During our recent holiday, Tim and I had the pleasure of car camping with my sister in Cleveland National Forest, near Los Angeles, California. Tim and I are used to minimalist camping, so having a car was PIMP! My sister had all this cool stuff that one could only have with a car: an inflatable air mattress, a ceiling fan for her tent, a cooler full of ice cold beer…

It got us thinking: what would our ultimate car camping gear list look like? After a leisurely brainstorm over breakfast, this is what we came up with. Keep in mind, two of us were vegetarians, and we all have a penchant for hiking. If your into meat and mountain biking, your list is probably totally different. Let’s hear about it! What’s on your dream gear list?

The Car

A 4WD Adventure Wagon. We’re not exactly sure what that means, but it will have enough space to store all our gear, and enough power to get us where we’re going.

Cooking Supplies

• Grill grate – for cooking on the fire
• Long tongs
• Long spatula
• Tinfoil
• Cutting board
• Knife – for slicing veggies
• Vegetable peeler
• Pots and pans – about three per person, including a sizable pan for frying; this number may seem high, but remember, pots can double as bowls!; SnowPeak makes some pretty sweet titanium cookware, but is probably more appropriate for you ultra lightweight backpackers
• Pot-grabber
• Cups and mugs – plus wine glasses for that extra touch of class
• Picnic basket/bag
• Plates
• Cutlery
• Baggies – waterproof
• Sharpie – for labeling baggies
• Paper towels
• Wet wipes
• Buckets (2) for washing up
• Sponge, soap and dish towel
• Camp stove – we like the MSR Pocket Rocket
• Gas for camp stove
• Igloo cooler
• Ice – for the cooler
• Bottle opener / corkscrew
• Food net for bugs
• Gallons of water

Clothing

• Wind/waterproof wear
• Thermal underwear
• Wool socks
• Bathing suit
• Towel
• Flip flops
• Warm hat, gloves, scarf
• Warm fleece
• Hike shoes
• Underwear
• Sunhat
• Gaiters

Camping Gear

•  Tent
• Sleeping bags (bonus for couples: bags that zip together)
• Air mattress and pump
• Pillow
• Coleman Zephyr Ceiling Fan with Light
• Thermarest
• Thermarest chair

Campsite Accouterments

•  Lantern
• Headlamps
• Fire starter
• Fire wood
• Lighter
• Folding chairs with cupholders
• Crates to store stuff
• Platapus water bag
• Garbage bags (big and small)
• Coleman “All Terrain Blanket” (ATB) Poncho
• Picnic blanket w/ waterproof bottom (or use the Coleman ATB!)
• Bugspray

Personal Items

•  Toilet Paper
• Sunglasses
• First aid kit
• Toothbrush/toothpaste
• Lip balm
• Face wash
• Hand/body soap
• Sunscreen
• Camera
• Diary/pen
• Field/travel guides
• Maps

Extra stuff for off-campsite activities

• Camelback
• Thermos
• Daypack
• Mountain bike
• Hiking boots/shoes

Crossposted to spacekadet.org