21 Car Camping Essentials - Everything You Need to Pack (2024)

These are the car camping essentials you need to take on your next camping trip.

We love exploring the outdoors, especially to shoot the milky way in the summer. When it comes to camping, we will backpack if we have to (seebackpacking essentials here), but we prefer the most comfortable route.

The nice thing about car camping is that you can bring as much as you want (as long as it fits in your car). Most of the time you can pull up right next to your campsite. We used to have a spacious tent set up for car camping, but since getting ourSubaru, we’ve worked on having a solid setup to sleep in the car.

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Last Updated: March 28, 2024

21 Car Camping Essentials for Your Next Trip

Regardless of your set up, car camping allows for more comfort and luxuries, and since you’re not looking for the lightest, most compact gear, it’s usually more affordable too.

We’ve broken up our essentials into different categories and cover both, what we used for tent camping and what we currently use for camping in the car.

Sleeping in Your Car Camping Essentials

1. Sleeping Bag or Blankets →

We bought really warm and light sleeping bags for backpacking. The ones we currently have are no longer sold, but here’s theupdated version of ours. If you never intend to backpack, since weight won’t be a big issue, check out thesesleeping bagsfor ones that much more reasonably priced.

Another option, and our current preference, is picking up afew blanketsto use if temperatures aren’t too extreme. When it’s really cold, we’ll still bring our sleeping bags so we can either use them as a blanket or zip up if we’re getting too cold.

Pro Tip: For you couples out there who like to cuddle, you could even pick upa double sleeper!

See More: 15 Backpacking Camping Essentials

2. Foam Mattress →

One of the best parts about car camping is that you can have a very comfortable set up. We love our Hest Camping Mattress. It’s easy to set up, move, and store, plus it has nice features like stowaway pockets on the sides to put your phone and loose items. We use it in the back of our Subaru Ascent, but also can use it in a tent. It makes getting a good night’s sleep much easier.

In the past, we used an air mattress in our tent, which is a good cheap alternative, but not great for colder weather. The air inside will be so cold that you might as well be sleeping on the ground, we learned that the hard way.

We also had this foam mattressbefore we got the Hest Camping Mattress. It folds up easily and we cut it down to fit in the Ascent. We also picked up acarry caseto store it when we’re not using it.

Pro Tip: For the air mattress, don’t forget to bring anextension cableandpower adapter, so you can fill it up with your car.

See More: 5 Lessons Learned from Being Unprepared for Winter Camping

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3. Compressible Pillow →

We got a couple ofTherma-Rest Compressible pillowsfor camping and they are awesome! They’ve changed the design since we picked them up, but now there are so many more designs and sizes to choose from.

4. Tent →

If we’re traveling in a group and don’t have space for our car set up, or go to a location that doesn’t allow you sleep in a car, we bring our tent with us.

As much as we love our backpacking tent, it’s far from ideal for car camping. We can’t even bring our backpacks in with us since the tent is so small. For car camping, we picked upthis cheaper 4-person tentso that we could fit our inflatable queen mattress! If you prefer to get a tent you can use for car camping and backpacking, check out theHighlander 2 Person Backpacking Tent from UST.

Pro Tip: Get a tent that’s a size or two larger to get plenty of space. Our 4-person tent fits our queen inflatable mattress, our two backpacks, and then some.

5. Portable Air Conditioner →

Unless you own a Tesla, most cars don’t have the option to run the AC without the car being on all night. For hot nights in your car, RV, or even a tent, the EcoFlow WAVE 2, has you covered. It doesn’t require any installation, cools and heats quickly, and can run up to 8 hours (with the add-on battery). Plus it’s nice and quiet and can be charged four different ways. We can’t wait to use ours on the next camping trip!

In addition to that, EcoFlow also makes portable power stations, solar panels, and more.

BONUS: Portable Bathroom →

One of the reasons I much prefer sleeping in a car is that I hate bugs. I get stressed out about the idea of having to pee at night in the dark.

I discovered thisDisposable Urinala few years ago and always have some on hand now. I can pee without leaving the car and it comes in handy on long road trips with no bathroom stops too.

6. Toiletries →

We carry our toothbrush, a mini tube of toothpaste, and some toilet paper inour 3-1-1 toiletry bag. We used to put them in ziplock bags but we carry our toiletry bags everywhere since it creates much less waste. For all our other liquids (shampoo, body wash, conditioner), we use ourGoToobs,which we’ve used for years. They’ve been super reliable.

