By Chris FollinPACKING
How to pack for a car camping weekend
Car camping gives you room, which is both the benefit and the trap. The goal is not to bring everything. The goal is to pack so arrival, setup, meals, sleep, and leaving all happen without digging through the vehicle like a storage unit.
Pack in the order you will use things
The first things out should be the things that make camp usable: shelter, stakes, kitchen table, water, and lights. The last things out can be extra clothes, comfort items, and the nice-to-have stuff. If the sleep bag is buried under the kitchen bin, your packing system is working against you.
The weekend packing pass
- Shelter: tent, footprint, stakes, guylines, tarp or shade if needed.
- Sleep: pad, bag or quilt, pillow, sleep clothes, socks, beanie if cold.
- Kitchen: stove, fuel, lighter, cookware, utensils, water, wash setup, trash.
- Comfort: chairs, table, lights, warm layer, rain layer, camp shoes.
- Safety: first aid, navigation, battery, tire kit if relevant, weather plan.
Do not bury
- Headlamp or flashlight.
- Water and snacks.
- Rain layer or warm layer.
- Toilet paper and hand sanitizer.
- Keys, wallet, phone, and charging cable.
Leave behind
- Duplicate cookware you never use.
- Extra clothes with no weather reason.
- Bulky comfort gear that steals the whole cargo area.
- Random tools that are not part of a repair plan.
- Food that requires a kitchen you do not actually have.
Before you pull out of the driveway
Do a final check by scenario: Can you set up in wind? Can you cook if it is dark? Can you sleep if it is colder than expected? Can you clean up without a sink? Can you leave quickly if weather changes? That beats a giant generic list every time.