How to Pack Your Car for the Family Camping Trip

Have you ever gone on a trip and encountered this:

• The first planned lunch somehow ended up in the bottom of the food box.

• The interior of the car is filled with all the last minute “I almost forgot items” and thus the necessities for the drive are buried or “lost.”

• You open the door at the first bathroom stop and three things fall out of the vehicle.

• Oh yes it is raining and honey did we bring the umbrella?

• It is at night and you are rummaging through the car as you can’t find your flashlight!

More...

If you find yourself nodding your head and relating and/or coming up with your own list then this article is written for you. We have encountered all the above and many more. This article is going to help you have a fun camping trip by teaching you to organize the vehicle.

There are two elements to think about when packing and organizing your vehicle for a trip. The first element is you have the journey and then the destination. Too often when packing you forget the journey or don’t think through the destination. To have a happy family by the time you arrive at the destination is to have an organized vehicle and to have a happy sleeping family is to have a vehicle packed correctly.

Pack your vehicle with the

Journey and the Destination

in mind

How to organize your car for the Journey:

There is one big question to ask yourself when packing your car for the journey: Will you arrive at your destination in one day or will it take multiple days? Depending on how you answer this question will make a difference in how you pack your vehicle for the journey.

The items you need assessable for the journey must be in arms reach. Within arm reach items include: a meal or two, drinks and snacks, baby wipes, books/games/entertainment, flashlight, umbrella, trash bag, dog leash if you have a dog, for some a bucket in case someone gets car sick, and a jacket. We have learned over the years those are the main essentials to keep at arms reach.

If you are taking a day or more to get to the destination then you need to pack items for the first night or two on top of everything else. We have one designated bag where we put everyone’s clothes and personal items they will need the next day together. This is done so that the rest of the bags may be left packed far away and buried in the car. Also so that we have one bag we are taking into a place where we are staying along the way instead of six bags. The tricky part is if you are on a journey where you are camping each night and packing and leaving early the next day. As then you will need to pack your tent and sleeping items on the next layer. (Note: think ahead if you are tent camping and it’s raining when you wake up, where will you put the wet tent for the drive? We like to put it in a hitch box or roof box so it is away from everything else). Yet you are still keeping all the items you will not use until the destination packed away and on bottom. For example, I have packed scooters deep and away under seats and though my children would love to have them at a rest stop they don’t get them out until the destination.

First layer are journey essentials at arms reach, second layer are items needed for sleeping until you reach the destination and the next layer are items you will need first when you reach the destination. The items you will need first at the destination is your favorite snack, tent, tablecloth, entry mat, and extra canopy if you have one. Wait a minute did I make a mistake and write favorite snack? Your favorite snack is what helps make family camping fun! The average family drives six hours, doesn’t eat, gets to the campsite and is grumpy because they haven’t eaten and then is more grumpy as they put up the tent and need I say more?  You can even have two parts to the snack where first one is a celebration of arriving and next is incentive to help set up camp and celebrate being unpacked. Why a tablecloth? I like to put the tablecloth out on the table so that as things are being unpacked they are kept clean. Right, I know your camping but the less dirt I carry into the tent the better. For example if I put my bag down on the dirt, I will carry that dirt into the tent or back into the car or if the ground is wet the water will be there as well. The entry mat to the tent as well so you may load things on it or wipe your feet before entering the tent or leave your shoes on it. The challenge is if when you arrive the weather is rainy or windy or cold. We have been known to sit in the car and wait out a hail storm. Then at first break I dash out and start setting up our canopy to get people out of the car and then start the tent. This is why you pack a jacket/rain gear at arms reach. As well as keeping a flashlight close as we have gotten to many campsites at night. Once the tent is up and all your sleeping essentials are inside organized it is time for a walk exploring.

Layering your vehicle correctly and methodically will keep the fun in camping.