Also, don’t forget your sunblock (see ourrecent post about great natural and non-toxic sunblock alternatives) andbug repellent!

Pro Tip: To save space, take out the cardboard portion of the toilet paper and flatten it. You can even just roll up a portion of the toilet paper if you don’t need the whole roll.

Campsite Essentials

7. Illumination (Headlamp / Flashlight / String Lights) →

When we go camping, we have various lights that we bring with us for different purposes.

• Headlamps:Since I don’t like bugs, I don’t like using a lantern (MOTHS EVERYWHERE!). We typically stick with the campfire light andtheseheadlampsto get around at night.
• Lantern:We do keep a lantern in the car so we can see when we’re changing or washing up. If you’re looking into getting one, you canget one that is solar chargedand also charges your phone and other USB devices.
• Flashlight:Jacob has also been looking for a powerful flashlight, so we recently picked upthis tiny one. It’s super bright, small, and rechargeable.
• String Lights (pictured below):We’ve been looking for some nice string lights to hang in our car and awning, so when we discovered theMpowerd Solar String Lightswe knew they would be the perfect fit. I love that they neatly store within themselves and they even released acolored versionif you want a little pop in your photos. They’re really strong too.

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8. Fire Starter →

One of my favorite things about camping is the smell of a campfire. To light a fire, you needmatchesor aflint. We’ve used both, but matches are definitely easier out of the two.

On our last trip, we had some of theseFire Starter’spacked in our car and they made starting a fire really easy.

9. Camp Chair →

A camping chair is essential for sitting around the campsite. The DOD Sugoi Chair is our go-to. The cotton canvas is comfortable and the height and angle of the chair are adjustable. Can you tell that the one Jacob is sitting in is a different height than the one next to him?

These stand-alone pop-up hammocksare really unique too and great for stargazing!

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Bonus: Fat Tire E-Bike →

When it comes to getting around the campsite and surrounding area, there’s nothing better that a fat tire e-bike! We recently go the Ride1Up Rift and love it! We haven’t had a chance to take it out camping yet since it’s been so hot, but once the weather cools, it’ll be in our car camping kit.

The Rift can get up to 28mph with pedal assist or 20mpg with just the throttle and it has a range of 45-60 miles per charge. The fat tires allow you to cruise over rugged terrains. Plus they have great accessories like a passenger kit so someone can ride on the back. It’s so much fun to ride!

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10. Folding Wagon →

A collapsible wagon is one of the best ways to move your items around at the campsite. The Uma Folding Wagon has large wheels to help you on different terrains and it can handle heavy loads like firewood or water. They even have a folding table top that gives your wagon even more functionality. This will come with us on RV adventures too!

See More: 25 Must Have RV Accessories

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11.

There are a few tools that are handy to have at a campsite. A knife is extremely helpful around the campsite. We recently just added thisleathermanto our arsenal.

Ashovel or trowelis also handy. You’ll need it to dig a whole if there are no bathrooms around, and they’re helpful when putting out a fire.

We also just picked upthis machete with a sawtooth edgeto use to cut wood and other items we need at the campsite.

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12. Pop Up Canopy or Awning →

We love camping in the desert so having cover during the day. We recently got this Pop Up Canopy from Quictent that we’re excited to bring out to our next camping trip. It’s perfect when we have a group outing so we have a central hang out spot, but we can also use it just outside of our trunk.

We also have anawning as an option when we camp on our own. Having the option to pop open our rooftop awning to escape the heat has completely changed the camping experience. We can’t wait to use it more!

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13. Daypack →

You don’t really need a large backpack for car camping, but it’s nice to have a small one if you go out for a hike. We love using ourREI Flash 18 Packfor day hikes and short excursions.

See More: The Best Travel Backpacks You Need To Check Out

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Cooking Essentials

14. Electric Cooler →

If you’re going camping, you can still bring all your favorite foods and snacks with aNew Air Electric Cooler. They come in three different sizes. We went with the 80 qt design so we have plenty of space.

You can control the temps in both zones so you can use one as a fridge and the other as a freezer, or have it all work one way or the other. Plus the LG Compressor ensures that you don’t have worry about running it on your car battery.

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15.

We usethisJetboilto make our Mountain House meals and instant noodles since it boils water quickly! If you plan on cooking more, you’ll need different cookware. We’ve also gone camping with friends who have broughttheir full stoves, which makes it nicer when you’re cooking for bigger groups.

