car camping checklist

Tent & Sleepin'

• tent

  • if the tent has piddly little plastic stakes, buy some metal stakes online

• foamgrid (yoga foam grid makes the floor less pointy, optional)

• inflatable mattress, cots, or sleeping pads

• sleeping bags

• pillows

• clothing

• rain coat

• portable battery pack (for recharging devices, lights) with lots of usb-C and usb-micro cables

• little broom (tidy up that tent, it's gonna get dusty in there)

• toothbrush, toothpaste, floss

• disposable pocket cloth & sanitizer

Setting Up a Chill Zone

• canopy

  • you should stake down the canopy as well, this is another reason why a small bag of your own stakes is handy

• folding chairs

• lights

  • it's nice to have one lamp per person, plus a hanging lamp for the inside of your tent, and a few lights to hang at the periphery of your canopy or put on your picnic table

  • these are a lot less necessary if you're not night owls and you're camping in the summer when it's not dark until 9PM anyways

The Cooking Matrix

putting a "complete" camp-kitchen set together is one of the harder parts, I built a big disorganized-but-complete plastic tub that I keep in storage you can buy elaborate camping cookware sets online for too much money but I just tossed some kitchen extras and spares in a big tub, heavier but cheaper

• propane & stove

• paper towel roll

• aluminum foil roll

• kitchen garbage bags

• plates

• cups

• a pot

• a pan

• tongs

• spatula

• a cooking knife (use one of your shittiest at home knives, pack carefully)

• a cutting board

• soap, dishrack, sponge & basin

• oil

• salt & pepper

• sugar

• a l'il extra fold-up side table

• water jug (bring water from home, camp water may not be potable)

• kettle

• coffee & tea bags

Kitchen Zone Doesn't Mean Nothin' Without

• a cooler, full of food

• I fill mine with reusable ice packs rather than loose ice, which is less good at maintaining chill but more convenient

• vegetables & fruits (I have an insulated bag that I use for these, they don't need to stay SO COOL but keeping them from roasting in the heat is probably good)

• snacks & dry goods in a tub

What Do You Do While Camping (I Mostly Do Stuff I Would Do Indoors)

• book

• games

• notepad?

• small bluetooth speaker to play at a reasonable volume from 9 to 11

Utility

• hatchet

• tarps

• clamps

• rope

• duct tape

• lighter (long-neck)

• first aid kit

• can of bug spray

• fire-roastin' stick

Further Nerdery

• this can be logistically complicated to get together - prepare a pre-launch checklist that includes steps like "fill water jug", "charge lamps", "pack food", etc..

This Seems like a Lot Of Stuff

It is.