What You Need For Camping
Car camping is a great way to get outside and explore. It is by far the easiest and most accessible, especially if you’re just getting started. The biggest draw of car camping is that you can set up a temporary home near an area you want to visit while having everything you need at your immediate disposal. Whatever activities you seek, there are usually campsites nearby.
Car camping also allows you to get a little more off the grid in dispersed areas, as long as you have the proper vehicle to do so. Our Jeep can make it up some pretty gnarly terrain, which often gives us the best views away from others. Always remember when you’re camping in any space to leave no trace. Pack out your trash to ensure the outdoors remains as healthy and serene as possible.
Car camping is the best way to ensure you have enough equipment to be comfortable outside. If you happen to forget a necessary item, you can just hop in the car and get to a nearby store to pick it up. Having the right gear is the best way to ensure you have a great time.
Your vehicle also provides various forms of safety. It acts as a bear-safe storage container; just make sure to roll up the windows and lock the doors. You can also use your vehicle to escape a thunderstorm quickly and safely. When you are just starting, car camping is the most convenient way to get comfortable with this new hobby.
Let’s get into the essential camp items you need to get started to make your first trip a success. *We may receive a small commission if you purchase using the links below. All the gear we recommend is gear we own and use regularly. Please consider helping to support our site by purchasing through our links.
1. Tent
The most important item you need to camp is a tent (or other form of shelter). A tent provides a structure you can assemble quickly to protect you from the elements. If it rains, you will be happy that you have a tent to keep you dry. A tent will also block out the insects you are likely to encounter outside.
Some people may choose to skip the tent and cowboy camp under the stars, set up a hammock, or sleep in their vehicle. However, some campgrounds require you to have a shelter. We prefer the tent setup because it gives us more room to stretch out than a vehicle and there is more space to share with our two dogs.
My favorite tent is the Ozark Trail, 6 person Dark Rest Instant Cabin Tent. It is large enough to fit our inflatable air mattress with space to spare. The roominess gives us ample space for our dog beds and packs. The dark-rest lining is a must-have feature for us. The lining blocks out light, which comes in handy if you’re trying to sleep in, or if car headlights wake you up in the middle of the night with late-arrival campers nearby. The dark rest lining also keeps the temperature of the tent down in the morning so you can sleep in a little longer.
You can find the Ozark Trail 6 Person Dark Rest Instant Cabin Tent here.
2. Sleeping Pad or Inflatable Mattress
A sleeping pad or inflatable mattress is another key item to make sure you get a great night’s sleep outdoors. Sleeping without a sleeping pad or mattress will be cold and uncomfortable. My first camping excursions were to Lake Powell where we set up a tent on a sandy beach. I never even considered a sleeping pad as an essential item. However, that changed immediately on my first camp trip to a mountain lake where I couldn’t avoid jagged rocks stabbing me in the back while I tried to sleep.
There is a large array of pads and mattresses to fit your needs. You can find blow-up pads, self-inflating pads, roll-up pads, and several different types of air mattresses that will make sleeping while camping much more pleasant. For car camping, we prefer an inflatable air mattress because it is easy to adjust the firmness and it provides a more comfortable sleeping experience than a slim pad.
One that served me well was the Intex 10″ Queen Size mattress. I bought one in 2002 and it survived until 2019. You can find it here. In 2023, we switched to a Stoic Camp Bed. We’ve only had it out a handful of times, but so far it is one of the most comfortable and warm air mattresses we’ve ever had. Time will tell how durable it is, but we will be sure to keep you updated. If you are interested in trying it out, you can find it here.
If you want to go more lightweight, an inflatable pad is your next best option. We have the Kylmit Static V Sleeping Pad which inflates with 15-20 strong breaths. Great for side sleeping due to the v-shaped chambers, this lightweight pad has made an extraordinary difference for us, especially when we’re backpacking.
You can find the Kylmit Static V Sleeping Pad here.