Pro Tip: If you have to have your morning coffee, anAeroPresspairs perfectly with the Jetboil.

16.

When we go car camping, if we’re not eating out at a local restaurant, we usually do a hearty egg and bacon breakfast and eatour favoriteLasagna Mountain HouseorShin cup ramenfor dinner. For a protein-packed meal (that’s also gluten-free and paleo), check out True Primal. We tried the Southwest-style Chicken, and it’s tasty! We also bring ourfave road trip snacksand s’mores.

We have two types of water bottles we use. We have theseinsulated bottlesto keep our drinks cool/warm longer. We also havethese softbottleswhich are great for lightweight travel. See all our favorite travel water bottles here. They roll up once you’re done with them. For longer trips, get awater storage tankthat you use to refill your water bottles.

Pro Tip: For your journey, upgrade your cupholders with these Integral Expandable Cup Holders. Before, we used to let our water bottles roll around on the floor, which was somewhat annoying. Now we can put our larger water bottles in our cup holders with a secure fit. It’s easy to lock in, clean if you have any spills, and it has a slot for mugs with handles.

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Miscellaneous Essentials

17. First Aid Kit + Bug Bite Thing →

You never know what’s going to happen while you’re outdoors, so be sure to bring along a first-aid kit. We recently got thisvery complete first aid kitto have for any emergencies. We’ll leave it in our car for any time we need it.

The only thing we add to our first aid kit is a Bug Bite Thing. We know some people who swear by it and can’t wait to have it handy for our next bug bites.

Pro Tip: After buying a kit, just refill what you use rather than buying a new one again.

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18. Additional Rooftop Storage →

To give us more space in the car, and also to allow us to leave our bed set up without having to take it down, we use aYakima Skyboxto store additional items like camping chairs. It gives us that extra space needed so it doesn’t feel cluttered inside. We also use thisThink Tank Carryall Duffelto organize all our stuff and move it around easily.

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19. Solar Generator →

Getting away is definitely about unplugging, but as photographers, we have a bunch of devices we need to keep charged so we added thisJackery Power Station+two solar panelsto our car camping essentials kit. That means we can keep charged and have access to power at all times.

On top of that, we’re going to be using this at home as an emergency backup power!

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20. Sunshade and Mosquito Net →

Thesehandy sunshadeshelp keep the car cool during the day but also keeps critters out at night if you want to sleep with the windows open.

21. Car Emergency Kit →

Flat tires, a dead battery, getting stuck, are all very possible scenarios when out in nature. Having acar emergency kitis important to have!

Car Camping Essentials – First Timer Tips

• If you plan on visiting multiple National Parks, pick upan annual pass.
• You don’t need everything to have a good time camping. If you’re new to it, buy a few things that are important to you and go with some experienced campers so you can share some of their tools.
• Do research on where you plan on camping. Some sites are first-come first-served, others are reservation only. For first-come first-served sites, it’s good to have a couple back up options in case they are all full.
• Fire safety is very important. Know the rules where you’ll be going. Some places don’t allow fires or require you to get an additional permit.
• Test and familiarize yourself with your gear before heading out. It’s much easier to figure things out in the comfort of your own home and with the internet easily available.
• Have plenty of wet wipes and hand sanitizer handy since there might not be a bathroom. We like to wipe down each day.
• You most likely won’t have phone service wherever you’re going, be sure to either download any maps you need or have aroad atlashandy.
• Depending on how crowded the area is, if you plan on sleeping in the car, figure out a way to set up some privacy. We use a mix of sunshades and cardboard cut to fit the windows.
• Have a full tank. Gas can be sparse in outdoor areas, so fill up when you have a chance.
• Bring more water than you think you need. It’s better to have extra than to run out.
• Pack it out. Please keep our outdoor spaces clean and pack out any and all trash that you create or find.

Some of our Favorite National Parks for Car Camping

• Yosemite National Park
• Sequoia and Kings Canyon
• Joshua Tree National Park

More Resources

• USA National Parks Guide
• National Park Passport
• Rand McNally Road Atlas

Any car camping essentials we’re missing? What do you bring with you when you car camp?

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Esther + Jacob

Esther and Jacob are the founders of Local Adventurer, one of the top 5 travel blogs in the US. They believe that adventure can be found near and far and hope to inspire others to explore locally. They explore a new city in depth every year and currently base themselves in Las Vegas.

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