and they fit just fine.
- Rain gear set
- Bandana
- 7-in-1 flashlight, compass, mirror, magnifying glass, etc...
- Emergency whistle
- Plastic zipping baggie with 1 roll toilet paper and box of waterproof matches
- Nite Ize LED Slap Wrap This also came in our Cairn Box. My dad had bought a couple for the kids a while back, so I was happy to get my own in my subscription box before our trip.
- Sun glasses
- Lip moisturizer
- Original Buff We picked ours up at REI with the kids each picking ones that were 1/2 off. I know they make junior sizes, but the regular sizes are just fine for the whole family.
- Winter headbands
- Light winter gloves
IN THE CAR
Front Seat
- Full-size Road Atlas with travel plan noted with stickies. You never know when your phone will die or you won't get enough service to find out where you are going!
- Computer- travels with me at all times.
- Phone/camera/computer chargers
- 3 21oz Hydaway water bottles- 1 with me and 2 in back for the kids. These are AMAZING! We'll be keeping these in the car as we travel and then using them at the campsite. We also use them around the house and on short walks.
- National and State Park Passports
- Portable USB charger- although all the tech equipment is nice to have, but I'd also be happy if I didn't need to be accessible to the outside world on this trip.
- Some snacks, but not many since we are working on not snacking between meals or eating in the car
Back Seat
- Coloring books
- Twistable crayons and colored pencils
- Sketch books
- 2 baking sheets
- Homemade miniature dinosaurs, trees, wooden people, and magnetic letters to use on the baking sheets
- 2 binders with car bingo sheets and coloring printed off the internet for free
- Card games
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| Pole Fitness! Ignore the pole :) |
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