2A. Air pump
If you purchase an inflatable mattress, an air pump is a necessity. Without a pump, you won’t have a way to inflate your mattress. Air pumps are typically powered in one of the following ways: a wall plug, a car 12v plug, or batteries. If you are starting, a battery-powered air pump will do the job, but the batteries can get expensive quickly. I recommend a rechargeable pump like this.
A 12v pump that plugs into your car outlet works well but it comes with a few limitations. The cord is not very long, which means the mattress will need to be inflated by your car. This means you have to carry it to the tent AFTER you inflate the mattress. You might find your mattress doesn’t fit through the tent door, which is inconvenient.
We use an air pump with a wall plug because it suits a variety of applications beneficial to us, including indoor use. I like the wall pump because it operates more efficiently. Some attachments allow us to pump up our rafts or tubes when we set out on the water. If you choose this option, you need a power inverter found here.
If you choose the wall plug and inverter combo an extension cord is a useful item. You will be able to pump up your mattress after it is placed inside your tent, which makes setting up a little easier. You can also use the pump to speed up the deflation process when you are packing to head home.
3. Sleeping Bag/Blanket
A sleeping bag is the simplest way to keep yourself warm while sleeping at night. Bags are usually sold with a stuff sack or compression bag and packed down to a smaller size enabling you to easily fit them in your trunk. You can roll them out at the campsite and toss them on top of your mattress quickly and easily.
There are many sleeping bag options on the market, suited to many preferences. Some bags have integrated sleeping pad holders; others are designed for side sleepers; there are square bags and mummy bags. When considering a sleeping bag, you want to think about the applications you intend to use the bag. If you tend to feel confined in small spaces, stay away from the mummy bag and go for something with a more generous or square cut.
Since we live in Colorado we opted for bags with lower temperature ratings. I opted for a 15-degree bag, while Alie went with a 20-degree bag. This allows us to get more use out of our bags in the spring and fall when the temps are MUCH cooler than what you might find in July, even at altitude. However, if you live in a hot or humid place and only plan to camp from June through August, then a 35- or 40-degree bag will suit your needs.
Make sure you take the bag out of the stuff sack when you return home. You should hang your bag when it is not in use. This will help preserve the loft of the insulation ensuring your bag will keep you warm for years to come.
4. Pillow
Although pillows from your house will do in a pinch, camp-specific pillows offer a few worthwhile benefits. First, they are much smaller than traditional pillows. This means they take up a lot less space in your vehicle. The compact size allows you to put the pillow comfortably inside your sleeping bag. This will keep the pillow in place during the night even if you are a restless sleeper.
Camp-specific pillows offer a contoured surface that provides better head and neck support by design. This will help you rest comfortably without waking up with aches and pains.
Camp pillows can be stuffed or inflatable. Inflatables are usually covered in two different types of fabric. One side is meant for sleeping and the other will help it stick to the air mattress or the sleeping pad so it doesn’t slide around while snoozing. The inflatable pillows pack down to a compact size saving storage space in your car and storage.
We recommend the Cocoon Ultralight Air-Core Pillow found here. Your neck will thank you in the morning.
5. Cooler
A cooler is an essential item you need to store your food at the proper temperature. Cooler size is very subjective. I find a 50-60 quart cooler good for our trips which range from three to seven days. You want something that can hold beverages and food items that need to stay cold. Look for models that have a large drain port on the outside of the cooler so you can drain the water and prevent your food from becoming waterlogged.
We have used a Lifetime 55-quart cooler for the past several years. The ice retention is rated at one week, although we find 4-to 5 days is more realistic during the summer heat. The generous size allows us to carry a mix of canned beverages and the food we need for a long weekend outing.
While you might see lots of ads for Yeti coolers, they also cost you a pretty penny. We’ve found our Lifetime 55-Quart High-Performance Cooler does equally as good a job. You can find that cooler here for equal performance at a fraction of the price.
Proper storage of your cooler is extremely important. Don’t leave your cooler outside or in your tent. While some are bear-resistant, that doesn’t mean they won’t attract unwanted visitors to your campsite. When not in use, lock it up in your vehicle or a bear box, if one is provided. Improper cooler storage is one of the most common violations by rookie campers and presents a danger to you and everyone around you. Do your due diligence and make sure your food is stored properly.
6. Headlamp
Another necessity is a headlamp and/or lantern to help you see around the campsite when the sunsets. Having a lantern and a headlamp is preferable. A headlamp is useful when moving around to set up or walking to the bathroom. However, if you use your headlamp when you are sitting around the campfire you end up blinding your friends. A lantern can be placed in an area you need illumination or hung from a tree or awning to make it easier to see in a high-use area.
The Foxelli Rechargeable Headlamp is my favorite. It recharges using a USB cord and offers long battery life. On the low setting, the battery will last 30 hours. The headlamp has a rating of 160 lumens on high which provides over 20 yards of clear viewing. The low setting offers plenty of light to find your way around camp at night. It also has a red light, which is a great feature if you need to move around in the middle of the night without disturbing others.
After trying out ours on various camp trips, most of our friends have also made the switch to using this headlamp. The versatility and affordability make this a great choice.
A great headlamp doesn’t need to break the bank and this one offers great value. You can get the Foxelli Rechargeable Headlamp here.
7. Camp Chairs
Having a place to sit and relax is an absolute necessity. After a long day of adventures, it is nice to sit and rest your body. While there are many inexpensive foldable camp chairs, this is an area where it makes sense to splurge on something a little nicer for added comfort. We prefer the CGI rocker chairs.
My preference is the CGI Firepit Rocker Chair. It sits low to the ground and allows me to stretch out while still staying close to the heat of the campfire. The chair arms give me a place to rest my hands, arms, and shoulders which helps my body relax and recover. Since this chair is low to the ground, it fits my 5’5″ frame well. If you are taller, prefer to sit up higher, or have a hard time getting up and down, this one may not work for you. It is a straight-back chair so it might not be as comfortable if you prefer something that contours to you. You can purchase the CGI Firepit Rocker here.
Alie likes the CGI Pod Rocker Collapsible Chair. This chair contours to your body giving you more back support and allowing you to sit in a more reclined position. This chair sits higher and is suitable for taller individuals. Although I enjoy the reclined seating position, I find I am a little too short for my feet to reach the ground comfortably when I rock backward. Alie is 6’ tall, so she likes the seating position of this chair for her comfort level. You can get the CGI Pod Rocker here.
If you’re looking for something more lightweight and compact, we both have the REI Co-op Flexlite Camp Chairs. These chairs are great if you don’t mind carrying a little extra weight on a backpacking trip or if you throw them in the kayak with you to pull up on shore and read along the water. If a lighter weight chair is more your speed, you can find the Flexlite Camp Chair here.
8. Tarp
A tarp is a relatively inexpensive piece of equipment that serves a variety of purposes on a camp trip. Have a leaking tent? Cover it with a tarp. Don’t have a pop-up awning? Tether a tarp to nearby trees providing cover from sun and rain. Your tent didn’t come with a footprint? You guessed it, tarp.
We carry a tarp with us everywhere we go. I have an 8×10 tarp I use as a footprint for our car camping and backpacking tents. I place the tent on top of the tarp before staking the tent. This extends the life of my tent because it is less likely to be torn by rocks, gravel, embedded tree roots, and other parts of the ground that are the usual culprits of wear and tear.
I also bring a spare tarp that is 12×10 to use for other purposes. Once while camping in Wyoming, we encountered unseasonably cold temperatures and freezing drizzle. I used the tarp as a drape to cover our tent. It helped block the air vents along the base of the tent stopping the drafts that came through that night. One side of the tarp has a reflective surface, similar to mylar, that we faced down in hopes that the heat would reflect toward us. Despite that first night being much colder than we anticipated, we were still comfortable while sleeping thanks in part to the tarp.
Tarps take up such little space, so they should always be part of your kit. You never know when it might come in handy during your trip.
Have other creative ways to use a tarp? Share your ideas in the comments.
9. Stove/Grill
While camping you need a way to cook your food. Sure, you could pack pantry staples that you can eat right out of the box, or you can use the traditional cook-a-hot-dog-over-the-campfire-with-a-stick technique. However, you might get to a point where you crave something better. A stove or grill is going to be essential to preparing delicious meals.
We started with a simple Weber grill that is fueled by propane. It is great for grilling, and when combined with a small griddle, you can easily use it to cook eggs or other messy foods that tend to slip or drip between the grill grates. Adapters to connect the grill directly to a refillable propane tank are readily available for purchase. This technique is more sustainable than using green disposable canisters.
If you do opt for the green canisters to fuel your grill or stove, there is an assortment of adapters that will allow you to refill and reuse them. Just make a note that eventually, they will start to leak. If that happens, it’s best to dispose of the canisters.
You can purchase the Weber Grill here.
10. Propane Firepit
Sitting around the campfire is the quintessential camping experience for many people. There is nothing better than hanging out with your friends, drinking whiskey, roasting marshmallows, and sharing stories by the fire. However, wood campfires are highly polluting from smoke particulates and pose a significant fire risk to arid areas. As a result, we moved away from wood fires to a propane firepit.
This firepit from Camp Chef lights quickly and easily using a lighter or match. It is fueled by a 20lb propane tank that you can refill or swap out at a variety of locations. The flame level is adjustable, so you can turn it up for warmth as the cool evening air sets in. Lava rocks are included with the pit, which helps radiate heat as they warm. If your lava rocks break down over time, you can swing by most hardware stores to replenish them.
Fire bans are a common occurrence during the summer across the Western US. Many people are surprised when they arrive at their campsite or RV park and find they aren’t allowed to make a fire. Propane fire pits are allowable under both stage 1 and stage 2 fire restrictions, so they are a nice addition to your camp kit. We can’t tell you how many times we’ve been camping when we’ve been the only people staying warm by fire in the evening, all thanks to our Camp Chef fire pit.
Propane firepits are also much easier to light than a traditional wood fire. Turn on the propane, turn on the gas control on the firepit (slowly), and light. It is also easy to shut down. No more hauling water to douse your fire when you are ready to go to bed. Simply turn off the gas and you are good to go.
Propane fires do not emit smoke or embers. This reduces the chances of starting a wildland fire to nearly zero. The lack of smoke is less polluting than a wood fire. This means less eye and lung irritation. The next day you will find you are not left smelling like smoke and fire.
11. Fuel
When you embark on a camping trip you need to make sure you have adequate fuel. This includes using your grill/stove and running a propane fire pit for heating. There are a few ways to tackle this need.
One option is to pack the green canisters which contain propane fuel. These are convenient because they are small and take up little space. However, they are technically not refillable and many toss them in the trash. You can buy adapters that allow these canisters to be refilled, but they will eventually leak and should be disposed of once that occurs.
Another choice is to buy a propane tank adapter hose. This allows you to connect a 20lb standard propane tank to your stove and grill. This is an excellent option since the larger tanks are easily refilled. The large capacity tank makes it less likely you will run out of fuel on your trip.
12. Lighter
A simple tool that is easily forgotten is a lighter. Having a lighter on your trip is essential for lighting stoves, grills, and firepits. Anyone who owns a stove with a built-in ignitor can attest that they don’t always work. It can be a terrifying experience if you create a fireball that singes your eyebrows because you weren’t able to light your grill. A lighter is more reliable than built-in ignitors.
We have started using a USB arc lighter, which is rechargeable and does not use a flame. We use it to light our stove, grill, and fire pit. The only area where it doesn’t work well is lighting the pilot light on our camper furnace, mainly because that furnace is almost 50 years old. This lighter is a worthwhile investment because it charges rapidly using a USB port. As long as you can charge it, you never have to worry about running out of lighter fluid. A quick 5-minute charge will give you enough juice for a few uses.
13. Water
Water is essential on any trip. All the activity during the day along with the post-adventure whiskey will increase your need to hydrate. You should aim to drink at least 64oz of water per day to stay hydrated. I tend to shoot for closer to 128oz when I am out hiking, biking, and sipping. You will want to make sure you have plenty of water to quench your thirst (and your pets) when you set out.
Some campgrounds have water on-site, but most do not. The best thing you can do is to bring your own. We use Ozark Trail 6 gallon water storage containers to carry our water. We have a water pump in our camper that pulls water from the cans. The 6-gallon capacity lasts 3-4 days for our family which includes filling bottles, pet bowls, and washing dishes.
I also carry one-gallon containers because they are smaller and easier to handle. I purchased these at a grocery store for about $1 each. I clean the bottles after use and allow them to dry completely. Before the next trip, I refill the bottles at home to bring them along on our trips. They are easy to leave in the car for a quick refill after a long outing. These store-bought bottles are inexpensive, but we choose to reuse them to reduce waste. If you go this route, look for containers with screw-on caps to help prevent leaks and spillage.
14. Plates and Utensils
Plates and utensils need to be part of your camp gear. Imagine showing up to camp and realizing you didn’t bring anything to cook with or eat on? Unfortunately, we have camped near people who have run into this issue. It is always interesting watching others debate which person is going to walk around the campground asking others to borrow simple items they forgot to pack.
There are different ways you can approach cutlery for camping. You could go the disposable route, but this creates a lot of waste and isn’t very sustainable, especially if you camp often. Buying paper plates and plastic utensils gets very expensive quickly. We recommend investing in gear that can be cleaned, reused, and stored away in a bin until your next camp trip. It will ensure you hit the road with the gear you need so you aren’t scrambling when you reach camp.
This option includes everything you need if you are getting started. It includes cooking utensils, knives for prepping food, and a cutting board. This particular kit also includes forks, spoons, and knives for 4. It includes extendable skewers for roasting marshmallows, which is a nice touch. It comes in a carry case, available in three colors to help you stay organized.
For plating food, we are fans of the GSI Outdoors enamel plates. The blue enamel is a camp classic. These plates are durable and easy to clean. The kit here also includes bowls and mugs. The mugs are great for sipping coffee or whiskey.
15. Aeropress
Morning coffee is a staple of our routine. It doesn’t matter if we are camping, going to work, or relaxing around the house, there will be coffee in my mug. How to make camp coffee is an often debated topic. While there are several ways to make a cup of joe, we like the Aeropress best.
To use the Aeropress, you simply need hot water. The Aeropress is very portable, so you can bring it just about anywhere. I even have co-workers who store an Aeropress in their classroom for a midday pick-me-up. It takes up minimal space in our vintage trailer and easily fits in our packs for backpacking. It is easy to adjust the strength of your coffee ensuring you always have a great-tasting mug of warm caffeine to get you going. It even includes a carry tote to ensure you don’t lose your scoop or filters.
You can pick one up here.
16. Bug Repellant
Depending on when and where you camp, bug repellant is a must-have item in your camp kit. Being eaten alive by mosquitos can often mean the difference between a great trip and a miserable experience. Mosquitos tend to be more active in the early mornings and around dusk, which is the time we are most likely to be relaxing at our site and cooking food.
I found a Thermacell to be effective in reducing the number of mosquitos around our campsite. The unit runs off a small butane canister and you simply insert repellent pads into the unit. As it warms, it puts off an odorless barrier that keeps mosquitos at bay. Between the Thermacell and traditional bug spray, I rarely leave a trip with bug bites which makes me a happy camper.
Final Thoughts
These are the basic items you need to get started with camping. You do not need to go out and purchase every single item before embarking on your first trip. You can borrow items from friends, rent gear from REI, or use what you have to make it work for a night or two.
Once you are hooked, it helps to have your own gear to make it easier to pack and hit the road faster on your next trip. Together, Alie and I have been collecting gear for over 20 years, which means our camp trips have dramatically transformed year to year.
You may discover other items that are a necessity for you. There are many other items not on this list that we don’t leave home without like our “party lights” and a portable speaker. While these aren’t necessities, they do create more ambiance for an evening whiskey tasting around the campsite.
What are your camp necessities that make your camp trip the best? Let us know by sharing in the comments or contacting us here!
Happy exploring!
